The Sea Monsters[1]
say:
"Praise G-d from the land, the sea monsters and all the depths."
(Psalms 148:7)
Rabbi
Dusta'i the son of Rabbi Yannai would say in the name of Rabbi Meir: Anyone who forgets even a single word of this
learning, the Torah considers it as if he had forfeited his life. As is stated,
"Just be careful, and verily guard your soul, lest you forget the things
that your eyes have seen" (Deuteronomy 4:9). One might think that this
applies also to one who [has forgotten because] his studies proved too difficult
for him; but the verse goes on to tell us "and lest they be removed from
your heart, throughout the days of your life." Hence, one does not forfeit
his life unless he deliberately removes them from his heart.
Chesed shebeNetzach (kindness
within the context of victory and endurance)
In the twenty-second week, in Perek Shirah, the Sea Monsters sing that the Lord is to be praised
on earth as well as in the depths. (Psalm 148:7) This is the week of Rosh Chodesh Adar. The month of Adar corresponds to the zodiac sign of
Pisces. Therefore, it is very much appropriate that the water creatures in Perek Shirah be the ones to sing during
the four weeks of this month.
Adar is the month of Purim, and when it begins, we
“increase in joy.” The depths mentioned in the song of the sea monsters refer
to the deep and hidden miracles that Hashem
performed for us during this month, especially on Purim.
The month of Adar
is represented by the tribe of Naftali. Naftali, and Adar as a whole, is also connected to the quality of being an
emissary, a sheliach. Jacob’s
blessing of Naftali describes him as an ayalah
shlucha (a "sent-off" gazelle). Naftali was sent as a messenger on
various occasions. In Moses’s blessing at the end of the Torah, Naftali is
described as seva ratzon, satisfied
will. The attribute of ratzon, will,
is part of the sefirah of keter, the highest of the sefirot, which literally means crown.
Interestingly, Naftali is the only tribe described as a feminine animal, and
its link to keter appears to be connected
to the fact that the hero of this month is a woman who was sent on a mission to
obtain the crown, Queen Esther.
Like Queen Esther, the tribe of Naftali is also a
symbol of self-sacrifice and humility. Even though the tribe was known for its
speed and alacrity,[2]
its prince accepted to be the last ones to bring an offering during the
inauguration of the Tabernacle.[3]
Being a sheliach requires enormous
nullification and submission to the one that sends him or her, as well as
tremendous will power, ratzon, to see
to it that the mission gets accomplished.
The sheliach qualities
and self-nullification of Naftali also
appears to be related to the phrase, “Ve‘anochi
Tola’at ve lo Ish,” which means, “I am a worm and not a man.” Velo Ish, not a man, has the same
numerical value as Sheliach. This
phrase is taken from Psalm 22 (the same number as this week), which has in its
open verse, the term “ayelet hashachar,” the gazelle of the morning. As
mentioned above, the gazelle is connected to Naftali. Our sages teach us that “ayelet hashachar” is also a reference to
the planet Venus, the last “star” to appear in the sky before morning, and a
reference to Queen Ester, the last prophet to appear before redemption.
Similarly, Adar
is the last month of the Jewish calendar counting from Nissan. As mentioned above, the prince of Naftali was the last
tribe to bring an offering at the inauguration of the Tabernacle, wrapping up
the work done by the previous tribe, Asher, and that of the other tribes. That
is the work of the sheliach and ours
as well, to wrap up the work done by those before us, and bring Mashiach.
Adar is the only month in the Jewish calendar that is often
counted twice. Seven times every nineteen years, the Jewish calendar contains
two Adar months: Adar I and Adar II. Adar II is
represented by the tribe of Levi. As would be expected, there are strong
parallels between Levi and Naftali. Like Naftali, which was known for its speed
and alacrity, the Levites, especially the kohanim,
were known for their alacrity and care in the performance of mitzvot. Furthermore, the Levites (and
again, the kohanim in particular)
served as emissaries for the entire Jewish people when performing their service
in the Temple. As further explained in the weeks ahead, the Levites service was
characterized by tremendous self-sacrifice. There is also another interesting
link between the tribe of Levi and the sea animals we read about during this
month. The animals in the sea did not perish during the Flood. Similarly, the
tribe of Levi was never enslaved by the Egyptians.
As demonstrated by the above paragraph, Adar contains a very strong theme of
duality. The zodiac sign of Pisces is also related to duality: its symbol is
two fish facing opposite directions. Unlike other redemptions, the Purim story has not one, but two main heroes:
Esther and Mordechai. It is also in the month of Adar that we fulfill the mitzvah
of giving the half-shekel. The half-shekel was a contribution made to the
Temple in order that sacrifices could be brought on behalf of the entire
public. The mitzvah is still done
during the month of Adar, although
for now it plays more of a symbolic role. Each person’s giving a half-shekel,
as opposed to a whole one, symbolizes the idea that no Jew is complete by him
or herself. Each of us complements the other.
The number twenty-two represents the total number of
letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Hashem
used these letters to create the Torah and the world by combining them to each
other. In this sense, each of the letters complements the other. Similarly, the
Torah begins with the letter beit,
representing the idea of duality and relationship, the relationship between Hashem and His creation.
Duality and relationship are also found in the song of
the sea monsters. At first glance it appears strange that the sea monsters
should be singing about praising Hashem
on land as well as in the depths of the sea. However, the sea monsters
understand that their song is not enough by itself. It must be complemented by
the songs in the land as well.
The duality of the month of Adar is also one the contrast between “the hidden” and “the
revealed.” The miracle of Purim was performed through “hidden” means, and
despite the hand of G-d being more than apparent in the events that led to the
Jewish redemption of this month, the actual name of G-d does not appear in the
Purim story found in the Megillah.
The name of the scroll we read, Megillat
Esther, is further evidence of this duality. Megillah comes from the verb nigleh
(revealed) and nistar (hidden). In
the song of the sea monsters, the sea depths represent that which is hidden,
while the land represents that which is revealed.
The song of the sea monsters is also reminiscent of
the blessing Jacob gave to his two grandchildren, Ephraim and Menashe (here
again, the number two appears): "You will multiply like fish in the face
of the land [not the water].” Rabbi
Yitzchak Ginsburgh explains that the gematria
of Naftali, which represents Adar, is
equal to the gematria of Ephraim and
Menashe.
This week, the lesson in Pirkei Avot comes from Rabbi Dusta’i the son of Yannai, who states
that forgetting one’s study is comparable to committing a mortal sin. One of
the main mitzvot of the month of Adar is remembering the evil done by
Amalek and the Divine commandment to destroy it. If we do not remember to
destroy evil, we put our own lives in danger.
The combination of sefirot
for this week is chesed shebenetzach,
kindness within victory. In the month of Adar,
we increase in joy. This week marks the beginning of two months of victory and
redemption - netzach - associated
with Purim and Passover. We celebrate the kindness G-d showed us by being more
joyful than usual. (This week would also represent the “eighth week,” of Shavuot and “Shivah Yemei Miluim” of the cycle of Tiferet)
The lesson in self-improvement we learn from the sea
monsters is that it is not sufficient to praise G-d just by ourselves. We must
also think of those who are distant, just as the sea monsters think of those on
land.
[1] Rabbi Lazer Brody
translates this animal as “giant sea creatures.”
[2] Rashi explains that the gazelle runs quickly, and that this is the
meaning behind Jacob’s blessing to Naftali. (Genesis 49:21, Rashi; See also the Rebbe's sicha, chassidic discourse, for the 12th Day of
Nissan, 5747, available at:
http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/sichos-in-english/35/06.htm). Rashi also explains there that the men
of Naftali dispatched towards the enemy with alacrity, zrizut. Zrizut is also
the main characteristic of the Kohanim,
of the tribe of Levi, which is also represented by the month of Adar, as further explained below.
[3] Ryzman, p. 109
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