20 April 2012

Iyar and the Wars of Redemption

UPDATE: 30 Nisan 5772
Rosh Chodesh A
Day 15 of the Omer
(Two weeks and one day)


I forgot something I wanted to bring out in this post. I don't know if it is significant or not, but interesting anyway...

The Six Days War, which by all accounts was seen as the most miraculous war of Israel's modern history with reputedly strong messianic energy, took place in the Hebrew year 5727, a transposition of this year's date - 5772.

Chodesh tov l'kulam!

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28 Nisan 5772
Day 13 of the Omer
(One week and six days)

Redemption with mercy comes in the spring. Redemption with judgment comes in the fall. Israel's War of Independence occurred in Iyar and so did the Six Days War. (The Yom Kippur War took place in Tishrei.)

Even in the wars one can see the redemptive "process" at work. The lands were restored into our hands in increasing kedushah. First, in 1948, Jewish sovereignty was restored in Eretz Yisrael, but despite a valiant effort, Yerushalayim, Hevron, Yericho and Shechem were lost. Then, in 1967, Yerushalayim , Hevron, Yericho and Shechem were restored to us, but despite the famous cry of "Har Habayit b'yadeinu!" the Temple Mount was handed over to the Arabs. And Arabs continued to be a vast majority in the Old City, Hevron, Yericho and Shechem making our hold on these places tentative at best.

In the next war of redemption, all of these places, including the Temple Mount, will come fully into our hands and all our enemies will be scattered, never to contest our claims to them again. And it might be only days or weeks away...

There is a very credible threat to bring the government down in the next two weeks.

Government’s Fate Rests on Samaria Town
The government will stand or fall in the next two weeks depending on what happens in the Israeli community of Beit El, north of Jerusalem. Ministers have informed Netanyahu that if the Ulpana neighborhood of Beit El is destroyed, his coalition will follow.

The warning came during a cabinet meeting in which the timetable for Judea and Samaria demolitions was revealed. Ulpana is scheduled to be demolished on May 1, the Givat Assaf community several weeks later, and Migron on August 1.

Ministers told Netanyahu that the timetable is irrelevant, because if the May 1 destruction of Ulpana were to go through, the government will not be around for the other two.


Might this crisis spur Netanyahu to go ahead with an attack on Iran in order to save his coalition? Will that event spread - as all the "experts" are predicting - into an all-out conflagration with all our neighbors, bringing about the next major war of redemption?

Daniel 12.11,12 --- And from the time the daily sacrifice was removed and the silent abomination placed, is one thousand, two hundred, and ninety [years]. Fortunate is he who waits and reaches days of one thousand, three hundred, and thirty-five [years].

A difference of 45 years and this year, May 20th will mark 45 years since Yerushalayim was unified. And 2,844 years ago, Shlomo HaMelech began building the First Temple in the month of Iyar.

Once all impediments are removed, we, too, will begin to build - The Third Temple - to our God. Why shouldn't it also be in the month of Iyar - the month of Ziv - "brilliance?"

The Month of Iyar

It is related in the Prophets (Kings I, 6:1) that King Solomon began the building of the First Temple "in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the House of G-d." The Radak explains: "The month Ziv is the month of Iyar... and it is called Ziv, as our sages explain, because of the splendor of the trees, namely the brilliance of the flowers and buds." Ziv means "splendor" or "brilliance." In this month of "brilliance" King Solomon "began to build the House of G-d."

The two names of the month, Ziv and Iyar (from "or," the primary word in Hebrew for "light"), are indeed two synonyms for "light." They both relate to the special light that shines in this second month of the Jewish calender. In particular, Iyar refers to the light source (or to the light within and proximate to its source), whereas Ziv refers to the expansion of radiant-energy as it shines far from its source. With regard to G-d's Divine light, the Ziv is that radiance which descends from its source to shine on the Jewish soul as enclothed in a physical body on earth, and to awaken in it the desire to build a House for G-d (within the context of physical reality, far removed, as it were, from the source of Divine light).

The Midrash (Tanchuma, Naso 16) states the ultimate purpose of creation: "The Holy One, Blessed be He, desired a dwelling place in lower reality." The Exodus from Egypt, in the month of Nissan, signifies the escape from boundaries of typical worldly assumptions (olam, "world," shares the same root as the word ne'elam, "concealment" of Divinity and of the soul's ability to sense the ultimate purpose of creation). This is the general physical and spiritual renewal of the consciousness of the Jewish soul. In the month of Iyar, the soul is further awakened and inspired with the desire to build an eternal House of G-d "in lower reality."

From the outset of creation until the giving of the Torah, the Creator decreed that the "higher reality" shall not descend to the "lower reality" nor shall the "lower reality" ascend to the "higher reality." With the giving of the Torah (in the third month of Sivan) this decree was nullified (Midrash Tanchuma, Vaeira 15) as it states, "and G-d descended on Mt. Sinai" and "Moses ascended to G-d."
The two preceding months of Nissan and Iyar prepared the way for the annulment of the decree.
In Nissan, at the Exodus, "the King of Kings, Blessed be He, revealed Himself to His people." Here, the "higher reality" revealed Himself (while remaining in His place, as it were) to the "lower reality." In Iyar, the "lower" one is intensely aware of its "lowly" status. However, because of this very awareness, it simultaneously senses the ultimate purpose of creation and sees that the desire of "the tzaddik of the world" (G-d is called tzaddik in Deutoronomy 32:4) is to dwell specifically amongst the "lower" ones; it is certain that "the passion of the tzaddik [G-d's passion in creation] He will fulfill" (Proverbs 10:24).

During Iyar, the "lower reality" is slowly refined to become a proper vessel able to receive the revelation of the essence of the "higher reality." This is accomplished by fulfilling the commandment of sefirat ha-omer ("the counting of the omer; the word for "counting," sefirah is from the same root as "saphire," the brilliant stone known as even sapir, denoting the light scintillating from within lowly materiality).
See more at Gal Einai institute.
Shabbat shalom! Chodesh tov!!

9 comments:

  1. The month Of Iyar is the second month and also called the month of Emuna. Because, when all Jews waited for Moshiah in the month of Nissan(the best possible month for geula described in Gemara), people might be depressed that Moshiah did not come and that in this month is especially good to work for our emuna.
    Most of us do not realize why our prayers not answered, because they don't know the shem. The main shem is YUD then Hey then Vav and Hey this kavana should go straight for the first month Nissan.
    Fot the month of Iyar the shem is:
    Yud then Hey then Hey then Vav and this kavana of this shem we should visualiaize in Musaf Rosh Hodesh
    in the Amida in Elokeinu Veloke Avotenu Et Hahodesh Haze...Baruh Ata Hashem(Yud then Hey then Hey then Vav), Mekadesh Israel Verashe-Hodashim. And that is the secret our Chazal says that your prayers will be answered for the rest 30 days.
    Reminder: for Baba Sali Seuda which will start on Sunday April 22 before shkia. Segula for all things that people need. I posted instruction at:
    http://shiratdevorah.blogspot.com/2012/03/silent-scream.html#comment-form
    May Hashem bless all his children In Diaspora and Eretz Isarael with everything we need and answer all our prayers. Amen!

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  2. Kain yehee rotzone. Excellent post.
    Menachem

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  3. The 45 year difference from the 6 Day War is evident this year. Yet, if one looks back on what happened 1335 years ago on the Temple Mount, one sees nothing for that year was 677 ce. Ten years later in 687 ce., the wild jackass religion started constructing their Dome of the Rock. Why would Daniel be off by ten years??? If something meaningful actually took place in 677 ce with regards to setting up an abomination that makes desolate, then the interpretation of Daniel's vision would be exact. For years I have wished that the mosque had been constructed or had entered the construction phase exactly 1290 years prior to the 6 Day War, but all my wishing did not make it so. The ten year gap remains.

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  4. Tzvi, We don't know that , we pray for that. I think something supernatural will happen around that day, probably with Iran.

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  5. Moshe - Thanks for the information.

    Tzvi - Iyar seems to be the month for wars of redemption and Shavuot is in Sivan.

    Dov - What historians see as significant does not necessarily align with what Shamayim deems significant. Maybe that was the year the plans were laid to begin construction on the dome.

    In any case, it makes sense that the starting date would be unclear, that you'd have to count backwards to see where it all started. Wasn't that also how it was with the predicted exile in Egypt and also the exile to Bavel? The length of exile was given, but the end of it was uncertain because no one knew how Hashem figured the beginning?

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  6. It looks like that you may get your month of Ziv after all. Egypt just unilaterally abrogated the peace treaty. Bibi is now trapped. Baruch HaShem to both. He can't worship the god of world public opinion at this time. Perhaps Avigdor Lieberman will seize the opportunity to pressure Bibi or to destroy him. My sense is that the treaty abrogation is so serious that Netanyahu will either resign or will rise above the anthill over which he claims to be the king. This reduces the chances of the destruction of the Ulpana neighborhood. It does not stop it, but as you know the Geulah of Iyar is bottom up. Plus Rav Fish told me that the last taste of the Erev Rav's rule over Eretz Yisrael is from klipah Noga. The gematriah of Noga is 64, and their 64 years comes to a close this week.

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  7. Devash - take a look at this commentary (Wonderful article)

    http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/parsha65/08-65vayishlach.htm

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  8. Dov - IY"H, we'll ALL get it. :-)

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