The Month of Adar: Joy, Purim, and the Power to Transform Doubt into Faith

According to the Torah’s calendar, which begins with the month of Nisan, Adar is the final month of the year.

In the month of Shevat, we are given the strength to work on growth, to strive toward new spiritual heights we have not yet known. Adar is the continuation of Shevat: it is the month in which we draw the “heavenly” revelations of Shevat, associated with the zodiac sign Aquarius and the element of air, down into concrete, physical reality.

This month grants us the power to implement what we have understood: to bring insights from thought into the heart and into action. 

Turning Insight into Reality Through Joy

We all know, unfortunately, how often the magic of insight fades when we try to apply it to real life. Ideas that seem brilliant before going to sleep often feel far less inspiring the next morning. So where do we find the strength to translate understanding into daily life?

Our Sages teach that this power comes from joy: “The Divine Presence rests only through joy.”

Darkness is not chased away with sticks or stones, but with light. Therefore, to increase joy in Adar, we increase acts of kindness, charity, mitzvot, and Torah study. By illuminating the world, sadness and darkness dissolve on their own.

Why, specifically in Adar, are joy and giving so deeply intertwined? A person’s deepest joy comes from giving, as the Lubavitcher Rebbe once wrote: “A person’s true satisfaction in life is the feeling that they are doing good for others.”

The Symbols of Adar: Fish, Laughter, and Spiritual Escape

The zodiac sign of Adar is Pisces (fish). In Kabbalah, fish symbolize blessing, as they live constantly within water, which protects and sustains them, placing them beyond the reach of the evil eye.

The tribe of the month is Naphtali, symbolizing escape from distress (“With divine wrestlings I have struggled — and prevailed”). The letter of the month is Kuf, associated with imitation, and according to Sefer Yetzirah, the spiritual faculty of Adar is laughter.

But what kind of laughter? Not shallow humor, but laughter that emerges from a higher place — from compassion, faith, and a clearer, more comforting view of reality.

This is reminiscent of Rabbi Akiva, who laughed when he saw a fox emerging from the Holy of Holies after the destruction of the Temple. When his companions asked why he laughed, he explained: just as the prophecy of destruction had come true, so too would the prophecy of redemption. They replied, “Akiva, you have comforted us.”

Purim and the Battle Against Doubt (Amalek)

Purim is a time of profound transformation. From total downfall, the Jewish people rose to joy and salvation — “v’nahafoch hu”, everything was turned upside down.

Adar, and especially Purim, is the time of battling Amalek. The letters of Amalek equal the numerical value of doubt (safek). Purim’s power lies in rising above logic and overturning reality itself, thus erasing doubt at its root.

If doubt questions everything, our task is to question doubt itself. This is the spiritual weapon of Purim. Through faith precisely when the mind is confused, we achieve joy, because, as the Sages say, “There is no joy like the resolution of doubt.”

Purim offers us a glimpse into the “upside-down world” that is, in truth, the clearest and most authentic reality.

“Until One Does Not Know”: Beyond Reason

On Purim, we are uniquely commanded to rejoice “until one does not know.” This singular mitzvah gives us access to a place beyond calculation and logic, where faith is pure and wholehearted.

There, a person can serve God with true self-sacrifice and joy. Our Sages teach that the eradication of Amalek leads to pure reverence for Heaven.

The four mitzvot of Purim all begin with the letter Mem:

• Reading the Megillah

• Feasting and joy (Mishteh)

• Sending portions of food (Mishloach Manot)

• Gifts to the poor (Matanot Leevyonim)

The Seventh of Adar: Birth and Passing of Moshe

Adar is an especially fortunate month for the Jewish people. One reason is that Moshe our teacher, whose birth and passing both occurred on the 7th of Adar.

On a person’s birthday, their spiritual influence is strongest. Since Moshe is a collective soul that encompasses all Israel, his birthday elevates the fortune of the entire nation.

Haman mistakenly believed Adar was a month of weakness, not realizing that the day of Moshe’s passing was also the day of his birth. When Moshe was born, his mother saw “that he was good,” and the house filled with light— his soul shone immediately, unhidden by physical limitation.

The Fast of Esther and the Half-Shekel

On the 13th of Adar, we observe the Fast of Esther (moved earlier if Purim falls on Sunday). Its purpose is to remind us that God sees and hears each person in distress, just as in the days of Haman.

During the afternoon prayer of this fast, it is customary to give the Half-Shekel to charity, recalling the contribution once given for communal offerings in the Temple. This act symbolizes unity and humility: all human effort is only “half” — completion comes from God alone.

The exact monetary value of the Half-Shekel varies yearly and should be determined according to halachic guidance.

May we merit to fully absorb the joy of Adar, transform insight into action, and experience true redemption, speedily in our days.