Page 284 - Coincidences in the Bible and in Biblical Hebrew

263
CHAPTER 20 COINCIDENCES IN JEWISH HISTORY AND BEYOND
CHAPTER 20 COINCIDENCES IN JEWISH HISTORY AND BEYOND 263
12
others near, the left arm of gevurah reserves the option of repelling those deemed
undeserving. (Even toward those to whom one’s initial relation is that of “the left
arm repels,” one must subsequently apply the complementary principle of “the
right arm draws near.”)
12
However, there is more to gevurah than implied by Sefi rot of the Kabbalah .
12
Gevurah in Hebrew means, literally, heroism. For example, a soldier in the
IDF (Israel Defense Forces) , who had performed an act of heroism during com-
16
bat, may get the military Ot Ha-Gevurah (the Medal of Heroism).

According to Jewish tradition, the month of Iyar is associated, with regard to
the zodiac (astrological) signs, with planet Mars , known in many cultures (like the
ancient Greek and Roman) to be associated with wars. In fact, the Kabbalistic asso-
ciations of this month—both with the ox and with planet Mars—are indications
that in Jewish mysticism this sign assumes the same interpretation. Furthermore,
one of the many manifestations of the divine conduct, often related to in the
12
Bible, is gevurah, with all its implications.
It is indeed extraordinary—a bizarre coincidence—that most Jewish manifes-
tations of establishing nationhood in the land of Israel (we have expounded six) all
started in the month of Iyar , the same month that in Jewish calendar and mysti-
cism signifies wars and periods of transition.

20.3.8 Some Major Iyar Events
Following is a list of major events regarding Jewish renewed presence in the
ancient land of Israel, and the struggle to preserve this presence. The dates for
these events were taken from the Web site
http://www.ou.org/about/judaism/bhyom/hebrew/iyar.htm.
While the exact dates for ancient-time events may be debatable, the fact that
these happened on the month of Iyar remains unchallenged.

Fifth Iyar

• Joseph Rivlin laid the cornerstone of the first private home to be erected
outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem , marking the beginning
of the modern Yishuv (the presovereignty community of Jews in Israel),
1869.

• Israel was proclaimed an independent state in 1948. The first legislative
act of the provisional government of the state of Israel provided for the
repeal of the British White Paper of 1939, which had restricted Jewish
immigration and the acquisition of land in Eretz Israel .