ADAR:
Month 12 | Adar: Joy that leads to strength (“the joy of the Lord is my strength”)
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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ELUL: The King is in the Field
The human mind will never be able to fully comprehend, at least not this side of the Resurrection, how great a sacrifice it was to lay down all the energies of divinity, to descend from the glorious fullness of eternal infinitude to humbling limitations of an impoverished baby (lacking bladder control!).
Av: The Month of Comfort in the Hebrew Calendar
The month of Av is also referred to as “Menachem Av.” “Menachem” means “consoler,” and “Av” means “father.” Due to the tragic events that occurred during this month, its name reminds us that God is there to comfort us in times of tragedy. Tu B’Av signifies rebirth after destruction and is a day for new beginnings.
Tammuz: The Month of Vision in the Hebrew Calendar
On the 3rd day of this month, the Lord miraculously stopped the sun in its tracks (allowing for sustained vision), allowing Joshua and his armies to deal a decisive blow to their enemies.