Tractates and 32 Paths (22-day cycles)

1a Brachot and Rosh Hashanah

Kriat Shemah (accepting the yoke of G-d's kingship)

1b Shabbat and Yom Kippur

Teshuvah is a two-way process. We are knocking on G-d's door as poor people bereft of mitzvot. If both us and Hashem participate in the Teshuva process (Hashiveinu Hashem Elecha veNashuva), then both are pturim.

2a Eruvim and Sukkot

- Gemara discussion compares it to Sukkah.
- Aravah; mixing, shaking together the arbah minim

2b Pesachim and Cheshvan

Or L'Arbah Asar Bodkim et HaChametz L'Or HaNer.

This is the beginning of Avodat HaBerurim. We move from G-d as Creator to G-d as redeemer. We redeem the chametz through engaging in mitzvot (Ner Mitzvah Torah Or)

We go from "Or" (light, the first act of Creation) to "the 14th" (gematria of Yad). And mitzvot elevate the chametz back to the Or, the source of Creation.

My revered father, [the Rebbe Rashab,] once told a chassid at yechidus: “From the time the Holy One, blessed be He, told Avraham, ‘Go forth from your land,’5 and thereafter ‘Avram journeyed on, continuing to travel southward,’6 the mystical mission of beirurim began. [This term signifies the task of sifting materiality, and elevating the Divine sparks that are embedded within all permissible entities and activities, by using them with spiritual purpose.] 

3a Shekalim and Cheshvan

Temple, elevating the physical (two halves - male and female - see Heh and Vav

3b Yoma and Cheshvan/Rosh Chodesh Kislev

Yahrzeit of Matisyahu Kohen Gadol
Chanukah

4a Sukkah and Kislev/Chanukah

8 days paralleling Sukkot; siyum is the story of Miriam bat Bilgah, at the time of Chanukah, who had assimilated and married a Greek guard, who kicked the altar.

4b Beitzah and  Kislev/Chanukah

Egg that was born on Yom Tov is something that was concealed that is now revealed

5a Rosh Hashanah and Chanukah/Teveth

- Rosh Chodesh was mitzvah Greeks wanted to abolish. The calendar is the source of Jewish wisdom in the eyes of the nation.
- Machloket regarding Nissan and Tishrei reflects Machloket Yehudah and Yosef

5b Ta'anit and Teveth/Fast of Teveth

Ta'anit is all about fasting (connection is pretty obvious). (In the division of the Mishna, it also falls here). Also, the Tractate begins with the time we begin to ask for rain in our prayers. This cycle falls around the time of the 4th of December, when outside of Israel we change our prayers to ask for rain

6a Megillah and Teveth

Law of Blessing before the Torah / Torah Sh'Bichtav

6b Moed Katan and Yud Shvat (day of Siyum)

Mourning for the Friediker Rebbe

7a Chagigah and Tu B'Shvat

Trees singing (Chagigah 14b)

7b Yevamot (and Seder Nashim) and 22nd Shvat

Yahrzeit of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka; 

Days leading up to Adar - duality, mutual responsibility/partnership

8a Ketubot and Adar/Purim

Ketubot starts by speaking about a young virgin that is to get married, like the beginning of Megilat Esther.

8b Nedarim and Adar

Mitzvah of Half-Shekel/obligations to the Temple needed collecting by the end of Adar

Rabbi Fohrman from AlefBeta explains beautifully the connection between Purim and Nedarim, based on the words of Mordechai to Esther and the discussion of annulment of vows in Numbers 30:14

https://www.alephbeta.org/playlist/what-does-purim-mean

14Any vow or any binding oath of self affliction, her husband can either uphold it or revoke it.		ידכָּל־נֵ֛דֶר וְכָל־שְׁבֻעַ֥ת אִסָּ֖ר לְעַנֹּ֣ת נָ֑פֶשׁ אִישָׁ֥הּ יְקִימֶ֖נּוּ וְאִישָׁ֥הּ יְפֵרֶֽנּוּ:
15However, if her husband remained silent from day to day, he has upheld all the vows and prohibitions she has assumed; he has upheld them since he remained silent on the day he heard it.		טווְאִם־הַֽחֲרֵשׁ֩ יַֽחֲרִ֨ישׁ לָ֥הּ אִישָׁהּ֘ מִיּ֣וֹם אֶל־יוֹם֒ וְהֵקִים֙ אֶת־כָּל־נְדָרֶ֔יהָ א֥וֹ אֶת־כָּל־אֱסָרֶ֖יהָ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָלֶ֑יהָ הֵקִ֣ים אֹתָ֔ם כִּי־הֶֽחֱרִ֥שׁ לָ֖הּ בְּי֥וֹם שָׁמְעֽוֹ:

14For if you remain silent at this time, relief and rescue will arise for the Jews from elsewhere, and you and your father's household will perish; and who knows whether at a time like this you will attain the kingdom?"

ידכִּ֣י אִם־הַֽחֲרֵ֣שׁ תַּֽחֲרִ֘ישִׁי֘ בָּעֵ֣ת הַזֹּאת֒ רֶ֣וַח וְהַצָּלָ֞ה יַֽעֲמ֤וֹד לַיְּהוּדִים֙ מִמָּק֣וֹם אַחֵ֔ר וְאַ֥תְּ וּבֵֽית־אָבִ֖יךְ תֹּאבֵ֑דוּ וּמִ֣י יוֹדֵ֔עַ אִם־לְעֵ֣ת כָּזֹ֔את הִגַּ֖עַתְּ לַמַּלְכֽוּת:

9a Nazir and Nissan/Pessach preparations/Omer

We don't cut our hair during the Counting of the Omer; we also take on extra stringencies related to chametz (the Nazir is told to avoid "Chometz Yayin"; we also go to the mikvah and, in order to eat the Korban Pessach, we would have to avoid contact with the dead.

9b Sotah and Pessach/Omer

It is customary to study the tractate of Sotah during the Counting of the Omer, as it has 49 dapim (folios) and the sacrifice brought by the Sotah was of barley, like the omer.


10a Gittin and Pessach/Omer

Free oneself from Egypt/Ba'al


10b Kedushin and Iyar/Omer

Preparing for the Wedding with Hashem


11a Nezikin (Baba Kama, Baba Metzia, Baba Basra) and Lag Ba'Omer

Main laws of Bein Adam L'Chaveroh


11b Sanhedrin (Sanhedrin and Makkos) and Omer/Rosh Chodesh Sivan

End of Makkos talks about Rabbi Akiva and how he comforts his companions (lessons related to the counting of the Omer)

12a Shvuot and Shavuot

Oaths


12b Avodah Zarah and Sivan 

Chet HaEgel


13a Horayos and Tammuz

Sin of the Spies, a mistake made by the leaders of the generation, which led to a sin by the entire community. 



13b Zevachim and Tammuz


14a Menachos and the Three Weeks


14b Chullin and Tisha B'Av


15a Bechoros and Av

15b Arachin-Temura and Av/Rosh Chodesh Elul

Arachin: Mesirat Nefesh - dedicating one's whole being in accordance to the Torah (Av). Making and accounting of one's worth (Elul).

Temura: Mistakenly "switching" a holy object/endeavor for something not holy, and by doing so ultimately making both of them holy - Teshuva, elevating the fallen sparks.


16a Kerisus and the first days of Elul

Cheshbon HaNefesh

Talmud starts with the enumerating of major major sins
Why give a number? To explain to you that each one has to be atoned for separately, even if it was all one big "forgetting." In Elul, there is a tendency to think, "You know, let me just do a "general" Teshuvah, that should be good enough." The Talmud comes to teach us, "No, each separate action requires its own atonement, even if it was all one great forgetting."

16b Meilah-Tamid and Elul

Two kinds of Teshuvah

1) for using holy instruments for non-sacred purposes (Meilah)

2) to implement consistency and constant dedication (Tamid)

17a Niddah and Rosh Hashanah

7-day and 11-day cycles

First Set of 22 Days: Alef & Bet, the Heavens and the Earth

First Cycle: Rosh Hashanah to First Days of Sukkot

Alef & Bet

The Heavens and the Earth

Pirkei Avot:

1. The world was created with ten utterances. What does this come to teach us? Certainly, it could have been created with a single utterance. However, this is in order to make the wicked accountable for destroying a world that was created with ten utterances, and to reward the righteous for sustaining a world that was created with ten utterances.

2. There were ten generations from Adam to Noah. This is to teach us the extent of G‑d's tolerance; for all these generations angered Him, until He brought upon them the waters of the Flood.

There were ten generations from Noah to Abraham. This is to teach us the extent of G‑d's tolerance; for all these generations angered Him, until Abraham came and reaped the reward for them all.

The 26th of Elul began the first set of 22 days of the Jewish calendar, which parallel the letters Alef and Beit, as well as the Heavens and the Earth in Perek Shirah. This cycle includes the days of Creation, as well as Rosh Hashanah itself, running until the middle of Sukkot.

The Talmud teaches that Alef Beit together stand for Aluf Binah (learn understanding). The current week of the year, Week 51, is the week of Binah).

Alef, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, stands for the Alufoh Shel Olam, the Master of the World, Hashem. Its shape is formed by two yuds and a vav. The yud above represents G-d and the yud below represents the yid, the Jew. The vav that connects the two is Emunah, faith.

Beit, the second letter, stands for Bayit, home. Midrash Tanchuma teaches that G-d created the world because He desired a dwelling place in the lower realms. Beit is also the first letter of the Torah, which begins with the a description of Creation: "Bereshit Barah Elokim Et HaShamayim Ve'Et Ha'Aretz," "In the beginning, G-d created Heaven and Earth. The Beit represents the relationship between G-d and the Jewish people, and the Torah itself serves as a link to bind the Jewish people to G-d.

Heaven and Earth refer back to the opening verse of the Torah, mentioned above. The verses themselves also hint to similar themes as above:

The Heavens are saying: "The heavens speak of G-d's glory, and the skies tell of His handiwork."

As mentioned in the very last set of the year, which overlaps with this one and also includes Rosh Hashanah, "Everything that G-d created in His world, He did not create but for His glory." (Pirkei Avot, 6:11) In the last set, the Grasses sing a verse that it almost identical to that of the Heavens: "May the glory of G-d endure forever, may G-d rejoice in His works." (Psalms 104:31)

The Earth is saying, "The earth and everything in it are G-d's; the inhabited area and all that dwell within it." (Psalms 24:1) And it is saying: "From the wings of the land we have heard song, glory to the righteous." (Isaiah 24:16)

The verse of the Earth speaks of the world as a dwelling place, and G-d's ownership over it, including its dwellers. The second verse appears to link G-d's glory to that of the Tzadik, the one that follows in G-d's ways and that of the Torah. As also mentioned in the last set of the year (which includes Rosh Hashanah), G-d Himself is righteous, and on Rosh Hashanah we pray to be judged as Tzadikim, and inscribed in the Book of Life.

Second Set of 22 Days: Gimmel & Dalet, Eden & Gehennom (Purgatory)

Second Cycle: First Days of Sukkot to Mid-Cheshvan

Gimmel & Dalet

Eden & Gehennom (Purgatory)

Pirkei Avot:

3. With ten tests our father Abraham was tested and he withstood them all--in order to make known how great was our father Abraham's love [for G‑d].

4. Ten miracles were performed for our forefathers in Egypt, and another ten at the sea. Ten afflictions were wrought by G‑d upon the Egyptians in Egypt, and another ten at the sea. With ten tests our forefathers tested G‑d in the desert, as is stated (Numbers 14:22), "They tested Me these ten times, and did not hearken to My voice."

The 19th of Tishrei begins the second set of 22 days of the Jewish calendar, which parallel the letters Gimmel and Dalet, as well as the Garden of Eden and Gehennom (Purgatory).

Gimmel and Dalet have an interesting relationship. Together, they stand for the idea of "Gommel Dalim," helping the poor. "Dal" means poor in Hebrew. It is a well known idea tht Gimmel is shaped in such a way that represents its running toward the "Dal," the letter Dalet.

The Garden of Eden and Gehennom have a similar kind of relationship on a spiritual plane. Gehennom is often translated as "hell," but hell and eternal damnation are not really a Jewish ideas. Judaism believes that a soul usually must undergo some form of cleansing before entering Heaven, and this cleansing takes place in Gehennom.

To some extent, the Garden of Eden represents spiritual richness, while Gehennom represents spiritual lacking. This is reflected in the verses that these elements sing:

• The Garden of Eden is saying, "Arouse yourself, O north [wind], and come, O south! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow out; let my Beloved come to His garden and eat of its precious fruit." (Song of Songs 4:16)
• Gehinnom is saying: "For He has satisfied the longing soul, and has filled the hungry soul with good." (Psalms 107:9)

These two elements also appear to clearly represent what is about to take place in the next 22 days. We'll still be in the midst of the holiday season, fully cleansed and joyous after Yom Kippur and fully engaged in the mitzvot of Sukkah and Lulav, which are very much linked to the Garden of Eden. The "mitzvah fruit" of these days, the Etrog, is said to have the smell of the Garden of Eden. We also shake the Lulav north and south (as well as in the other directions, East, West, up and down), as in the song above.

Following the holiday and Tishrei, we enter Cheshvan, which is called "Mar Cheshvan," "Bitter" Cheshvan, because it lacks any holidays (for now). We therefore use all our spiritual resources acquired in Tishrei to "enrich" the month of Cheshvan, infusing this month and the physical world as a whole with spirituality. 

(Acrostic Psalm 25, connected to Gehinnom; 3 Psalms for week 5 includes Psalm 15, about Gan Eden)

Third Set of 22 Days: Heh & Vav, the Desert & the Fields

Third Cycle: Mid-Cheshvan to Rosh Chodesh Kislev

Heh & Vav

The Desert & The Fields

Pirkei Avot:

5. Ten miracles were performed for our forefathers in the Holy Temple: No woman ever miscarried because of the smell of the holy meat. The holy meat never spoiled. Never was a fly seen in the slaughterhouse. Never did the High Priest have an accidental seminal discharge on Yom Kippur. The rains did not extinguish the wood-fire burning upon the altar. The wind did not prevail over the column of smoke [rising from the altar]. No disqualifying problem was ever discovered in the Omer offering, the Two Loaves or the Showbread. They stood crowded but had ample space in which to prostrate themselves. Never did a snake or scorpion cause injury in Jerusalem. And no man ever said to his fellow "My lodging in Jerusalem is too cramped for me."

6. Ten things were created at twilight of Shabbat eve. These are: the mouth of the earth [that swallowed Korach]; the mouth of [Miriam's] well; the mouth of [Balaam's] donkey; the rainbow; the manna; [Moses'] staff; the shamir; the writing, the inscription and the tablets [of the Ten Commandments]. Some say also the burial place of Moses and the ram of our father Abraham. And some say also the spirits of destruction as well as the original tongs, for tongs are made with tongs.

The 11th of Cheshvan begins the third set of 22 days of the Jewish calendar, which parallel the letters Heh and Vav, as well as the Desert and the Field in Perek Shirah.

Just as Gimmel and Dalet have an interesting relationship, so too do the letters Heh and Vav. Heh is female, and represents the Divine attribute (sefirah) of Binah, understanding, as well as Malchut, kingship. The letter Heh also is tied to the concept of pregnancy, as it is the first letter in the Hebrew word for it, Herayon. The shape of the Heh is also that of a Dalet with a Yud "impregnated" inside. Of all the sefirot, Malchut does not give, but only receives - that is why it is called a "poor" sefirah, because "she has nothing of her own" (De'leit Lah, like the letter Dalet). The Dalet represents an unrectified feminine aspect, while the Heh, represents a rectified one.

Furthermore, Heh, spelled out in full, appears in the verse, "Heh Lachem Zerah," take for yourselves seed. (Genesis 47:23):

The Magen David and the Kli Yakar interpret the words “Hei lachem zerah” to mean, ‘Take the letter Hei () for yourselves for zerah.’ The word zerah, ‘seed’, often means ‘children’. Therefore, the letter Hei is connected with fertility and having chidren. This is why G-d changed our matriarch Sarah’s name. When the Yud in the name Sarai was changed to a Hei, spelling Sarah–she soon became pregnant with Yitzchak. (http://www.bnaiavraham.com/learning/weekly-parsha/vayigash-sowing-seeds-of-redemption/)

The Vav is male, and symbolizes the sefirah of Yesod (foundation) as well as all of Zeir Anpin, the six masculine emotional Divine attributes (sefirot) that come prior to Malchut, which is female. The shape of the Vav is a straight line, which is associated with male qualities, while female qualities are associated with round, curved shapes, like that of the Heh.

Furthermore, the Vav, which literally means a "hook," grammatically is a letter that connects and transforms. A Vav preceding a word usually means "and." If that word is a verb, the Vav can transform it from past tense to future tense, or vice-versa.

The 22 days of this cycle usually fall mostly within the month of Cheshvan, and start around the time of the yahrzeit of Rachel Immeinu, our matriarch. In Kabbalistic literature, Rachel symbolizes the sefirah of Malchut. As explained previously, Cheshvan is a "poor" month, waiting to be impregnated with the holiness we obtained during Tishrei.

The Heh therefore represents the time in the month of Cheshvan that stands for a "rectified" Malchut, when the initial spiritual void we encountered has already been somewhat filled with spirituality.

The cycle also includes the first days of Kislev, the month of Chanukah, and which is also filled with Chassidic holidays, such as the 19th of Kislev (the Rosh Hashanah of Chasidut) and others. The Vav therefore connects us to the time in which we stood our ground (Yesod) against Greek culture, and transformed darkness into light.

The Desert and the Field have a similar kind of relationship. The Desert also represents the idea of "poverty," be it spiritual or physical, a deep desire for water (Torah). The Desert however, although still symbolic of the bitterness of exile, is already great "step up" from the previous element, Gehennom (purgatory). We are already at a more rectified level of exile.

The Fields are another step closer to elevation. The fields contain even more life and spirituality. Fields are associated with Isaac, who would converse with G-d in the field. As also explained in other places, of the two sons of Isaac, it is Eisav who is called a "man of the field," while Jacob was a wholesome man who would dwell in the tent (of study). In exile, Jacob must learn to be a man of the field as well.

It is also worth noting the progression in the Torah regarding how each of our patriarchs related to the place of the Temple, Mount Moriah. Avraham saw it as a mountain, Isaac as a field, while Jacob knew it as Beit-El, G-d's home (R. Ari Jacobson). A similar progression exists in Perek Shirah, in transforming the world from Gehennom, to a Desert, to a Field.

The desire for water, associated with Desert, also coincides with the time when the Flood began, on the 17th of Cheshvan. Also, the elements of the coming 22-day cycles will be related to water.

The above is reflected in the verses that the two elements sing:

• The Wilderness (Desert) is saying, "The wilderness and the desert shall rejoice, and the arid region shall exult, and blossom like the rose." (Isaiah 35:1)
• The Fields are saying, "God founded the land with wisdom; He established the heavens with understanding." (Proverbs 3:19)

The Desert sings of its desire for water (Torah), and the day it will be completely rectified in the Messianic era. The Fields speak of foundation (Yesod) and wisdom (Chochmah), the quality most associated with Greek culture, and one of its biggest threats in the time of Chanukah. Many aspects of Greek wisdom and reasoning, however, when properly incorporated into Jewish values, have proven immensely beneficial. (See Maimonides, and also how Talmai ("Ptolomy," the Greek leader at the time), has the same gematria as "Talmud.")

Fourth Set of 22 Days: Zayin & Chet, the Waters & the Seas

Fourth Cycle: Rosh Chodesh Kislev to Chanukah

Zayin & Chet

The Waters & The Seas

Pirkei Avot:

7. There are seven things that characterize a boor, and seven that characterize a wise man. A wise man does not speak before one who is greater than him in wisdom or age. He does not interrupt his fellow's words. He does not hasten to answer. His questions are on the subject and his answers to the point. He responds to first things first and to latter things later. Concerning what he did not hear, he says "I did not hear." He concedes to the truth. With the boor, the reverse of all these is the case.

8. Seven types of retribution come to the world, for seven types of sin. When some tithe and others don't, a hunger caused by turmoil ensues: some are hungry, others have their fill of food. When all are unanimous in their failure to tithe, a hunger by drought ensues. For not separating chalah, an annihilating hunger results.

Plagues come to the world for those capital crimes mentioned in the Torah that have not been given over to the court, and for desecrating the produce of the sabbatical year.

The sword comes to the world for the procrastination of justice, the corruption of justice, and because of those who misinterpret the Torah.

This Wednesday, the 4th of Kislev, begins the fourth set of 22 days of the Jewish calendar, which parallel the letters Zayin and Chet, as well as the Waters and the Seas in Perek Shirah.

Just as we saw with Gimmel and Dalet and then with Heh and Vav, the letters Zayin and Chet are also complementary. Zayin represents Creation, the physical struggles connected to it as well as the spirituality within it, such as the Shabat. Zayin means weapon, and Zan means to provide (materially). There is a deep connection between making a living and going to battle. The word for Lechem (bread/sustenance) is also found in the word Milchama (war). 

(See Rabbi Michael Munk's, "Wisdom of the Hebrew Letters")

Chet, on the other hand, represents tremendous power and inner qualities that are above nature. Chet stands for Cheit (sin), but also the ability to overcome sin and live (Chaim). (Munk) Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, in the opening pages of Likutei Moharan, explains that Cheit is Chiut (vitality), which is also the inner wisdom (Chochmah) and thinking (Sechel).

The Water and the Seas have a similar kind of relationship. Water is the source of life in the physical world. We ourselves are made of mostly water. Yet water also represents the Torah, and is deeply connected to all things spiritual. The Waters sing: "The sound of His voice places the multitude of waters in the heavens and He raises the vapors from the end of the earth." (Jeremiah 51:16) Water is connected to both heaven and earth; the material as well as the spiritual.

The Seas represent tremendous awe-inspiring might, deep below the surface, yet reflecting also G-d's tremendous heights. The Seas say: "More than the voices of many waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea, Hashem is mighty on high." (Psalms 93:4)  The Seas also represent inner wisdom, waiting to be revealed, like in the splitting of the Sea of Reeds in our redemption from Egypt. (See Rabbi Slifkin's, "Nature's Song") 

The 22 days of this cycle all fall within Kislev. Kislev represents the month of the physical and spiritual struggle against the Greeks. It is also a month very much connected with supernatural redemption (ie. the 8 days of Chanukah) as well as deep supernatural kabbalistic wisdom (represented by the olive oil and the light of the Menorah) and secrets, such as those revealed beginning on the 19th of Kislev - the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidut and the date of the personal redemption of the Alter Rebbe of Lubavitch.