The profound significance of the 25th of Adar should motivate every person to improve his or her thoughts and inner selves. Moreover, we should immediately implement these positive resolutions on a practical level; our thoughts should produce action.
When Man—the Ultimate Purpose of Creation—Was Created
According to Rabbi Yehoshua, the Sixth Day of Creation, the day that Adam was created, was the 1st of Nissan. Clearly, then, Rabbi Yehoshua is of the opinion that the First Day of Creation must have been the 25th of Adar.
Six in One
As Rashi writes in Bereishis 1:1, “Everything which would ultimately comprise heaven and earth was created on the First Day [in an all-inclusive manner]; later, each individual creation was subsequently established [as a distinct and actual existence] on the day that G-d decreed it to be revealed, e.g., the skies and seas on the Second Day, land and vegetation on the Third Day, etc.”
So the 25th of Adar is actually the Birthday of all Creation—heaven and earth, as well as all the spiritual counterparts to the heavens and the earth. In other words, the entire Seder Hishtalshelus—spiritual and physical cosmos—was first created on the 25th of Adar.
Nissan and Tishrei—Thought and Action
If this is the case, then why do we celebrate Rosh Hashanah in Tishrei instead of in Nissan? There is a well-known explanation, based on Tosafos, Rosh Hashanah 27a, and expounded on in Shaar HaKavanos and Pri Etz Chaim, that reconciles the two opinions—of Rabbi Yehoshua (that the world was created in Nissan) and Rabbi Eliezer (that the world was created in Tishrei). According to this explanation, in Nissan, it first arose in Divine Thought to create the universe, yet G-d did not actually create it until Tishrei.
Superiority of Thought
Accordingly, there is a higher quality to the stage of Creation that occurred in Nissan—or more precisely, on the 25th of Adar—over the final stage which took place in Tishrei, i.e., on the 25th of Elul. This higher quality is the superiority of thought over action.
Month of the Mishkan
A further quality in the aspect of Creation that occurred in Nissan—and began on the 25th of Adar—was the fact that many years later, the Mishkan was first erected in Nissan. What does this have to do with the Creation of the Universe? Our Sages state in Bamidbar Rabbah 12:9, “From the beginning of Creation until the Mishkan was erected [by Moshe in the desert], the universe was unstable. Upon its erection, the universe was [finally] solidified [as an enduring existence].”
It’s Not the Thought That Counts
This is the instruction for every Jew… Just as the Divine realm of Thought is…
As explained in Tosafos 27a and elaborated upon in many Chassidic discourses, although we actually celebrate Rosh Hashanah in Tishrei, both opinions are nonetheless correct. Indeed, the Sages were not disagreeing; they were merely referring to two different stages—thought and action—in Creation. In the realm of Divine Thought, so to speak, Creation occurred in Nissan; in the realm of Divine Action, it took place in Tishrei. So while the external aspect of the universe—i.e., how it exists in actuality—was created in Tishrei, its “inner” aspect, i.e., its ultimate purpose as it arose in G-d’s Thought, was created in Nissan. This explains why so much emphasis is placed on the 25th of Elul and the 1st of Tishrei—Rosh Hashanah; yet there are no special customs pertaining to the 25th of Adar and the 1st of Nissan. For, being “the beginning of Your works [of Creation]” in the realm of Divine Thought, the day’s influence remains a concealed, inner matter that is not reflected in action or in established customs. Nevertheless, the Rebbe explains, the 25th of Adar is “a foundational day that pertains to the entire year.”
