Jewish Life Digital Edition October 2013 | Page 12

BIRTHDAYS HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US BUT WHAT DOES THIS DAY ACTUALLY MEAN TO US? BY RACHEL FALKSON ASTROLOGY, NUMEROLOGY AND BIRTHDAYS – PART OF JEWISH LIFE? Astrology, numerology and birthdays are concepts found in the Torah and in Jewish life today. There are many halachic authorities that can share the wisdom of these mystical concepts. Rabbi Jarred Bloch explains that a birthday is an auspicious occasion. When Amalek, a terrible foe of the Jews, attacked the Jewish people while they were on their way to Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, the Jewish leader, Moshe, conscripted an army. The Talmud Yirushalmi states that it was only those soldiers who were celebrating their birthday that fought in the battle. This is because it was believed that a soldier would be victorious because of his birthday. During that same battle, when Moshe raised his staff, the Talmud explains that he was manipulating astrological forces. D O YOU WAIT FOR THE DAY WHEN FLOWERS, A GIFT or a card are bound to come your way? Do you feel greater and wiser with each passing year, or do you prefer to celebrate your birthday as the anniversary of the day you turned 21? Whether you love it or hate it, everyone has a birthday, and because birthdays are fun and Jewish Life is turning six, we decided to look deeper into the significance behind the day of one’s birth. CELEBRATIONS The first time the celebrating of one’s birthday is mentioned in the Torah is when Pharaoh, the Egyptian king, releases and par- 10 JEWISH LIFE ISSUE 67 dons people on his birthday. In addition, we learn that Pharaoh ordered all the Jewish baby boys to be thrown into the Nile River because he saw in the stars that a Jewish boy (Moshe) would be born, and that this boy would defeat the Egyptians. He also saw that his own death would be by water. This demonstrates Pharaoh’s extreme cruelty – not only did he order the Jewish babies to be put to death, but he also planned that it would be consistent with the way in which the astrological forces indicated he would die. This example shows that astrological forces are dangerous when cruel and evil people such as Pharaoh interpret them. HOW ABOUT NUMEROLOGY? Numerologists study the divine and mystical relationship between a number and perceived events. By using the numbers of people’s birth dates, numerology determines how a person’s strengths and weaknesses may help or hinder them. However, it is not PHOTOGRAPH: ILAN OSSENDRYVER WHAT IS ASTROLOGY? By looking at patterns formed by the planets in the heavens, astrologists correspond these patterns to human situations. Astrologist Fran Grigst explains that astrology seeks to further our understanding of life. Life’s cycles, its ups and downs, the crises and the breakthroughs, the periods of major change and transformation, are all studied in astrology, through transits. Transits occur when the planets form certain geometrical patterns with respect to the planetary positions during birth. These patterns appear to connect with certain experiences. Grigst sums astrology up as a liberation of our imagination, encouraging us to think less literally and to visualise life as a mythic quest.