Spirituality: Rosh Chodesh| Adar
Rosh Chodesh I Adar
When the archenemy of the Jews, Haman, was drawing lots
for an opportune time to wage his personal war against the
Jews, he was delighted that the date of the deadly decree
fell in the month of Adar. The reason he was so happy was
that he found that every other month on the Jewish calendar
had some auspicious date to aid the Jewish people, but in
Adar he saw that Moses passed away on the 7th. Haman
was so sure that this date would cause misfortune for the
Jewish people that he made Adar the deadline for the
decree.
However, what Haman didn't know is that Moses was also
born on the 7th of Adar, which made the month an
auspicious one for the Jewish people, not only during the
events of Purim but also today. How did the joy of Moses'
birthday cancel out the misfortune that the 7th was also the
day of his passing, and what are the special qualities of
Adar that grant the Jewish people good fortune?
Adar is under the constellation of the fish. Haman saw
nothing particularly lucky or beneficial in the constellation of
the fish. He was threatening to swallow up the Jewish
people like a fish swallows food. But he didn't see that there
was a bigger fish, and that he would be swallowed up
himself. Just as larger fish swallow smaller fish, so the
tragedy of Moses' passing is swallowed up by his birth, for
that joy is greater than the sadness of mourning.
How do we know this is so? The Lubavitcher Rebbe points
out that a person's soul shines stronger on his or her
birthday. The aspect of the soul that is contained within a
person is actually a spark of the person's root Neshama,
which stays above. This Neshama that is above the earthly
Neshama is called "mazal". A person's mazal is stronger on
the birthday because the mazal, which drips vitality into the
soul, and the soul are in perfect alignment on that day.
Even though we all individually have birthdays, Moses's
birthday is like the collective birthday of the Jewish people.
How is this so? Because the leader of the Jewish people is
equal to the Jewish people collectively. (Num. 21:21, Rashi)
Since every generation has a spark of the soul of Moses, his
birthday is also the birth of the essence of the souls of the
Jewish people. This is why the mazal of the Jewish people
is stronger in Adar.
Adar is also the month of completion, rectifying the lunar
year to the solar cycle and readying us for revelation. In
leap years there are two Adars. In such a year, what was
incomplete reaches its full potential. Just as the Jewish
people are frequently compared to the moon, Adar is an
auspicious time to reach one's spiritual potential.
Also, the two Adars together have 60 days. If an unkosher
liquid falls into a pot, the mixture can still be considered
kosher if the unkosher part is less than a ratio of 1/60. The
60 days of these two months reflect the ability of this
number to nullify negativity.
But the sages have said that the Jewish people are beyond
mazal and there is no ('ein' in Hebrew) constellation that is
associated with them. This is why the Jewish people were
able to show such self-sacrifice on Purim, and at all times;
the capacity for self-sacrifice is beyond logic.
This greatness is hinted in the name of Adar which is
spelled alef, dalet, reish. The alef represents the power of
G‑d, which may seem to be separate from everyday
existence. The dalet and reish form the word "dar", which
means "to dwell". The alef, or G‑d's unlimited power, aims
to create a dwelling place in this limited world
Moses tried to accomplish this in the last seven days of
Adar when he worked to build the Tabernacle. The
Shechinah wasn't revealed in the Tabernacle, so he kept
rearranging and rebuilding it. Finally, on the last day, the
Shechinah was revealed in the Tabernacle. The last seven
days of Adar during which Moses spent building the
Tabernacle correspond to the seven generations during
which the Shechinah was not revealed. G‑d's intention was
that he should have a dwelling place in this world, and this
was being accomplished at the end of Adar.
Haman's mistake in thinking that Moses' passing ruined the
month of Adar for the Jewish people was actually to our
benefit; he chose to set the decree in the month of the
greatest mazal for the Jewish people. This teaches us that
Adar is a propitious month for protection, for improving
ourselves and for joy, which reaches greater and greater
levels as we progress through the two Adars.
-The Lubavitcher Rebbe. Rosh Chodesh Adar I Sameach!
When the archenemy of the Jews, Haman, was drawing lots
for an opportune time to wage his personal war against the
Jews, he was delighted that the date of the deadly decree
fell in the month of Adar. The reason he was so happy was
that he found that every other month on the Jewish calendar
had some auspicious date to aid the Jewish people, but in
Adar he saw that Moses passed away on the 7th. Haman
was so sure that this date would cause misfortune for the
Jewish people that he made Adar the deadline for the
decree.
However, what Haman didn't know is that Moses was also
born on the 7th of Adar, which made the month an
auspicious one for the Jewish people, not only during the
events of Purim but also today. How did the joy of Moses'
birthday cancel out the misfortune that the 7th was also the
day of his passing, and what are the special qualities of
Adar that grant the Jewish people good fortune?
Adar is under the constellation of the fish. Haman saw
nothing particularly lucky or beneficial in the constellation of
the fish. He was threatening to swallow up the Jewish
people like a fish swallows food. But he didn't see that there
was a bigger fish, and that he would be swallowed up
himself. Just as larger fish swallow smaller fish, so the
tragedy of Moses' passing is swallowed up by his birth, for
that joy is greater than the sadness of mourning.
How do we know this is so? The Lubavitcher Rebbe points
out that a person's soul shines stronger on his or her
birthday. The aspect of the soul that is contained within a
person is actually a spark of the person's root Neshama,
which stays above. This Neshama that is above the earthly
Neshama is called "mazal". A person's mazal is stronger on
the birthday because the mazal, which drips vitality into the
soul, and the soul are in perfect alignment on that day.
Even though we all individually have birthdays, Moses's
birthday is like the collective birthday of the Jewish people.
How is this so? Because the leader of the Jewish people is
equal to the Jewish people collectively. (Num. 21:21, Rashi)
Since every generation has a spark of the soul of Moses, his
birthday is also the birth of the essence of the souls of the
Jewish people. This is why the mazal of the Jewish people
is stronger in Adar.
Adar is also the month of completion, rectifying the lunar
year to the solar cycle and readying us for revelation. In
leap years there are two Adars. In such a year, what was
incomplete reaches its full potential. Just as the Jewish
people are frequently compared to the moon, Adar is an
auspicious time to reach one's spiritual potential.
Also, the two Adars together have 60 days. If an unkosher
liquid falls into a pot, the mixture can still be considered
kosher if the unkosher part is less than a ratio of 1/60. The
60 days of these two months reflect the ability of this
number to nullify negativity.
But the sages have said that the Jewish people are beyond
mazal and there is no ('ein' in Hebrew) constellation that is
associated with them. This is why the Jewish people were
able to show such self-sacrifice on Purim, and at all times;
the capacity for self-sacrifice is beyond logic.
This greatness is hinted in the name of Adar which is
spelled alef, dalet, reish. The alef represents the power of
G‑d, which may seem to be separate from everyday
existence. The dalet and reish form the word "dar", which
means "to dwell". The alef, or G‑d's unlimited power, aims
to create a dwelling place in this limited world
Moses tried to accomplish this in the last seven days of
Adar when he worked to build the Tabernacle. The
Shechinah wasn't revealed in the Tabernacle, so he kept
rearranging and rebuilding it. Finally, on the last day, the
Shechinah was revealed in the Tabernacle. The last seven
days of Adar during which Moses spent building the
Tabernacle correspond to the seven generations during
which the Shechinah was not revealed. G‑d's intention was
that he should have a dwelling place in this world, and this
was being accomplished at the end of Adar.
Haman's mistake in thinking that Moses' passing ruined the
month of Adar for the Jewish people was actually to our
benefit; he chose to set the decree in the month of the
greatest mazal for the Jewish people. This teaches us that
Adar is a propitious month for protection, for improving
ourselves and for joy, which reaches greater and greater
levels as we progress through the two Adars.
-The Lubavitcher Rebbe. Rosh Chodesh Adar I Sameach!
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