The name of the second month of fall in the Hebrew calendar is from the Akkadian word meaning “bitter” (alluding to the absence of holidays and feasts in this month). Cheshvan corresponds in Jewish astrology to עקרב (aḳrab, meaning “scorpion”) and to Scorpio, whose nature is water. In 2026, 12 October is 1 Cheshvan 5787.
Book of Months