Nissan board

Some facts about the Hebrew Month of Nissan.
Nissan is the first month on the Jewish calendar. Before the Jews left Egypt, on the first day of the month of Nissan, G‑d told Moses and Aaron: “This chodesh (new moon, or month) shall be to you the head of months.”4 Thus the peculiarity of the Jewish calendar: the year begins on Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the month of Tishrei (the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve), but Tishrei is not the first month. Rosh Hashanah is actually referred to in the Torah as “the first day of the seventh month
Sanctifying the Month
“The L‑rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ‘This chodesh shall be to you the head of months.’”
From the wording of this verse, “shall be to you,” the sages deduced that the responsibility of pinpointing and consecrating the chodesh, the crescent new moon, was entrusted to the leaders of our nation, the Sanhedrin, the rabbinical supreme court of every generation.
Originally, there was no fixed calendar. There was no way to determine in advance the exact day of a coming holiday or bar mitzvah, because there was no way to determine in advance when the month would begin. Each month anew, the Sanhedrin would determine whether the month would be 29 or 30 days long, depending on when the following month’s new moon was first sighted, and would sanctify the new month.
In the 4th century CE, the sage Hillel II foresaw the disbandment of the Sanhedrin, and understood that we would no longer be able to follow a Sanhedrin-based calendar. So Hillel and his rabbinical court established the perpetual calendar which is followed today.
It is in this month that we celebrate the eight-day holiday of Passover, from the 15th through the 22nd of Nissan. It commemorates the Jewish people’s miraculous redemption from slavery in Egypt, and the birth of the Jewish nation.
We observe the anniversary of the Exodus each year by removing all leaven from our possession for this week, eating matzah and telling the story of the redemption to our children. By following the rituals of Passover, we have the ability to relive and experience the true spiritual freedom that our ancestors achieved
A special mitzvah which can be fulfilled only once a year, anytime during the month of Nisan, is to recite the berachah (“blessing” or prayer) made upon seeing a fruit tree in bloom. Many people visit botanical gardens during this time, so as to avail themselves of an opportunity to observe this beautiful mitzvah.

 The month of Nissan brown paper board  

The Laws & Customs of Rosh Chodesh

 

Adar board

Some facts about the Hebrew Month of Adar
Known as a month of celebration and happiness, the late-winter month of Adar contains the joyous holiday of Purim that takes place mid-month. Purim, however, isn’t the only thing that makes Adar special.
The Talmud tells us that “when the month of Adar arrives, we increase in joy” to welcome a season of miracles. Accordingly, the Talmud tells us that this month is fortuitous for the Jewish people.
Adar is the only month in the Jewish calendar that comes back for seconds. The Jewish leap year, or shanah me’uberet (literally “pregnant year” in Hebrew), occurs approximately once every three years. In order to assure that the lunar months of the Jewish year stay in sync with the solar calendar, an additional month of Adar is added. Purim is celebrated in the second Adar.
Tradition relates that Moses passed away on 7 Adar.
The zodiacal sign (mazal) for Adar is Pisces, or dagim in Hebrew. In Jewish tradition, fish are a sign of blessing and fruitfulness. Also, just as fish live in water, the Jewish people thrive when immersed in the Torah, which is compared to life-giving water.
Adar was the last month the Jewish people spent in Egypt before the Exodus. Adar’s joy is so great, in part, because it serves as the opening to an even greater rejoicing: the miracles of Passover.
Have a happy month!

The month of Adar brown paper board 

The Laws & Customs of Rosh Chodesh

Shevat board

Seven facts about the Hebrew Month of Shevat
Jews around the world usher in the new month of Shevat today. While not as well known as the Hebrew months of Tishrei or Nissan, when we celebrate the High Holidays and Passover, Shevat is a month rich in symbolism and meaning.

The month of Kislev brown paper board

1.It’s the Eleventh Month in Torah
The Torah doesn’t give names to the months of the year. Instead, it calls Nissan, the month of spring, the first month. Counting from Nissan, then, makes Shevat the 11th month.
2. It’s All Babylonian to Me:
The name first appears in the Book of Zechariah, and is believed to be a loan word from ancient Akkadian. Related to the word lashing, the name refers to the heavy rains of the season as winter draws to a close. Rain, in Jewish tradition, is tied with blessings.
3. The Age of Aquarius
The sign for the month of Shevat is Aquarius, the waterbearer. This further ties Shevat to the rainy season, reflecting the Biblical verse, “Water will flow from his wells.”
4. Make Like a Tree
Shevat is well known as the month of Tu B’Shevat, the new years for trees, but according to the Mishnah, there’s an opinion that the new year should be celebrated on the first of the month, not the 15th.
5. The King’s Speech
The month of Shevat was when Moses prepared for his passing in the following month on 7 Adar. He took the opportunity to rebuke the children of Israel, as recorded in Deuteronomy. Out of honor for the Jewish people, Moses saved these words of rebuke and heartfelt criticism until right before he passed away.
6. How Do You Say Abraham?
The Midrash explains that Moses spent the month of Shevat translating the entire Torah into the 70 major languages then spoken.
This teaches an incredibly important lesson: Every Jew has a connection to the Torah, even one who can not read it in its original tongue.
7. A Hidden Message:
We don’t know who first gave the month this special acrostic, but the word Shevat can stand for the Hebrew express Shenishma Besurot Tovot, that we should be blessed to share good tidings.
How appropriate in the month that celebrates the blessings of abundance, new life, and importance of the Torah.

                                                Children version

The Laws & Customs of Rosh Chodesh

Tevet board

Tevet is the 10th month on the Jewish calendar, counting from Nissan. Its name, which is mentioned in the book of Esther, was acquired in Babylonia, and shares a root with the Hebrew word tov, meaning “good.”
This month begins with the last days of Chanukah. By internalizing the message of the ever-increasing lights of the menorah we are able to reveal the good that is hidden in our lives and in the world around us.
The 10th of Tevet is a fast day, commemorating the start of the siege of Jerusalem in the year 3336 (425 BCE), which led to the destruction of the first Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple) three-and-a-half years later on the ninth of Av.

The month of Tevet brown paper board 

The Laws & Customs of Rosh Chodesh

Kislev board

Kislev is the ninth month on the Jewish calendar, counting from Nissan. It is best known for the holiday of Chanukah, which begins on the 25th of Kislev. The message of Chanukah is the eternal power of light over darkness, good over evil. Aside from commemorating the miraculous victory of the small and militarily weak Jewish army over the mighty Syrian-Greek empire, on Chanukah we celebrate the miracle of the oil. When the Jews sought to light the Temple menorah after the war, they found only one small jug of oil that had not been defiled by the pagan invaders. Miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days until new pure oil could be obtained. In commemoration, the sages instituted the eight-day festival of Chanukah, on which we kindle the menorah nightly to recall and publicize the miracle.

The month of Kislev brown paper board 

Latkes and Applesauce: A Hannukah Story by Fran Manushkin 

Maccabee!: The Story of Hanukkah

Shemini Atzeret board

Throughout Sukkot we hint at our desire for rain through such rituals as the water libation practiced in the Temple and the four species, particularly the willow, which represents the association of plant growth and water. Continuing with the water theme, a particular feature of Shemini Atzeret is the prayer for rain, thus officially beginning Israel’s rainy season. Since the land of Israel relies so heavily on substantial rain for its crops, the prayer for rain is recited with a special plaintive melody, and the cantor dons a white kittel (robe), as on Yom Kippur.
The prayer for rain corresponds to the prayer for dew (tal) that is said on the first day of Passover. Since the world is judged for rain at this time, according to the Talmud, it is proper to pray for rain at this time of the year. The prayer gives expression to the natural anxiety felt in Israel for the seasonal rain, the absence of which means famine, thirst, and disease. The prayer is delayed until Shemini Atzeret because it should not be invoked when fine weather is needed to enable us to dwell in the sukkah (Talmud, Sukkah28b).
The liturgy on Shemini Atzeret introduces the following phrase to be recited henceforth, until Passover, in the Amidah prayer–masheev ha’rua’ch u’moreed hagashem, “Who causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall.”

Wind and rain brown paper board

There are six parts of the prayer for rain, each of which refers to events involving water in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and the Twelve Tribes. Here is a translation of the prayer for rain:

Our God and God of our ancestors:
Remember Abraham who flowed to You like water.
You blessed him like a tree planted by streams of water.
You rescued him from fire and water.
He passed Your test by planting good deeds by every source of water.
For Abraham’s sake, do not keep back water.
Remember Isaac, whose birth was foretold when Abraham offered the angels a little water.
You asked his father to spill his blood like water.
In the desert Isaac dug and found wells of water.
For Isaac’s sake, do not keep back water.
Remember Jacob, who crossed the Jordan’s water.
He bravely rolled the stone off the mouth of the well of water.
He wrestled with an angel made of fire and water,
And therefore You promised to be with him through fire and water.
For Jacob’s sake do not keep back water.
Remember Moses, who was drawn in a reed basket out of the Nile’s water.
Who helped Jethro’s daughters: He drew water and gave the sheep water.
He struck the rock and out came water.
For Moses’ sake do not hold back water!
Remember Aaron, the High Priest, who, on Yom Kippur, washed himself five times with water,
He prayed and was sprinkled with purifying water,
He kept apart from a people who were as unstable as water.
For Aaron’s sake do not hold back water.
Remember the Twelve Tribes whom
You brought through the divided waters;
For whom You sweetened bitter water;
Their descendants’ blood was spilled like water.
Turn to us, God, who are surrounded by troubles like water.
For the Jewish people’s sake, do not hold back water.
You are Adonai, our God
Who causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall.
For blessing and not for curse. Amen.
For life and not for death. Amen.
For plenty and not for lack. Amen.

Excerpted from Every Person’s Guide to Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah. 

Every Person's Guide to Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah