Av in Kabbalah and Astrology: The Jewish Month of Hidden Good

Sefer Yetzirah (Chapter 5) teaches that the letter Tet (ט) reigns over the month of Av. Through it were formed the lion in the world, the month of Av in the year, and the right kidney in the human soul.

The first appearance of the letter Tet in the Torah is in the word tov ("good"), in the verse: "God saw that the light was good." Yet this goodness requires discernment. It is an inner goodness, a concealed goodness, one that is not immediately visible in the events of life. Even the shape of the letter Tet turns inward, enclosing its contents within itself.

Although the month of Av is associated with the destruction of the Temple, Kabbalistic and Chassidic literature views it through the lens of this letter. This is also reflected in the Jewish custom of referring to the month as Menachem Av—"Comforting Av." Though it is a month marked by destruction, its very name contains the promise of consolation.

The Lion: A Symbol of Strength and Kingship

The zodiac sign of Leo, which Sefer Yetzirah associates with the month of Av, also corresponds to the season. Av falls during the height of summer, when the sun is at its strongest and the heat is most intense.

The lion symbolizes strength, royalty, power, and authority. Throughout the Tanach, the lion serves as a symbol of courage and kingship: Judah is compared to a lion's cub in Jacob's blessing, and among the faces of Ezekiel's Divine Chariot is the face of a lion.

The Sense of Hearing and the Tribe of Simeon

The Bnei Yissaschar (Ma'amarei Chodesh Tammuz–Av, Ma'amar 1) adds another dimension to the character of the month. According to his teaching, Av is connected with the sense of hearing and the tribe of Simeon (Shimon). The very name Shimon is derived from the Hebrew word for hearing (shemi'ah), linking both the tribe and the faculty of hearing to the month of Av.

He explains that the sin of the spies unfolded over two consecutive months. During Tammuz, the faculty of sight was corrupted because the spies viewed the Land of Israel through distorted eyes and brought back a negative report. During Av, however, the faculty of hearing was corrupted because the Jewish people listened to that report and accepted it.

Listening That Changed History

This connection between Av and hearing helps explain why the Mishnah in Ta'anit begins its list of the tragedies of Tisha B'Av with the decree against the generation of the wilderness.

That night, when the spies returned and their report spread throughout the camp, became, according to the Sages, the root of all future national mourning. Accepting lashon hara led to the sound of weeping throughout the camp, which became "a weeping for generations."

It is also fitting that during the mourning period at the beginning of Av, we refrain from listening to music, emphasizing the importance of guarding what enters our ears.

The Right Kidney: The Inner Counselor

The Sages teach that the kidneys are the body's counselors. The right kidney represents the inner faculty of counsel — the part of a person that "listens" to a situation and determines how to respond.

When the Israelites heard the spies' evil report, they failed in this inner process of discernment and allowed themselves to follow the voice of negativity instead of the voice of faith.

From Destruction to Redemption

Because Av also contains within it the seeds of comfort and leadership, it is destined to become a festival. The very month in which the leadership and sovereignty of the Jewish people were shattered will one day become the month in which redemption and the restoration of the Davidic kingdom are celebrated, speedily in our days.

Av is the fifth month, and five calamities befell our ancestors during it. Yet immediately after the Mishnah in Ta'anit lists these five tragedies, it turns to consolation, describing Tu B'Av as one of the happiest days in the Jewish calendar. The Gemara gives five reasons for the joy of that day, when the daughters of Jerusalem would go out to the vineyards, where many found their future spouses.

Hearing the Hidden Good

The month of Av is therefore a month of hidden goodness that the Jewish people once failed to hear. When we learn to listen to that concealed goodness, kingship and consolation will return.

The hidden good (tov) represented by the letter Tet will be revealed, transforming the entire month from one of mourning into one of rejoicing. Then the familiar saying will be reversed, and we will truly proclaim: "When Av enters, we increase our joy."