With Rosh Chodesh Adar we are starting a very important period in the year. נכבשב סיברסנרנא סנכנשמ - “Once Adar enters, we increase in joy” (Ta’anis 29a).
Why?
Let’s recall that Nissan is called the 1st month in the 12 months cycle. Based on that, the Sefas Emes (Shekalim, 5631) points out that just like Elul, which comes before the beginning of a new year, is a month of teshuva, so too, Adar, which comes before the beginning of a new cycle of the 12 months, is a month of teshuva.
But the Sefas Emes teaches that Adar has a very unique aspect to it: Adar is a time of teshuva me’ahava! What is teshuva me’ahava? It’s our returning to fulfilling our true mission in the world out of love for Hashem. Such awakening of desire to do Hashem’s will is true simcha.
It is for this reason, explains the Sefas Emes that נכבשב סיברסנרנא סנכנשמ “Once Adar enters, we increase in joy.”
Ask Around Your Shabbos Table
...וּנָשָרסבַּשָבֶמסטְרֵפָמסלֹיסתֹישֵלוּסלַּכֶלֶנסתַּשְלִשוּ סיֹתוֹ.ס[שמות כב:ל] ...and flesh torn in the field you shall not eat; you shall throw it to the dog. [Shemos 22:30]
Ask around your Shabbos table: Typically a sheep gets attacked by a wild animal as a result of the dog that protects the herd not doing its job “well”. If so, why does the Torah tell the shepherd to reward the dog for “a bad job”?
Menucha’s Answer: Although the dog did “a bad job” now, he did “a good job” on many other occasions. The Torah is teaching us a fundamental lesson: Focus on successes! And a time to recall those successes is specifically after a failure.
Rhymes for Kids
כָל־יַּלְנָבָמסוְאָתוֹםסלֹיסתְעַּנּוּ - You should not afflict to a widow or orphan. (Shemos 22:21)
To be a mentch is the Torah way Hurtful words you shouldn’t ___.
“Affliction” in the above verse refers to both physical and emotional pain (see Sefer HaChinuch, mitzva 65). Commenting on this verse, Rashi says: “The same applies to all people (i.e., one is not allowed to hurt physically or emotionally any Jew). Here, the Torah speaks of the common situation, since widows and orphans are weak and they are frequently hurt.”
Riddle
The last verse of this week’s parsha tells us that Moshe Rabbeinu remained on Har Sinai for forty days... Yossi likes to count. Today when he was sitting next to his father in shul, he opened his siddur to a random page and started counting the words. “One, two, three,..., thirty nine, and forty!” counted Yossi. “Abba, look! There are 40 words, here!” Yossi’s father looked inside and said: “Correct! And the reason for why there are 40 words here, is because Moshe Rabbeinu remained on Har Sinai for 40 days!” What was Yossi counting?
