7 min
Ep. 10 // the Hebrew Month of Tammuz and the Mazal / Zodiac Cancer Iggeret HaLevana ~ the Message of the Moon
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- Judaism
The Tenth Month: Tammuz
I will always think of late June / July as schools-over-summer-camp-time. Like mental imagery of over air conditioned echoey hallways and sweltering golden hour mornings. Maybe that's just summer in the south though.... lol.
I don't know if it's the cloudless skies paired with the dry air and crazy strong sun, but my brain associates the peak summer month of Tammuz with slow paces and / or restlessness. I have learned that the cloudlessness of the sky means that Tammuz is a good month to connect with G-d - fewer barriers between us and G-d. This quiet also lends to our connecting with G-d.
Tammuz is the 10th month from Tishrei, but the 4th month from Nisan. Nisan, Iyar, and Sivan are considered the "spring months," and the summer months begin with Tammuz.
The month of Tammuz is a month of transformation - from one end of the spectrum to the other. By definition, Tammuz was a Mesopotamian god of fertility. This juxtaposition of this non-Jewish deity's name and the fact that it's still on our calendar exemplifies this quality of transformation.
Reuven, the tribe of the month, was the first child of Leah and Jacob. Reuven is shown to concern himself with his mother's fertility as well as the status of Leah and Jacob's relationship in the Torah. The connection of Reuven's focus on family life, matched with the origin of Tammuz's name isn't coincidental.
One of the main events of this month is the fast day of ShveiEsrei b'Tammuz / the 17th of Tammuz, the day that both the Sin of the Golden Calf and the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, the Temple in Jerusalem, occurred. It is said that when the Messiah / Moshiach comes, all of our saddest days, (like the 17th of Tammuz), will be our most major holidays. The big ones like Pesach and Sukkot will become secondary because these days will hold the energy of 180 degree transformations - from destruction to rebuilding.
Back to the summer and the quality of change - I feel like kids always come back to school in the fall as transformed people. Maybe tanned, or taller, or weighed down with friendship bracelets, more confident having learned a new skill / hobby... hopefully all positive transformations and growths. So I am tapping into this energy of change and growth in Tammuz.
______________
Cont’d…
For full text, email me at shirajkaplan@gmail.com or join my email list here.
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iggerethalevana/message
The Tenth Month: Tammuz
I will always think of late June / July as schools-over-summer-camp-time. Like mental imagery of over air conditioned echoey hallways and sweltering golden hour mornings. Maybe that's just summer in the south though.... lol.
I don't know if it's the cloudless skies paired with the dry air and crazy strong sun, but my brain associates the peak summer month of Tammuz with slow paces and / or restlessness. I have learned that the cloudlessness of the sky means that Tammuz is a good month to connect with G-d - fewer barriers between us and G-d. This quiet also lends to our connecting with G-d.
Tammuz is the 10th month from Tishrei, but the 4th month from Nisan. Nisan, Iyar, and Sivan are considered the "spring months," and the summer months begin with Tammuz.
The month of Tammuz is a month of transformation - from one end of the spectrum to the other. By definition, Tammuz was a Mesopotamian god of fertility. This juxtaposition of this non-Jewish deity's name and the fact that it's still on our calendar exemplifies this quality of transformation.
Reuven, the tribe of the month, was the first child of Leah and Jacob. Reuven is shown to concern himself with his mother's fertility as well as the status of Leah and Jacob's relationship in the Torah. The connection of Reuven's focus on family life, matched with the origin of Tammuz's name isn't coincidental.
One of the main events of this month is the fast day of ShveiEsrei b'Tammuz / the 17th of Tammuz, the day that both the Sin of the Golden Calf and the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, the Temple in Jerusalem, occurred. It is said that when the Messiah / Moshiach comes, all of our saddest days, (like the 17th of Tammuz), will be our most major holidays. The big ones like Pesach and Sukkot will become secondary because these days will hold the energy of 180 degree transformations - from destruction to rebuilding.
Back to the summer and the quality of change - I feel like kids always come back to school in the fall as transformed people. Maybe tanned, or taller, or weighed down with friendship bracelets, more confident having learned a new skill / hobby... hopefully all positive transformations and growths. So I am tapping into this energy of change and growth in Tammuz.
______________
Cont’d…
For full text, email me at shirajkaplan@gmail.com or join my email list here.
---
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iggerethalevana/message
7 min