The Hebrew month of Nissan aligns with Aries in the zodiac.
Contributed by Rav Nissim Mordechai Makor
Remember, Astrology is not about telling the future. By under-standing 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 it is.
In certain commentaries Nissan is considered the first month of the year. It is also the first sign of the Zodiac. The most important thing about Nissan according to the Torah, is that it has to coincide with spring but why?
This energy of rebirth in Nissan is only available in spring and that is why the Torah talks about Nissan coinciding with spring. In this month nature springs to life after winter.
The month of Nissan is a special month.
Hashem blessed Nissan with an abundance of chessed (mercy). This is the energy of this month. We did not have the merit for this energy, it is purely a gift from Hashem from creation.
What happened on the night of the tenth plague had never happened before and hasn’t happened since.
Rabbi Shimshon Ostropoli, explains this in his Ma’amar from a Kabbalistic point of view. He explains that normally the energy (shefa) that we receive in this physical world comes from the Sefirah of Yesod. Yesod is like a funnel that gathers all the energy from the Sefirot above and sends(funnels) it down to Malchut, the physical world. On the night of the tenth plague, energy came into this world from All the upper six Sefirot at the same time. There was such an influx of energy into the physical world, that it was able to destroy all the negative forces, the Egyptian’s first born.
He explains that with the sin of Adam, the Name of Hashem was damaged. The ten plagues brought about the revelation of Hashem’s Name and corrected the sin of Adam.
The entire purpose of Yetziat Mitzrayim was to rectify and reveal the Havayah to the world. As Hashem said to Moshe, the fathers did not know this Name. They knew the Name, but it was blemished. The very mention of Yetziat Mitzrayim, weakens the powers of impurity, and greatly strengthens the powers of Kedushah.
Every year on the first night of Pesach, an impression of this incredible energy is available at the Seder. Take advantage of it. If one is not aware of something, for example this energy at the Seder, unfortunately the connection made is very small compared to what is available.
This Ma’amar is very deep and it is recommended to read before Pesach. If anybody wants it, I can give them the link.
Nissan/Aries is a fire sign, but it is the right column of fire. The Tikkun of people born in Aries is that they have to realize that the unlimited flow of chessed in this month, is not because of them. From creation, this month was infused with this abundance of chessed. People born in this month, have to overcome their egos and just become channels for Hashem.
They can become exceptional people if they overcome their nature and their egos. They can also be very stubborn. Go and study the habits of a ram and you will notice this trait about the animal.
The planet that controls this month is Mars, the planet of war. On Pessach all battles for the next year are decided. We have the opportunity to control our year.
It is very important in Nissan to be calm and avoid any kind of arguments. What happens in Nissan will mirror your year.
The name of Hashem for this month is the regular straight Name of Hashem, Yud, Key, Vav, Key. This is very powerful. This is the original Name and now that it had been rectified with the plagues, the full power of this Name was manifested. You reach perfection in Nissan. There is a sense of pure joy. You transcend time and space. This is the power of this month.
The line of the month from the Ana Bekoach is the third line.
The whole month revolves around the holiday of Pessach and the Seders. The eating of the Matzah and the drinking of the wine are metaphysical tools given to us by Hashem to take control of our year. The punishment for eating chametz on Pessach is so severe (karet), that it is very important to take this Mitzvah very seriously. Try and get the best matzah and wine. According to the Halacha, it is preferable to use red wine. If you use white it is acceptable, but good red wine is better. The four cups of the Seder are against the four deaths mandated by the Sanhedrin. Each cup protects one from one of these deaths and the more kavanah we have when drinking them, the more Hashem protects us from bad decrees. Also try use handmade Shmura Matzah.
The Seder can be long and one wants to get to the eating, but remember, the telling of the story is the most important part of the Seder. When the Jews sit around the Seder table and tell the story of Yitziat Mitzrayim, Hashem gets a lot of nachas from this. He calls all the angels to listen to the Jews on Pesach night. It is a beautiful gift. Use it!!!!
Nissan is about freedom, going out of bondage. The whole story is called “The Exodus”. What does it mean to go free? Does it mean that suddenly we don’t have any more responsibilities and we can do what we want or does it mean that we have more responsibilities?
Hashem chose us to do His service. With that comes a lot of different responsibilities. Nissan is the month when e got the first commandment.
Even though we suddenly had a lot more responsibility, Hashem was giving us the tools(Mitzvot) to achieve freedom, SPIRITUAL freedom not physical freedom. By tapping into this incredible energy in Nissan, we are able to rise above our nature and go free spiritually.
When we talk about going out of Egypt, one idea is the idea of bondage to the physical.
We fail to properly focus on the greatest enslaver of all persons. This slaver is not a government, a society, or a culture. We are not bound in chains. Today, as in the past, our bondage is a state of mind. Essentially, it is our minds that are held imprisoned. It is our minds that need to be freed from the modern day Egypt of physicality. Look at the modern society and you will find more people with mental problems than ever before. Over 20 million prescriptions are written for anti depressants every year in America. People are so stressed out, some are even scared to leave their houses.
Being caught up in the secular world, is as much a bondage as the Jews were in Egypt.
Bondage is all about consciousness.
Remember this saying!!! There are people in jail who are free, and there are people who are free who are in jail.
Think about this statement for a minute and see where you fit in. What are you a slave to? This month gives us the power to change our year.
The battle between Moshe and Pharaoh can be looked at from a metaphysical angle. Moshe represents humility, and Pharaoh represents ego. This is one of the fundamental battles in life everyone goes through every day. Humility is the greatest character trait a person can acquire. It includes all the others. It says about Moshe, ‘he was the most humble’.
There is a custom that we start learning the laws of Pesach straight after Purim. If we have not started by now, Rosh Chodesh is a good time to start.
To show you how fair Hashem’s justice is, the first law of Pessach is to make sure the poor and needy have food for the holiday. Before the Matzah, the wine, all the fancy things, the chametz, Hashem worries about the poor. One should help the poor before the holidays, especially before Pesach, by giving generously. Hashem takes great pleasure when he sees the rich helping the poor celebrate the holidays the way the rich do, with new clothes, good food and wine etc.
Even if it is just one family a person helps. Hashem calls all the angels to see, and He gets a lot of nachas from his children.
Let’s all try and have a bit more compassion for our fellow Jews this holiday and, B’ezrat Hashem, we will bring Mashiach soon.
Chodesh Tov. Kosher Pesach Sameach
