“…Words of peace and truth.” (Esther 9:30)
This month is known as Adar I, during a “pregnant” leap year when a second Adar is birthed after the first. There is certainly a deeper lesson to be learned from the fact that “only Adar can be a pregnant month” (Masechet Rosh Hashanah).
Reb Noson explains that the discrepancy between the solar and lunar calendars represents machlokes, strife, since the two systems are naturally at odds with one another and must be reconciled. Declaring a “pregnant month” so that the two calendars can be aligned is a means of repairing their—and all other—rivalry. It is specifically in Adar, when the descendants of Amalek sought our very lives yet we were victorious, that we have the power to settle all conflicts by declaring an extra month.
What this teaches me on the personal level is that now is the time to work on my unity with others. I can consider the devastation that is caused by controversy and work to dispel discord. I know and believe that G-d bestows life for a purpose, but when it comes down to my challenges with other people, it’s all too easy to forget. When I feel angry or frustrated with my family or friends, I need to remember that my real problem is with the One who created the person who is getting on my nerves! Adar, which comes with a gift of a double-measure of joy, is the best time to get to work on my relationships.
(Likutei Halachos, Birchas Hareach u’birchas pratiot, IV: 12; Arba Parshios, I:1)
