What secret did the holy Ari (Rabbi Isaac Luria) reveal about a person's birthday, and how did Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher) utilize this secret for the Jewish people – The Daily Chizuk (strengthening) from our teacher, the holy Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days).

Sunday, 24th of Kislev 5786 – Why the generation of the Flood was certain that Noach (Noah) was lying about the Flood.

These are his holy words:

Before the transition to winter time, sunset was generally at seven o'clock; it was possible to accomplish something. After they moved the sunset to five o'clock, it became a real scandal. Whoever moved the sun needs to do teshuvah (repentance) for this.

You cannot just move the sun like that. Methuselah moved the sun from west to east—everything was turned upside down. Hashem wanted to show them that the tzaddik (righteous person) rules over everything, because David is in the middle (Megillah 52b), therefore the sun moved from west to east.

Gehazi, who was a sinner and caused others to sin, suspended the two golden calves in the air (Sanhedrin 90a). He uttered the Explicit Name (of Hashem) and they were suspended in the air; they cried out, "I am Hashem your G-d."

Initially, Noach said the Flood would begin on the 10th of Cheshvan. They told him, "On the 10th of Cheshvan, calamity will come upon you; on the 10th of Cheshvan, the world will be in mourning," because Methuselah died, so the Flood was delayed by seven days. Then they saw that Noach was not "correct," thinking he had lied to them. They said, "You lied to us, there is no Flood! You set the date for the 10th of Cheshvan"—for 120 years he had been setting the date. So what happened? The sun went backward; it would rise in the west and go toward the east.

The tzaddik can move the sun in reverse; he has no problem doing this. Just as Moshe Rabbeinu did, making the day of the Giving of the Torah last 72 hours. During the Ten Commandments, every day they flew 12 mil (a Talmudic measurement of distance) back and forth.

And afterward, during the war with Amalek and in the story of Sichon and Og, Moshe moved the sun again, as it says, "And his hands were emunah (faith/steadfast)" (Exodus 17:12).

It is written in the Jerusalem Talmud, Rosh Hashanah (Chapter 3, Mishnah 8), that on one's birthday, one can accomplish anything. According to the Ari, Moshe specifically chose men for the war who were on their birthdays. The Ari knew the secret of the birthday—that it is the highest day of the year, when whatever a person asks for, he receives.