The word moed has a simple meaning. It means holiday. The moadim are the holidays. But there is of course a deeper level to the word. There is a tractate, one of the six tractates of the Mishna, called Moed. There is also a concept of Chol HaMoed, which are the middle days of certain holidays on which there is more leniency than on the holiday itself. And finally, that same word, moed, with minimal adjustments to its pronunciation, means something or someone that repeats an act over and over. The word muad, spelled the same way as moed, is often used to refer to a criminal who repeats his crimes or an animal, specifically an ox that repeats its violence. Is there a connection between all of these seemingly unrelated topics? Of course there is. In one word? Consistency.
Judaism is all about consistency, about regular holidays and special occasions that repeat themselves. Judaism is about sanctifying every aspect of life including time. But the word muad teaches us that consistency is only positive, assuming that the act you’re doing constantly is a positive one. Here the Torah teaches us that you can celebrate a moed and get closer to G-d or you can be a muad, and repeat old mistakes. You have the free will to choose your path, the path of moed or the path of muad.
