What allows someone to see that which is hidden?
Sometimes you can tell what's on someone's mind
by looking at their face. You can also know what's i
n a person's heart at times. This month is all about
revealing the unseen.
Just as children like to play peek-a-boo or hide and
seek, adults also get pleasure out of finding what is
hidden. It's in our nature to seek what we can't see.
The U.S. is spending billions trying to find intelligent
life on other planets. What is the source of our curiosity for the concealed? It may very well be
something God implanted in us to cause us to seek Him.
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto writes that a healthy mind craves truth, and is bothered when a
piece of the puzzle is missing. We need to have our questions about life answered or else we're
left agitated. Being ignorant of an aspect of reality does not bring bliss, it causes annoyance.
We want to find out the truth that is veiled, not merely out of curiosity, but out of a desire to
resolve a conflict within. When we do find the missing piece, when we are convinced that God
exists, or any element of truth, then we experience pleasure and joy. The sages say, "There is
no joy like resolving a doubt."
The month of Adar is most noted for the holiday of Purim. Hiddenness pervades this special
day. God's name is only hinted at in the scroll of Esther, never mentioned explicitly. The
unusual events surrounding Mordechai, Esther, and Achashverosh all form a story that reads
as divine intervention, yet no miracle was performed, no laws of nature were abrogated. Masks,
pretending to be someone else, and putting on plays, are all traditional ways of celebrating
Purim. All these things express the concepts of hiding and revealing. The custom of drinking
wine also reinforces this as it allows a part of one's personality that's usually under wraps to
come out. The main focus of these activities is to help us feel joy. Rabbi Avigdor Miller says that
every person has a reservoir of infinite joy inside. We need to take away the barriers that block
this source from pouring forth.
The constellation of this month is the fish, Pisces. Fish are a symbol of blessing in Judaism, no
doubt stemming from God's blessing on the fifth day to the fish. (see Genesis 1:22)
Traditionally there has been a custom to get married on this day because of that blessing. The
kabbalists also point out that since fish are hidden from view, they are impervious to jealousy.
The feeling of jealousy is somewhat dependent on sight. This is the source of the concept "ayin
harah", the evil eye, so common as a Jewish "superstition." The sages say, "Blessing only falls
on that which is hidden from the eye." Someone who sees your blessing may feel jealous, and
that feeling causes a judgment on you. This can have a negative consequence on the blessing.
That is called "ayin harah".
This month is ideal to meditate on the important questions you have. It is a good time to seek
out the hidden mysteries. You can also tap into the spiritual power of the month by revealing
the good inside your heart.
Now is the time to reveal the joy hidden inside you. Now is the time to uncover the love you
have for all humanity. If we can do these two things even a little bit, we can expect some major
changes in the world.
Source: Kabbalah Made Easy
By: Max Weiman
Student Kabbalah Group is an independent student group on the campus of Central
Michigan University and is not associated with any other kabbalah teaching organization.
All material here is (c) 2004-05 Student Kabbalah Group or
used with permission or according to "Fair Use" copyright laws.
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