Sivan is a very unique and special month. In fact, Sivan is the month that transformed the Israelites into a Jewish nation. Counting from Nissan, Sivan is the third month. Sivan corresponds to the months of May and June.
In Sivan, we received the Torah, it was the pinnacle moment when the Jewish people and Hashem became one. Two opposites, something that is infinite and something that is finite, unified with the giving of the Torah - changing forever the Jewish nation.
In this blog, you will learn about the energy of the month, the astrological sign of the month, the Hebrew letter, Tribe, and sense, and receive tips to help navigate the month according to the energy.
According to Kabbalah, each month has its own valuable energy. Sivan is no exception. As mentioned earlier, in Sivan we received the Torah and according to Kabbalah, that same light descends onto earth during that day and time is known as Shavuot.
According to tradition, it says that on Rosh Chodesh Sivan, the Israelites camped at the foot of Har Sinai in preparation to receive the Torah (Exodus 19:6). Notice how the word verb “camped” is singular. It is taught that at the moment when the Israelites were about to receive the Torah, they were united in heart and mind like a single person.
By a nation coming together, it teaches us that we have the ability to celebrate our differences while coming together as one to work towards a higher goal, such as receiving the Torah.
Energy of the month: By understanding the energy of the month, we can navigate it smoothly because there is no one month that is the same. Every month is different and it helps to know what the energy is so that you can be prepared to rise above your nature and optimize the energy. The energy of Sivan is special because it is the month we received the Torah. Through the Torah, we unite with Hashem. The Torah is the blueprint of creation and Har Sinai was a pinnacle moment in God’s creation. The essence of this month is balance.
Balance is a state and happens when bringing two elements or parts together. The idea is not to be extreme to one side of something but rather to find the sweet spot in the middle between two things. For example, to divide one’s time with work, family, and health and not to swing too much to either side so that it becomes unbalanced and unhealthy.
The Torah was given in Sivan as a tool for balance. Thus, during Sivan recognize and see where you can create more balance in your life and not be quick to end or start something new.
As the Jewish people received the Torah and unified with God, there was a Zivug, unification. During this moment, we became a nation, we became whole. Sivan’s energy is unity, wholeness, bringing two opposites into one. Since Nissan, we’ve been counting the Omer (49 days from Pesach to Shavuot). During this time we work on a character trait every day and nourish our soul that is growing through a transformational process.
The process of becoming a nation started when we entered Egypt then we came out, and left Egypt. Afterward, we began to work on ourselves and prepared to receive the Torah for 49 days. In Sivan, the whole process of leaving Egypt and healing came together. The Kabbalists teach that Nissan, Iyar, and Sivan are connected to the letter Yud. Therefore these three months connect with the frame of mental energy. Another Kabbalist teaches that these three months are connected to the three Patriarchs. Nissan connects to Abraham who is the chariot for loving-kindness or Chesed. The Redemption from Egypt is an act of Chesed. Iyar connects to Issac through he being a chariot for Gevurah. Gevurah is needed to perform the healing work of Iyar. Sivan is connected to Jacob and Tiferet. Tiferet represents beauty and balance. Jacob is a twin to Esau. The energy of Sivan is a perfect synthesis of Chesed and Gevurah. This is why the Three Books of the Torah (5 Books of Moshe, The Prophets, and The Writings) were given in the month of Sivan, the third month since three also connect to Tiferet a balance of Chesed and Gevurah.
Astrological Sign - Gemini Whether you are born under the sign of Gemini or not, it does not matter. Each person is affected by the energy of the month, some more or less than others depending on your sign.
Sivan corresponds to the astrological sign, Gemini (תְאוּמִים - twins in Hebrew). Gemini (Twins) is the third sign of the zodiac in the Hebrew calendar. As such, it symbolizes the power of the central column which is always represented by the number three. The power of the central column is what allows the flow of life; it is the secret of true love and social balance.
Gemini is an air sign and the central sign of the air signs, thus being the center of centrality. Central represents balance and everything this month is central. Geminis have the ability to diffuse conflicts and harmonize two opposites. They have a remarkable ability in unifying the right with the left and bringing balance to the situation. The sign of Gemini, which is the sign of twins, is the duality found in the personality of the people that are found within each person. For the Gemini, the duality is much more dominant. On one hand, Gemini are intelligent and fast learners but on the other hand, they don’t take the time to learn in-depth about anything. They know a lot of things on the surface but they don’t know the deeper workings behind matters. According to Kabbalah, there are specific corrections (tikkun) for each sign. For Gemini, the tikkun is to focus on the facts, understand deeper, and to follow through with their ideas and projects. As a result of the air in Gemini, they tend to drop ideas fast and not follow through with them. This energy is felt by everyone, some more and some less, nevertheless, this month gather your strength and persevere.
The letters of the month: According to Sefer Yetzirah, the Book of Formation, Authored by Avraham Avinu, each month is connected to Hebrew letters that correspond to the sign of the month and planet.
The letters for Sivan are Reish ר and Zayin ז - together they form the Aramaic word ״רז״ which means secret סוד.
Reish (ר) created the planet Mercury and Zayin (ז) created the sign of Gemini.
In terms of its shape, the letter Zayin is made up of a letter Vav (ו) with a crown attached to its head with a Yud on top (י). This represents the crown that every Jewish soul received at the giving of the Torah. The letter Reish (ר) represents lack. “Reish” in Hebrew (רִישׁ) means poverty. As a letter, you can see there is something missing within. Gemini tend to have an empty feeling within. If they aren’t working on themselves, they lack spirituality, the ability to commit to others in a relationship, and can fall into superficial, selfish desires and emptiness that they will try to fill with endless wandering and pointless relationships if they do not work on their spirituality.
Looking at the numerology of these letters, Rish is 7 and Zayin is 200 = 207. 207 is also the same numerical value as the Hebrew word Ohr, meaning Light. א=1, ו=6 ר=200 = 207. It is no coincidence that they connect considering we received the greatest Light was revealed during Sivan, the Torah.
According to the Zohar, Raz is a deeper concept than a regular secret. A regular secret is when someone tells you something that they don’t want anyone else to know. It is just between those two people. A Raz, is an open piece of information that everyone knows but no one follows.
For example, according to Albert Einstein “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one”. Although everything we may experience in the physical world feels real, it’s an illusion. The Zohar talked about this 2000 years ago. It states that the real world is the spiritual world and there is a curtain that separates the physical and spiritual worlds. Even though we live in the physical world, we have to connect to the spiritual world.
There is a known law in spirituality known as, cause and effect. This law states that change can only be made at the level of cause. The cause is what creates an event or condition, it explains why the event happens. When one gets to the effect, it is too late. The effect is what happened. Cause and effect are a relationship between events or things, where one is the result of the other. This is a combination of action and reaction. Thus, creating change begins at the core of an action, once it reached reaction, it had already happened.
Through our minds, we connect to the spiritual world and our thoughts are what determine the outcome. Our head connects to the highest Sefirah, Keter. The Chazal says: “The thoughts behind a sin are worse than the sin itself.” This is a very deep concept, but realizing what is true comes from the spiritual world while physicality is an illusion.
With these letters Reish and Zayin and Shavuot, we have the ability to go above physicality and connect directly to the spiritual. When we do this, we can change character traits at the root level.
Ruling Planet As mentioned above, the ruling planet for this month is Mercury (כוכב). If we divide the word, “Kohav” the numeric value of the first two letters (כ”ו) is 26 which is also the numerical value of one of God’s name – The Tetragrammaton (the source of giving). The numerical value of the last two letters of the word “Kohav” is 22 and that symbolizes the 22 letters in the Hebrew language, which are the building blocks of the universe. Thus, Kohav, represents a connection between God, the giving aspect (the Shechina), and our ability to receive. Mercury is the smalled planet in our solar system, by size, it’s a little bigger than the Earth’s moon. Mercury likes to keep things simple. There are no moons on Mercury, it has a thin atmosphere and solid surface and just like our moon, it is covered in craters. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun but yet not the hottest (Venus is hotter). Mercury orbits around the sun in 88 days, compared to Earth's 365 days. Mercury is the planet of communication. This means that it is like an electricity grid, telephone wire, a teacher, advisor, basically anything that can transfer information anywhere. Just as mercury or quicksilver is highly sensitive to temperature and quickly reacts to it, so do the people born this month. They are quick and fast to react.
Tribe of the Month According to the Arizal, the tribe of Zebulun corresponds to the month of Sivan. The name Zebulun (זְבוּלֻן ) begins with the letter zayin (ז ). It is the only zayin in the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Zebulun shared a special bond with the tribe of Isaachar, both children of Leah and born after the other. Zebulun and Isaachar inherited lands in Israel that were adjacent to each other and they correspond to the months Iyar and Sivan.
Zubulun and Isaachar made an agreement to support each other. Isaachar was a tribe of scholars who excelled in Torah study. Zebulun was a tribe of successful merchants and seafarers. They agreed to split their material and spiritual wealth equally.
Therefore, why does Zubulun connect to Sivan, the month we received the Torah, and not Isaachar? Zebulun’s willingness to split their material wealth allowed Isaachar to devote themselves to the Torah, it is Zebulun that corresponds to Sivan and the giving of the Torah. Zebulun’s material sacrifices are what sustain the Torah and therefore, in the end, the Torah is in their merit.
The Arizal explains that the origin of the soul of Zubulun is in the sefirah of the crown, above the sefirah of wisdom, which is the origin of Isaachar’s soul.
Sense:
According to Sefer Yetzira, the sense of the month is walking. When Sefer Yetzira describes the sense of the month, it does not only refer to physical walking but also the spiritual sense of progress and development.
Someone that has the sense of walking, has the wisdom of moving forward and striving for more. The Torah was given so that mankind can transform, heal, and grow. Without the Torah, we would be walking in circles with no clear direction.
Controller: The Left foot.
There is always the duality, the opposite like the tablets given at Har Sinai and Jacob and Esau. Just like our bodies as well, in any pair of feet, there is a right and a left. The left is always considered more physical and mundane the right more spiritual and divine. In our bodies, the Sefirot Netzach and Hod (Victory and Achnolwedgment) represent the feet.
Nissan compliments Sivan for the sense of Nissan is speech and it’s controller is the right foot. Speech connects to leadership and when speech and walking are aligned, one can lead with serenity and confidence.
The connection between walking and talking is found in the verse, “He who walks with sincerity shall walk with confidence.” proverbs10:09. Sincerity and confidence are the inner experiential aspect of the two sefirot, acknowledgment and victory, respectively.
Tools for the month: Nourish what you already have - before picking up new projects, slow down and nourish what you already have. Yes, it can be very tempting to jump on a new idea but don’t rush into anything just yet. Write what you want to do, the steps to getting it done, and why you want to do it. Cultivate what you already started in the winter months and keep on going.
Focus on a part of yourself that you want to heal at the root level. Remember, to heal is to love yourself fully, even the darkest parts. Transform these parts into sparks, creativity, and love. Take this time to change your actions before the reaction.
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Gal, Einai (2022). The Month of Sivan According to the Book of Formation (Sefer Yetzirah). Retrieved from https://www.inner.org/times/sivan/sivan.htm Kabbalah Centre (2021). Gemini (Sivan). Retrieved from https://www.kabbalah.com/en/articles/gemini-sivan/
Live Kabbalah (2022). Sivan - Gemini. Retrieved from https://livekabbalah.org/sivan-gemini/.
Nasa (2022). Mercury. Retrieved from https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mercury/overview/#:~:text=Mercury%20is%20the%20smallest%20planet%20in%20our%20solar%20system.,Venus%20is%20hotter.
Ritualwell (2022). The essence of Sivan. Retrieved from https://www.ritualwell.org/ritual/essence-sivan
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