The storm has been raging now for a full year, and some days I feel like I can barely keep my head above water. We are living life day-to-day, never knowing what text message we will find in the morning to tell us of another class closed or another name to have in mind in our prayers. Struggling against powerful currents that pull us farther and farther from shore, we search for a bubble of calm that we can use to steady ourselves like an anchor in rough seas.
There is one
creature that can help transport us to the tranquility we hope for, one that symbolizes
the ability to survive: fish. During the Flood, when the earth, its
inhabitants, and all the animals were destroyed except for those aboard the
ark, the fish remained safe in the rising waters. According to a medrash, a special miracle was performed
for the fish since the water was boiling and they would have otherwise
perished. Their secret? They lived fully in the water, which is often compared
with Torah, as it is the source of life itself.
*
* *
Fish thrive close to the surface in coral
reefs that stretch for over a thousand miles as well as in the deepest depths,
which drop over seven miles into a trench in the ocean floor. They are found in
all the oceans of the world from the warmest tropics to the coldest polar
regions. There are even fish that live under the ice and are saved from
freezing to death in those icy sub-zero conditions because they have antifreeze
in their blood! Hashem has given each creature exactly the tools it needs to
survive in its environment regardless of how hostile.
Fish come in all
shapes, colors, and sizes, some of which are quite surprising. For example,
although we often tend to think of tuna as tiny (since they come in cute little
five-ounce cans), they are actually huge. A single bluefin tuna can be around
five feet long and weigh over 400 pounds! That means that you can get around
600 cans of tuna from just one fish! (Albacore tuna, on the other hand, are
smaller, averaging only three feet long and weighing around 20 to 30 pounds.)
Fish are defined
as cold-blooded creatures that live in the water and have both fins and
gills. Contrary to popular belief, fish
do not breathe the water; they need the same oxygen that we do, only instead of
their oxygen being dissolved in the air, it is dissolved in the water and they
have special gills to access it. Their gills do not function in the air, and
they would suffocate if taken out of their natural environment. Fish can even “drown” if there is not enough
oxygen dissolved in the water to sustain them. Replenishing the oxygen supply
is one of the reasons why it is important to change the water in your fish tank
periodically, remembering, of course, to add nutrients with each water change
in order to make the tap water safe. (The other reason is to remove the
build-up of harmful wastes from the water.)
Fish are one of
the most popular pets in America partly because they are easy to take care of
and partly because mothers are not overly concerned that they will get out of
their tanks (or at least they won't get very far if they do). Many studies
reveal that looking at fish reduces stress, creates a calm atmosphere, and
helps people fall asleep faster. It also gives a sense of responsibility to
young children who take care of them. The latter goes hand in hand with helping
children cope with their first loss when the fish are occasionally over or
underfed and and are found floating belly-up in the morning.
Despite the fact
that they have the word “fish” in their name, jellyfish, starfish, and crayfish
are not actually fish. Seahorses, though, are true fish, the only fish to swim
upright. Another unique quality of seahorses is that the female seahorse gives
her eggs to the male to carry in a specialized pouch in his belly until they
hatch.
The mudskipper is
another exceptional fish that is able to leave the water, crawl its way along
muddy flats, and even climb! It carries a supply of water in its gills on its
overland trips and can also absorb oxygen through pores in its wet skin. It can
even jump two feet into the air! Likewise, flying fish are able to leave the
water and “fly” around 150 feet through the air and reach heights of almost 20
feet above the surface! When they do so, they are not breathing the air but
holding their breath, much as we do when we dive into the water.
Salmon make an
inspiring, arduous, upstream journey each spring to return to the sheltered river
where they were born in order to lay their eggs. They have been known to travel
nearly 2,000 miles against swift currents and even leap up waterfalls to reach
their destination. They undergo this harrowing trip to ensure that their
offspring will have the chance to grow and gain strength in peaceful waters
before facing the world.
Fish have their
own preferences and personalities: some are very territorial, living solitary
lives, while others prefer to swim in schools, sharing their space with
hundreds or even thousands of others. The purpose of schools is mainly for
protection: with so many fish clustered together it is difficult for a predator
to single out one specific target. They are simply safer when they stay
together. It is amazing to watch them as they appear to move as one unit, much as
children exit their classrooms for recess. They are able to avoid bumping into
one another because of specialized sensory organs they have called lateral
lines, which work like sonar to help them detect what is around them as well as
objects in murky water and in darkness.
*
* *
Adar is known as the darkest time of the
year because Haman had decreed the total annihilation of the Jewish people on
one of its days. It is also known as a time of great happiness: “When Adar
comes in, joy is increased.” To reconcile these two ostensibly conflicting
ideas, we can take a closer look at the symbol of Adar: the fish.
Every Jewish month
has a corresponding astral sign, for example the sign for Tishrei is scales
because it is the month in which we are judged, and the sign of Sivan is twins
because we received the two luchos at
Har Sinai. The sign for the month of Adar is fish because, just as fish are
hidden beneath the water, so, too, was Hashem’s presence hidden during the
story of Purim. But there is more.
It is well-known
that Haman was pleased that his lottery fell out in Adar, even though it meant
he would have to wait 11 months to fulfill his plans, because he knew that
Moshe had passed away during that month. (Of course, he didn’t realize that
Moshe was also born in the same month). According to another medrash, Haman was very happy that his
diabolical lottery to determine the day of destruction for the entire Jewish
people fell out in Adar because he knew that the sign for Adar was the fish. He
reasoned that, just as a fish opens its mouth wide to swallow its prey whole in
one gulp, he could “swallow” the whole Jewish nation in one day. (Fish have to
swallow their food whole because chewing would interfere with the water flowing
over the gills, and they would otherwise choke every time they chewed their
food.)
Chazal point out,
however, that Haman had failed to consider that a fish intent on hunting its
prey can easily be swallowed up in turn. As we know, the very day that Haman
intended to bring down the Jews became the day of his own downfall.
In order to
further understand the connection between fish and the month of Adar, it is
important to note that we are referring not to just one fish but two, swimming
in the opposite direction as the other. This symbolizes that things can switch
direction and turn around at any time, which is exactly what happened in Persia
when the very day that Haman had planned for our destruction became a day to celebrate
our victory.
This Adar,
we deeply need the serenity and strength that fish symbolize. We need to keep
in mind that things can turn around at any moment and that miracles are hidden
just below the surface. We need to remember that we are leaders in what we
choose to do each day and that we should always strive to “sense” those around
us. And for the sake of the children, for whom we would travel thousands of
miles upstream, may we merit to bring our ship safely home.
Debbie
Glazer lives in Pikesville with her husband and seven children and teaches
Language Arts in Bnos Yisroel High School.
She can often be found either writing or reading and loves to share her
passion for the written word with others.
