Many people don’t know that the months of the Hebrew calendar where given in
Bavel, and are actually from a kind of Aramaic-Persian-Hebrew that they spoke
there (did you know that?) This month – IYAR – is named because of the word ,
“light” (אור). The world is starting to get brighter (the days are getting longer) and
warmer, crops are beginning to grow, we can start – be”H! – to put away our
cold-weather & rain clothes.
LIGHT! The first thing Hashem created for the universe He was making! The first
bracha of the week (in havdala). Light is always associated with goodness. This is
the month of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who revealed the mystical light of
Kabbalah to the world.
So why is it also the month where the students of Rabbi Akiva (not coincidentally,
the Rebbe of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai!) passed away?
We are told that those students passed away because “they did not respect each
other properly.” This itself is shocking; how could Rabbi Akiva’s students be guilty
of such a sin? Didn’t they see that each of them was a great talmid chacham in his
own right, besides being the student of a great Rav, their own Rav?!
I heard an answer that this itself was the problem. Each felt that the others were
not good enough. Each looked at the others and saw flaws and ways that they
were lacking in their Torah studies and in service of their Rebbe. They should have
been focused on finding ways to improve themselves, but they were focused on
others.
There are many mitzvos with light, but let’s look at three: Shabbos candles,
Chanuka candles, and bedikas chometz. Shabbos candles are meant to spread
their light and add shalom and beauty to their surroundings. Chanuka candles are
meant to raise our awareness of Hashem’s miracles; we may get no other benefit
from them. But the bedikas chometz light is meant to find those unwanted things
that we must discard. The first two stay in their place and their light spreads out,
but the bedikas chometz light is kept very close to ourselves as we move around.
There is no limit to the size of the Shabbos and the Chanuka candles…but the
bedikas chometz candle may not be too big…
This is the month of light: may Hashem grant us the beracha to use our light
wisely, to find goodness and light in ourselves and others, and to spread that light
around. Chodesh Tov!
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