The Hidden Power of the Month of Av: From Mourning to Redemption

A blessed new month to all. Welcome, the month of Av.

Our Sages teach, "When Av enters, we reduce our joy." However, reducing joy does not mean becoming sad. A Jew should always carry joy in the heart. Rather, during this month we lessen outward expressions of celebration so that we do not forget the destruction of the Holy Temple and the longing for redemption.

The Month We Once Rejected Will Become the Cornerstone

The Ben Ish Chai offers a beautiful insight on the verse, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." He notes that the Hebrew word even (stone) can be understood as a hint to Av nichnas ("Av enters"). The message is profound. This month, which many associate with mourning and loss, will one day become the cornerstone of redemption. The very month that seems difficult and painful today will ultimately become the greatest of all months. It will be the month of redemption.

God willing, instead of hearing reminders of destruction, we will hear the sound of the shofar announcing redemption. May it happen speedily, even this year.

Av and Aviv

What is the difference between a tree and a flowerpot? Between hot and warm? Between cold and cool? A tree is large and majestic, while a flowerpot contains only a small version of a tree. Something hot is intensely warm, while something merely warm contains only a measure of heat.

The same idea can be found in the words Av and Aviv. Aviv, the month of spring, is the month of the Exodus from Egypt. It is the month in which God redeemed us, struck down our enemies, split the sea, and performed extraordinary miracles on our behalf. Yet, according to this perspective, Aviv is only a glimpse of what Av will ultimately become.

If Aviv represents redemption on a smaller scale, then Av represents redemption in its fullest and most powerful form. The miracles that will accompany the final redemption, God willing, will be so great that the wonders of the Exodus will seem like a small flowerpot beside a magnificent fruit-bearing tree.

The Sign of the Lion

The zodiac sign associated with the month of Av is the lion. The Torah says, "Behold, a people rises like a lioness and lifts itself up like a lion." This month contains the power to rise after a fall. It is the ability to transform pain into prayer, destruction into rebuilding, and darkness into growth.

Interestingly, the Hebrew word aryeh (lion) has the numerical value of 216. The word gevurah (strength) also has the numerical value of 216. The message is clear: you are stronger than you think. You can rise. You can rebuild. You can move forward.

Finding Strength in Everyday Life

The call to rise is not only about grand spiritual achievements. Sometimes it begins with the simple tasks of daily life. Get up. Prepare for Shabbat. Cook with love. Set the table. Create warmth and holiness in your home.

As our tradition teaches, "Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen one another." Even ordinary actions performed with faith and devotion become part of the rebuilding process. Prepare the peppers, fry the schnitzels, make the matbucha, roast the eggplants, and bake a delicious cake. Let us prepare for Shabbat with joy and love, because the spirit with which we enter this Shabbat can shape the entire month ahead.

The Potential Hidden in Rosh Chodesh

Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of the month, contains the potential for everything that follows. It is the seed from which the entire month grows. The way we enter the month often shapes how we experience it.

This Shabbat and this Rosh Chodesh carry tremendous potential. They contain within them the spiritual energy of the entire month of Av.

May this month be filled with strength, faith, hope, and blessing. May we merit to witness the transformation of mourning into joy, exile into redemption, and darkness into light.

A good and blessed month to all.