Did you know that the month of Nisan brings us the energy of redemption and it is known for being the month of miracles.?
The first day (Rosh Chodesh) of the Jewish month of Nisan (נִיסָן) begins next week, on the evening of April 1. Nisan is the first month counting from the Exodus. This month’s holiday is Passover/Pesach. As we know, the Jewish holidays are not just a commemoration of historical events but rather the result of heavenly forces and energies that converge at particular auspicious times. There is no more excellent example of this than Pesach/Passover. When we celebrate Pesach this month we will all retell the story of the exodus from Egypt, each in our own way. When we do so, if we set the intention, we can escape from our personal Egypts and experience personal healing. Throughout the centuries millions of Jews have told this story, but it is never the same! Each time we retell a story or revisit a memory, we remember different aspects of the experience and we bring a new perspective based on who we are today. The healing that we can attain this year from our retelling is not the same as last year and the miracles that we can bring down are one of a kind. Is this something we want to miss?
Homemade soft matza
(According to the Sefer Yetzirah – the oldest and most mysterious of all Kabbalistic texts)
Sefer Yetzirah 5:7 (pg 215 Kaplan translation):
He made the letter Heh king over speech,
And He bound a crown to it
And He combined one with another
And with them He formed
Aries in the Universe
Nisan in the Year
And the right foot in the Soul
Male and female.
Month: First
Letter of the month: Heh (ה) numerical value 5
Zodiac sign (Mazal): Tale (Lamb) / טָלֶה (Aries)
Color: Brownish Red
Tribe of Israel: Yehuda (יְהוּדָה)
Sense: Speech / דִבּוּר from the verb ledaber (speak, lead)
Corresponding body part: Regel Yamin (רֶגֶל יָמִין) / right foot
Thoughts…
I have written before about how the entire world is set up in such a way that if we are aware of them, all of us can tap into the various energies hidden in the world. Tapping into these energies is a large part of Jewish spirituality and healing, and much of it has to do with intention, and Emuna (which leads to gratitude). An amazingly spiritual Jewish woman once told me that she healed her father from a serious illness by dancing with gratitude to Hashem all night long! When we really feel and express gratitude with intention it goes beyond the moment and can have miraculous results. By summoning up excitement and gratitude for the healing journey we are on, and by giving heartfelt thanks to our Creator for giving us this chance to grow and learn we are halfway there!
In Kabbalistic texts, the Egyptian exile is referred to as the “exile of Knowing/Da’at”, the sefira where heaven and earth meet. If approached with the proper intention, the energies of the Passover Seder can carry us up through all the divine channels and rectify this exile. At the end of the seder, when we eat the Afikoman/Tzafon (which means hidden) we reconnect the broken part of the matza with the piece we ate earlier. If we are aware of it and set the intention, we can also repair the separation within ourselves which has caused us to be broken. Healing is all about overcoming the illusion of separation and connecting to our Source, and the holiday of Pesach gives us a chance to connect in a wonderfully deep and meaningful way. As a result of this connection, redemption from our personal Egypts makes us free people with free wills. This allows us to open up our hearts and reconnect with our essence: to who we really are at the deeper soul level. It allows us to truly love ourselves despite our many failings. By tapping in to our emuna/belief/inner knowing that there is a guiding force behind everything, we can mirror the unconditional love of our Creator and reconnect the various aspects of our Selves. This allows us to enter into the healing state of Da’at consciousness. May we all summon up excitement and gratitude for our journeys and end our personal exiles this year. And may we move into a state of loving, acceptance for ourselves and others!