The Twelfth Month of Adar – Part One -Increasing our Joy!
Part of an ongoing series entitled Hidden Sparks Beneath the Surface
By Betty Tabor Givin aka Elisheva Tavor
In Jewish tradition, the month of Adar is one in which we are admonished to “increase our
joy!”Adar is the 6 th month on the traditional Jewish calendar counting from Rosh HaShana
and the month of Tishrei which is in the fall, but on the Biblical calendar, counting from
Aviv or Nisan, Adar is the 12 th month and falls towards the end of winter. It was the last
month that the Children of Israel spent as slaves in Egypt. It follows then that the people
would have much joy as they looked with anticipation to the promised coming redemption
and a new beginning!
The Meaning Behind the Name
The Hebrew name “Adar” is related to the word “adir,” which denotes strength and power.
The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson of blessed memory, often pointed out that
the term adir is used to refer to the Jewish people. King David writes, “He gives strength
and power to His people. Blessed be HaShem!” (Psalms 68:36)
According to the source Ohr Chadesh (Light of the Holy), the word Adar when broken
down is A/Dar which means “the letter of Alef dwells.” The letter Alef in Jewish
mysticism represents Divinity and the Oneness and Unity of G-d. It is more than amazing
that the Creator of the universe chose to make Himself known by dwelling here on planet
earth and in the hearts of mankind. This concept of the Divine or the Alef dwelling
below is a theme that runs throughout the entire Tanakh. It is also brought out in the
Midrash when it states that G-d “longed to make for Himself a dwelling place in the lower
world.” HaShem, represented by the Alef, longs to reveal His presence and to dwell in the
midst of his people (Tanchuma Naso 16)
This concept is brought out clearly in the parshiot or Torah portions during the month of
Adar each year. These portions deal with the building of the Tabernacle in the desert
which they were to make according to the tannit, the pattern (Exodus 25:9) by which
HaShem had explicitly instructed them. They were to use the physical materials of this
world such as gold, silver, copper, wood, linen, wool, oil, etc. and make a beautiful
Tabernacle for His Glory…a physical tabernacle, yes, but a tabernacle which had intrinsic
implications tying the physical to the spiritual. In parsha Teruma we find for example
HaShem instructing Moshe to speak to the people when He says, “Let them make Me a
sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:9)
The Tabernacle is long gone, the Holy Temple has been destroyed, yet the commandment
to build a sanctuary for our G-d echoes down through the ages. It continues to be the task of eaca “of us to sanctify our thoughts, speech, intentions and actions and to build a
sanctuary within our hearts, to create a G-dly home within that is worthy of Hashem’s
Divine Presence to dwell; and with that comes the promise that no matter where we are He
will be to us a little sanctuary, a“mikdash me‘at,!” (Ezekiel 11:16)
According to the mystical writings in the book of Sefer Yetzirah, each month has a Hebrew
letter and a “sense” associated with it. The letter of Adar is kuf ק and the “sense” of the
month is laughter and joy. In the month of Av, the month when the Temple was destroyed,
we decrease our joy…but “when Adar begins let joy increase” (Taanit 26b).
As we strive to increase our joy by focusing on the Alef, on HaShem our G-d and Creator,
and the awesome factor of His dwelling within us and in our midst, we are endeavoring to
build the inner courage to let go of our trappings and enhance that joy and release some of
those hidden sparks beneath the surface, the sparks both within us and all around us just
waiting to be discovered! Joy, simcha, is catching!
If we take a closer look at the letter kuf – ק; we see that it is the only letter (other than the
final letters) to descend below the line. Shimona Tzukernik in her teachings on chabad.org
points out that kuf קוֹף in Hebrew means monkey. She notes that it looks like the letter
reish ר, rounded like a monkey’s back but with a line hanging down below the line,
resembling a long tail ק. Can you see it?
If so, try to picture for a moment in your mind’s eye that kuf ק, that little monkey catching
his tail on a branch, flipping over and swinging upside down, then catching another
branch, and another and going from tree to tree in the same manner. Can you see him?
The Power of Transformation – Hafactha
This of course is a metaphor but provides a great lesson in helping us visualize how we,
when confronted with evil or with negative thoughts and seemingly negative
circumstances, have the ability like the little monkey, to let go of that branch and flip over
and turn things upside down. In so doing we can turn negativity on its head because we
can then see things from a different perspective. In Hebrew, this is called hafactha הָפַכְתָּ.
Hafactha is the power of transformation and is seen very clearly in multiple accounts in
the Torah, including in the Book of Esther and the story of Purim, which we will highlight
in more detail in Part 2 of this article. Remember the words of Joseph as he spoke words of
comfort and reassurance to his brothers regarding their remorse years later after having
sold him into slavery, “But as for you, you thought evil against me, but G-d meant it for
good.” (Genesis 50:20)
Letting in the Light, Discovering those Hidden Sparks!
The letter kuf is the beginning letter in the words kedusha or holiness, and klipah, the
mystical concept of coverings which block those sparks of holiness within us and around
us. The goal is to invite HaShem with all His goodness into each and every aspect of our
lives and in so doing, become kadosh (holy) as we break through all the barriers and let the
sparks from the Light shine through.
The late gifted singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen brings down this concept beautifully in
the lyrics of his song entitled Anthem, “There is a crack in everything; there is a crack in
everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
We simply have to wake up and take notice of that light that is trying to break
through…this is happening before our very eyes all over the world! What is the impact of
this incredible awakening on us today? How can we explain this phenomenon?
It definitely involves those hidden ones, those “lost ones,” including those of Judah who
are just discovering their heritage and those of the 10 tribes plus the ones from the nations
(including many of you) who are continuously coming out of the church pews in mass in
search of that which has been “hidden” and is now being revealed! HaShem’s children are
returning to their hearts, returning to Him and to His Torah and He is bringing them home
from the uttermost parts of the earth! Deuteronomy 30 lays it all out so beautifully.
Remember how it was when you first began discovering Torah? It was like your eyes had
been closed, veiled…and were now open and you were discovering layer upon layer of
truth you had never seen before. The learning continues…it is without end…it goes on and
on!
The Torah is like a beautiful garment…it can be likened to HaShem’s veil…His
garment…His mask…and as we peel off the mask layer by layer, we discover His promise
that we will find Him if we seek Him with all our heart! (Jeremiah 29: 13). And as we seek
Him, we pray with the sweet singer, King David, “Open my eyes and let me see wonderful
things in your Torah!” (Psalm 119:18)
But how do we find Him amidst all the stress and the turmoil in our lives, in the lives of
our families, our friends…in the lives of those in the world around us? We know that
chaos and order co-exist simultaneously…each has a purpose, yet within each purpose is a
challenge, a challenge to break through those barriers and find the joy, the simcha!
To find the joy, we cannot focus on the bad, on the negative. Rather we must focus on the
good, on the positive; we must acknowledge and embrace it and praise HaShem in all
things! Remember Adar is related to the Hebrew word adeir, strength. And from where
does our strength come? Nehemiah 8:10 gives us the answer – “The joy of HaShem is our
strength!”
So, as we enter this new month of Adar may HaShem bless us with the strength to increase
and share that joy! May we live purposely with an awareness of the wonderful blessing we
have of our G-d and Creator actually dwelling within us!!! Smile and laugh, reach out to
those who feel abandoned…break out of yourself, your character, out of all those barriers
you have set up for yourself and return to who you were created to be! Plant a garden these
next 30 days of Adar, a garden of gratitude; tend it and water it and watch it grow and
flourish!
Be that little monkey…turn negativity on its head! Flip it over, turn it upside
down…swing from branch to branch with joy and discover those hidden sparks beneath
the surface that are within you, within me, within all of HaShem’s children and His
Creation…Baruch HaShem!
Part II – The “Whole Megillah” to follow as we peer behind the scenes and explore the
lessons we can learn from the upcoming joyous Festival of Purim and in our search for
more of those hidden sparks beneath the surface!
