When I was in the fourth grade, our teacher gave us an assignment I’ve never forgotten: create an acronym using our own name. I remember carefully crafting mine ā Sara: “Spunky, Artistic, Resourceful, Adventurous.” I had considered “Altruistic” for the A (having just proudly added this impressive word to my vocabulary), but “Adventurous” felt more honest at age nine. Since that classroom exercise, acronyms have fascinated me ā they transform ordinary names into vessels of meaning, revealing character in a nearly divine shorthand.
This beautiful tradition of finding meaning in letters extends beyond personal remembrances into our sacred calendar. Today marks Rosh Chodesh Iyar – the beginning of the Hebrew month of Iyar. While not every month in our calendar carries an acronym, Iyar holds a special designation that reveals God’s character in a powerful way.
What hidden message does God reveal to us in this particular month? Why does the Creator embed such significance in what might seem like an ordinary period between Passover and Shavuot?
The name “Iyar” (×Ö“×ÖøÖ¼××Ø) forms an acronym that speaks directly to those seeking restoration: Ani Adonai Rofecha – “I am the Lord, your healer.” These words echo the divine promise recorded in Exodus after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. At a place called Marah, where bitter waters became sweet, God declared:
This declaration wasn’t a momentary assurance – it was a covenant promise that reverberates through Scripture and time. The timing is significant. The Israelites had physically left Egypt during Nissan, but their journey of healing – both physical and spiritual – unfolded during Iyar.
Consider the Israelites’ condition after leaving Egypt. For generations, they had been beaten down, not just in body but in spirit. Slavery doesn’t merely exhaust the physical frame; it penetrates the soul, distorting identity and crushing hope. The Exodus wasn’t simply about geographical relocation – it required deep healing from wounds that ran beneath the surface.
During Iyar, God began this restoration process. The Israelites received manna for the first time in this month – divine sustenance that addressed their immediate physical needs while teaching dependence on God’s daily provision. Their relationship with time itself was transformed, as they counted the days toward Sinai in what we now observe as the Sefirat HaOmer – the counting of the Omer.
The healing character of Iyar shows that redemption happens both in dramatic moments and through ongoing restoration. The God powerful enough to split the sea also attends to the hidden wounds of individuals.
King David captured this in his psalms when he wrote: “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefitsāwho forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:2-3). David recognized that divine healing works across all dimensions of lifeāmoral, spiritual, emotional, and physical.
This truth speaks directly to our current condition. We live in a world deeply in need of healing. Nations are divided, families fractured, bodies afflicted, and spirits wounded. The acronym of Iyar calls us back to a foundational truth: healing comes not primarily through human systems or innovations, but through reconnection with God. The God who has sustained the Jewish people through centuries of exile and return continues to work restoration in our world today.
As we enter Iyar, its acronym reminds us of an enduring promise. The same God who declared “I am the Lord, your healer” in the wilderness stands ready to bring restoration today. In a world fixated on quick fixes, Iyar points back to this truth: real healing flows from divine connection. This isn’t ancient history – it’s a living reality for those who recognize the Healer at work in our world.
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