Pesach 5773 - 18/03/2013 - Federation Of Synagogues

The Hebrew Months Nissan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz and
the Adoptive Attitudes of the Second Temple Period.
By Rabbi Alan Lewis
The Ramban writes that when
we came out of Babylonia
to build the Second
Temple we kept the
Persian names of the
months of the Hebrew calendar
as a reminder that, that
was the place where we were
dwelling and that was the place
from where we made our
Aliya to Eretz Yisroel.
In a fascinating thought brought in his Emess
L’Yaakov, Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzsky asks, on our
return from Bavel why did we keep these Persian
names of the months of our calendar, especially since
they were obviously non-Jewish and also, more
importantly, at least one of them, the month of
Tammuz, was the name of an idol? Surely if there was
no need for living in the diaspora and a redemption
was being experienced by the people of Israel, why did
we not revert back to calling our months as they were
originally called in the Torah and in the vast majority
of the books of the Prophets? Nissan is simply called
Hachodesh Harishon (the first month), Iyar is called
Hachodesh Hashaini (the second month). In fact the
only time the months are called by their Persian
names in Tanach (Bible) is in Megillas Esther and in
the books of the Prophets of Bavel!
Reb Yaakov also brings to our attention the very
poignant practice in the times of the Second Temple
to use Aramaic as the spoken language and Loshon
Hakodesh (Hebrew) was only spoken by Talmidai Chochomim
(Torah Scholars) and written for the purposes
of Divrai Torah. Once again we can ask if this was a
time of redemption why were they not speaking
Loshon Hakodesh, for don’t Chazal praise the Bnai Yisroel
in the Egyptian exile for speaking and retaining
the Holy Hebrew Language?
In order to answer these questions we should make
ourselves aware of a very interesting piece of information
that the Gemorrah Yuma 21b tells us about
the Second Temple. Namely, there were five things
missing from the Second Temple that were present in
Hamaor / April 2013
the First. Top of the list of these missing items was
the Aron Hakodesh, the Holy Ark of the Covenant
which contained the Luchos, the two tablets of stone
engraved with the Ten Commandments. The Aron had
been deliberately hidden by King Yoshiyahu before the
destruction of the First Temple. A Cohen who was
serving in the Second Temple, once noticed that there
was something irregular about the floor of the Temple.
When this Cohen came to tell his friend about
his discovery, his soul suddenly departed from him.
Seemingly everyone knew that this Cohen had found
King Yoshiyahu’s hiding place for the Aron and they
also understood that the Aron was not supposed to
be placed in the Kodesh Kedoshim the Holy of Holies
during the Second Temple period. Nevertheless we
must ask why this was so?
Reb Yaakov explains that the builders of the Second
Temple must have known that this great, awe-inspiring
edifice, was not going to stand forever. They also
comprehended that their present return to Eretz Yisroel
was not the Final Redemption. In fact they
looked upon this time of Jewish history as an interim
period of preparation for the long Golus (Diaspora)
ahead. Truthfully, they needed to remain in Bavel for
a lot longer. However through Hashem’s guiding
hand, it was seen very clearly that, as a result of assimilation
and inter-marriage with the Babylonians
and Persians, if the Jewish people were to remain in
Babylonia, hundreds of thousands of Jews would be
lost. To remain as a distinct clearly-defined nation,
we had reached a most critical point in our spiritual
and physical well-being. As a result, Hashem took pity
upon His people and granted them passage from
Babylonia back to Eretz Yisroel, all be it, temporarily.
He gave them the opportunity to rebuild the Temple
in order that they could reinvigorate themselves with
the foundations of faith in the Master of the World
and so that there should be a waning of the bitterness
of the Golus.
However, in order that it should be clearly apparent
that this period in our history was not the real redemption,
the holy Ark of the Covenant, which was
the true source of sanctity in the first Temple, was
missing in the second Temple.
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