After the month rich in festivals comes Marheshvan. The unique meaning of this month is hidden in its name; Marheshvan is like lehaĥashot, to fall silent. This is the month of silence.

In [interpreting] the name of the month of Marheshvan, one should distinguish between the root of the word, ĥet-shin-vav, and the final nun [which is not essential to the word]. This root indicates the nature of the month – to be silent [laĥashot]. The month before it was entirely hustle-bustle, with many festivals and communal activities, and now the Jew enters the month of Marheshvan, a month of calm and quiet, during which more emphasis is placed on the individual. Now the individual, in the solitude of his private world, relives all the events and experiences that occurred in Tishrei. (Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, BeMa’agalei Shana 1, p. 172)