Community Magazine October 2010

Month Heshvan Additional Names Marheshvan; Bul 1 Spiritual Character akrav (Scorpion) 2 Tribe Menashe 3 The 15th of Heshvan holds no special significance today – but a famous king of Israel once defiantly declared that day a sort of “Sukkot Sheni.” Y ERUSHALAYIM , CIRCA 2940 . The glory of the Jewish people was at a level unsurpassed at any other time in history. The Bet Hamikdash adorned the hilltop above the city. Prophets walked the streets, bringing the word of Hashem to the people. The land was lush and fertile, and wealth was abundant. Tribute came pouring in from all corners of the earth, as nations across the globe sought to pay homage to Gd’s chosen nation. But the crowning glory was their leader, the great King Shelomo. Wisest of men, son of the beloved King David, builder of the Bet Hamikdash, he brought unprecedented prosperity and Gd’s love to the people. This was, without question, the greatest period in all of Jewish history. And yet, not everything was perfect. Shelomo, great as he was, fell short of the lofty standards that were expected of him. He married many foreign-born wives, the converted daughters of non-Jewish kings, with the noble intention of increasing Hashem’s honor in the world by creating familial ties with other world leaders. However, in doing so, he transgressed the Torah’s explicit restriction on the number of wives permitted to a king. The Torah forbids a king frommarrying too many women “lest his heart stray” 4 , but Shelomo felt that his special wisdom would ensure that he and his wives will remain loyal to the Torah. 5 In the end, however, as the Torah warned, his wives indeed reverted to their idolatrous past. For aman of Shelomo’s righteous stature, this was deemed a gravemisdeed. Gd punished Shelomo by diminishing the kingdom’s wealth, power and prestige. The root cause of Shelomo’s mistake was the glory and splendor his kingdom had achieved (indeed, he is listed among the kings who ruled over the entire world 6 ), and Hashem therefore decided it was necessary to humble the kingdom. However, in the merit of Shelomo’s righteous father, King David, and for the sake of the sacred city of Jerusalem, Gd delayed the punishment until after Shelomo’s passing. A Rebellion is Born The Israelite Kingdom’s fall from glory would occur in the form of a mass secession by the ten northern tribes. The man hand-picked by Hashem to lead the secession was Yerov’am ben Nevat, from the tribe of Efrayim. Despite his humble beginnings – he was raised as a poor orphan – Yerov’am rose to greatness when King Shelomo, recognizing his unique talents, appointed him over tax collection for the tribes of Menashe 1 Melachim 6:38 2 Sefer Yetzira. 3 Ibid. 4 Devarim 17,17. 5 Sanhedrin 21b. 6 Megillah 11b. Cosmic Mazal the unique spiritual nature of Jewish months beyond the physical forces we can observe, Hashem created the universe with a schedule of distinct spiritual cycles that render certain times of the year more favorable to various endeavors. Not coincidentally, these cycles match exactly with the Jewish months. Each of the twelve months in the Hebrew calendar has its own significance, a special mazal or heavenly power, which renders that month an auspicious time for certain kinds of events 1 . Furthermore, the characteristics of every month correspond to one of the twelve Tribes of Israel. According to the Sefer Yetzira, the order of the 12 months even follows the sequence in which the 12 tribes traveled in the desert after leaving Egypt. Events happen when they do based, in part, on the special characteristics of that time of year. In this series we will explore various episodes throughout our history, attempting to understand the link between the events and the time of year in which they occurred. 1 See Gemara Shabbat 156a Rabbi Yehuda Beyda Floor mosaic of the beth Alfa synagogue in Heftsi bah, Israel circa 517 showing Jewish symbols corresponding to the months and tribes. histor 36 Community magazine