The Month of Sivan 5766 Miriam Ben-Yaacov

Rosh Chodesh Sivan is May 28, 2006. Shavuot is 6-7 Sivan (June 2-3 ) Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, the first of the two days, is 30 Sivan (June 26).

He made the letter Zayin king over motion
And He bound a crown to it
And He combined one with another
And with them He formed
Gemini in the Universe
Sivan in the Year
And the left foot in the Soul
male and female.
--Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation)

The above quoted passage is from a kabbalistic text called "Sefer Yetzirah", which is translated: "Book of Formation". Each of the twelve months of the Hebrew year has an associating Zodiac sign, Hebrew tribe, Hebrew letter, spiritual “limb,” “sense,” “experience,” “expression” of the soul.

On the breastplate of the Cohen Gadol, the High Priest, the stone of the tribe of Zevulun was called ”yahalom”, a white jewel (pearl) representing the chair of the merchant. Its special success in business was in order to support the Torah scholars of Yissachar, whose stone is in the middle of the same row. At Zevulun’s birth… … Leah said, “Gd has endowed me with a good dowry; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have born him six sons.” –Bereshith 30.20

“Zevulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea
And he shall be a haven for ships
And his border shall be at Sidon.”
--Bereshith 49:14-15

Around the Mishkan Zevulun and Yissachar camped to the east, along with Yehudah, signifying their role in bringing light to the tribes. Just like the encampment around the Mishkan, the territory of Zevulun borders Yissachar, further enforcing the eternal partnership between the two tribes. His territory borders three other tribes, as well, making him a buffer for Yissachar with the other tribes. While Zevulun is blessed with ability for war, his strength that enables him to be a successful merchant among the nations of the world also gives him the capacity to be a peacemaker among his brothers, too. This is reflected in the associated sefirah—Hod. In the partnership with Yissachar, Zevulun gains the balance of Torah that makes that possible.

The Hebrew word for “move” is “zaz”, which begins and ends with the letter of the month—“zayin”. “Zayin” is associated with “weapon”, hinting at confrontation. The Torah helps us with our confrontation with our evil urge. The limb of the month, the left foot, signifies following, so the motion of Sivan is that of a follower, a supporter. It is also indicative of worldly affairs, so our challenge is to integrate our worldly pursuits with spirituality.

The month of Sivan begins with Shavuot, the celebration of Matan Torah (the giving of the Torah). One this day we read the Book of Ruth, which begins with a journey—Naomi’s walking back to her dwelling in Israel and Ruth’s following into her new life, where she was Naomi’s greatest support. They are in motion, refusing to sit and stagnate in a place of error. They each take a change and move, walking in faith into the unknown. One reason this may be in the liturgy of Shavuot is the journey of renewal that walking into Torah requires of each of us. From Ruth’s willingness to lay down her life and become a supporter of her mother-in-law, came King David, who was the epitome of leadership. In the manner of the righteous, King David came into the world and left on Shavuot.

Sivan brings us to the sefirah Hod—glory—which is also known as “thanksgiving.” For the most part, this has the aspect of hindsight, yet it can evolve into a positive attitude of lessons learned that helps us face each thing as it comes, giving us the resolve to move, to thank Hashem each day, to ultimately celebrate the challenges of life as being “good” from His hand. This is a real lesson of Ruth… and of the faith of the tribe of Zevulun that rejoiced in their role of supporting the scholars of in the tribe of Yissachar.

In the parshaot we read of the several rebellions in the wilderness—Miriam speaking against Moshe, the dissatisfaction with the manna and demand for meat, and the sin of the spies. Each confrontation against Moshe’s leadership was, foremost, a challenge to fix a soul-level flaw in the individuals involved. Their failure made additional wandering necessary, having to seek further the true path of the Torah. As we read each parsha, we see the lessons of Sivan—to rectify the Zevulun aspect of ourselves, in partnership with Yissachar. May we meet our confrontations, within and without, through partnership with Torah scholarship, moving us into the thanksgiving dance of life.

Chodesh tov (Have a good month) Miriam Ben-Yaacov

Previous Months Iyar 5766 Shevat 5766 Tevet 5766 Kislev 5766 Cheshvan 5766 Tishrei 5766 Elul 5765

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