New Moon Iyar

The month of Iyar is the second of the twelve months of the Jewish calendar. It is the month that bridges Pesach and Shavuot, festivals that commemorate the Exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai.

The names of the Jewish month are found in the Epic of Gilgimesh written hundreds of years before Avraham who lived 3800 hundred years ago; many of these ancient names have no meaning in Hebrew like Iyar. The 6000 year old Hebrew calendar, we are now at 5770, is an extension of the ancient Babylonian calendar.

Between Passover and Shavuot are forty-nine days during which the commandment of counting the days is carried out in increments of weeks. Today begins the third week called Tiferet/Beauty based on the lower seven of the Ten Sefirot which correspond to the seven days of the weeks and the 6000 years of creation plus the seventh thousandth year of peace and women.

Each day also corresponds with one of the seven outer planets–this week Tiferet/Beauty is Jupiter which is certainly beautiful; the first day correlates to the earth which is Chesed/Kindness. Kindness and beauty are represented in today.

The first 33 days are an inward process of repairing the subtleties of these seven primal qualities; the last 16 days are of going out culminating with the receiving of the Torah on day 50. The Cabala explains that fifty is forever.

New Moon of Adar

Adar is the happiest, most joyous month of the Hebrew calendar. In fact, its motto is "When Adar comes, joy is increased."

The first commandment given to the Jewish People on the precipice of leaving slavery and becoming a nation 3500 years ago is This Month will be the beginning of your months. Though the world counts new years from the fall, Rosh HaShana/Head of Years the Jewish people count years from the spring.

Adar is then the last month of the Jewish year where in the middle of the month is celebrated the holiday of Purim/Lots called so because of the lottery thrown by the wicked Haman to find the appropriate day to wipe out the Jewish People. Our history has been fraught with individuals sent like curses to destroy the Jewish People but yet we survive–through God’s intervention.

The story of Purim teaches how illogic can overcome logic in the month which concludes the year on a happy note. The Jewish nation over 3500 years have brought Torah to the earth along with three levels of explanation:Talmud-Law; Midrash-Story and Zohar-Secret, the Cabala is the key to opening the Zohar.

From the joy and illogic of Adar will come a new year full of new insights into the eternal Torah.