The zodiac sign of the Hebrew month of Adar is the fish. It may be surprising to many that Jewish mysticism includes references to classical astrology, and the fish symbol has profound significance in both. I thought it would be appropriate to consider these aquatic creatures and what they might teach us.

1. Maintain a Forward-Facing Outlook

Most fish cannot swim backward (eels being a rare exception). Memories can ground us and help inform our decisions, but our sights should be set firmly on the present, with the goal of shaping the future. To paraphrase the 19th-century Lithuanian rabbi, Israel Salanter: as long we are alive, we can still accomplish.

2. Everyone Moves at Their Own Pace

While sailfish can move at nearly 70 miles per hour, the dwarf seahorse only covers about five feet in that same time. The latter's pace is so slow you can barely detect it’s moving at all. But it is. Likewise, even if our pace is slow, it doesn’t mean we are not progressing. King Solomon advised, “Educate a child according to his way.”1 Progress for one individual can look very different from that of another. We need not always be a sailfish. We just need to make sure we are swimming in the right direction.

3. Don’t Fall Asleep on the Job

Most fish rest, but they never sleep as humans do. They must remain alert to danger. When we’ve worked on ourselves and feel that we’ve reached a level of success, it’s easy to let our guard down. But as Hillel the Elder said, “Do not trust yourself until the day of your death.”2 Complacency can lead to backsliding, and losing much of what we have gained.

4. Your Sharp Edges Affect You Too

The fangtooth fish is several inches long, but its teeth are disproportionately large. It cannot even close its own mouth. That physical constraint allows a lot of food to simply float away. Being particularly sharp or combative can be an advantage in some instances, but having extra-sharp teeth might come back to bite us—or at least leave us limited by our inability to maintain social connections.

5. When a Leader Is Needed, Step Up

Rusty angelfish are born female. In time, one will become anatomically male and assume that role within the group. This teaches us about individual responsibility. Throughout our lives, we may rely on leadership figures to guide us, but when confronted with a challenge that requires us to step up, we each have the potential to become that guide.3

6. Don’t Be a Fish Out of Water

Fish need oxygen-rich water to survive. The first-century sage Rabbi Akiva was once asked why he continued to study Torah at a time when the Romans forbade it. He answered: As water is to a fish, so is Torah to the Jew.4 G‑d's teachings not only provide direction and purpose, but also the secret to Jewish survival.

7. Wherever You Roam, Your Soul Can Come Home

Salmon travel hundreds of miles and spend years in the ocean, far from their breeding grounds. And yet, when it’s time, they find their way back to the same riverbed in which they were spawned. Every human was created in the image of our Creator and has a mission to fulfill during his or her lifetime. As far as we may stray from our true identity, we can always circle back to our roots as G‑dly, G‑d-conscious beings.