Name of the month: NISSAN
Other names of the month:
Mazal of the month: TELE (SHEEP)
Tribe of the month (according to the Arizal): YEHUDA
Tribe of the month (according to the Zohar): REUVEN
The nature of Nissan
The month of Nissan is the first month of the Jewish year. In it is the first festival of Pesach celebrating the exodus from Mitzrayim. From when the Korban Omer was brought, on the 16th of Nissan, we start counting Sefiras HaOmer for 49 days until Shavuous. The name Nissan is linked to the hebrew word Nes meaning miracle and this is seen to be the nature of the month. Pesach is the birth of the Jewish Nation which is why out of all the festivals, the most number of Jews (even those far away from Yidishkeit) keep it – like the birth is the most connected to the person and is the last thing to be severed. Lots of mitzvos are connected to remembering leaving Egypt – Zeicher LiTzias Mitzrayim. The mazal, astrological sign, for Nissan is the sheep. The tribe that this month parallels is Reuven, according to the order of birth, or Yehuda, according to the Degolim, camps.
The balance nature of Nissan
The Maharal (Netzach) tells us that we can see the year based on the movement of the sun. Any times of extremes is not good for the Jews while when in time things are balanced and equal they are good for the Jews, namely the months of Nissan and Tishrei when the day and night are more or less equal. Extreme temperatures, either too hot or too cold and when the day is much longer than the night or the reverse is good for the goyim, examples being the months of Teves, Tammuz and Av.
Nissan as the month of Closeness to Hashem
Parshas Shemini starts off talking about the first full day of proper service in the Mishkan was on Rosh Chodesh Nissan. It was then that the Shechina came down and resided in a place in this world showing the closeness between Hashem and the Jewish Nation. The are twelve different ways to write the Shem HaVaya paralleling the twelve months. The letters that spell HaVaya are seen to be reflected in the month of Nissan. These letters in the right order represent Rachamim, mercy, and a special time of closeness between Hashem and the Jews. This manifestation was seen in the miracles revolving around Yetzias Mitzrayim. The whole month of Nissan, no tachanun or hespedim are said reflected that it is not a time of din, judgement, that needs to be counteracted with our supplications.