TAMMUZ

“There is nothing new under the sun.”

“‫”אין חדש מתחת לשמש‬
— King Solomon, Ecclesiastes 1:9

THEMES OF TAMMUZ

• Summertime offers reminders of harsh realities for the Jewish people

• The weather and climate reflect what is happening on an energetic level
• Learning to use darkness to discover the light
• Getting to know our evil inclinations and how to “use them for good”

SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS OF TAMMUZ

Summer has arrived. The days are at their longest and
it is hot. If you are living in Israel it is really really hot! If
you think back to the lessons of Chanukah, learned in
the dead of winter you’ll remember that there is always
light shining even in the darkness. This Hebrew month,
Tammuz, teaches us the inverse of this lesson: there is also
darkness in the light. In the secular world, summer means
no school, tons of barbeques, and carefree afternoons,
but if you look to the ancient Jewish calendar, you can
see that this scorching light of summer can also bring
deep and challenging lessons about mourning and grief.
Police officers will tell you that crime rates are highest
in the summer; a sharp example of what the Hebrew
calendar is trying to explain. The rays of the sun are
at their harshest, the passion of the unrelenting light
is powerful, and if misdirected, it causes us humans do
what we do: get overheated, become impatient, and
quick to anger. The light of the sun becomes blinding and
limiting. This is why in Tammuz our sages tell us to pay
very close attention to the emotional heat of the month.
If undirected it can be brutal, intense, and cause us to
lose ourselves in anger like Moses does in the first Torah
portion of this month when he strikes a rock impatiently
demanding water from God. Even Moses gets overheated!
But it’s not all heat and anger and uphill climbing this
month. By calling upon Teshuvah, the return to oneself/
repentance, this challenging month can open to deep
revelations of our own powerful potential.

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 How can we heal? Through seeing clearly and becoming aware
Okay, so we know what we are up against. The heat, the
light, the intensity. We know that even our fearless leader
Moses loses his connection to the divine. He loses his
patience with the people and his chance to enter the
Promised Land with the rest of the Israelites. In Tammuz,
we must be extra sensitive to our realities, to our self
deception about our realities, and bring as much clear
truth to our lives as possible. This month will bring us
tests, are you prepared to meet them?
“There is nothing new under the sun”
Brothers are going to fight, sisters will be catty, humans
will eat, sleep, love, and so on. It always has and always
will happen in every generation. The laws of mother
earth dictate that the sun rose and the sun set for our
ancestors in the past, and will continue to do so for the
next generation to come. The stories of the Torah manage
to show up in our lives today and remind us that nothing
under the sun is actually ever new. If this is so, and we
Jews think it is, then where can we grow? Where can we
change? Where can we transform?
My body might be limited, but
my soul has unbounding potential.
**Nechama Lurie contributed to this teaching through her brilliant research and digesting of ancient text.
If ever there was a month to practice Teshuvah,
returning to self, this is it. Awareness is the first step of
transformation. First we need to notice our negative traits,
our darker inclinations, and the things in life that make
us tight. Once we become aware we have the power and
choice to take life into our own hands, become the driver
of our destinies, and respond rather than react.
We all have a Yetzer Ha-ra, an evil inclination, what does
your’s thrive on?
One answer our Rabbis offer is everything that happens
above the sun. Below the sun we find the terribly
mundane realities of our physical world. But above the
sun there is infinite potential for us to grow our spirituality,
our relationship with God or a higher power, and to
recognize the interconnectedness of everything in the
dimensions that have no physical form.
My body might be limited, but my soul has unbounding
potential.
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WHAT WOULD BIBLICAL WOMEN DO
Daughters of Zelophehad
Are you the only woman on your team at work? Feeling like it is
hard to find your voice in a male driven office? Getting different
treatment than your brothers from your parents? Not getting
paid equal amounts to your male counterparts? If you’re in need
of some inspiration to stand up for yourself, look no further
than the Torah (or the US Women’s soccer team). Thats right,
open your Tanakh1 to Numbers 27 and enjoy the story of five
badass sisters who took their destiny into their own hands.
Mahlah, Noah, Holgah, Milcah, and Tirzah, also known as the
daughters of Zelophehad, were a group of sisters dedicated
to speaking their mind, standing up for their rights, and not
allowing the status quo to define their reality. The Israelites
took a census and divided the land among the adult males, but
the sisters’ father had died, and none of them were married, so
they were denied an inheritance. They thought this was wrong
and “went out” from their tents and “came forward” to Moses,
the high priests, the chiefs, and the rest of the Israelite males
who gathered around the Tabernacle. The sisters, came with
wisdom, eloquence, and determination to question Moses on
his decision to leave them landless. Moses himself admitted
that he was stumped and went before God to seek an answer
Take this to your Well Circle:
• Where would you like to channel the daughters of
Zelophehad this month?
• In what ways do you feel you are being pushed around
because you are a woman?
on their behalf. God responded with unequivocal support for
the sisters and a declaration to forever support women in the
same position.
Imagine the scene: back then women were living in their tents,
taking care of their homes, they were not coming before the
high court or Moses. But these sisters were fearless; They came
before the high ranking men with courage and insisted on a
different reality.
Next time you think your destiny is fixed, and you lack the
courage to stand up for an injustice around you, or the hope for
all that you deserve, look no further than to your Torah, your
ancestors, and remember the daughters of Zelophehad. Dare
to be courageous, walk where nobody has walked before, never
settle for the status quo, and step into what you deserve.
1.
Hebrew Bible
• Where can you walk where nobody has walked before?
• What corner of the world would you like to change for
your daughters?
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GET CREATIVE, GET EXPRESSIVE:
Bringing Light Into Your Life
Melissa Cetlin is a Graphic Designer, currently living in SF but grown on
the East Coast. She is super excited about the mission of At The Well
and has been designing all the materials for the organization over the
past few months. Check out more of her work (and a little gif of her
dancing!) on www.hellomelissacetlin.com.
A major theme for the month of Tammuz is transformation and
bringing light into the darkness, and darkness into light.2 Taking
this theme in a pretty literal way we are going to be creating
intention candles to help guide us through the month and
shine light into the parts of our lives that we may be have been
neglecting. Candles have a role in many rituals within Judaism–
we light candles to welcome shabbat, we use candles to
memorialize passed loved ones, we even have an eternal flame
prominently placed in every synagogue.
Intention Candles:
Supplies:
1 lb bag of soy wax flakes-can be bought Candle pouring pot
online or any craft store Wooden Spoon
Candle wicks and wick stickums - can be
1 pair chopsticks
bought online or any craft store
2 rubber bands
Jar - a mason jar is great
Directions:3
1. Using clean glass container straighten out the wick
and put the wick stickum on the bottom (the metal part)
and place the wick on the bottom of the jar as centered
as possible.
2. Taking two chopsticks and rubber bands fashion a sort of
clamp for the wick to slide into and let the chopsticks sit
over the top of the jar for support once you pour the wax.
3. Place the candle wax in the pouring pitcher or wax heater
and heat it until it is completely liquefied.
4. If you’re going to add in color do it when the wax is
mostly melted.
2.
www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/2241467/jewish/Tammuz-the-Month-of-Darkness-and-Light.htm
3.
Directions adapted from http://www.candlewic.com
Light is a great metaphor for shining extra intention into the
parts of our being where we need to pay more attention.
This month marks the time in the Torah when Moses lost his
temper at the wrong moment. A part of Judaism I have always
appreciated is that even our prophets are human—that they are
all so far from perfect. A huge part of being human is making
mistakes, acting in ways that are not in our own best interest
out of spite or jealousy or any myriad of traits that keep us from
shining at our brightest light. For Moses it was his inability to
control his anger that diminished his light.
As we pour these candles we will add in meaningful objects that
will affect the physical candle and reappear as the candle burns
through, reminding us of our intention and keeping us on track
to help manifest the change we want to bring into our lives.
Objects that will not melt that signify something in
your life you want to bring extra intentionality to
i.e, rose quartz for self love, salt for enhancement,
black tourmaline for grounding
5. Using your wooden spoon, mix it well once the
wax is completely melted in order to ensure even
temperature throughout.
6. Let the wax cool down a little and then add in
fragrance if that is meaningful to you.
7. As you pour the wax, do so in stages and put in
your meaningful objects with intention…using this
time as a meditation on what areas of your life you
want to infuse with light.
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At The Well is a movement of women from across the globe
waking up to our bodies and souls. We know that we are created
in the imagine of the divine, so a key way into understanding and
learning how to be in relationship with this spiritual dimension
is to understand our bodies. In this month of Tammuz, where our
limited physicality presents challenges, we are also invited to
investigate our higher souls. Before we can do that, we must learn,
know, access, and deeply understand the power and potential of
our bodies. The following poem was submitted by Lena Walker, a
Brooklyn based soul sister on a spiritual quest.

POEM IN PRAISE OF MENSTRUATION, BY LUCILLE CLIFTON1927

if there is a river braver than this if there is some where water

more beautiful than this coming and coming in a surge more powerful than this wild water
bright as the blood of passion, of pain pray that it flows also
red edge of the moon through animals
if there is a river beautiful and faithful and ancient
if there is a river more ancient than this and female and brave
more faithful than this daughter of eve
returning each month mother of cain and of abel
to the same delta if there is in the universe such a river
if there is a river

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RECIPE

Orzo Salad with Roasted Red Peppers, Pine Nuts, Feta and Olives
The following recipe was submitted by Daniela Gerson.
She is a chef who brings love and deliciousness to the homes of people in San Francisco and Hawaii.

During this month of Tammuz we are entering the fullness overheating and getting sucked into our anger. So make this
of summer, when the sun is at its height. I picked this recipe salad, find a cool spot in the shade outside and enjoy!
because it’s picnic perfect. This month we are susceptible to

Ingredients
12 ounces, weight Orzo Pasta, Cooked
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 whole Lemon, Juiced
1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
(add more to taste)
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 cup Kalamata Olives, Halved
2 Roasted Red Peppers ~
roughly chopped or cut into strips
1 cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
1 cup of Basil ~ Chiffonade
3 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley
&/or 1 Small Bunch Mint Leaves, chopped
Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation
1. Char red pepper on all sides directly on the burner of
a gas stove, or roast at 400 degrees until blistered all
over. Transfer to a bowl until cool enough to handle,
then peel off the skin and remove seeds and stem.
Roughly chop pepper.
2. Cook orzo in large pot of boiling salted water until
tender but still firm to bite. Drain.
3. While orzo cooks, whisk together the olive oil, lemon
juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper until
totally combined.
4. Pour ½ of the dressing immediately over cooked orzo.
5. Place the orzo and all the other ingredients in a large
mixing bowl. Add more dressing if needed. Stir to
combine, taste and adjust seasonings, and refrigerate at
least an hour before serving.

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RITUALS
The following is submitted by Nechama Lurie. She is in a Well
Circle outside of Detroit and walks about the earth with a
wealth of Jewish knowledge.
17TH OF TAMMUZ:
The 17th of Tammuz is an important day for Hebrew calendar
geeks, like us. It marks the day the Jerusalem walls were
breached by the Romans, kicking off a period of mourning
which culminates in the destruction of Both Temples next
month on the 9th of Av. Also, on this day, while wandering
in the desert, Moses smashes the Tablets of the Ten
Commandments after descending from Mount Sinai only to
witness the Israelites worshipping a Golden Calf. As you can
tell, this is a rather destructive day, and Jews the world over
commemorate this moment with a day-long fast (observed
from break of dawn until the sun goes down on the 18th of
Tammuz/24th of July). Whatever you do, mark this day on
your calendar, you will want to pay specific attention to your
natural inclination to loose your faith and get distracted by
your anger. Even Moses did!
Important 11th century Jewish thinker and commentator of the Torah.
4.
So much of our modern Jewish thought comes from this great thinker. “WWRS - What Would Rashi Say?”
ROSH CHODESH - A HOLIDAY FOR JEWISH WOMEN:
Rashi4 commented that Rosh Chodesh is specifically relevant
for us ladies because the Israelite women did not actively
participate in the sin of the Golden Calf. In spite of the
men’s demands that the women donate their jewelry to the
construction of the idol, the women refused. For this, women
have been gifted Rosh Chodesh, an extra time of rest and
study each month. It just so happened that it coincided with
our traditional menstruating time...There are no coincidences.
HOW DID WE GET THIS NAME TAMMUZ?:
The Hebrew names for the Jewish months originated in
Babylon during the 70 year exile (after the destruction of the
First Temple in 586 B.C.E.). “Tammuz” was actually the name
of a Babylonian idol and deity. Maimonides, the Rambam,
tells us that Tammuz was a false prophet who according to
Ancient Mesopotamian lore is crowned by the gods and
flies away following his tragic death. How sacrilegious to
then attribute one of our months to an icon that contradicts
the very core of our beliefs? In Judaism we force ourselves
to always be better and learn from our mistakes. The Jews
indeed struggled with adhering to the prohibition against
idol worship. In naming this month after a false idol we are
reminded of our sins while also remembering how we’ve
overcome them.
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MEDITATION
The following is submitted by Rabbi Callie Schulman who is
relocating as we speak from the Bay Area back to her homeland
of Portland, Oregon, and looking forward to getting started with a
well circle there soon. For more of her work and writing visit
www.rabbicallie.com.
In her book, Kabbalah Month by Month, Melinda Ribner explains
that the month of Tammuz is a time to, “reach deep inside to
muster our own resources and see if we have the inner strength
and discernment to stay focused and on the spiritual path.”5
Tammuz is about maintaining the endurance to make it through
the heat of the summer, and manage the heat of our passions. In
addition to its Babylonian roots, the word “tammuz” has Hebrew
resonances as well: it means “the completeness (or innocence)
of strength.”6 The essential challenge of Tammuz is to meet the
external imbalance (longer days, shorter nights), with internal
balance - to be what Miriam Maron calls a “Visionary Warrior,”7 by
maintaining our boundaries and caring for our needs this month.
The following guided meditation aims to help us identify those
inner resources and meet our inner Visionary Warrior, that we
may acknowledge the fullness of our own strength. (You will want
materials with which to journal immediately following at
the ready).
Sit or lie comfortably in a quiet place. Once you are
physically situated, take three deep, cleansing breaths. Let
each exhalation remove another layer of tension, stress, and
distraction from the day. Focus on the natural rise and fall of
each subsequent breath as you gently acknowledge and then let
go of whatever stray thoughts cross your mind. Imagine that the
room you are in is filled with a cleansing, bright light. Breathe
it in. Let it course through you, from the top of your head to
bottom of your feet. Call attention to each part of your body as
the light passes, and surrender to it any remaining tension.
Relaxed, unfettered, unburdened, a path appears at your feet
and you begin to walk upon it. You are in a safe place, filled
with familiar and comforting sights, sounds, and smells. As
you walk, begin to notice your surroundings. Where are you?
What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear? You
maintain a calm pace as you wander through this landscape of
familiarity, letting the gentle rise and fall of your breath propel
you forward. These familiar views begin to fade away, as the
path opens up ahead and you begin to walk in a new territory.
What does the terrain look like? The sky? What do you see in
the distance? You arrive at a fork in the road, and see that the
new tracks lead up a gentle slope to a hilltop. Leave the
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 MEDITATION (Con’t)
beaten path and climb the hill. When you arrive at the top,
take a 360 degree turn to survey the scene. What challenges
have you already encountered along your path to arrive at
this place? What roads were left untaken? What do you see
on the road ahead?
A tree appears on the hill before you. Sitting in its shade
is your inner Visionary Warrior, waiting to greet you. As
you approach, notice her demeanor and body language.
How does she present herself to you? How does she greet
you? What is her dress and what is she carrying? How did
she come to possess it? Which of her gifts did she gain in
battle and which did she receive without suffering? What
challenges has she lived through, processed and turned into
gifts? She offers you her hand and as you grasp it you feel the
completeness of your strength which comes from the totality
of your experiences. You feel the innocence of your strength,
for there is something innocent in recognizing the wholeness
of those experiences, and owning the sum of our parts. Your
inner Visionary Warrior’s balance and power course back
through you as gifts both hard-won and naturally given.
5.
Ribner, Melinda, Kabbalah Month by Month, (Jossey-Bass, 2002) p.248
6.
Maron, Miriam, Ancient Moon Wisdom, (Hamilton Books, 2013) p. 41
7.
Ibid, p.46
As you step away from your encounter in the shade, you
descend the hill and return to the path, carrying with you
all of the gifts of your inner Visionary Warrior. They are
weightless, but their presence is profound and you feel a
sturdiness in your bones as you prepare to continue along
your path. Focus on the rise and fall of your breath, and bring
your attention back to your physical self as you slowly bring
movement back into your limbs. With your eyes closed take
three deep breaths, and when you are ready, open your eyes.
Take a few moments to write about what you saw, about your
encounter with the inner Visionary Warrior, and what gifts
you now carry with you.
Personal Journal Questions:
• Are you overheating this month? What is making you
angry? What type of thoughts about the world are
you noticing yourself thinking?
• Are you blaming others for something happening in
your life? If so, what? Can you bring clear eyes to
what is happening “above the sun”? What is your
soul telling you is actually happening?
• As a Jew, why is it important to realize that even
Moses lost his temper?
• How do you cultivate the growth of your soul?
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SARAH’S INTENTION
A little window into why I share a personal intention: I hope
that you are using this material within your Well Circle. I hope
that you find spaces to be seen and heard and that you take
time to see others. I cannot, however, expect you all to be truly
vulnerable unless I first show my vulnerability. This is why every
month I open myself up and pour a little piece of my heart out to
you all. Thank you for seeing me.
I am in Israel and I can tell you the heat is oppressive. This idea
of the sun’s rays being too powerful is real. I am trying to be
carefree and open because I get to spend some time in our
homeland. Which is deeply meaningful to me. But in all honesty,
just thinking about how to dress professionally, but also for the
heat makes me angry. Walking by a Haredi woman in clothes
from ankles to wrists, a wig and herding five children, makes me
angry, and getting in screaming matches with taxi drivers trying
to rip me off makes me really angry. These small little things, for
some reason, in this heat, set me off. I know I am angry because
I can feel my lungs getting tighter, my shoulders reaching
towards my ears, and my ability to access love shrinking. This is
not how I want to live my life and not how I want to spend time
walking about this planet.
Resources:
Rabbi Barnea Levi Selavan: Old City, Jerusalem, Israel
Sarah Schneider: Old City, Jerusalem, Israel (via Chabad.org)
Shimona Tzukernik: via Chabad.org
Ribner, Melinda. Kabbalah Month by Month. Jossey Bass. New York. 2002.
As a little girl I used to be angry all the time. I was in a
constant state of being pushed around, by my brothers, by my
homework, by the injustices of the world, by everything really.
Where did that leave me? Sick, tired, overweight, injured,
unable to learn, unable to love, unable to connect, and unable
to see a reason to live. Truly. I saved my life by learning how to
lean towards the positive. Learning to channel intense emotions
into a passion. I am grateful for this and I am grateful for my
spiritual curiosity that has opened me to the vastness of my
people’s ancient teachings.
I find great relief in the notion that this month is a time for
me to be tested. This past spring I worked hard to access my
freedom in order to fully step into and receive more connection
to my spiritual paths. Now, in Tammuz, I am putting my money
where my mouth is. Now, in Tammuz, I am being tested: can
I walk my walk? Can I really practice what this cycle of the
calendar is teaching me? To be honest, I am not sure, but I hope
so. Awareness is my first step towards transformation. I am like
the rest of you, I am trying to be better, trying to be stronger,
trying to step more fully into my potential. So this Tammuz, I
accept this opportunity to grow. To become aware of the small
things that pull me towards my more tight self. I am choosing
to live on a spiritual path and so, I am choosing to accept the
challenge. Please let me notice when things set me off, allow me
to feel without judgement, but then give me space to cultivate
my part above the sun. Cheers y’all.
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