The Month of Nisan: miraculous awakenings from above - Hardcover

Pinson, Dovber

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1736702602 ISBN 13: 9781736702604

Publisher: Iyyun Publishing, 2021

Synopsis

Each month of the year radiates with distinct qualities and unique opportunities for growth and spiritual illumination.

Nisan is the first month of the year and the first month of the spring. Spring brings with it a feeling that there is life again. As the world wakes up from its winter slumber, we too feel renewed, awakened and filled with a sense of renewal.

Spring represents a time of plenty, abundance, sunshine, hope, and possibility. Redemption, on whatever level, feels palpable and accessible. In spring, the world is redeemed from the cold winter, the flower is redeemed from the tree, the grass from the earth, and we too feel that redemption is possible.

A whole complex of ideas, including newness, redemption, going out of Egypt, and being freed from slavery, is intricately bound with the idea of Aviv / spring. With the onset of winter, everything that had seemed so lively in the summer now seems lifeless and hopeless. Then spring arrives and everything comes alive; there is a rebirth of hope and possibility. This is the secret of Yetzias Mitzrayim / the Going Out of Egypt. We, along with the earth, are literally freed from all our constriction and lifelessness with the arrival of spring.

About this title

About the Author

Rav Pinson is a world-renowned Rabbi, scholar, prolific author and beloved spiritual teacher, a master of the revealed and hidden aspects of Torah.

He has been hailed as one of the most important teachers of the generation, and is widely recognized as one of the world's foremost authorities on authentic Jewish Wisdom

Through his books, lectures and seminars he has touched and inspired the lives of thousands the world over, and continues to serve as a mentor to many thousands of students across the globe.

Rav Pinson has authored over 50 books and Sefarim, many of which have been translated into multiple languages, such as, Hebrew, German, Spanish, Russian and Portuguese.

Rav Pinson is the Rosh Kolel of the Iyyun Yeshiva/Kolel and dean of  The Iyyun/Chabad Center in Brownstone Brooklyn, NY. 

For more information please visit IYYUN.com  

From the Back Cover

Every season brings about a distinct visceral sensation. There is a tangible energy in the air that most people sense when spring comes around, especially when it comes after a long, harsh and cold winter. It is the sensation of renewal, renewed hope, possibility, freshness.

Spring brings with it a feeling that there is life again; that the affliction, as it were, of the barren, cold winter is over. Empty pastures, leafless trees, flowerless branches begin to bloom. Warmer weather is upon us, and the lands become fertile again.

An overwhelming feeling of hope enters with the new season. When spring is in the air, people feel more optimistic, thankful and grateful. There is something about the light and the warmer air, the budding of the flowers that gives us a sense that life is a wonderful gift, and that it is not to be wasted or taken for granted. This was especially true in times gone by, when winter meant a scarcity of food, cold weather and harsh conditions meant a struggle for mere survival. When spring finally came along, it was eagerly anticipated and graciously welcomed as a gift from Above, a respite from the oppressive winter. Spring was and is a time when people instinctively let go of their anxieties, fears, and uncertainties, opening themselves up to feeling comforted, embraced and cherished.

As the world wakes up from its winter slumber, we too feel renewed, awakened and filled with a sense of renewal. There is a newness in the air. In the words of one of the Rishonim (10th to 16th century Rabbis) כל ציץ חדש, לזמן חדש,יצא שוחק, לקראת בואו/ "Every new bud for a renewed time, comes forth with joy and laughter to greet its arrival" (Poem by Rav Moshe Even Ezra). All of nature is re-awakened during this precious time, and everything is filled with newness and joy.

Spring represents a time of plenty, abundance, sunshine, hope, and possibility. Redemption, on whatever level, feels palpable and accessible. In spring, the world is redeemed from the cold winter, the flower is redeemed from the tree, the grass from the earth, and we too feel that redemption is possible.

A whole complex of ideas, including newness, redemption, going out of Egypt, and being freed from slavery, is intricately bound with the idea of Aviv/ spring. With the onset of winter, everything that had seemed so lively in the summer now seems lifeless and hopeless. Then spring arrives and everything comes alive; there is a rebirth of hope and possibility. This is the secret of Yetzias Mitzrayim / the Going Out of Egypt. We, along with the earth, are literally freed from all our constriction and lifelessness with the arrival of spring. Appropriately, there is a tradition from the Geonim that the ultimate Resurrection of the Dead will occur in the month of Nisan (Tur, Orach Chayim, 490, in the name of Rav Hai Gaon),as all of nature is 'resurrected' at the time following the proverbial death of winter.

For this reason, the overarching sensations in the spring are renewal, relief, and redemption, opening us up to experiences of gratitude and expressions of giving thanks.

From the Inside Flap

Becoming a Vessel for Miracles
Nisan, as explored at length, is connected with Nisim/ miracles. It is the headquarters of the flow of miracles into this world. As the month of Geulah/freedom, Nisan initiates the season of spring, with its redemptive sense of renewal, fresh possibilities, and blessings from Above.


Generally speaking, there are three steps to create the proper vessels to receive the miracles that the Source of all of Life wants to bestow on us. We can learn these three steps from the story of our collective redemption from the exile in Egypt. They are also intricately related to the Ko'ach / power and potential of the month of Nisan, and so this is an opportune time to study and practice them.


Before exploring these steps, another important point is worth mentioning: we reawaken the power of the miracles described in the Torah simply by reading the verses in the Torah connected with those miracles. When we recite the story of Yetziyas Mitzrayim and the miracles and wonders that occurred, it stimulates the same Hashpa'ah / downflow of Divine influence that was originally revealed. "Through reciting the letters in the Torah which speak about the miracles, we awaken the source of those miracles."

The metaphysical source of everything that occurs, of all of life and history, and all time, space and consciousness, is the Torah, the Divine blueprint. When the Torah narrates the splitting of the sea, for example, the Torah is not merely 'describing' an event, rather it is speaking of the spiritual source of this miracle. Because a spiritual source of this miracle exists, the miracle itself can also come to exist in the natural world. Furthermore, HaKadosh Baruch Hu creates through 'speech', and Torah is a condensation of this creative speech. For this reason, when we pronounce the words of the Torah about the Splitting of the Sea, it gives rise to the creative power that can split a sea, as well as whatever the Splitting of the Sea represents in our lives and world. When we read the portion of the Mon / Manna, it opens the channel for Parnasah /livelihood. Similarly, when we pronounce words of Torah that speak about the Going Out of Mitzrayim, we are tapping into the power source that gives us strength to go out of our own personal Meitzarim/ constrictions and limitations. The Torah narrative is the root cause, the initial vibration and Divine flow, through which all blessings and miracles flow down into this world and to us.

What follows is the three-step process for receiving miraculous blessings: 1) Speaking, 2) Dreaming, and 3) Surrendering....

Edition details

• Publisher: Iyyun Publishing
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1736702602
• ISBN 13: 9781736702604
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 268