When we begin new months on our secular calendar we always turn to a "new" page. We don't necessarily experience a transition from one month to the next. First it's October, then we turn the page and it's November. The Hebrew calendar, on the other hand, seems to present us with a flow of time and a connection between one month and the next. The move from Cheshvan to Kislev is a good example of this. Last month we talked about the
letter Nun, the letter for the month of Cheshvan, and the concept of Cheyn
(grace). We noticed that the first and last letters of the month of Cheshvan
spelled Cheyn (Chet-Shin-Vav-Nun) and that helped us focus on the idea of
graciousness and extending compassion to those who are undeserving or who have
fallen (including ourselves).

This graciousness that we focused on does not just disappear with the end of the month of Cheshvan. Rather, the month of Kislev brings the Cheyn of Cheshvan right along with it to the holiday of Chanukah (CHET-NUN-(Vav)-Chaf-Heh). We can even read the word Chanukah as "the graciousness - the Cheyn (Chet-Nun)--that we received on the 25th (Chaf =20, Heh =5) of Kislev -- the first night of Chanukah." The graciousness we received on the 25th of Kislev was visible and on a big scale. We perceive overt acts of
graciousness as miracles; and during Chanukah we actually celebrate two of
them-- the miracle of the rededication of the Holy Temple following a victorious
guerilla war waged under the leadership of the Macabees and the miracle of the
oil for the rededication of the Menorah . Why do we call some acts graciousness
and other acts miracles? Are these the same kinds of miracles? What is the
difference between the two?

The word for miracle in Hebrew is Nes (Nun-Samech)
and is also a connection between Cheshvan and Kislev. When we take last month's
letter Nun together with this month's letter Samech, we spell the two letter
word in Hebrew for miracle--Nes. We get a sense that there is a flow from
graciousness to miracles. What does the spelling of the two words --Cheyn
(Chet-Nun) and Nes (Nun-Samech) teach us about this flow? Already we see that
graciousness, Cheyn (Chet-Nun) and miracle, Nes (Nun-Samech), have the Nun in
common. We want to compare what the Chet and the Samech do with the Nun that
moves us from Cheyn to Nes -- from graciousness to miracles.

We also want to focus our attention on the month of the Nes, where the letter Samech (which as a word means to support) follows or lifts up the fallen Nun of the previous month
on the risks we are willing to take in order to open up the level of the
miraculous! Do we rely on the miracle answering our risk taking? Clearly the
tradition is, "Ayn Somchin al HaNes" We do not rely on miracles! Then how do we
act with courage when the odds are not in our favor or when reality seems to
block our intentions and at times our survival? What does the month and letter
of Kislev teach us about taking risks and relying with faith on the Divine
support that awaits us?

In the prayer, Al Ha'nisim, "For the Miracles," that we recite throughout the 8 days of Chanukah during the Shemoneh Esrei and the Birkat Ha'mazon (the Blessing after Meals), we call our attention to and focus our awareness of the miracles that G-d performed for us. The same prayer, with some modification is also recited on Purim. We will look at the "Al ha'Nisim" prayer to help us understand the word Nes. Since this prayer is also recited at
Purim, we want to understand the nature of the Purim miracles as well. We will
also look at the Torah portions that we read during the month of Kislev for
examples that connect us with taking risks, in particular the story of Joseph.