Beyond Zodiac

In this introduction to a monthly class on the Jewish calendar, our host, Shimona Tzukernik, explains the significance of the monthly holiday of Rosh Chodesh (the New Moon, or literally, “Head of the Month.”)

Our sages teach that all sevens are special. Tishrei, the seventh month, is “saturated” with holidays and holiness. This month, we work on bringing down our spiritual and intellectual consciousness into all that we do.

The unique gift of Cheshvan is that it has nothing special about it. It is the month of silence that comes from peace and tranquility. After refining ourselves and ridding ourselves of all the resistance, we can take the inspiration we’ve experienced and bring it into the mundane aspects of our lives.

Kislev is the month that begins the winter season, when the light of the summer becomes hidden and we enter into a place of spiritual concealment. But it is through our surrender to the darkness that we can reveal and manifest the greatness of who we are.

Tevet is the month associated with the soul of wisdom, which is characterized by our ability to nullify ourselves. Righteous indignation, too, cannot be about me or my ego, but must come from a place of surrender to something beyond myself.

The month of Shevat teaches us how to widen the circles of sanctity and draw down holiness into our everyday lives. Notable events include Moses’ translation of the Torah on the first of Shevat, and the New Year for Trees on the 15th of Shevat.

The Torah tells us not to pay attention to astrological influences, but it also tells us that Adar is a month full of “mazal” (good fortune). How do we reconcile these concepts?

In the Talmud, Rabbi Eliezer says that the world was created in the autumn, in the month of Tishrei, while Rabbi Yehoshua says that the world was created in the spring, in the month of Nissan. What are the two different “creations,” and how do they correspond to body and soul, as well as the outer and the inner self?

The name of this month, Iyar, spells an acronym for the phrase “I am the L‑rd your healer.” What does the unique nature of this month teach us about illness as well as healing? What role do we play in blocking or facilitating our own healing?

Sivan is the month in which the Torah was given. The commandments are not humanistic, but divine. An overarching light and transcendent divinity must drive our reading of the Torah. This lesson explores how to bring the essence of our Creator into the details of our lives.

There’s a duality within the sun, in that it provides light but its light can also be blinding. We, too, contain opposites within ourselves, and our most powerful inclinations can also become our greatest weaknesses. How can we direct our energies positively?

The astrological sign of the month of Av is connected with a lion, and represents a month of enormous potential and also great tragedy. Just as healing and redemption follow the fires of destruction, similarly in our lives, our challenges are divine gifts helping us to move forward.

Elul, the month of feminine energy, is a time to incubate and grow small changes in our lives to give birth to a deeper, transformed relationship between G‑d and man.

The Jewish leap year contains 13 months, instead of the regular twelve—i.e., an extra month is added at the end of the year (another Adar). What is the meaning behind this added month?