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Mazal Av - The Lion's Roar in Summer Fire
By HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok. Copyright (c) 2008 by Ariel Bar Tzadok. All rights reserved.
167 forever!
The lion has roared who will not fear, G-d
has spoken, will there be no prophecy?
The great lion rises over the summer heat.
In the heat comes the melting. In the heat
comes life.
Yet, heat is fire and fire burns. Burning is
either a blessing or a curse depending on how
fire is used.
Fire warms us when used in moderation and
burns us when we have too much.
Too little and we are cold; too much and we
burn. Moderation is the way how fire is
handled. Its great heat brings life, but it
can also bring death.
Av is the Father and the Father is the lion.
The lion's roar brings heat and the heat
brings with it both life and death.
Thus the Father is the source of life and
death. Balance the heat and the Father gives
us life. Imbalance the fire and the Father
allows it to kill.
Father Lion is none other than the Holy One,
blessed be He. He is the Great Lion who
roared. All who hear His roar will prophesy.
All who ignore His roar are burned by the
fire.
Father Lion has allowed great tragedy to
befall His people during this month, all
because they heeded not the Great Lion's roar.
Thus Av's heat burned them, their Temple and
their homeland.
The people ran away as they would from before
a devouring lion.
To this day, so many are still running.
Run as they may the Lion will pounce and
devour them all. This is the fate of prey.
Fire will burn and the Lion will devour.
This is not true for those who do not run.
The lion devours only his prey. Fire burns
only that which is kindling. It does not
touch the true children of the Father.
Those who know the secret of fire tame its
heat and use it for good. Those who know the
secret of the Lion's roar fear no punishment.
On the contrary, they wait silently to hear
the Speaking Silence that comes after the
Great Roar. In this Silence is truth, wisdom
and knowledge of handling fire.
The Lion is the King and He will rule in
Jerusalem, the city of peace, the place where
fire and water are tamed and are at peace.
The time of the Lion is the time for silence.
It is time for taming the raging fire by
burning against it containing fire. Thus
fire controls fire.
Silence the tongue and close the lips. Allow
nothing to enter or exit. This way the flesh
melts and the mind grows ever wiser.
The Av fire then cools and balances. By full
moon comes a time when imbalance turns to
balance and the Sun and Moon dance happily
together under the Huppah.
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Shalom, Ariel Bar Tzadok
