Sivan, the ninth month of the civil year and the
third month of the religious year, always has thirty days. The zodiac sign for
the month of Sivan is Gemini, the twins, which some sources identify with the
brothers Jacob and Esau. The word sivan, of Akkadian/Babylonian origin,
is mentioned only once in the Bible, in The Book of Esther (8:9):
6-7 Sivan: the festival of Shavuot,
which marks the anniversary of the giving of the Torah and is also the traditional
date given for the death of King David. In the land of Israel, Shavuot is
celebrated only on the 6th of Sivan.
3-5 Sivan: Sheloshet Yemei Hagbalah
(3 days of restriction) when, according to the Bible, the Israelites undertook
strict physical and spiritual preparation for the Revelation at Mount Sinai
on the 6th of Sivan (Exodus 19:10-15).
17 Sivan: On May 31, 1665 (17 Sivan,
5425) an eccentric mystic named Shabbetai Zevi, originally from Smyrna, Turkey,
proclaimed himself the long-awaited Messiah who would redeem the Jewish people
from their suffering, restore the kingdom of David on earth, and bring them
back to Jerusalem. Shabbetai Zevi was eventually arrested by the Turkish authorities
who suspected him of subversion, and he died in prison (after converting to
Islam). Thousands of Jews who had believed in him and even sold their possessions
in preparation for the return to the Holy Land, were devastated by the turn
of events.
20 Sivan: In eastern Europe, a
fast was observed on this day (until World War II) in commemoration of what
came to be known as the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648 and 1649. Under the
command of Bogdan Chmielnicki, the Ukrainian peasantry revolted against the
Polish nobility, choosing the Jews as their scapegoat. Bands of peasant-soldiers
known as Cossacks swept through the Jewish communities of the Ukraine and
Poland, leaving destruction and death in their wake. Many Jews fled Poland,
seeking refuge in Germany and western Europe. Chmielnicki, in whose honor
a statue was erected (and still stands) in Kiev, has come to represent for
Jews evil incarnate, a sort of latter-day Amalek whose name is to be blotted
out.
With the new moon of Sivan, the days of semi-mourning
of the Omer period come to an end for Ashkenazim (Jews of Franco-German descent),
while for Sephardim (Jews of Spanish descent or from Moslem countries) they
end much earlier.
