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The
Month of Adar
The
Month of Adar: End and Beginning
Mrs.
Deena Nataf,
Midreshet Rachel V'Chaya
Adar
is the last station on the yearly cycle that begins
with Nissan. It symbolizes the end...yet also the
potential for rebirth, as we emerge from Adar into
Nissan. Its zodiac sign is Dagim, fish. Just as
fish live under the sea, concealed from the eyes
of man, so, to, is Adar a month of concealment:
cold, windy, and dark. Yet, like fish, who far from
the human eye proliferate in an entire self-contained
universe under the sea, Adar, too, conceals within
itself the potential for spiritual proliferation
within the self-contained universe of each individual
human being.
The period of the First Temple was marked by the
revealed presence of Hashem in the world, and open
miracles. During the period between the two Temples,
Hashem's presence was concealed. Haman, however,
only looked at the surface, at what was apparent
to the naked eye, and he concluded that the Jews
were no longer worthy of Divine grace. Therefore,
he not only thought that their Hashem wouldn't save
them from his evil decree, but he extrapolated that
Adar, the month of concealment, would be the most
auspicious time to exterminate them. His big mistake
was that he didn't realize that on a cyclical plain,
the end emerges into the beginning, and what seems
like death might mean the potential for rebirth.
When the Jews of Persia were threatened with destruction,
they began the process of teshuvah, which is digging
inside oneself and discovering one's tremendous
potential for spiritual growth and renewed commitment
to avodat Hashem. Generally, teshuvah is a hidden,
quiet process, not apparent to others. Yet, once
teshuvah is effected, it has magnificent results
not only in the spiritual, hidden world, but in
the revealed world as well.
In Persia, the Jews' teshuvah saved them from both
spiritual and physical destruction, and we can well
take a lesson from them today. Our gedolim have
said that Torah study and acts of chesed are what
will save us from the terrible asonim, tragedies,
-- both physical and spiritual -- that we face today.
Adar is a good month to look deeper into ourselves
and to discover hidden spiritual strengths that
might not have been apparent to us until now.
As we don our masks and costumes this month, let
them be a symbol for the infinite potential within
each of us that lies hidden beneath the surface.
And may our renewed commitment to fulfilling the
will of Hashem bring Mashiach speedily in our days.
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