בס”ד
By Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
This painting is displayed in this year’s Hebron calendar for the month of Adar which begins this Shabbat. Of course the connection between Adar, the month of joy and laughter, and the major theme of this painting, “it is a great mitzva to be in joy always,” is obvious. The “joyous always” theme seems to be depicted by the number of the dancing, i.e “joyous”, Hasidim displayed here. There are fifteen Hasidim to the right of the Temple and fourteen of them from the Temple to its left, altogether twenty-nine Hasidim, corresponding to the twenty-nine days of the Jewish month, i.e signifying that one should be joyous all month, always. The month is divided into the first fifteen days when the moon becomes full, and then fourteen days after it when the moon diminishes. Kabbalistically both the moon and the attribute of joy – simcha, are associated to the sefira of malchut.
We see six birds in flight while five other birds are perched on the words “be joyous always.” In the Talmud Sukka 48b there is what seems to be an odd discussion between “sasson” – joy, and “simcha” – happiness. The Vilna Gaon interprets this matter to be a Kabbalistic discussion between the two letters of the Tetragrammaton where “sasson” carries the letters “shesh” the numerical value of “vav” in the Tetragrammaton, while “simcha” carries the letters “hamisha” the numerical value of “heh” in the Tetragrammaton. In this way we can explain why there are six birds in the heavens, corresponding to the vav which is considered more “heavenly,” while there are five birds perched “on ground” corresponding to the heh which is considered more “earthly/grounded.” Note also that there are five fish in water, and in the Torah is considered “under the earth.” It seems that birds are used primarily to convey these ideas since birds represent flight and lifting, and also joy uplifts a person in spirit.
We see seven sparks elevating from the Temple. This matter may hint to the raising of sparks, especially seven “sparks” Kabbalistically associated with the “seven kings in the Breaking of Vessels,” which are also highly connected to the Temple in general and to its incense specifically. We also see three fiery “shins” with five drops of water within each of them, rising to the Temple. These may hint to the fifteen stairs ascending in the Temple upon which also fifteen Shir Hamaalot of Tehilim were instituted, which are also broken into three groups of five.
In the Temple the priests would ask if the dawn has risen “till Hebron.” The Talmud explains that this was asked in order to awaken the merit of the Patriarchs of Hebron before the Service. Similarly, the three shins here may also hint to the merit of the three Patriarachs meant to be awaken and risen when approaching the Temple, just as one is to ask, according to the Zohar, permission from the Patriarchs before entering a mini-Temple, i.e synagogue, by saying “and I shall enter with your kindness [Avraham], I shall prostrate myself before Your holy sanctuary (Yitzhak] with Your awe [Yakov].”