#iyyar

[extollingtheeveryday]

May 5, 2024

[extollingtheeveryday]

Down in the valley, the first of May

Gatherin' flowers, both fresh and gay

Gatherin' flowers, both red and blue

How little thought of what, what love could do

[extollingtheeveryday]

April 27, 2025

[extollingtheeveryday]

Spring ephemerals: bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), marsh marigold (Caltha palustris), Canada/hydra ginger (Asarum canadense acuminatum), Dutchman's breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

[todaysjewishholiday]

Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov

Welcome to Iyyar.

(No, not Eeyore, this isn't the Three Weeks).

Iyyar comes from an Akkadian word meaning "Blossom". Before the Babylonian Captivity we called it Ziv-- meaning light or glow. It's a month of increasing light and blossoming flowers (at least here in the northern hemisphere where the Hebrew calendar developed).

Iyyar is the second month of the Torah's calendar. We're out of slavery, so now what? The time between liberation and revelation can feel uncertain, but the month's two names remind us that this is still a time of celebration and happiness. This year, Iyyar also has 5 shabbatot, 3 of which feature double Torah portions-- a rare and impressive occurrence for a month that's only 29 days long. And its the only month that's fully part of the Omer period of mindfulness between Pesach and Shavuot. Enjoy these next four weeks, a time of introspection on the way from enslavement to Sinai.

Iyyar 5786 at a Glance:

1 Iyyar: Shabbat Tazria-Metzora, Yahrzeit of the hasidic sage Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk

8 Iyyar: Shabbat Achrei Mot-Kedoshim

10 Iyyar: Yahrzeit of Eli haKohen, mentor of Shmuel haNavi

14 Iyyar: Pesach Sheni, the makeup day for anybody who missed the korban pesach in Nisan

15 Iyyar: Shabbat Emor

16 Iyyar: HaShem responds to the newly delivered Israelites' complaints about their food supplies in the wilderness with the first manna

17 Iyyar: the beginning of the flood in Parashat Noach

18 Iyyar: Lag B'Omer- the 33rd day and 2/3 mark in the Omer Count, yahrzeit of the tannaitic sage and rebel Shimon bar Yochai

19 Iyyar: Yahrzeits of medieval Ashkenazi leader Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg, and hasidic sage Rabbi Menachem Mendl of Rimanov

22 Iyyar: Shabbat Behar-Bechukotai

26 Iyyar: Yahrzeits of the Saadia Gaon, foremost sage of the Jews of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the controversial Italian kabbalist and poet, Rabbi Moshe Luzzato

27 Iyyar: The day Noach and his family finally leave the ark and HaShem offers the Rainbow Covenant in Parashat Noach, a year and ten days after the flood began

28 Iyyar: Yahrzeit of Shmuel haNavi, last of the Shoftim (Judges) and reluctant initiator of the Israelite monarchy

29 Iyyar: Shabbat Bamidbar

(Okay, okay, you can have an Iyyar Eeyore. As a treat).

[extollingtheeveryday]

May 20, 2023

[extollingtheeveryday]

Catbird Lullaby // May 8, 2024

[extollingtheeveryday]

Tess Taylor // "May Day"