Jewish Life Digital Edition October 2013 | Page 14

Our rabbis teach that one’s Hebrew birthday is highly significant. The Chatam
Sofer would fast on his birthday, seeing it as a personal Yom Kippur, or day of personal assessment. Both the Lubavitcher Rebbe and the Tiferes Yisrael said you
should give blessings to people on your birthday, since it is a day on which you
are blessed and you should spread the blessing. The Hebrew date of your birth is
a deeply holy and spiritual day. If you have never celebrated your Hebrew birthday, now is the time to find out when it is. Although your friends and family will
wish you well and shower you with greetings and gifts on your English birthday,
your Hebrew birthday is the day to spread blessing, introspect and reach a higher
sense of self-awareness. Your Hebrew birthday is a day on which your own powerful potential can be used to transcend physical limitations and connect with
G-d. Now that’s a reason to celebrate.
that birthdays, astrology and numerology
all have a part to play in making us who we
are. There is truth to astrology and numerology, but we must always remember that
we are able to transcend these forces.
The same Gemara (Talmud Bavli Shabbos
156a) says tendencies and natural inclinations will be determined by the day of
birth. It details attributes that are reflected
in each weekday. These characteristics or
natures are defined by the order of Creation: Sunday is the day that G-d created
darkness and light, personality attributes
of Sunday include intensity and extremity.
G-d separated the waters of the earth on
the second day, and so Monday’s attributes
are strong and argumentative. On Tuesday,
G-d created the grass and trees, which reflects the attributes of expansiveness and
boundless giving. On Wednesday the stars,
moon, and sun were created, reflecting attributes of wisdom. Thursday was the day
birds and fish were created, which reflects
great kindness. Friday reflects a hastiness
in the rush to the Sabbath and a person
who pursues mitzvot, and the corresponding character trait would be a hasty will to
do good deeds. The Sabbath is the holy day
of rest, and therefore people born on Shabbos reflect holiness. This is a simplified
overview, as the Gemara goes into greater
detail about each day, but certainly we see
that the day on which we are born has
great significance.
At the end of this Gemara, Rabbi Yochanan says, “Ein Mazal Yisrael”, meaning “there

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ISSUE 67

is no limiting astrological forecast for the
Jewish nation”. Tosfos explains that although, as a result of your birth, stars, and
numbers you will have natural tendencies
that are difficult to overcome, you are still
able to overcome these propensities because
your soul can transcend to a higher spiritual
domain above the world of Yetzira (the spiritual realm of planets and the zodiac).
The Jewish tradition follows the lunar calendar. The months are Tishrei, Cheshvan,
Kislev, Tevet, Shvat, Adar, Nissan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av and Elul. The first mitzvah
in the Torah is a command to consecrate the
new lunar month, Rosh Chodesh. The lunar
calendar represents a different type of spiritual potential. It represents the opportunity
for continual growth and renewal. This is
evident from the word for month in Hebrew, “chodesh”, coming from the root,
“chadash” (newness). Rabbi Bloch explains
that you should celebrate your Hebrew
birthday because it represents a relationship to your essential self. The solar calendar has its place too, but as the wise King
Shlomo said, ‘There is nothing new under
the sun.” JL

Have you ever thought it
strange that we blow out
candles on our birthday?

Rabbi Bloch explains:
- Some Kabbalists and Chassidim
don’t blow out birthday candles.
- The Rama says we worry about random practices being idolatrous
when we don’t know the source.
- The verse in Bereishit says that man
was created by G-d blowing his soul
into him. (“Nishmat Chaim”, a
breath of life).
- The verse in Proverbs states, “Ner
Hashem Nishmat Adam”, the flame
of G-d is the soul of man.
- The word Neshama (soul) and the
word neshima (breath) are connected and similar, and we shouldn’t
use our breath to blow out a candle,
which is associated with the soul.
- A yarhzeit candle is lit to remember
the soul of a deceased relative.

Bottom line?
Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky holds that we
do not need to take on Kabbalistic
practices, so if you wish, light and
blow out those birthday candles!

ALL NUMBERS HAVE NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE
ATTRIBUTES. BUT BY DISCUSSING PATTERNS AND
DIFFICULTIES YOU ARE FACING, YOU MAY OVERCOME
THESE PROBLEMS, SO THAT YOU DON’T LIVE IN THE
SHADOW OF YOUR NUMBERS.

PHOTOGRAPH: MORGUEFILE.COM

A BLESSED DAY