Healing and the Month of Iyar

We are about to enter the month of Iyar, which for many might seem like a descent from the exalted miracles we experienced in the month of Nisan. However, there’s much more about Yiar than meets the eye.

Of course, most people associate it with Lag Baomer, which falls on the 18th of Iyar, and some also celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut. Yet, few are aware that the month of Yiar is a month of healing with tremendous potential.

In Yiar we can draw down all forms of spiritual and physical healing as this is a very propitious month.

How so? Let’s explore this in-depth!

Kabbalistic secrets of Yiar

Many commentators point out that the month of Iyar (אייר) is a contraction of the Hebrew words “אני י״י רופאך” (literally “I am Hashem your healer”). The 2 Yods from the middle word form the union between the names יהוה and אדני forming together יאהדונהי. This is the union we must keep in mind when saying the name of Hashem pronounced as Ado-nai from the prayers and represents the union between Ze’ir Anpin (the 6 emotional Sephirot we know) and Malkhut (The Shechina and Kingship).

According to the Arizal’s system, Yiar corresponds to the Sephirah of Gevurah (strength) which comes right after Nissan’s Chesed (lovinkindness) that we saw in the previous article. This is because we must now exert effort to purify ourselves during Sefirat HaOmer until we reach completion in Shavuot.

However, a few other Kabbalists state that Yiar also corresponds to the Sephirah of Tiferet (תפארת), which contains the root of the word “cure” (רפואה). This shouldn’t be viewed as a contradiction since we often find different systems intertwined even in the Arizal’s Kabbalah.

True Healing in Jewish Tradition

In Sha’arei Kedusha (Gates of Holiness), we find that the soul has the exact format of the human body. This, and not the physical body, is what a person truly is.

The Torah and the Zohar understand humans to be multifaceted creatures composed of many interdependent systems. We have the physical body, the levushim (“vestments”) of the soul, the tzelem (“after-image” of the soul), the soul itself (composed of 5 parts we all know), and the Mochin (divine consciousness).

It is also not far-fetched to think that the levushim/vestments just mentioned are related to the energetic/electric body that is part and parcel of Chinese Traditional Medicine system. This is because we find in many places in the Kitvei Ari (writings of the Arizal) the kavanah (mystical intention) that the word for vestment (מלבוש) has the exact numerical value of “electricity” (chashmal, חשמל) which is 378.

In a way, the Torah’s approach to health could be considered holistic since whenever we are beset by a disease (chas v’shalom), we should ideally treat the spiritual aspect, whether it’s a blemish in the soul or a decree from above, and then treat the physical body. Everything first happens in the spiritual worlds before it comes down to the physical reality.

Based on the Midrash that states that each leaf has a corresponding Mazal “hitting” it and telling it “grow”, Rebbe Nachman also teaches that herbs possess incredible power, not only physical but also spiritual. If a person does not address the spiritual cause of his suffering, the problem could, chas v’shalom, come back.

Secrets of the heart

The question remains: how can one draw down a cure? There is of course no shortage of answers and obviously, if someone has a more serious condition, he should consult with his doctor or go to the hospital.

But if your problem is not acute or not severe, or maybe it’s spiritual and psychological, the answer is: awareness and prayer. Human beings are created in such a way that, when we are looking for answers, we first go to the brain, and we often neglect the heart. However, we find in Eliyahu’s prayer in the Zohar that the heart is the seat of understanding (Sephirah of Binah).

Many times, the answer is not readily within the reach of the conscious/rational mind. It can only be perceived by the heart which, by the way, can generate between 60 to 100 times more bio-electricity than the brain! The heart then acts as an antenna and can “capture” what is going on with the body through non-verbal language. Now everything comes full circle.

So, one very effective meditation exercise to acquire the answers you need is to sit in a comfortable position and clear your mind for 1 or 2 minutes. Then direct your focus to your heart and make a question. This should be used with caution and the answers may need to be interpreted but Rebbe Nachman already taught us in Likutey Moharan that the heart is the focus of all the pain in the body, much like the Tzadik of the generation perceives everyone’s sufferings.

Remember also that putting your focus on the heart is a great way to awaken it and pray for healing! This is, after all, the focus of emotions and, in English, this word means “energy in motion”. It’s not for nothing that the sages said that Rachmana Liba Ba’ei (the Merciful one desires the heart), and when we offer and open our hearts to him, we are putting much more power in prayer!

This might explain why the word for “paying attention” in Hebrew is שים לב (literally: “put your heart”)!

May we all merit to draw down all our healing and never know suffering!

This article was written in the zechut of Chana Sussie bat Leah-to find Zivug Hagun, get married, have a happy and healthy family, have children, remain in good health, longevity, sustenance, mazel, peace, safety, and love.

Studying Kabbalah is a huge source of merit that can bring all sorts of salvation to a person’s life.

If you want to sponsor to have me study in-depth Kabbalah from the Arizal or the Rashash in your merit and receive its blessings, especially for sustenance, children and health.

From Beyond the Veil

from Beyong the Veil: month of Nissan

​At first glance, the practice of praying in Kivrei(graves of) Tzadikim might seem strange. The Torah explicitly forbids us from asking the dead and most Ashkenazim who follow the Vilna Gaon refrain completely from even going in the cemetery. However, it is a well-known Kabbalistic custom that was popularized by the Arizal to go to Kivrei Tzadikim. The source of this is none less than the Zohar that makes the clear distinction: only in the case of wandering around or going to graves where wickedpeople are buried did the Torah forbid us from going. Kivrei Tzadikim are perfectly fine.

​One of the reasons is that the wicked souls are filled with impure spirits that might attach to a person going there. Assuming a person only goes to pray in the graves of Tzadikim and avoids the wicked around, this danger is mitigated.

​What does this have to do with Nissan, you may ask?

As we all know, Nissan is the month of miracles, marked by the illumination of Pesach which we just passed. But what few people know is that Nissan, alone, holds special power to bring rectification for the departed!

Let’s explore that more in-depth!

​The prayers of the dead

​The Zohar brings in many places that the dead are constantly praying for the well-being of the living. Not only that, but it also testifies that had it not been for that, the world couldn’t be sustained for a single minute! Stories of Tzadikim praying in the graves of other Tzadikim feature in the Midrash, Talmud, Zohar and later Rabbis. And the most iconic example is right before the spies are sent to spy the land of Israel in Parshat Shelach Lecha, when Caleb goes to the cave of the Patriarchs. Specifically, he asks Avraham Avinuhimself for help. Why?

​The Sha’ar HaGilgulim (Gate of Reincarnation) written by Rav Chaim Vital explains that Caleb was a reincarnation of Eliezer, the loyal servant of Avraham. Having faithfully served Avraham, Eliezer (now Caleb) asks for a “little compensation” of having his former master intercede on his behalf and pray for his protection. If you think about it, this is mindblowing!

​Of course, on one hand, we know that Hashem is the one in charge and all power and blessings come from Him. On the other hand, this episode illustrates how much can be accomplished through the departed Tzadikim. Caleb, together with Yehoshua, was saved from the spies' conspiracy and inherited a blessed portion in Eretz Israel.

​Clearly, we also learn from this story that having a previous link to the departed Tzadik can be greatly beneficial when it comes to praying at their Kever. In Sha’ar HaGilgulim we find that studying the works of the Tzadik and keeping their Minhagim (customs) can help strengthen this bond with them.

​Besides all that, in order to deepen our connection to Tzadikim it’s a very good practice to do something for them, like praying that Hashem should give them an elevation, to give Tzedaka on their behalf, lighting candles on their graves, or merely helping clean their graves. Whatever the case, there are many permissible things we can do in this world to help them in the other world.

​Blessings of the trees and the elevation of the departed

​The Shulchan Aruch (226:1) writes that during Nissan, we bless Hashem for the blossoming of the trees when we see at least 2 fruit trees that started to blossom. This special Bracha is said only once a year.

​Many Kabbalists write that the weeks of Shovavimand month of Elul are particularly special for the living to make Teshuva. The month of Nissan are particularly special for the dead to receive an elevation! A well-known custom is to recite the portion of the Nasi (prince) of each Tribe on their respective days starting from the 1st of Nissan until the 12th. This is accompanied by many special prayers where we ask Hashem for the elevation of the souls from each of their tribes. In them, we ask Hashem to hear their prayers on our behalf and that we are also lifted together.

​As we saw in previous articles, souls (or parts of souls) can be reincarnated in different realms, the lowest being the inanimate (rocks and water), followed by the vegetable (trees, herbs, fruits and flowers) followed by the animals and the highest one being the human. According to Kabbalah, the blessing of the trees help the souls that were reincarnated in the vegetable realm to be rectified.

​Concluding insights

​Nissan’s zodiac sign is Aries (the sheep), which is not only docile and a kosher animal but symbolizes the time when Hashem is gently guiding us and bringing us to our destiny.

But Nissan also marks the beginning of the summer months characterized by the “feminine divine providence”. This period goes on until the end of Elul and it is a time when a lot of good comes down to the world in terms of blessings, as we see from the beginning of the blossoming of the trees.

The very name of Nissan (ניסן) contains the word נס which means “miracle”. Just like our forefathers experienced an abundance of miracles in this month, so too we can experience them.

This is the perfect opportunity to begin our relationship with the Tzadikim and this is what we strive to do with Prayer Treks! Do you have someone in mind you’d like to come closer to? Don’t be shy, the Tzadikim desire to help the living more than anything and are always open to listening to us! It’s never late to start a relationship with a Tzadik we admire!

May we all merit receiving all the miracles we need in our lives!

Kabbalistic Secrets You Probably Didn’t Know About Pesach

What The Festival Of Redemption Teaches Us

​Despite being one of the most difficult Festivals to keep and prepare, almost every Jew in the world celebrates Pesach. We all know that Hashem overturned the laws of nature when he sent the 10 plagues. This act served to rectify a great deal of Creation, destroy the bondage of the Israelites, and punish the forces of evil.

​The writings of the sages and Kabbalists reveal that each festival has its own special qualities that are renewed every year.We find this idea beautifully summarized in the words of the great Kabbalist R’ Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (The Ramchal) in his Magnum Opus, Derekh Hashem (The Way of God):

​“The quality of each festival is determined by the divine influx and the potency of the illuminating light that graced its occurrence. On these auspicious occasions, a significant tikkun, or spiritual rectification, transpired and a brilliant spiritual illumination shone forth. The Highest Wisdom deemed that the anniversary of these sacred events should be marked by a renewed emanation of their original radiance and the benefits of their rectification bestowed upon those who celebrate them. This is why we are commanded to observe Pesach with all its rituals, in order to commemorate the Exodus and the profound rectification that took place. As we remember the exceptionally potent rectification of the Exodus, a corresponding radiance is rekindled each year on its anniversary.”

​The sheer amount of Kabbalistic secrets that are revealed to us about Pesach cannot be overstated. While we can’t write everything in one article, we will try to cover as much as possible and what’s most important here for you to enhance your Seder!

​Order of Mochin and The Night that Shines like the day

​Every act of service we do comes in order to bring down a form of divine conscience, also known as Mochin. The Mochinalways come in a certain order: First comes Katnut (smallness) of [the Sephira of] Binah (Understanding), then Gadlut(greatness) of Binah, then Katnut of Chokhmah, and finally Gadlut of Chokhmah. The order is constant and crucial because it allows free will to continue uninterrupted.

​This order is also important because, in a sense, it allows us to build our perception of Hashem without “breaking our vessels”. Any great revelation must be preceded by having the proper mind-frame, which has to be built over time. If too much light comes, a person runs the risk of veering off the proper path. This is what happened in a conceptual sense during the breaking of the primordial vessels which came out of the “eyes” of Adam Kadmon.

​However, as the Zohar says, in Pesach we are all considered somehow “spiritually sick” as we are relieving this period in which we were subjugated by the Egyptians, and this is why we must eat Matzah. Like a sick person that has to abstain from harmful foods, we also need to refrain from eating Chametz which represents arrogance, as everyone knows.

​Hashem saw that the bondage of Egypt was complete, no one could leave there. The Ben Ish Chai gives a very interesting insight and writes that the word for Egypt מצרים starts with an open Mem (מ) and ends with a closed Mem (ם) symbolizing that whoever came to Egypt never left and was trapped in its allures forever. In an unprecedented act, Hashem not only “rushed” to bring the Mochin of Gadlut Rishon (“First” Greatness of Binah)thereby breaking the order (“seder”), but brought all subsequent Mochin came in one single night! Nothing like this ever happens in any time through the year. This act immediately broke the Egyptians’ grasp on the Israelites, and had it not been for that, writes the Arizal, we’d never have been redeemed.

This is reflected in the fact that, according to Halacha, we recite the full Hallel twice, once during Arvit and once during the Seder on Pesach. Our sages teach that this night shines as bright as the day. The “day” is not merely a time reference when the physical sun is shining but alludes to Olam HaBah, which is entirely day as compared to this world which is night. When we perform the Seder, we must feel like we are already redeemed and this is why we recline ourselves, to symbolize that we are in the World to Come of Binah (Zohar).

​Sweetening the Judgments

​One of the most important Kabbalistic concepts is that of Sweetening judgments (in Hebrew “Mituk HaDinim”). We spoke a little before in other articles, but what is it really? Essentially, whenever there’s a decree in Heaven for something to happen, it can happen in many different ways. The final outcome of the decree depends primarily on the attitude (and level of Emunah) of the recipient of the decree, his prayers and preparation. And, of course, there are different ways an individual can “bring about this decree” in a sweeter and smoother way.

We can illustrate this concept from the famous interaction between Moshe Rabbenu and Pharaoh. After the seventh plague, Pharaoh’s servants were already sick and wanting for the people to leave. Pharaoh then “graciously” lets Moshe leave with only the men and children (but not the women) and warns “see,there’s an evil in front of you”.

The Midrash explains that Pharaoh was a great sorcerer, with a deep understanding of the forces of nature. He foresaw the “result of the influence of Mars” which is to bring bloodshed in the future. Moshe Rabbenu knew Pharaoh wasn’t just some charlatan, but knew what he was talking about. Perhaps Moshe Rabbenu didn’t know this was about the sin of the Golden Calf, or the fact that Hashem would kill any uncircumcised firstborn, but later ordered the people to circumcise themselves and also prepare for the Pesach sacrifice with a sheep. These two acts substituted the “bloodshed” that was supposed to happen in the future, at least in part.

Similarly, the Arizal writes about the Kavanot (mystical intentions) of the Maror we eat on Pesach, which one can infer serves as a way to “Sweeten the Judgments”. The word Maror(מרור) has the exact same numerical value as death (מות). When two words have the same numerical value (Gematria), this means there’s a direct correlation between the two. They can indicate the same soul root or that they are opposing forces. But here, the implication is clear: we’d much rather have the “death” of the Maror over real death! An important Kabbalistic custom is to also dip the Maror in the Charosset (which is sweet) and then shake it out when the time to eat comes.

Other Remarkable Insights

The time of Pesach is an incredible opportunity to bring our personal salvation. It’s not only the physical salvation but also the mental and emotional salvation of being free of our bad desires.

Although this is a time full of judgments up until the end of Shavuot during the Omer, we all have the possibility of sweetening it. Even during the first Yom Tov and Chol HaMoed, there’s a special type of Chesed (lovingkindness) called “ChesedYoma d’Kulchu” (“The all embracing Chessed”), which comes down from the exalted level of Keter of Atzilut. This special illumination keeps on throughout Pesach, as on Sukkot.

Just as we were redeemed like royalty way back 3.300 years ago entirely on Hashem’s compassion (without merits), so too we can bring down all our salvations this coming Pesach, without relying on our merits, for free. This is the difference between compassion and lovingkindness: compassion is the act of free-giving to one who is in a lower position while lovingkindness is to an equal.

According to many Kabbalists, one auspicious time to ask for our needs is before singing Ma Nishtana. The Gemara in Pesachim writes that this is the time “when the son asks the father”, and they teach that since we are all sons of Hashem, wecan ask Him (our Father) anything we want in this specialmoment!

May you and your family have a wonderful and kosher Pesach filled with light!