Photo: Tapuz

B"H

Tonight (Monday) and tomorrow, the Jewish world is celebrating Rosh Chodesh Nissan - the beginning of the Jewish month of Nissan. As I have mentioned many times before, a new month can  for a new personal beginning / change in our life.

The months of Nissan marks the beginning of spring. Especially in Israel we can feel that at the moment. A heat wave took over the entire country and, unfortunately, the rain stopped. However, it is still early and we may have some more rain. Rosh Chodesh Nissan was an important date in Jewish history because Moshe eracted the Mishkan (Tabernacle) in the desert.

If we strictly follow the Torah, then the new year should with Nissan. However, according to the moon calendar, Rosh HaShana is taking place in Tishrei (approx. September / October. The Talmud Tractate Rosh HaShana lists various discussions whether the Jewish new year starts with Nissan or in Tishrei. The Torah commentatore Ohr HaChaim, however, provides a brilliant comment on this question:


"In Nissan G - d thought about creating the world and in Tishrei He made His plan come true". (symbolically speaking !)

According to the kabbalistic book Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Creation), each month of the Jewish calendar symbolizes a letter, a tribe, a horoscope, a sense and an organ.
The letter of the months of Nissan is the Heh ה, the horoscope is Aries, the tribe is Yehudah, the sense is speaking and the organ is the right leg.

The great task of Nissan is the Pessach cleaning. Kabbalistic literature teaches us that the forbidden Chametz (wheat, barley, oats, spelt or rye) symbolizes our own Yetzer HaRah (evil side within us). By cleaning the house thouroughly, we try to get rid of our Yetzer HaRah.


Chodesh Tov - חודש טוב - A successful and healthy month of Nissan to all readers !