Av 5785: Gam Zeh Ya'avor | This Too Shall Pass

🌒 Moon Full of Moon of Endings & Beginnings 🌒 begins at sundown on July 25, 2025 | Courage & The Blessing and Curse of Gam Zeh Ya’avor

Jul 22, 2025

Digital collage. Ancient stone walls on the left and right with a large wine cask in the center filling the passageway. On the wine cask there is an image of a card from the Mantegna Tarocchi, a proto-tarot deck from 15th Century Italy. The card is the Strength card which shows a woman wearing lion shaped armor holding a column that is cracked in two with a lion behind her. Around the casket is a subtle illustration of a dragon eating its tale from a Jewish alchemical text. At the bottom of the cask are the Hebrew words gam zen ya’avor — this too will pass. In the top right corner is a stylized eye with tears falling from it. In the bottom right is the Hebrew word Av. In the bottom left corner is a stylized vintage photo of a young couple dancing and ketzirah’s signature sigil. — Av: Moon of Endings and Beginnings by Ketzirah haMa’agelet 5785

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If you know anything about the Month of Av, it’s probably Tisha b’Av - the holiday of mourning (a lot of things).

But Av is the month of courageous resilience. It’s a month where we are forced to confront endings we may not have chosen (Tisha b’Av) and that life goes on whether we like it or not (Tu b’Av) — and the next generation needs hope even more than we do.

The soul trait for Av is ometz lev (אמץ לב) courage. When our world falls apart, we Av teaches us how to continue.

Av 5784 || Av 5783 || Av 5782 || Av 5781

Courage and the Blessing and Curse of Gam Zeh Ya’avor

Apparently I’m so into this soul trait that I’ve written about it twice, not including the Soul Trait Studio practice guide that is updated annually.

Ometz Lev: Courage

Ketzirah haMa’agelet

July 28, 2023

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Ometz Lev: Courage/Strong heart

Ketzirah haMa’agelet

August 11, 2024

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Soul Trait Studio: Av 5784

Ketzirah haMa’agelet

August 11, 2024

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But I think courage is the most important thing to have in proper balance right now. Courage in Hebrew is ometz lev, literally a strong heart. The Yiddish for courage is mut (מוט), which we seem to have picked up from German. I love that in German it also translates as heart, spirit, nerve, boldness, pluck. And I’m reminded that the English word “courage” comes from the Latin for “heart” - cor.

Courage in these days matters. It’s about being afraid, knowing the risks, and standing up for what is right anyway. Not just knowing what is right and what is wrong, but taking action based on it.

Sometimes this gets reduced to slogans:

Protect trans kids.

Black Lives Matter.

No one is illegal.

Abortion is healthcare.

Queer rights are human rights.

The slogans serve a purpose. But what will you do when you seen ICE forcing someone into a van? Knowing that they could end up in what equates to a concentration camp? Knowing that the person might be a criminal, but also might just be someone who overstayed a visa? The person might even be a US Citizen who happens to be Latino - or simply BROWN.

What about trans kids (and adults) who desperately need healthcare? Or women, non-binary folks, and trans-men) who need miscarriage, abortion, or contraception care?

What about your local school district banning a book simply because gay people exist in it?

And of course, what about every Black person who is beaten by the police for simply being black?

“Courage expands possibilities in the face of seemingly limited options.”
Edith Brotman, Mussar Yoga

Living our values means living with courage. Being willing to recognize the risks and the reality. Knowing where we are capable of putting ourselves in possible harms way to expand possibilities for others when the options seem limited.

So what does this have to do with the phrase gam zeh ya’avor (גם זה יעבור) this too shall pass?

There is a Jewish folk tale that Solomon asked one of his ministers to find him a gold ring with very specific magic powers: If a happy person looks at it, they become sad, and if a sad person looks at it, they become happy.”

Solomon knew this to be an impossible task, and was hoping to humble his minister through this pointless search. But his minister returned with a ring that had three Hebrew letters inscribed on the gold band: gimel (ג), zayin (ז), and yud (י), which are the first letters of the words gam zeh ya'avor (גם זה יעבור) this too shall pass. “At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.”

Gam zeh ya’avor is one of those phrases people toss off in the wrong moments and without the proper context. When said in context, it is a blessing to those who are suffering and a curse to those who are privileged. But it is often received as a dismissal of the suffering by those who suffer. But if we have the courage to seek the context and say this to ourselves during this difficult times — it can help us remember that while going through the suffering is not what anyone would desire — gam zeh ya'avor (גם זה יעבור) this too SHALL pass.

We would not be here if this were not true. Our ancestors lived for us, so we must live to be good ancestors. We must feel the pain, and not pretend it isn’t real, but we must live. We must provide hope to the next generations. Tisha b’Av is only an end if we stop there. When we embrace Tu b’Av as a holiday of hope and joy — it becomes compost for what might be.

So I bless you with gam zeh ya'avor if you are suffering and if you are privileged enough to not be feeling anxiety, fear, or pain right now then have the courage to be compassionate with others because gam zeh ya'avor.

Say Thanks

Soul Trait Studio Av

The final two Soul Trait Studio sessions will be Av and Elul 5785.

Av Soul Trait Studio | 7/27/2025 | 3-4:30pm ET
Register at: https://devotaj.com/soultraitstudio

What is Mussar?

Ketzirah haMa’agelet

February 10, 2023

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I’ve been offering Soul Trait Studio for several years. I took the first two months of 5785 off from it, to decide if I was going to continue the offering. I did through this year, but now I realize it’s no…and for 5786.

I’m not going to offer it in 5786. But I’m exploring alternative mussar offerings. Probably a bit more experimental, as I play with new forms. Or it may look a lot like STS, just presented in new formats.

If you’ve been waiting to attend — I hope you will for the final two sessions and explore what a mussar practice might offer you.

If you've been attending — also hope to see you for these final sessions!

Av

Av is a month for us to tear down our walls, both physical and emotional, challenge what we believe we need to thrive, and get ready to do the work of beginning again.