The Month of Adar

The month of Adar marks a point of transition in terms of the calendar and the focus of the month. The winter months are coming to an end, and the prelude to Nissan and the emergence of new growth and vitality parallels the month of Elul, which precedes the New Year and Tishrei. The dispute between Rabi Yehoshua and Rabi Eliezer (Rosh Hashanah 11a), discussed in an earlier column, whether Rosh Hashanah is in Nissan or Tishrei, sees the months of Adar and Elul as the end of one year and the transition to a new one.

The mazal of Adar—dagim

Dagim

The mazal, or sign, of the month of Adar is dagim, fish—in the plural—not dag in the singular. Midrash Rabbah 7:11 states that Haman was happy when the pur—the lot—fell on Adar, with the mazal of dagim. He thought, Just as a large fish swallows a small one, I will swallow them! Hashem said to him, “Rasha! Sometimes fish are swallowed, and sometimes they swallow others. Now you will be swallowed by them!” Perhaps this Midrash is an allusion to the fact that it’s the only mazal (except te’umim, which means twins) that’s written in the plural form.

FISH

The pasuk in Koheles 9:12 speaks of “fish that are caught in a bad trap.” The Midrash wonders: Is there a good trap and a bad trap? It defines the bad trap as the hook. The fisherman dangles a hook with bait over the side of his ship. The fish that jumps out of the water to seize the bait and have its meal is jumping toward its own demise! Haman saw the lots falling on Adar as a sign of his success, but it ended in his downfall.

The shevet of Adar—Naftali

NAFTALI

Yaakov Avinu gave the brachah to his son Naftali, calling him “a swift deer.” It was he who was sent to retrieve the document of the sale of the bechorah from Eisav to Yaakov when Eisav protested the burial of Yaakov in the Me’aras Hamachpeilah. The month of Naftali, according to Arizal, corresponds to the traits of alacrity and invigoration. Just as the seasons are changing from the dormant days of winter to the rebirth that takes place after Tu B’Shevat, the character of Naftali reflects that change taking place in the world. According to Ra’avad, who has a different configuration of the months and shevatim, the shevet for Adar is Yosef. This is reflected in Menashe and Ephraim, two shevatim who emanate from Yosef, corresponding to Adar I and Adar II.

The pur, clarity and doubt, and v’nehapoch hu

The Yom Tov of Purim is so called because of the pur—the lottery cast by Haman to determine when to destroy the Jewish nation. Here too one might question the plural usage of the name, Purim, which literally means two lots, rather than naming the holiday Pur! In fact, the random nature of the lots, being left to doubt when cast by man, parallels the Divine lots being cast by Hashem, where there is no doubt, only total clarity!

VAYAVO AMALEK

Amalek represents the nature of chance occurrences, asher korcha baderech, who cooled down the enthusiasm that yetzias Mitzrayim made on the world, questioning Hashem’s sovereignty over the world. The gematria of Amalek is 240, the same as safek—doubt. The clarity and certainty of Hashem’s dominion over the world was being questioned by Amalek, and the hidden miracles of the Purim story helped alleviate any doubt whatsoever.

CHESS BOARD – LARGE SIZE

The amazing story of Purim, which played out over a nine year period during the reign of Achashveirosh, can be compared to a Divinely orchestrated, celestial, high-stakes game of chess. While each step is seemingly carefully planned and executed by the two opponents, the King of kings is in fact directing all the moves from on high. Hamelech hovers over the board, shifting the characters and exactingly directing each move below until the final v’nehapoch hu, when the turnabout is completed. The black king is Achashveirosh, wicked from beginning to the end, and the fallen black queen is Vashti. The white queen is the righteous Queen Esther, surrounded by the seven white pawns, the maidens who attended to her needs and helped her determine when Shabbos fell. The bearded white rook is Mordechai Hatzaddik, and the two fallen rooks are Bigsan and Seresh. BLACK/WHITE PAWN

The seven black pawns are the seven advisors of the king, and the fallen black bishop is Haman the rasha. One lone figure stands out on the board—the black/white knight pictured above. Do you know who that would be in the Purim story and why he’s drawn like that? And who’s the fallen white knight?

There’s nothing random about the Purim story. The exactitude of the turnabout is seen in not knowing the difference between arur Haman, with the gematria of 502, and baruch Mordechai, which has the exact same gematria! The goal of Amalek was to cast doubt; the role of the Yid on Purim is to become inebriated ad d’lo yada, until he doesn’t know. He gives his mind, his seichel, his heart to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, being mevatel his own da’as to that of Hashem.

BARUCH MORDECHAI/ARUR HAMAN

The letter of Adar—kuf

MONKEY AND LETTER KUF – PLEASE PUT IT TOGETHER

According to Sefer Yetzirah, the letter of the month is kuf, which also spells kof, or monkey. The playful antics of the monkey parallel the simchah and laughter caused by an unexpected turn of events. The simchah on Purim has its source in the World to Come. The otherworldly events that took place in Shushan will be echoed when az yimalei s’chok pinu, then our mouths will be filled with laughter. On Purim, with song and simchah, and our neshamos given over to Hashem totally, we can truly exult and feel the joy of Olam Haba.