Welcome to Daily Bitachon
Welcome to Daily Bitachon. Having completed Sha'ar
Habechina, we are now going to switch to a more timely topic. We find
ourselves in the month of Tammuz, which brings the fast of the 17th of
Tammuz, followed by the month of Av and its respective fast. I would
like to spend some time understanding the deeper dimensions of these months.
Personally, seeing how perfectly planned and intricate the events of Jewish
history are always provides a powerful chizuk in emunah, which
naturally leads to deeper bitachon.
To fully appreciate this, we need some background. We are not
in a rush, so we will take our time to truly understand it. This framework is
based largely on the teachings of the Ben Ish Chai (in Parashat
Devarim), where he discusses these concepts at length.
The Three Dimensions of Conflict: Place, Person, and Time
First, the Ben Ish Chai notes that the twelve months of the
year are fundamentally broken down into four sets of three, aligned with the
solar cycle—what we know as the four seasons.
Secondly, we know that from the womb, there was a perpetual
struggle between Yaakov and Esav. They fought over everything in
existence, categorized by the classic framework of Place, Person, and Time.
These are the three core dimensions of our existence: a person lives in
a place and moves through time.
- Place: They struggled over the land of
Eretz Yisrael.
- Person: They struggled over who would
hold the status of the Bechorah (the birthright).
- Time: They struggled over who would
control the different seasons of the year.
The Summer Cycle: Grabbing the Heel
Looking at the summer cycle, Yaakov claimed the spring months
of Nissan, Iyar, and Sivan—the three months of Chodesh Ha'aviv.
This is a beautiful, spiritually rich period: Nissan contains Pesach, Iyar
holds the bulk of Sefirat Ha'omer, and Sivan brings Matan Torah. Yaakov Avinu
fought for these three wonderful months and claimed them as his own.
Then, the intense heat of the summer begins—a period of
strict, intense judgment. This is where Esav takes over. This aligns with the
fact that Esav calculates by the sun, and the sun is at its strongest during
this time. Esav was originally slated to receive Tammuz, Av, and Elul.
However, the Torah emphasizes that Yaakov grabbed Esav's heel
at birth, earning him the name Yaakov (from Ekev, meaning heel).
This teaches us that each of these three-month cycles has a "heel,"
or a tail end. Yaakov pulled the heel of this summer cycle—the month of Elul—back
into his own domain. This converted what would have been an equal
three-and-three split into an unequal four-month to two-month split in
favor of Yaakov.
The Winter Cycle: Venahapoch Hu
We see the exact same pattern repeat during the winter
months. Tishrei, Cheshvan, and Kislev belong to Yaakov. Tishrei is the
month of the High Holidays. Cheshvan, though it contains no holidays, serves as
the time to review and process the spiritual gains of the Chagim.
Finally, Kislev brings the light of Chanukah.
The next three months—Tevet, Shevat, and Adar—should
have belonged to Esav.
- Tevet contains the fast of Asara
B'Tevet.
- Shevat shares a root with the word Shevet,
which means a whipping stick or a staff of judgment, signifying that
Shevat also carries an element of strict justice.
- Adar was also supposed to belong to
Esav, but once again, Yaakov grabbed the heel of the cycle and pulled Adar
back. This is the deeper secret behind the phrase Venahapoch hu—it
was completely turned around.
Ultimately, this leaves Esav with only four distinct
months of intense judgment throughout the year: Tammuz, Av, Tevet, and
Shevat.
The Spiritual Mechanics of Heat and Cold
It is fascinating to see how something as everyday as the
twelve months and the changing seasons trace back to the foundational conflict
between Yaakov and Esav. Furthermore, the winter and summer concepts relate
directly to the ideas of severe cold and severe heat. What do hot and cold have
to do with our spiritual lives?
It might sound intense, but our tradition teaches that while Gehenom
is made of fire—which is what most people know—there is also a Gehenom
of snow. There is a realm of extreme heat (like the Sahara Desert) and a realm
of extreme cold (like the North Pole). Both are incredibly difficult
environments for life.
These two extremes correspond to the two primary ways we
stumble:
- Intense
Heat: This
represents the burning pursuit of desires and lust.
- Intense
Cold: This
represents a state of freezing, spiritual paralysis, and laziness.
In the winter months, our primary challenge is to overcome
the "cold" of laziness and not simply stay in bed. In the summer
months, our challenge is to control the "heat" and not follow our
desires. The Gehenom of fire is the consequence of chasing unbridled
passion, while the Gehenom of snow is for frozen apathy.
Esav is constantly trying to entrap us in these two areas. As
Rashi notes, when Esav walked in to receive a blessing from his father
Yitzchak, Yitzchak saw Gehenom open up behind him. Esav is the one who
ultimately aligns with Gehenom, while Yaakov and his children inherit Gan
Eden and Olam HaBa.
Historical Precision as a Source of Chizuk
These spiritual dynamics repeat themselves every single year.
As we overcome the specific trials of the summer and winter, we emerge clean.
The calendar is not random or haphazard. Tammuz and Av are months of
strict judgment because they are Esav's remaining summer months of intense,
severe heat. It is no coincidence that this was the exact time of year the Beit
HaMikdash was destroyed by fire.
The historical convergence is remarkable. The First Beit
HaMikdash, the Second Beit HaMikdash, the Spanish Inquisition, and
the outbreaks of both World War I and World War II all heavily converged around
this specific window of the year.
Rav Eliyahu Lopian once beautifully remarked that if the enemy only realized
that the Jewish people actually derive a chizuk in emunah from
the fact that these tragic events repeatedly happen at the exact same calendar
window, they would have intentionally chosen a different time to attack us!
Recognizing that everything is so precisely designed and
orchestrated by Hakadosh Baruch Hu is profoundly comforting. It serves to
strengthen our emunah and bitachon, giving us the tools to
navigate and elevate these challenging times of the year.
