Let’s continue with the theme that each month is unique and has a specific avodah related to it. What is unique about Nissan? We all know that Nissan is a special month because it contains the marking of the most open display of Hashem’s hand that the world has ever seen. Usually Hashem hides behind the laws of nature. But one time in history Hashem went all-out, displaying His complete and total dominion over the entire world. The name of the month even alludes to this. The word Nissan is cognate with the Hebrew word for miracle – nes. It seems that the singularity of the month is that it is the month of miracles.
This idea is not only true with regard to the past. The Talmud states, “In Nissan we were redeemed (from Egypt), and in Nissan we will be redeemed (from the final galus).” Add this to the teaching that the final redemption will be of a most miraculous nature, even dwarfing the redemption from Egypt. What then is it about Nissan that lends itself to miracles? Why would Hashem contravene the laws of nature which He Himself set up? If we can answer this question then maybe we can discover our avodah for this month.
Let’s take our first step in this investigation by analyzing the mazal of the month – Aries, the male sheep. What is the connection between sheep and Nissan? The first connection that comes to mind is that of the korban Pesach – which is also a sheep. Immediately prior to the redemption from Egypt we were commanded to take the sheep-god of the Egyptians and slaughter it in front of them. This courageous act would provide the great merit we needed to be redeemed.
However, this explanation does not suffice for two reasons. First of all, why should the slaughter of the Egyptian god stand for all generations as the singularity of the month? The pagan Egyptian empire isn’t around anymore. So while it may have been incredibly important to debunk their deity at the time of the Exodus, why is the slaughter of the sheep significant in modern times? Second of all, it is illogical that the unique quality of the month is something solely negative. The Bnei Yissaschar writes that each month’s quality can be used for bad and good. How does this apply to the sheep?
Let’s break it down. What do sheep signify? Everyone knows that sheep are the consummate followers. They are obedient and submissive. Is this a good quality or a bad quality? I suppose it depends on whom you are obeying. One can heed his friend’s command to go down the worst of paths or up to the greatest of heights. It is not intrinsically negative to follow. It really just depends on whom you are following.
Let’s take this a step further. Every man is a follower. Some people follow others. But even the independent man follows – himself. He follows the dictates of his own mind/heart. We are taught that Egypt was a decadent country. They were filled with immorality, egoism, and all sorts of depravity. If the Sages teach that the Jewish nation sank to the 49th level of impurity during their tenure in Egypt, we can only imagine how low the Egyptians themselves were. This essentially means that they were sheep, followers who gave in to the dictates of their basest desires. The mitzri can be summed up in the personification of the sheep that he worships because he too is a submissive follower – of the lowly animalistic part of himself.
