Sefer Yetzira teaches us that each month of the year parallels several things: a letter of the aleph bet, a tribe, and a constellation. The month of Iyar corresponds to the letter vav, to the tribe of Shimon, and to the constellation of the ox. The month of Nissan corresponds to the tribe of Reuven. Leah said about Reuven, "Ra'ah Hashem et onyi. Hashem saw my suffering." When she had Shimon she said, "Ki shama Hashem ki senuah anochi. Hashem heard that I am hated." Nissan is about seeing and Iyar is about listening. What is the connection between the two?
In Tanach, the month of Iyar is called chodesh ziv, a glowing month. In Nissan, Hashem revealed His divine light. Iyar reflects that light. At the Red Sea, a simple maid saw more than all the glorious visions of the prophet Yechezkel. The Jewish people gained a profound level of clarity that gave them the strength for the journey to become the nation of Hashem. But although the month of Nissan was the month of seeing, it was a momentary revelation. When it ended the Bnei Yisrael were still at the level they were at before, but with the added vision of how spiritually wanting they were.
This was expressed in the barley offering that was brought on the sixteenth day of Nissan. Barley is animal food. The Jews felt the dominance of their animalistic side vis a vis the great holiness they had experienced. The verse in Tehilim says, "Shimi bat ure'i, v'hati ozneich. Hear daughter and see and understand the depths of what is beyond." There are many levels of grasping things. When we see Hashem from up close, our vision changes. We understand that spirituality is paramount and everything else is immaterial.
Clarity can inspire motivation. We must then work to make it a part of us. If there is a particle of dirt or dust between two surfaces they will not cling to each other. Desire and inspiration can be blocked by negative character traits. Nissan is about seeing and experiencing. Iyar is about listening and working through it. The seven weeks between Pesach and Shavuot are meant to purify us.
Sivan, the third month, corresponds to Levi, an expression of attachment. Iyar connects Nissan to Sivan which is why it corresponds to the letter vav. If we take the inspiration of Nissan to work through our character traits in Iyar, Hashem will attach Himself to us in Sivan.
The constellation of Nissan is a sheep, Iyar has the ox, and Sivan twins. The Jewish nation are called, "Yonati, tamati," my dove, my wholesome one. The Midrash says do not read it tamati but te'omati, my twin. Twins share a partnership, an attachment, and each one gives to the other. Our goal should be to actualize this bond with Hashem.
The sheep and the ox are the medium to get there. The Shem Mishmuel explains that a sheep symbolizes coddling, love, and care. If it is put to work, its production of milk and wool diminishes. That was Nissan. We were not as yet worthy to take on the mission of bringing the world to its purpose. Therefore, Hashem treated us gently. He revealed His divine light and love before we were worthy to receive it. In the beginning it was necessary to kindle the spark of inspiration, but it would not have brought the Jews to their final purpose. The ox symbolizes hard labor and accepting a yoke. The arduous, inner, work of Iyar makes us worthy to cleave to Hashem in Sivan.
In the introductory blessing, yehi ratzon, before counting the omer we ask Hashem to purify us, to take away the shell that covers our heart, so that we can connect to Him once again. We begin saying Pirkei Avot in Iyar because these chapters teach us how to elevate ourselves, how to correct our character traits, and how to remove the barriers that prevent us from tapping into the energy of the month.
To the extent we can detach ourselves from materialism and instead trust in Hashem, to that end we can become one with Torah and Hashem. In the desert, the mohn began falling in the month of Iyar. Chazal say that the Torah was given to those who ate mohn. Mohn was a spiritual food. The Jews had to constantly trust that Hashem would send them what they needed as they could only collect enough for one day. Iyar tells us that by attaching ourselves to Hashem our material well-being improves as well.
The nature of a sheep is to be part of a flock. In Nissan, Hashem viewed us on a national level. That is why even the simplest maid could experience the full revelation of the Shechina, relying on the merit of the klal. The ultimate goal is for every Jew to reach the maximum level he can attain by his own efforts. This is the month of Iyar whose constellation is an ox, an independent solitary animal. In Iyar, we focus on correcting our personal middot. We work on rectifying ourselves on an individual level.
Sivan blends both aspects. On the one hand the Jews had unity at Har Sinai, as the verse says, "Vayichan sham Yisrael." But there was also a focus on the individual. At the giving of the Torah, Hashem designated places where each person should stand. Moshe went up to the top of the mountain. Aharon stood lower, Nadav and Avihu still lower, and the rest of the Jewish people still lower at the foot of the mountain. After attaining national and individual perfection, the Jews were deemed worthy to receive the Torah. Every year on Shavuot, if we utilize the potential of Nissan and Iyar to its fullest, we too can reach the ideal state necessary to accept the Torah.
