Iyar – The Month of Healing

The month of Iyar is known in the Torah as Chodesh Ziv or the month of radiance and is said to be blessed with the power of healing. An interesting and unique feature of this month is that the initial letters of the Hebrew name of the month, א-י-ר spell the initial letters of the verse אֲ‘נִי יְ‘הוָה רֹ‘פְאֶךָ – “I am Hashem your Healer” (Exodus 15:26).

The Sefer Ta’amei HaMinhagim asks why is Iyar a time of healing? He sources the Bnei Yissaschar who teaches that most weakness and illness come from foods which do not comport with a person’s nature or composition. Since the Manna began to fall during this month (on the 15th day of Iyar 2448) – and it was a perfect food from which resulted no sickness, pain or even waste matter and even cured those who were ill – Hashem left the curative nature of the month in effect even through today. Accordingly, Iyar is a time of healing.

Reb Pinchas of Koritz says that the rain that falls between Pesach and Shavuot is a refuah (healing) for diseases that have no cure. One should let the rain fall on their head and open their mouth to let the rain go straight in (some places say to the right side of the mouth).

There are several interesting natural events that “happen” to coincide with the month of Iyar that make it’s month-of-healing title even more apropos.

The first is that the Jewish month of Iyar coincides with the Gregorian calendar month of May, when tree pollen counts are at their highest, triggering hay fever allergies around the world. What does this have to do with healing you ask? Contrary to what the multi-billion-dollar-per-year-earning pharmaceutical cartels have led you to believe, allergies are not watery eyes and stuffed up noses. Allergies are reactions to irritants. Something foreign is triggering the body’s cleansing responses. Like when you spray your oven with heavily toxic grease cleaner and start coughing. Or when you try to smoke a cigarette for the first time and the coughing reflex kicks in to expel the toxic fumes.

It’s beyond the scope of this article but in a nutshell, the real trigger for allergies is a body stuffed full of refined foods that can’t be digested. This toxic load accumulates over the years and can pose catastrophic danger. At some point, the body becomes “reactive”, like in the smoking example, and begins to show symptoms of asthma, allergies, skin conditions, coughing, etc.

Enter the month of Iyar when loads of this stuff begins dripping out of your nose at high speed fashion. The body is clearing out the toxic load via the lymph system. Hey, better out then in when it comes to garbage right? Of course most people immediately take antihistamines to counteract this healing response but that’s just a minor detail.

Another fantastic fact is that watermelons, melons and grapes come into season in Israel during Iyar. These are the most cleansing and healing foods on earth. They act like super liquid Drano on your intestinal tract. Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself. Go on a grape fast for a couple of weeks. Eat only watermelon and melons for breakfast and lunch. Let the party begin!

Iyar is also the month when trees grow their new leaves and many flowers blossom.  The scent molecules of trees, called phytoncides, are volatile, organic compounds. Our health is deeply influenced by these little plant-powerhouse molecules. When the molecules are inhaled or absorbed through the mouth and skin, they travel in the blood stream, are pulsed through the body to the brain. Ongoing research demonstrates that phytoncides increase NK cell levels as wells as increase anti-cancer proteins and proteases that cause tumor cells to self-destruct. They also relax our parasympathetic nervous system, thus reducing stress hormones, which are widely understood to inhibit NK activity.

Did you know that flowers possess healing powers? Like the herbal treatments in naturopathic medicine, flowers can be used to create potent healing effects. Both the fragrance and color of flowers have energy healing properties and have been shown to bring relaxation and joy to a person, amongst other things.

What can we do to assist in our own healing?

* Pray for your own healing daily.

* Eat food that is more nourishing and cleansing as opposed to food that just fills you up and accumulates in your GI tract.

* Take a walk in the park or out in nature, breath in the healing air and sweet fragrance and take in the breath-taking sight of fresh leaves and newly blossomed flowers.

* Whenever possible, avoid antihistamines when experiencing allergies. I realize some attacks are too strong to handle, but if you can handle the drippy nose and watery eyes, do so.

* Take advantage of the not-too-strong spring sun’s healing, warming and mood-enhancing rays. Get 30 minutes of sunshine in the early morning hours or late afternoon hours without sunblock protection.

* Release the toxins which are making you headach-y, depressed, and grouchy. 

May we all be blessed with radiance and healing from the inside out!