SKG Articles: Adar - Hidden Mysteries

Chodesh Tov to everyone. We approach the beginning of the new month of Sivan.   Sivan is the
most beautiful month. It is a time of creativity, of love, intimacy, and flowing communication, a great
time for travel as well.   Just as the trees and flowers begin to blossom during the spring month of
Sivan we blossom at this time as well. Sivan is a time of gaining clarity of vision, discovering one's
life purpose and receiving the guidance and direction on actualizing our personal goals. Every
month has a holiday within that epitomizes the energy and spiritual opportunity of the month. The
holiday for this month is Shavuot.

Shavuot is the most awesome time of divine revelation. Imagine that Creator of the Universe is
extending an invitation to everyone at this time during the holiday of Shavuot to receive a direct
relevation of God's Light as much Light and blessing and love as we have the vessels to receive.
Imagine how sad we will feel if there is such a blessing but we are not open, our minds cluttered
with unnecessary petty concerns or we are not in the right place to receive the highest vibration.
People prepare a lot for Passover. We change our dishes, we clean, we eat matzah, but what are
we doing to prepare for the awesome revelation of Shavuot?

On Rosh Chodesh Sivan, (if we haven’t already) we must begin to prepare our minds and hearts
for Shavuot. It was on Rosh Chodesh, at the time of the new moon, that the Nation of Israel
historically arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai and became aware of the tremendous opportunity that
would be presented to them. On the second day of the new month, Moses began to prepare the
people for the upcoming big event. We need to prepare ourselves for this event so we are ready to
receive. We need to ask ourselves, “Are we open enough, humble enough, pure enough to truly
receive all the Light of the Torah?" Perhaps self examination should be in order. Shavuot is the
completion of the journey begun on Passover. We left Egypt, but did we take the Egypt out of us-
Are we still enslaving ourselves, limiting ourselves, because we are frightened of the awesome
freedom that we have been given. Can we allow ourselves to let go of what we no longer need,
what limits us, what keeps us small? Can we surrender just a bit and open to trust ourselves and
the Creator a little more? Can we find the willingness within us to stretch ourselves, and allow the
soul within us to have a voice rather than just the ego mind?

We need to review Iyar, the previous month. Did we purify ourselves as we had the opportunity to
do so during the month of Iyar? Did we heal ourselves enough to be whole so we can be open to
be in relationship with the Divine? These questions can seem so heavy. Forgive me. They really
are not heavy, for in a few moments of meditation, we can shift, we can let go, and we can open.
Many of us may feel that we are not prepared, we are not ready or not worthy, but we must not let
these thoughts or feelings discourage us. Know that as much as we may have or could have
prepared ourselves, we can never be prepared enough and God is ready to receive us no matter
how we may feel about ourselves. We are worthy of being in relationship with God as we are right
now. Each of us must make this choice to open to God as we are right now. And to begin to do
this, all that we need to do is open our hearts, quiet our minds, let go, surrender and appreciate
that whatever we receive it is a gift.

On Shavuot, God is calling for people who are willing to be a Light to the world, that is people who
will volunteer to be transmitters of God's Light and Love in this world. God is looking for partners,
people He can pour all His Love, Light, and Strength into, people who are willing to be His hands,
feet and heart in this physical world. God created this world imperfect so we each would have the
privilege of making a meaningful contribution to bring this world into alignment with Divine Will. All
those who want to participate in this covenant have to do is find that opening within ourselves that
says, "yes, I am ready to open to Divine Will, I am ready to serve." We each need to find that place
inside us that is willing to say, I will listen, I will do (I don't even have to know how) and then I will
understand." We need to know that our minds cannot always comprehend the call of the soul and
we often limit ourselves because we want to understand who we are rather than be who we are,
which is always much more than we thought possible for ourselves. On Shavuot, there is a powerful
divine transmission and we may enjoy greater levels of intimacy with the Creator that are awesome.
It is said that the Jews at the time of Sinai were likened to one being. It is this love and unity that
enabled them to receive from the Holy One. It is a taste of this love that we receive on Shavuot.
Shavuot is first called in the Torah the "Festival of Weeks because it completes the Omer journey
that began on Passover. The Torah instructs us to count seven weeks beginning of Passover,
known as the Counting of the Omer. The fiftieth day is called Shavuot. The Zohar compares the
seven weeks in which the Omer is counted to the seven days a woman counts after her monthly
menses. Just as the woman would immerse herself in the mikveh, a ritual purification bath, and be
reunited with her beloved after the seventh day, so too is the community of Israel reunited with its
beloved Creator on the fiftieth day, Shavuot."

Unlike the jealousy that a spouse may feel sharing his or her beloved with someone else, the more
we share the Light of the Creator with others, the greater love and joy we have. On a spiritual level
receiving Torah is a kind of group marriage. I have been feeling this more and more in the groups I
am leading. The love experienced in the groups is palpable because of our deep opening to
presence of God.

Shavuot is also called "Z'man Matan Toraeteinu," the Giving of Our Torah. We are taught that we
gained freedom from Egypt only to receive the Torah. It is also for this reason that we came into
this world. The Torah is God's greatest gift for it is through the Torah that we come to know the
Light of the Creator. God gives us many gifts, but the greatest gift and blessing is that we can
know and love Him. It is for this we were created for. God wanted to be known and to be loved. By
Torah we do not mean simply the Five Books of Moses, we do not mean simply all the
commentaries written on the Bible such as Gemara, Mishnah. etc. We do not mean simply all the
knowledge of Jewish philosophy, kabbalah, mussar, halacha, prayer, meditation, etc, though Torah
includes all of this. Torah is divine revelation. Torah is divine wisdom, it is the blueprint of reality
and through the proper study of any of the forms of Torah we may come to know God. And by
knowing God, we mean in the biblical sense of becoming one with, experiencing intimacy with the
Creator. This is what God wants and what our souls want as well.

As an aside, I very much hope and even pray that no one will be offended by my referring to God
as masculine as I often do. God is not a male. It is easier for me to refer to God as masculine as is
generally done, but everyone should know that there are also times in the Torah when God is
referred to as a mother such as on the Rosh Chodesh haftorah we read yesterday. Sometimes I
try to substitute names of God which is much better way to communicate what I want to say, but
then I am concerned that some readers will not understand the significance of the various Names. I
hope that you the reader will put aside gender considerations, all limitations of the mind, and open
you heart to the deeper teachings I am trying to express.

In closing, May we each gain greater clarity this Shavuot of who we are and what we are supposed
to do in this world. We each have an important role to play in the perfection of this world. Some of
do this publicly, some of us do this privately, but we all contribute and we all are important.

Author: Mindy Ribner
Source: Beit Miriam

Books by Melinda Ribner can be found in our online store.
Kabbalah Month by Month also offers additional teachings, stories, and meditations about the energy of this month.
New Age Judaism offers teachings about the intersection of New Age and Kabbalah, and most relevantly about the
paradigm shift that occurred after the Temple was destroyed and now once again we are undergoing another
paradigm shift after the Holocaust.
Everday Kabbalah offers numerous meditations, and teaching for healing.