Name of the month: IYAR
Other names of the month: ZIV
Mazal of the month: SHOR (OX)
Tribe of the month (according to the Arizal): YISOCHOR
Tribe of the month (according to the Zohar): SHIMON
The nature of the month of Iyar
The month of Iyar contains Pesach Sheini for people who accidentally missed Pesach in Nissan they can now rectify it. It is unique in that a separate festival was instituted only for Pesach and not the other two festivals of Shavuous and Sukkos. This month also contains Lag BiOmer that breaks the Aveilos and sadness over the death of the talmidim of R’ Akiva that took place during the Sefiras Haomer period. The mazal, astrological sign, for Iyar is Shoir, the ox. The tribe that this month parallels is Shimon, according to the order of birth, or Yisochor, according to the Degolim, camps.
BeHaB – three days of fasting
There are three fasts during the month of Iyar (Shulchan Oruch, OC 492). This is a follow on from the month of Nissan that had the festival of Pesach and rejoicing and this could have been a cause for sin. As an atonement these three fasts known as BeHaB standing for the Beis-Hei-Beis, referring to the second-fifth-second days of the week – namely Monday-Thursday-Monday are designated for fasting on.
Two parallel months – Iyar and Cheshvan
The six winter months, from Tishrei to Adar, parallel the six summer months, from Nissan to Elul. We find many similarities when comparing these parallel months. For our discussion, let us turn to the second month of the summer and winter – Iyar and Cheshvan. Cheshvan is known sometimes as MarCheshvan where the word Mar means bitter since it is the only month that does not have any special event in it. The same to a more limited extent is true with the month of Iyar. Although it has Pesach Sheini, this yom tuv is only if people were unable to bring the first time around the korban Pesach. As such, it is really a substitute that sometimes would not be needed and so does not count. Lag Biomer is celebrating the stopping of the deaths of the talmidim of R’ Akiva and as such is not a festival for something positive, only the cessation of something negative.
The first three months
The month of Iyar is positioned between the months of Nissan and Sivan. Three is always a set seen in the parents and child relationship. First is the man who gives. Second is the woman who receives. Third is the new product, a combination of the first two. The same is seen in the first three months of the Jewish Year. First comes the month of Nissan with Pesach where there is the element of “giving” where Hashem saves the Jews without their own merits. Then comes the month of Iyar with Pesach Sheini where the Jews themselves claim how they want to “receive” the ability for a second Pesach. The result of both of these is the month of Sivan when the Torah is given, a combination of giving and receiving – the partnership of Hashem (The Giver) and man (the receiver). This is also seen in the events of Pesach Sheini and Lag Biomer in the month of Iyar. They both involve creation of Torah through man – Pesach Sheini by the people asking for a second chance and Lag Biomer through the revelation of Torah by R’ Shimon Bar Yochai.
Did you know…
There is a minhag to say the Tefillas HaShelah on the last day of the month of Iyar, Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan. This tefilla deals with davening for one’s family and descendants to all go in the pathway of the Torah all their lives.