The Month of Iyar

The month of Iyar is the second of the twelve months of the Jewish year. This month is blessed with powers of healing. Our sages note that the name Iyar is an acronym of the verse "Ani Hashem Rofecha" (Exodus 15:26) — "I am G-d your Healer." Iyar is an auspicious time to reassess one's eating and to cleanse the digestive system; Maimonides taught that most sicknesses stem from unsuitable foods and wrong eating habits.

It was in the month of Iyar that the manna began to come down from heaven and sustained the people of Israel in the desert. The manna was completely absorbed in the body without leaving any waste or causing illness, and its healing powers left their imprint on this month.

According to the book of Yetzirah, the soul power connected with Iyar is Thought — the faculty of contemplation and introspection. This is the month of preparation for the receiving of the Torah. The well of Miriam, which traveled with the people of Israel providing fresh water, was also given in the month of Iyar.

This month is associated with the Tribe of Yissachar, the tribe of Torah scholars and masters of the calculation of the calendar. This is the month of counting: we count the Omer daily (Sefirat Ha'omer) — forty-nine days, the seven weeks between Pesach and Shavuot. The Zodiac sign of Iyar is Shor (Taurus, the ox), which represents the spiritual origin of the "animal soul" of man; this month is the time to rectify, refine and elevate its innate character traits. The body part connected with Iyar is the right kidney — the kidneys represent inner advice and conscience, and it is a time for introspection for the sake of self-improvement.

The letter crowned in the month of Iyar is "Vav," a link and connector — Iyar connects between Nissan (the Exodus) and Sivan (the giving of the Torah). Vav in Kabbalah represents Hamshacha — drawing down and internalizing the revelations of Pesach by working on oneself and becoming a refined receptacle for Divine wisdom. It is a Jewish custom to learn the Tractate of Avot during this month.

On the 14th of Iyar we celebrate the "Second Pesach" (Pesach Sheini), originally established for those who were in a state of impurity and could not bring the Pesach offering. Its lesson is that it is never too late — G-d always grants us another chance to rectify and correct.

Every day of Iyar is connected with the mitzvah of counting the Omer, which brings the preciousness of time to the forefront of our awareness. The thirty-third day of the Omer, the 18th of Iyar, is Lag B'Omer, the day of the passing of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, author of the holy Zohar, who instructed his disciples to establish this day as a day of rejoicing over the revelation of the inner dimensions of the Torah. Iyar is also called the month of "Ziv" — shine. Lag B'Omer is also the day a plague among the students of Rabbi Akiva ended, because the exaltedness of the day transformed the students' behavior; it is therefore a day of celebrating Ahavat Yisrael, love of our fellow and unity between people.