ADAR:
Month 12 | Adar: Joy that leads to strength (“the joy of the Lord is my strength”)
- Prayer Request
- Praise Report
Focus: Joy // Strength
Letter: Kuf (ק)
Tribe: Naftali
Sense: Laughter
There are many joyous dates on the Jewish calendar, but besides Purim, none affect an entire month, causing it to be auspicious and joyous. Purim is the celebration of Israel’s rescue from the Persian leader Haman’s genocidal plot (as recorded in the Book of Esther). The Rabbis teach that Purim is like Yom Kippur (the “Day of Atonement”). While on Yom Kippur we achieve holiness through the mortification of the flesh and long hours of prayer, we realize that same level of holiness on Purim through feasting, celebration, and joy.
Major Jewish and Biblical Events in History in Adar:
01 Adar: Ezekiel Foretells Egypt’s Downfall (421 BCE)
07 Adar: Birth and Passing of Moses
01 Adar: Plague of Darkness Began
03 Adar: Second Temple completed
05 Adar: Moses’ Last Day of Leadership (1273 BCE)
06 Adar: Moses Completes the Torah (1273 BCE)
07 Adar: First public sentencing and burning alive of six Jewish men and one woman by the Spanish Inquisition was held on this date in Seville
11 Adar: A fast is observed today by all adults in commemoration of the three-day fast called at Esther’s behest before she risked her life to appear unsummoned before King Ahasuerus to save the Jewish people from Haman’s evil decree
23 Adar: Tabernacle assembled for the first time
25 Adar: Nebuchadnezzar died (397 BC)
27 Adar: On the Shabbat that falls on or before the 1st of Nisan, a special reading called “Hachodesh” (Exodus 12:1-20) is added to the regular Shabbat Torah reading recounting God’s communication to Moses in Egypt two weeks before the Exodus.
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Adar: The Month of Joy in the Hebrew Calendar
There are many joyous dates on the Jewish calendar, but besides Purim, none affect an entire month, causing it to be auspicious and joyous. Purim is the celebration of Israel’s rescue from the Persian leader Haman’s genocidal plot (as recorded in the Book of Esther). The Rabbis teach that Purim is like Yom Kippur (the “Day of Atonement”). While on Yom Kippur we achieve holiness through the mortification of the flesh and long hours of prayer, we realize that same level of holiness on Purim through feasting, celebration, and joy.
Shevat: The Month of Blessings and Fruitfulness in the Hebrew Calendar
According to Tradition, the first of Shevat is when Moses began giving his final address to Israel. “Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this Torah saying, ‘Adonai our God spoke to us at Horeb saying: ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain’” (Deuteronomy 1:5-6). For the entire month of Shevat, he would sit in the meeting tent and elucidate the Torah.
Tevet: The Month of Divine Grace in the Hebrew Calendar
2 Kings 25 tells us Nebuchadnezzar began Babylon’s siege of Jerusalem on the 10th day of Tevet (a fast day known as Asarah B’Tevet). Ironically, the Jewish people adopted the name “Tevet” during the Babylonian exile. It is believed to connote “sinking” or “immersing.”