Zodiac sign: Pisces (Dagim)
This year is a leap year. What does that mean? We have two months of Adar. Adar I and Adar II, we have two Purim celebrations on Adar 14. Purim I (Katan) which falls on February 23, and Purim II on March 11.
A leap year is considered a “pregnant” year. In a 19-year cycle, a Jewish leap year occurs 7 times. Why? Because our calendar is based on the lunar system which consists of 354.37 days. The Solar system consists of 365.37 days, The difference of almost 11 days accumulates and for both systems and seasons to align we do it by adding or inserting one extra month in our calendar. The festivals are then synchronized as prescribed by the Torah. Could you imagine if we did not? We would have Pesach in the summer and Sukkot in winter!
Thus, this year we have Adar I as the 12th month and Adar II as the 13th month counting from Nissan. During the month of Adar, we are commanded to be happy, it is the month of joy and each day of the month we have to increase the level of joy. We have 60 opportunities to be joyous, two months of extra happiness. These are the days of miracles for the Jewish people. And it is also joyous because it is the last month the Jews spent in Egypt before the Exodus.
The attribute: Laughter and Joy. “Adar” is related to the word “adir,” which denotes strength and power.
The zodiac of the month, Pisces (Dagim) refers to Jacob’s blessing “to multiply like the fish on the sea” thus there is a connection to The Source, to G/d. If a fish is taken out of the water it will die. Torah is compared to life-giving water as Jews thrive when immersed in it. The fish are also a sign of blessing and fruitfulness.
The letter of the month is Kuf (ק).
The permutation of the month: ההיו found in the blessing that Jacob gave before he died to Yehuda on Genesis, Ch39-v11.
This indicates the abundance of wine from a single vine, given to Yehuda.
Adar is not a month dealing with a higher mind or logic consciousness. Our minds and logic are not the best tools to be used during Adar. It is more difficult to be happy when we intellectualize. The Hay in the first position indicates a strong connection to our intuition and that is probably the best tool we have to use during these months of Adar. The Yud representing the smallest letter being in the level that relates to emotion, indicating that it is not a good time to change emotions. The tool that works best is “to be happy” and Joyous. This may be the reason that the Sages teach and command us “when Adar comes in, joy increases”.
The tribe of the month of Adar I is: Neftali (from the word nefesh). It is said that the Jewish people accepted G/d unconditionally and promised to live as Jews as it is during the holiday of Purim we were all called Jehudim. The tribe for Adar II is Levi and their connection is the study of Torah.
It is hard to think of joy and happiness when we are filled with agony and sadness. I am optimistic that during these powerful months of Adar, we will come to see the rebirth and growth of our people unified and strong so that we can all be happy and joyous once again.
Ken Yehi Ratzon.
By Teresa Quiroz, On behalf of Women of Holy Blossom
Shacharit Service: February 9th, 7:30 am ET, in-person or via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/93902401402?pwd=dGlOR2dEcGs1RVc0OVFwdkFtOVo5UT09
Password: 667580
For upcoming dates and why Rosh Chodesh is special for women see https://holyblossom.org/rosh-chodesh/
