Are you happy?

Yes, that was a loaded question. But we are in a loaded month—two of them, actually. You see, we just entered the Hebrew month of Adar, about which the sages say, “When Adar enters, we increase in joy.”1 Not just that, but since this year is a Jewish leap year, we have two Adars, which bring us 60 days of joy.

One second, you say. What is there to be happy about?

We are entering a season of miracles. Soon we will celebrate Purim, when we were saved from evil Haman, and then comes Passover, when Moses (who was born in the month of Adar) took us from Egyptian slavery and tyranny to freedom and Torah. These are not just isolated events on the calendar. This is a season that lends itself to happy endings.

This year, we have sixty days of joy. There is a halachic notion known as “bitul beshishim,” which means that something is considered insignificant and becomes nullified at a ratio of 1:60. The classic example given is that if a drop of milk accidentally falls into a pot of chicken soup, and there is 60 times more soup than milk, we pay no attention to the milk and the soup remains kosher. In the same way, any negativity or reason for unhappiness can be completely negated by these 60 days of sheer joy.