Iyar is the only month in which there is a mitzvah every day—the counting of the Omer takes place throughout the entire month—which presents a tremendous opportunity for spiritual purification and doing teshuvah.
In the month of Iyar, the Jewish people were granted Miriam's Well.
In the Talmud (Ta'anit 7a; Bava Kamma 17a), water is a symbol of the wisdom and knowledge contained in the Torah. It is related that Rabbi Chaim Vital (may his merit protect us), a disciple of the Arizal, was unable to absorb the wisdom of Kabbalah from his teacher. Everything the Arizal taught him, he immediately forgot. Once, the Arizal traveled with him to Tiberias, to the shore of the Kinneret, where, according to the sages of the Talmud, Miriam's Well is hidden. Upon arriving, he took a vessel, drew some water, and instructed Rabbi Chaim to drink it. From that moment on, the disciple began to make successful progress in his study of Kabbalah. Therefore, the month of Iyar is considered an auspicious time for mastering the wisdom of Torah.
Iyar is also an acronym for the words: “Ani Hashem Rofecha”—“I am the L-rd, your Healer.” This month is considered “mesugal le-refuah”—conducive to healing—and this reveals that prayers offered during Iyar are received more favorably in Heaven. (Rabbi Nachum Ze'ev Rapoport)
The first letters of the final four words of Tehillim (6:11) are:
“Yevoshu ve-yibahalu me'od kol oyvai, yashuvu yevoshu rega”—“Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly terrified; let them turn back and be suddenly ashamed”—form the acronym of the word Iyar—אייר—the month of healing. The double repetition of “yevosh(u)” hints at the neutralization of the forces of evil.
Kabbalah connects the hidden essence of Iyar with Shabbat—with the three Shabbat meals. Each of them is preceded by the ritual of Kiddush, recited over a cup of wine. When Kiddush is performed, the forces of evil that appear in the world during the month of Iyar are cast into the dust. This is hinted at by the verse: “Shame will fall upon their heads; confusion will seize all my enemies; they will repent and turn to me in the moment of their shame...” (Tehillim 6:11)
The first letter of the word “oyvai” (“my enemies”) is alef; the first letter of the word “yashuvu” (“they will repent”) is yud; the first letter of the word “yevosh(u)” (“their shame”) is yud; and the first letter of the word “rega” (“moment”) is resh. Together, they form the word “Iyar” (alef, yod, yud, resh).
The gematria of the word “Revayah” (“full” or “satisfying one's thirst”)—resh (200) + vav (6) + yud (10) + hei (5)—equals 221. The gematria of the word “Iyar”—alef (1) + yod (10) + yud (10) + resh (200)—also equals 221.
Segulot of the Month of Iyar
1. Reading Pirkei Avot
There is a hint connecting the word “Iyar” with the three Shabbat meals and with the Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
The letters of the word “Iyar” form an acronym from the first letters of the names of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs: Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Rachel.
According to Kabbalah, the three Shabbat meals were instituted in memory of our three Patriarchs, while the Melaveh Malkah meal (“escorting the Shabbat Queen”) commemorates our Matriarch Rachel. For the same reason, we read Pirkei Avot during this period.
2. Raindrops for Refuah
Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz says that the rains that fall between Pesach and Shavuot are an excellent protection from illnesses that cannot be cured, Rachmana litzlan. One should allow the rain to enter one's mouth (some sages teach that it should enter from the right side of the mouth).
3. Reading the Prayer of King Hezekiah for Refuah Shleimah
Chodesh Iyar is Mesugal le-Refuah Shleimah (Conducive to Complete Healing)
The Mekubalim teach that the month of Iyar is mesugal le-refuah (conducive to healing). In “Tefilot Ha-Marshal,” which quotes Rashi, it is stated that one should read the Prayer of Hezekiah, which he received from Heaven. This is the passage from Isaiah (38:9–20). It was revealed to him that a sick person, or someone undergoing a trial, should read it and will be saved from all harsh judgments.
Rabbi Meir Mazuz—Rosh Yeshivah of Kisse Rahamim (may his merit protect us)—taught that it is beneficial to read the Prayer of Hezekiah throughout the month of Iyar, the month of healing.
The complete prayer is here:
The Prayer of King Hezekiah
4. Sefirat Ha-Omer
“Bnei Yissachar”—Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov—teaches that Rabbi Chaim Vital called the days of Sefirat Ha-Omer (the counting of the Omer takes place throughout the month of Iyar) the most suitable time for Tikkun Ha-Brit.
5. The Month of Teshuvah
Rabbi Tzadok Ha-Kohen of Lublin, in “Pri Tzadik,” Rosh Chodesh Iyar (4), quotes the sefer “Ohev Yisrael,” which states that the month of Iyar is an auspicious time for teshuvah. The most important form of healing is the healing of the neshamah; therefore, Iyar is a special time for teshuvah.
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov teaches that when, during Shacharit in “Vayevarech David,” we recite the phrase “u-tzeva ha-Shamayim lecha mishtachavim” (“the heavenly host bows down before You”) (Nehemiah 9:6), this is the most suitable time to add a personal prayer. One should bow and have the following kavanah: according to “Kitzur Likutei Moharan” (I, 231): “[At this moment] one may pray for anything, because at this time all the angels bow and prostrate themselves before the Blessed One. Therefore, it is good to ask that the L-rd command them to do what you request; and if it is healing, one should have the kavanah that the L-rd command [the angels] to invest the bread and water with spiritual healing powers, and so forth.” (“Weekly Customs of Breslov,” p. 62)
7. Reading “Parashat Ha-Man”
On 15 Iyar, the mann began to fall—the bread that Tehillim (77:25) calls “the bread of the mighty.” It sustained the Jews in the desert for 40 years. It was perfect food, both spiritually and physically, and did not cause illness.
The complete prayer is here:
Parashat HaMan in the format of "Shnayim Mikra ve-Echad Targum" - Aramaic
8. “Chet be-Iyar”—the 8th of Iyar
There is a special day in three Jewish months—a “Yom Meyuchad.”
The Mekubal Rabbi Eliyahu Mani—the chief rabbi of Hebron, a Kabbalist, and the friend and rabbi of Ben Ish Chai, with whom he corresponded while Ben Ish Chai was still living in Baghdad and taught him the customs of the Holy Land through their correspondence—reveals the great secret of this day: Chet be-Iyar (the 8th of Iyar).
In the book “Bati LeGani” (folio קסז), Chacham Rabbi Sasson Mizrachi cites an excerpt from a manuscript by Rabbi Eliyahu Mani, which was sent to him by Rabbi Shaul Chai—a great and hidden Mekubal, a disciple of the great Rabbi Yehudah Ptayah.
It states: “Ve-dalecha”—you should know that if the month of Iyar, Elul, or Tevet arrives—one of these three months—and the 8th day of that month, “Chet la-Chodesh,” falls on the second day of the week—Yom Sheni (Monday)—then that day is truly “Kadosh, ve-Nora, ve-Adir me'od-me'od” (holy, illuminated, and exceedingly powerful). Hashem grants that day an abundance of holiness, especially for Torah study.
On this day, it is important to study more Torah, read Tehillim, and perform gemilut chasadim. Above all, one must not miss it, as it occurs only once every three years. On this day, one can draw down tremendous blessings, both spiritual and material.
Rabbi Yeshayahu Pinto prescribes special prayers for this day. Before Mincha on the 8th of Iyar, it is important to recite “Akeidat Yitzchak” seven times, followed by Ketoret three times.
The Zohar Ha-Kadosh teaches that there are 60 segulot in Pitum Ha-Ketoret—this is a prayer that removes all negative forces. One should then pray for one's personal needs and for all of Am Yisrael. May the merit of the Mekubal Rabbi Eliyahu Mani protect our people!
9. 5 Iyar—the Date of Redemption in the Arizal's Only Manuscript
As is known, the greatest Kabbalist, the Arizal—Rabbi Yitzchak bar Luria Ashkenazi (may his merit protect us)—left no manuscripts behind. His entire legacy reached us through the books of his disciple, Rabbi Chaim Vital. However, there is one small manuscript written in the Arizal's own hand. It is a commentary on the “Book of Ruth,” entitled “Yikra Tzadik Yesod Olam.”
The Arizal examines the passage in which Boaz addresses Ruth, who had come to him: “Spend the night here, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him redeem you. But if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as the L-rd lives!” (3:13)
The Arizal reveals what Boaz meant: “If redemption comes through good deeds, then it will come. But if it does not come through good deeds, then I—I, the L-rd—will redeem.”
Moreover, the oath “As the L-rd lives”, according to the Arizal, hints at the time of the Redemption. How so?
“Chai” corresponds to the Kabbalistic attribute of “Yesod” (foundation), while “the L-rd” corresponds to the attribute of “Tiferet” (harmony). When this expression is applied to the Counting of the Omer, whose days correspond to the combinations of the seven Divine attributes, it yields “Yesod she-be-Tiferet.” This corresponds to the 20th day of the Counting of the Omer, which falls on 5 Iyar.
More details here:
5 Iyar – the Date of Redemption and the Ari’s Only Manuscript
10. 14 Iyar—the Secret of Pesach Sheni and the Seven Days of Et Ratzon
“Pesach Sheni” (the Second Pesach) is observed on 14 Iyar, exactly one month after the eve of the regular Pesach, and lasts for one day. In Temple times, anyone who had been ritually impure on Pesach or was traveling could bring the Paschal offering on this day.
But there is a great secret connected with the seven days beginning on Pesach Sheni.
The seven days—14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 Iyar—are days of “Et Ratzon” (a time of special Divine favor).
In the Zohar Ha-Kadosh, Raya Mehemna, on Beha'alotcha (folio 153a), it is written:
“All these 30 days from the day Israel went out of Egypt, from Pesach, the Queen sits in her crown, and all her hosts rejoice. Whoever wishes to see the Queen may see her. The herald announces: ‘Anyone who was unable to see the Queen, let him come and see her before the gates close!’”
What does the herald announce?
On the 14th day of the second month and for seven days thereafter, the gates are open. Afterward, the gates close. The Queen refers to the Shechinah—the Divine Presence, the revelation of the Creator in our world. These words show that Pesach Sheni is a time when anyone can bring their prayers closer to the Holy One, blessed be He.
More details here:
14 Iyar – The Secret of Pesach Sheni and the Seven Days of Et Ratzon
(Compiled from the “Zchut Avot” website; from the sefer by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, “Kitzur Likutei Moharan” (I, 231), “Weekly Customs of Breslov,” p. 62; and an article by Rabbi Nachum Ze'ev Rapoport)
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