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Mazal Tov Means Good Fortune

I have a secret confession. I read my horoscope every day. I am a Pisces. The fish that swim in both direction. The 12th sign of the zodiac.  Okay-actually I read several different versions of my horoscope every day! What you say? That’s not Jewish you say?  Well I know the Torah says not to consult witches or the occult.  But the zodiac and the 12 signs do have a Jewish connection.  Astrology and trying to understand God, the Universe, the Creation and our destinies are uniquely Jewish.

The word Mazal as in “Mazal Tov” is the word for zodiac sign. When we wish someone “Mazal Tov” at a wedding or a Brit Milah or Bar/Bat Mitzvah we are saying “Congratulations” but really we are saying so much more.  We are wishing that their fortune or luck is good. We are saying “I hope that the stars are aligned in your favor.”  We are saying “I bless you with the Divine Energy that flows through the Heavens and the Universe and through us and to us.”

Each Jewish month is associated with a mazal, or zodiac sign.  And because the Jewish calendar works on a primarily lunar mode, the beginning of a new Jewish month (Rosh Chodesh) begins when the new sign kicks in!  And the signs are the same as we know it. 

Just look at this ancient synagogue floor mosaic found at Bet Alpha in Israel :

You’ll see the symbols of the zodiac–the lion that is Aries, the Fish that are Pisces, the twins of Gemini, the Crab of Cancer, etc.  The ancient belief that the stars and planets play a role in our universe and the shape of our lives still reverberates today. 

I don’t really believe my destiny is in the stars. But I do believe our Creator flows through the Universe and all of us and that each of us can tap into that Divine power of the Universe.  But it is fun to try understand how astrology and Judaism intersect and how the map of the heavens at the point of our birth might be a snapshot into who we are.  If we believe that the Divine Energy is the Source of All and flows through all-it certainly flows through the Heavenly Spheres and through us.

What’s your Sign?  Happy Horoscope!

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