This article was previously published in 2020.
As we begin every new month, we want to become awakened to what is available for us so that we can draw it into our lives. And the month we are now entering, the month of Kislev, or Sagittarius, is often known as the month of miracles, because within it we have the holiday of Chanukah; therefore, it is clearly a month with a tremendous amount of Light.
“Sagittarius is known as the month of miracles.”
The name given to this month has many secrets within it, one of which I want to focus on, because it gives us an understanding of the gift that is available to us during this time. Kislev is made up of two words: kis and lamed-vav. Kis means pocket or vessel, and lamed-vav, which is the numerical value of 36, represents a connection to what's called the Or HaGanuz, or Concealed Light. As such, we learn from this that the month of Kislev holds within it the gift of the Or HaGanuz; this month is the vessel through which we can connect to the 36, the Concealed Light.
In order to understand this fully, we need to know why the number 36 represents the Concealed Light, and what exactly, the Concealed Light actually is. There is a section in the Zohar that speaks about this great Light that is called the Or HaGanuz, the Light of this month we are now entering. It says in the first book of Genesis, in the Zohar, section 348, that in the process of creation, the Creator said, “Let there be Light,” and there was Light. The Zohar tells us that here when it says there was Light, it's referring to the great Light that was initially revealed, the Light that holds within it all the answers, blessings, miracles, and healing that we could ever need, both individually, and collectively.
“There was never a moment of doubt or uncertainty.”
Then, the Zohar tells us, through a connection to this Light, Adam, the first man, was able to see from the beginning of the world to the end; meaning, there was never a moment of doubt or uncertainty. And this is the Light, the Zohar tells us, that the Creator also showed all the great souls of history. But then the Creator said that this Light, which is encompassing all the needs of both humanity and any individual, cannot just simply be revealed or given; it has to be earned. And for 36 hours, this Light shone in the world, and then the Creator concealed it so that humanity as a whole, and each of us individually, could work to regain it. That is why the number 36 is the secret of the connection to the Concealed Light.
The answer or assistance we need for anything that causes us doubt or confusion is revealed to us in the Or HaGanuz, and is available in the month of Kislev. To connect to it, we don't really have to know much more than that the Concealed Light, which holds within it everything that we lack, is available to us throughout this entire month; that is the secret of kis lamed-vav. So, as we enter into this new month, each of us wants to awaken a desire to make our connections to this Concealed Light, and carry it throughout. Why? Because we know that Kislev is the vessel for the Or HaGanuz, and any guidance, answer, healing, or assistance that we could ever need is within it.
