WORD OF THE MONTH

A weekly feature of Torah Tidbits to help clarify practical and conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar, thereby better fulfilling the mitzva of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem...

With the book on Kiddush L’vana closed for this month, and with Rosh Chodesh benching a week away, let’s take another look at the mixed-mood month of Iyar. Iyar is the month that is completely within the Omer period. Does that mean it’s a mournful month? Yes and no. It wasn’t originally associated with tragedy. In fact, it was - and will be - the merry month of Iyar. The Omer days were (and will be) a Chol HaMoed-like period between Pesach and its Atzeret (Shavuot), much like the days between Sukkot and its Atzeret. Iyar is the month associated with the building of the Beit HaMikdash by Shlomo HaMelech. In that context, the month is called ZIV, radiance. With the loss of the Beit HaMikdash, the mood of the days between Pesach and Shavuot shifted from joyous, to hollow, to melancholy. But Iyar is not destined to remain a sad. In our own time, we have seen the month begin to sparkle with the restoration of Jewish sovereignty to Eretz Yisrael and the reunification of Jerusalem under Jewish rule. Iyar is on its way back up.

On another note... The 20th of Iyar is the date mentioned in the Torah for the first journey of the People of Israel, since they had arrived at Sinai almost a full year earlier. (Actually, it was about 10 days short of a year.) The original plan was to proceed to Eretz Yisrael soon after Matan Torah. That the People stayed at Sinai for 11 months might indicate a reluctance to leave the place at which had occurred so significant an event in their lives. The Torah does not generally give us dates of events - this is especially so for the travels of the People. 20 Iyar tells us something.