Last Updated on December 7, 2021

The significance of the Hebrew month of Av which coincides with Leo in the zodiac.

Rav Nissim Mordechai Makor & Rav Kalman tell us more about the Hebrew month of Av. Remember, astrology is not about telling the future, nobody can do that. By understanding the energy of each month, we are able to navigate smoothly through the month, because one cannot act the same way every month. Every month has a different energy and it helps to know what that specific energy is.

Even though the Hebrew month of Av is considered one of the three negative months, only a part of it is considered negative, the other part is actually very positive and a happy time.  Av is a month where the first half is complete judgement and the second half complete mercy.

In fact, Tu B’Av, on the (15th day of Av) is considered the happiest day of the year in conjunction with Yom Kippur. Why is there such a difference between the beginning of the month and the end of the month?

First let’s put this month into perspective. Leo is considered one of the most powerful signs in the zodiac, and as we all know, the lion is considered the king of the jungle. He is not the strongest animal in the jungle but we associate him with being the king of the jungle. Why?

Everything about this month is all about power, leadership and generally being the center of everything. The Leo exudes power. The Tikkun of Leo is all about ego. Leo’s have the power and are natural leaders, but they just have to realize that this power is a gift and the best way to manifest this powerful energy is just to be a channel for HaShem. They need to realize it is all HaShem. If a Leo can get out of his own way and ego, he can rise to great heights. They have to realize that they don’t have to be the center of the universe all the time.   Leo’s need to be more understanding and sensitive. Being so powerful they sometimes don’t realize other signs struggle with many challenges in life they find easy.

Pesach and Tisha B’Av are always connected. They will always fall on the same day of the week. What is the message of Pesach? Redemption. The message with Tisha B’Av is the same but it is hidden and concealed.

Tisha B’Av is called a holiday. We don’t say Tachnun on Tisha B’Av and after midday we rise from the floor.

In the time of Mashiach, Tisha B’Av will become a holiday. We also know that the Mashiach will be born on Tisha B’Av.

The message of the Hebrew month of Av is hidden, because when Chazal talks about Tisha B’Av becoming a holiday, it is very difficult for us today to think of Tisha B’Av as a happy time. This time has always been a difficult time.

We all know about the tragedies that have befallen the Jews on Tisha B’Av, the spies in the desert, the destruction of both Temples, the start of the Spanish Inquisition and many more.

Tisha B’Av is the saddest day of the year and Tu B’Av is the happiest day of the year. How is it possible to have such a change in six days.

From the Rosh Chodesh Av, there are very strict rules of what we are allowed to do and what not to do. For instance we don’t shower in hot water and some people don’t even shower. We don’t wear clean clothes and we also don’t go swimming in rivers or the sea as it is considered dangerous. Why all these restrictions?

A few days later the Gemara compares Tu B’Av(the fifteenth of the month) with Yom Kippur as the happiest day of the year. Tu B’Av is the day of the year where their is complete unity in the cosmos. How? Tu B’Av is the full moon and on the full moon of Av we have the zivug (joining) between the sun who controls this month and the moon. That are natural soulmates. They are always talked about as a couple.

• What is Tu B’Av?
• Index of Hebrew months of the year and the zodiac
• Index of the weekly Torah portion – Parshat Hashavua
• Shabbat and festival candle lighting times and blessings

This is the paradox of this month. A person born in the month of Av always has these two sides of the coin, the judgement and the happiness. The tikkun is to harness the powerful energy and use it to serve HaShem. People born in this month need to get out of their own way.  Being the leader of the jungle, they have a tendency to think that they are great.  They have to realize that their power and king status is not something they earned, but a pure gift from HaShem.  When a Leo uses his power for HaShem he can become great.

The powerful energy of this month is because the celestial body connected to this month is the sun. This month draws energy directly from the sun, which is our life force. Without the sun nothing would grow. Also for humans the best source of Vitamin D is the sun.

It is the left of the fire signs, which represents the judgement in this month. The letters of the month are Kaf and Tet. The line from the Ana Becoach is the fourth line. This line deals with victory, overcoming all your problems, endurance. It also connects to Moshe Rabbeinu.

The first nine days of Av are the most dangerous in the whole year. The negative energy is so thick, you can literally feel it.  BE VERY CAREFUL THESE NINE DAYS!!! The Yetzer Hara has complete control over this time and as I mentioned at the beginning of Tammuz, Tisha B’Av is literally the end of the year. There is a Midrash that says after Tu B’Av they start organizing the chairs in the upper courts, getting ready for the new year.

The yetzer hara is just waiting for you to slip up. He wants to have something to say against you at Rosh Hashanah. Remember, try to stay happy and don’t get angry.

We know how time seems to fly. Put your head down for a short time and soon it will be over.

The first nine days of the Hebrew month of Av are very hard judgement, but in the middle, on the fifth of Av, we have a small oasis. The fifth of Av is the Yotzheit/death anniversary of the Ari HaKadosh, Rabbi Yitzchok Luria. He sweetens the judgement a bit. Also we have the Yotzheit of Aharon Kohen Gadol on Rosh Chodesh Av. He represents only mercy to help us sweeten this time.

Destruction harbors within it the seeds of repentance and redemption. The message of Tisha B’Av is one of hope. Remember with Teshuvah there is ALWAYS another chance. We have to believe 100 per cent that HaShem will come and save us. Without this it would be very difficult to go on.

May HaShem bring Mashiach soon and turn Tisha B’Av from a fast day into a holiday.

Chodesh Tov!

May this article be an Ilui Neshamah for Chaim ben Moshe Aharon HaLevi zt’l.

His Yotzheit is the 22nd Tammuz.

Significant events in Jewish history that occurred during the Hebrew month of Av

• 1 Av (circa 1273 BCE) – Death of high priest Aaron
• 7 Av (586 BCE) – First Temple invaded by King Nebuchadnezzar
• 7 Av (1492 CE) – Jews of Spain expelled by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.
• 9 Av (586 BCE and 70 CE) – Holy Temples destroyed by the Babylonians and Romans respectively.
• 9 Av (1290 CE) – Jews are expelled from England by King Edward I and not permitted to legally return for 350 years.
• 10 Av (70 CE) – The Holy Temple, set on fire the previous day, finishes burning.
• 10 Av (1994) – AMIA Bombing in Buenos Aires, Argentina – the deadliest attack in Jewish diaspora since the Holocaust.
• 17 Av (1929) – 67 Jews are killed in the Hebron Massacre

Learn the names of the Hebrew months of the year