The Secret of the Hidden Light: Rectifying the Separation of the Months of Tammuz and Av

Class No. 27 | Wednesday, 14 Tammuz (Continued from No. 26), Thursday, Friday, 15-16 Tammuz, Parashas Pinchas 5755

An in-depth class on the historical and spiritual root of the separation during the months of Tammuz and Av, beginning with the lack of faith in Egypt. How the unification of the groom and bride, and remaining silent in the face of insults, draws down the hidden light of Moshe Rabbeinu and rectifies the blemish of the moon.

The Months of Separation: The Consequences of Divorce in Egypt

It is known that Amram divorced his wife Yocheved immediately after the 7th of Sivan. He did not know that she had already conceived Moshe Rabbeinu, who was destined to be born on the 7th of Adar. For three months she was divorced, until Amram took her back on the 7th of Elul. Therefore, the Egyptians only counted the months of her pregnancy from Elul.

In the book "Asarah Maamaros", it is brought down that when Amram divorced his wife, all of Israel stood up and divorced their wives as well. The Gemara in Tractate Sotah says that following Amram, who was the greatest of the generation, everyone acted according to his deeds. It turns out that the main divorce and separation within the Jewish people occurred exactly during the months of Tammuz and Av.

Hashem said: "You are divorcing your wives? You have separated your homes and you have no faith in Me that I will perform miracles and wonders with the babies and the fetuses? Therefore, the months of Tammuz and Av will be months of separation for you—a separation between the Holy One, Blessed be He, and His Shechinah (Divine Presence), a separation between the groom and the bride."

The Secret of the Sun and the Moon: The Unification of the Groom and Bride

In contrast to this separation, our daily spiritual work is to unify the groom and the bride. When we say in the reading of the Shema:

"Hear, O Israel: Hashem is our God, Hashem is One."

We are working to reunite them. The letter Dalet of the word "Echad" (One) symbolizes the bride, the Sefirah of Malchus (Kingship), about which it is said "she has nothing of her own," and she receives all her abundance from her husband. The letters Aleph and Chet (which equal nine in Gematria) allude to the nine Sefiros of the groom. Only when the groom unites with the bride are they completed together into ten Sefiros. The groom cannot receive any illumination before he completes his Sefirah of Malchus.

In the Zohar Chadash (page 58), it is brought down that this is the secret of the sun and the moon. Initially, the luminaries were created equal, as it is written, "Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens," and the Hebrew word for "luminaries" (me'oros) is written missing a letter, hinting that they needed to be together, in a single inclusion, in order to unite and illuminate the upper and lower worlds. The moon needs to receive from the sun, and the sun from the moon.

But then the moon's complaint occurred. The moon argued that the sun should receive from her, and for this purpose, she should be placed at the head. Even though Hashem created them equal, the ultimate purpose of creation is for the moon to be under the sun, the sun will illuminate her, and then the moon will reflect light back to the sun.

343 Lights: The Power of Silence in the Face of Insult

Through this process, we will merit the promise for the future to come:

"And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days."

Part 3 of 4 — Class No. 27

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