This class offers a profound metaphysical and kabbalistic exploration of the month of Adar, the concept of the Hebrew Leap Year (Ibbur), and the spiritual significance of the Shekel (the half-shekel sacrifice). The speaker moves beyond the legalistic aspects of the Hebrew calendar to explain how these concepts represent the human soul’s ability to transcend natural limitations and “numbers.”
1. The Paradox of Numbers: Egypt vs. Infinity
The discussion begins by exploring the tension between two states of being mentioned in the book of Hosea:
“The number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea” (implying a finite, countable amount).
“Which cannot be measured nor numbered” (implying infinity).
The speaker uses Gematria (numerical values of Hebrew words) to illustrate this. The word “Mitzrayim” (Egypt) and the word “Mispar” (Number/Count) both share the numerical value of 380. This suggests that “Egypt” is not just a geographical location but a spiritual state of being “bounded” or restricted by numbers, logic, and the laws of nature. To be in “Egypt” is to be merely a statistic, subject to finite limits.
2. The Secret of the Shekel and the Soul (Nefesh)
To escape this “Egyptian” state of being a mere number, one needs an “addition.” In the Hebrew calendar, this is represented by the intercalated month (the second Adar). In spiritual practice, it is represented by the Shekel.
The Number 50: In Jewish thought, 7 represents the natural world (7 days of the week). 7x7 (49) represents the peak of natural cycles. The number 50 (represented by the letter Nun) signifies that which is above nature—the “50th Gate of Understanding.”
The Transformation: When you add the value of 50 (Nun) to 380 (Egypt/Numbers), you get 430.
430 is the numerical value of both “Nefesh” (Soul) and “Shekel.”
Furthermore, the phrase “L’Chaper Al” (to atone for)—as in “to atone for your souls”—also equals 430.
The takeaway is that the Shekel is the tool that elevates a person from being a finite number (380) to having a transcendent soul (430). By giving the Shekel, an individual connects to the collective (the Klal), moving from a state where they can be counted and killed (the “plague” mentioned in the Torah regarding the census) to a state that is infinite and beyond measure.
3. The “Secret of Intercalation” (Sod HaIbbur)
The speaker explains the “Secret of Intercalation”—the complex calculation used to sync the lunar year (Israel) with the solar year (the Nations).
The Sun: Represents the “Old” (Shana - meaning both ‘year’ and ‘to repeat’). It is fixed and predictable.
The Moon: Represents the “New” (Chodesh - meaning both ‘month’ and ‘newness’). It waxes and wanes, representing renewal.
The “Secret of Intercalation” is the ability to bridge these two realities: to live within the physical, repetitive world (the Sun) while remaining tethered to a dimension of constant renewal and miracles (the Moon). This is why Adar is the month of “reversing” fate (V’Nahafoch Hu). Haman, the villain of the Purim story, looked at the “numbers” and the “stars” (the natural cycle) and saw the end of the Jewish people. He didn’t realize that through the “Secret of Adar,” the Jewish people can transcend the natural “count.”
4. Summary of the Spiritual Transition
The month of Adar acts as the bridge between the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year in Nisan (the month of the Exodus).
Adar is the month of Intercalation (the addition of the soul).
The Shekel is the sacrifice of Connection (moving from the individual to the collective).
Purim is the holiday of Transformation (reversing the “number” or “fate”).
Ultimately, the speaker argues that by “hearing the call of the Shekel” in the month of Adar, a person realizes they are not just a number in a system, but a “Nefesh”—a soul capable of renewal, existing in a dimension where natural laws and “Egypt” no longer hold power.
