I was born in the month of Adar, and I look forward to it each year. It’s a month that we often associate with joy—with the cheer-filled holiday of Purim. Some years, like this one, we even get two Adars as a part of the Jewish leap year. Double the Adar, double the joy. But there is more depth to the month of Adar than simple merriment. What are we really so joyous about?
The Zodiac for the month of Adar is aWhat are we really so joyous about? fish. What is the symbolism? A fish is constantly conscious of the fact that it is only alive because of the water. The moment it would be removed from the water, it would lose its life. That means it is constantly, consciously connected to its source.
Every month has a different astrological influence, termed as mazal. The concept of astrological influence gets a little complicated within Judaism. The Talmud (Shabbat 156a, Nedarim 32a) teaches ein mazal beYisrael, “there is no mazal for the Jews.” This is understood to mean that astrology does not control what happens to us. Yet there are other references, like for the month of Adar, which is considered a month full of “healthy” or positive mazal.
Our rabbis explain that there is another way to understand the phraseology of ein mazal beYisrael. If you read the word ein as ayin, you get a new word—ayin means “nothingness.”
The phrase is then translated to mean that the mazal of the Jews is ayin, the nothingness that preceded creation. While the vast majority of the universe receives its vitality (mazal) from various streams of spiritual light, we, the people of Israel, plug directly into the “nothing,” that Divine expression which is above and beyond any characteristics or definition, even spiritual ones.
Understanding this helps us get in touch with the point of pure G‑dliness within us, and within our world. In Adar, with our extra dose of healthy mazal, we have an overwhelmingly brighter power to access this awareness.
It is so easy to get caught up in everything that is happening around us. This world is chaotic, distracting and can be so overwhelming. Most of us bookend our days with our phones, which means that from the moment we wake up until we fall asleep, we are barraged with activity, news and so much tumult. We feel our own deep need to be constantly active. We feel an inner drive to be productive. There is always so much to do, so many people to talk to and items to check off our lists. We are often stressed, anxious and burned out from it all.
But then, there is this awareness of nothingness. This quiet holiness.
Who are we? We often spend days, weeks, months and years trying to identify that—to discover the answer. Chassidic teachings explain that we are that pure space inside of us, that G‑dly spark. It is where we are one with our G‑d, where we are purely G‑dliness. All the externals that we get caught up with, overwhelmed by, and stressed over, it is all exactly that—external. It can’t touch this innermost space. It is not who we are, in essence.
When, like a fish, we can access and be cognizant of our Source—of where we stem from and of who we truly are—that is how we access the power of Adar. There is nothing that can hurt us, break us or be taken from us because when we are connected to our Creator, we are joined with the Source of all. This knowledge is surely a reason to celebrate and be merry! With two months of Adar this year, our power is simply doubled. Our ability to tap into this innermost part of us is heightened.
Meditation
Regulate your breathing. Place your hands on your stomach or your chest, wherever it feels most natural and calming.
You are not your external appearance. You are not your achievements or lack thereof. You are not just a mother, a wife, a daughter or an employee. The chaos is outside. The noise is external. You are essence. You are G‑dly. You are holy, just as you are. In here, there are no limitations; there is no anger, no fear, no anxiety. It is you, and you are G‑dly. You are joy, you are peace, you are goodness.
Let this knowledge encompass you. Feel it throughout your entire body—from the tips of your hair to the tips of your toes. Nothing can take this away from you, and it is always here for you to find.
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