The month of Tammuz תמוז according to Kabbalah

Go Back to Previous Page

5773


The first suggestion we make is to read what we said last year about the month of Tammuz. What will be said this year will build on what we said last year.

Below is the link to last year's Blog about Tammuz. Please press your back button to return to this location after you read last year's Blog.

Parashiot for the month of Tammuz

This year there are the following Parashiot that will be read from the Torah Scroll during the month of Tammuz:

Parasha Korach – This essence allows us to control earthquakes and other natural disasters. Here are links to understand this more fully.

Parasha Chukat – Removing Death and using the tool of Mind Over Matter.

Parasha Balak- The vaccine against Uncertainty or Elevating your connection to Certainty and removing Doubts. Another name for this is Warring Against Amalek.

Parasha Pinchas – Manifesting Healing into your Life

Parasha Matot-Masei – Journeying through the Universes.

Each Parasha relates to the energy of Tammuz and by recognizing these Parashiot and its relationship to the Month will enhance your ability to control the energy on Rosh Chodesh.

Essence of Tammuz תמוז

The essence of this month is expressed in its Name. Tammuz has no direct meaning because it is composed of the Shoresh (root) Tam spelled תם and the two letters Vav (ו) and Zion (ז). Tam means completion. It also means innocent, simple, naive, and harmless. We will discuss how each of these terms impacts the energy of Tammuz in the next few paragraphs.

The Vav and the Zion are the letters that created the Astrological sign of Taurus and Gemini. These are the previous two Hebrew months. They also represent the majority of the period of the Omer, which if we remember is a period of Tikune or rectification of personality traits.

The gematria of the Vav = 6; the gematria of the Zion = 7; together the total is 13 which is the gematria of the word Echad. Echad means one or unity. One way of understanding the energy of Tammuz is we have the potential to complete the unification. To what unification are we referring? Let's see below!

The months of the Hebrew year are connected to the Tetragrammaton. The Kabbalists teach that Tammuz connected to the upper Hey. In Kabbalah the upper Hey represents Binah also called Ema or mother. The Mother gives birth to all of the six attributes of Zeir Anpin. She represents the seed level for these six attributes. The Kabbalists teach that these attributes are the emotive passions or emotions.

This is the essence of the month of Tammuz. It is the unification of the Yood and the Hey which spell the Name Yah. The external aspect of our mothers is Mother Love - Love for her children. That is the nature of the month of Tammuz, unifying our mind and body by controlling our emotions. Emotions are the hardest thing to control. They are the root of our reactive natures. When we learn to control our emotions, we achieve complete unification of all of the worlds. That is the opportunity during this month of Tammuz. When we control our character traits as we worked upon during the Omer period, we essentially learn to control our emotions.

Here are the letters of the month and the Tetragrammaton Permutation for the month of Tammuz

הוהי ת ח

The Tetragrammaton permutation comes from the last letters of four words in the Scroll of Esther Chapter 5 Verse 13. Here are the four words זה איננו שוה לי . The word for word translation is "this"; "our nothing"; "to be like"; "to me". The fact that this permutation is coming from the last letters of these words indicate that the month of Tammuz is within the frame of judgment.

Now, let's look at the permutation of the Tetragrammaton for the month of Tammuz and what we can learn.

The Tetragrammaton is normally spelled יהוה. When the Yood is in the first position- the first position is normally considered the World of Atzilut (Emanation). The second position normally has a Hey and is considered the world of Brea (Creation). The third position normally has a Vav and is considered the World of Yetzirah (Formation). The fourth position normally has a Hey and is considered the world of Assiya (Action or Manifestation).

All of these worlds in the paragraph above relate to descriptions and teachings in Kabbalah. They are metaphors to help us understand and relate to these worlds that we do not see with our physical senses.

The word that is the Tetragrammaton is actually the Hebrew verb "to be" in a conjugated form. The Yood at the beginning of a Hebrew verb indicates action. Therefore the Name of God translates into English as "Active Being." The ultimate essence of "Active Being" is transcendent power of love and compassion without regard to people's merit.

This normal permutation which is used in the month of Nissan puts the Name of God in its normal, proper, and optimal placement to provide for the maximum flow of the Beneficence of HaShem. In essence, the Yood in the World of Atzilut allows for a concentrated point of connection to the World of Ain Sof or Endless World. The upper Hey in Beria expands to support actual birthing and Creation. The Vav then channels this energy of Creation into the final Hey in the World of Malchut which is manifestation.

When we look at the permutation for Tammuz, we see the Tetragrammaton is in exact reverse of the normal order. Instead of the Yood being the point to draw from the Ain Sof, we have a larger vessel which may bring too much energy. The Vav in the second position now channels this additional energy to the Hey in the third position, which may find itself too small for this much energy. Finally the Yood in the Malchut position is ill prepared to manifest this energy.

In essence the month of Tammuz is not a good time to be doing. It is a month of feeling. It is month better suited to learning to control our out of control passions and emotions.

The letters of the Month

The letter Chet is also a word that can be spelled Chet Yood Tav. It is cognate to the Hebrew word for "missing the mark" or sin (please do not think of this as the western civilization's understanding of the word sin). The Chet created the constellation Sartan in Hebrew (סרטן). This word is translated as both a crab and the astrological sign called cancer-including a disease called cancer.

Make no mistake; there is a very direct relationship between the sign of cancer and the disease of cancer. The Kabbalists teach that all effects of the disease start during the month of cancer. They may be too small for our modern technology (X-Rays, Cat Scan, MRI and the like) to see it yet all tumors begin during this month. The Kabbalists also give us a simple tool to avoid this manifestation of the disease during this month. The Kabbalists tell us to be happy no matter what we are feeling. (This is the beginning of controlling our emotions). You feel reactive and angry...Be Happy; You feel sad and alone...Be Happy. This I a simple tool yet not a tool that is easy to manifest and that is why we have this plague called cancer in our generation. The major Tikune for all of us is to remove Hatred (an emotion) for no reason. When we decide to be happy and then manifest happiness during this month we are going against our selfish desire to receive. Please be happy during this month.

The Tav is the letter that created the moon. The moon is a metaphor for female since visually the moon goes through cycles. New moon, first phase, full moon, last phase and returns to a new moon. The Light does not change. The vessel is constantly changing as it strives to get closer (meaning more like the Light) to the Light. This is the root cause of the connection to emotion during this month of Cancer.

Here is a very important tool to help you modify your emotion and remain Happy during the month of Tammuz. Cancer is a code word for Desire to Receive for Oneself Alone. Since we know that the disease is manifesting during this month as a demonstration of our selfish desire, all we have to do is remember to remain happy no matter what we feel like and there can be no disease manifesting in our life. Also the Tetragrammaton being in reverse order makes it easier to REVERSE OUR EMOTIONS BACK to HAPPINESS.

Together the two letters Chet and Tav have a Gematria of 408. Other words with this gematria demonstrate the relation to cycles and emotions. Chait spelled Chet Tav means fear or dread along with terrified or broken. The word Ahavat (gematria 408) means love. SheChek (also with gematria 408) means laughter and joy. Nechasim (gematria of 408) means snakes as well as sorcery. When we transform the Snake into a positive helper we are transforming Hate (the essence of the Snake) into Love. As one can see all of the words with this gematria presented here are dealing with emotions both positive and negative. This is why the month of Tammuz has two aspects, its positive aspect from Rosh Chodesh thourgh the 16th, and its negative aspect from the 17th (Tov or good in its reversed form) through the end of the month.

There is one other word that has a gematria of 408 that reveals the positive aspect of Tammuz. It is the word Zot spelled Zion Aleph Tav. The meaning of this word is This. We say/sing this word when we remove the Torah from the Ark on Shabbat Morning (Zot HaTorah).The Kabbalists teach us that the letter Zion in Zot represents Zeir Anpin or the Spiritual World and the letters Aleph and Tav represent all of the energy of the Hebrew Alef Bet which is a metaphor for all of the endless vessel, culminating in the physical world. Zot therefore means a unity between the spiritual and physical worlds. This is why the 17th of Tammuz was intended to manifest the end of death in our world, but due to the Golden Calf we got this wrong one more time. Yet the universe promises us another opportunity. Are you getting ready for this event? It is called the "Coming of Mashiach!"

Holidays in Tammuz

The only Holiday in Tammuz is the 17th day. Had there been not been a Golden Calf incident this would have been the day that Mashiach would have manifested in the world. Moshe would have revealed himself as the Mashiach according to the Sages and Death would have been swallowed up forever. What a Happy Day. This energy is still available to us. That is potentially why it is a day of fasting that commences the most negative three weeks of the year. These are the three weeks from the 17th of Tammuz to the 9th of Av culminating in the Holiday of Tisha B'Av.

The Jewish World fasts on the 17th day of Tammuz as a sign of mourning while the Kabbalists fast on the 17th day of Tammuz as a way of elevating so that they can connect to the energy of Mashiach. We recommend that you remain happy during this fast so as to connect to Mashiach.

Rabbi Issac Luria has given us a very important meditation so that we can handle the energy in the universe during these three weeks.

  • Here is the link to the 3 Weeks Meditation, please use it at least once per day (3 times daily is recommended) during these three weeks.

    • Energy Days

    The energy days of Tammuz are Rosh Chodesh which this year has two days of Rosh Chodesh and the 17th day of Tammuz. There are also many very high souls and Tzadikim who left during the month of Tammuz for the sole purpose of helping us during this difficult period. It is extremely helpful to mention their Name on the Day of their Hilulah.

    Tzadikim who left in Tammuz

    Our Tzadikim have given us a great tool. Themselves! Their Hilulah is the opportunity to utilize their connection to the Creator to make our connection easier. The method we use is to light a Yahrzeit candle (25 hour candle) and learn about the Sage. This strengthens our connection to the Tzadik and through that connection allows us to reach the Creator more easily.

    It is recommended that one mentions the Names of the Tzadikim every evening at the start of your evening prayer connection or just prior to going to sleep each evening.

    Tribe and Tribal Leader connected to Tammuz

    Here are the connections to the Tribe for the month and the Leader of that Tribe from our website, with information about the Nasi and the attributes dealing with this month.

    The Tribe for the month of Tammuz is the

  • Tribe of Reuben.
    • I suggest you spend some time during this month checking out the attributes of the name Reuben and the Name of the Nasi who gave the dedication and his consciousness of why he gave what he gave. Remember not all of these attributes are positive and with the tool of "Binding by Striking" we can correct them and transform them into positive aspects.

    Practical Tools to adopt in Tammuz

    Here are strategies to adopt for this month of Tammuz that will help keep you in control of your emotions. Yet Remember the most effective tool to keep you in emotional control is Binding by Striking especially step one, STOPPING YOUR REACTION.

    1. Act Consciously: Whenever something happens that we experience we are reactive. If we stop this reaction, we are bringing our unconscious selfish reaction to the level of our consciousness. This is what is meant by "act consciously." Think before you act. During this month we will be exposed to deep intense and varying feelings and emotions. We need to learn the unconscious motivation behind these emotions. This is a month to control our feelings not a time to re-act.

    2. This is a month to strengthen our Hitbodeduth (translated usually as meditation yet it also has the meaning of "retreat within oneself"). The universe is supporting our internal investigation into our emotional motivations. Use this energy to retreat into yourself. Use the words of the Sages and the Tanach to promote this "retreat."

    3. Stay at Home: The universe supports the idea of staying home rather than going out traveling during this period. In fact the Kabbalists tell us to stay away from natural bodies of water. The reason behind this has to do with the energy of the month. Tammuz is a time of judgment. Water is a channel for the energy of Chesed. The negative system would like nothing better than to use water to manifest judgment. This corrupts the effect of water in the world. This actually occured during Noah's Flood. This is why it is important to say a Blessing prior to drinking water as the Blessing reverts the water to its essence prior to the corruption caused by the Flood. There is also a process of returning water to its pre-flood state given to us by the Kabbalists. Unfortunately this has not yet been translated into English.

    The influence of the Sartan, which means Crab in Hebrew, on all of us during the month of Tammuz

    The crab is a shellfish that is not capable of moving directly forward. During this month the energy will tend to push us to not be straight forward in our dealings. This can come from our fears. Like the child who is afraid to admit he did something wrong and tells a lie even when he knows the lie will be discovered.

    The crab also is covered with a hard shell. It protects itself by withdrawing into its shell so that the other fishes can not access the crab itself. It is very vulnerable when it loses it shell. Since the shell is hard there is no room to grow. The crab loses its shell as it grows. When this happens the crab has to find a place to hide. The crab hides in caves and under rocks. We hide in our homes.

    This is a month of growth and if one does not have the shell one becomes very vulnerable. This is the reason we recommend staying home since the energy of the month does not support exposing our vulnerabilities through actions but evaluating and changing ourselves to remove these vulnerabilities.

    The Tikune in Tammuz

    If your lunar north node is in the Zodiac sign of, your Tikune is in Sartan or Cancer in Hebrew.

    If you do not know where your north node is within your astrological chart send me your birth date birth location and birth time to yeshshem@hotmail.com. I will send you information on how to find your north node and your personal Tikune.

    In the words of the Kabbalah Center:

    The person with a tikune in Cancer carries an enormous amount of pride left over from a previous incarnation as a Capricorn. As a Capricorn, you were totally obsessed with professional victory, honor, and respectability. Bolstering your own reputation was the main motivation of your life. You undertook impossible tasks, if only to gain the admiration of others. You appointed yourself judge and jury and, as a consequence, condemned the mistakes committed by others.

    Though you saw yourself as a guardian of the moral order, you neglected morality’s most important attribute—mercy. As a result, you have not forged many friendships and have often been considered a shameless opportunist. This drive to achieve overwhelmed you with excessive responsibilities that prevented you from thinking of others. Consumed by social missions, you were, oddly enough, oblivious to other people. You lived cut off from the real pleasures of life—home, family, friendship—and lived a secluded, selfish existence in your own secret universe.

    From this previous incarnation, you have the seriousness and discipline to accomplish whatever goals you set for yourself in this life. But the tikune in Cancer suggests that you relinquish the notion that professional victories, social importance, and your own reputation are the keys to your happiness. Kabbalistic wisdom tells us that these are all illusions.

    Your correction in Cancer points you toward a new goal. It suggests that real happiness—durable, satisfying happiness—can be found in the creation of a truly warm and loving home. Along this path, you will discover a world heretofore unknown to you is filled with the wonder, simplicity, and spontaneity of childhood. You will learn flexibility and generosity in relationships and parenthood.   The most difficult renunciation of your past life will lie in your abandonment of the well-established Capricorn ideas of success and failure. The key to your real success will be found in the loving eyes of your family and in your dedication and devotion to that love. It is here that you will find the ultimate satisfaction.

    What we all can expect during Tammuz

    During Tammuz we all will be exposed to deep changing emotions. Summer starts during Tammuz and our life patterns and habits change from our normal school year patterns. This causes us to become reactive to the new patterns. Try not to travel during this period. Try to not allow yourself to become reactive. Try to stop your reactions during this period. Use the energy of healing from Iyar and the energy of balance from Sivan to achieve the completion of unification of our homes and families during the month of Tammuz.

    Kol Tuuv

    chanoch