Dear Nitzotzos Community, A gutten Chodesh Iyar! " And it was in the four hundred and eightieth year after the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt, in the fourth year, in the month Ziv, which (is) the second month of Solomon's reign over Israel, that he did (begin to) build the house of the Lord. " (Melachim 6:1) The month of Iyar in Tanach is referred to as the month of Ziv, radiance. Indeed the word Iyar is related to the word Ohr, light. The Sefer Taamei HaMinhagim quotes from various sources that Iyar is an acronym for Ani Hashem Rofecha, I am God your healer. Why is Hashem described as a healer? We are taught to think of God as our King and the message is that we are his servants. We are taught to think of God as our father and the message is that we are his children. Are we really that sick that we should relate to God as our healer? Perhaps it means that God is our healer when we are sick but if God is described in a particular way it means he is always that way because God is infinite. The implication is that even when we are not sick somehow God is our healer. But what are we being healed from? And what is the connection between God's healing and the concept of light and radiance? Life involves a great deal of suffering. Just this morning I spent time with a talmid who is sitting shiva after the shocking loss of his father at the young age of 55. Over the past several days hundreds of rockets have rained down upon the citizens of Israel and tragically seve
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