Jewish Zodiac

'He has made a decree which shall not pass' — The [continuity of] the decree shall not be interrupted, which is explained by the fact that Saturn will continue to move along its circle twice every fifty-nine years, and also [by the fact] that an eternal law [has been administered] to each one [of the planets]...

Bar Sira said (Ben Sira 38:7-8), "God brings forth spices from the earth. With them the healer heals the ailments, and with them the perfumer perfumes the perfumes." Said Rabbi Simon, "There isn't a single herb or spice that doesn't have a constellation in the firmaments that smacks it and tells it to grow." And behold, this is written in Job 38:33: "Do you know the laws of Heaven? Can you place its authority (šiṭro) on Earth?" etc. The language is "šoṭer" (officer/regulator). "Can you tie binds on the Pleiades, or the cords of Orion loosen?" (Job 38:31) Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa and Rabbi Simon said, "The Pleiades binds the fruits, and Orion pulls from binding to binding." And behold, this is written (Job 38:32) "Can you bring out the Zodiac in its season, Ursa Major with her sons you can lead?" Rabbi Tanḥum bar Ḥiyya and Rabbi Simon said, "A constellation is 'Mazal' because it stretches [m'mazzer] out the fruits."

§ The mishna teaches that from when the month of Av begins, one decreases acts of rejoicing. Rav Yehuda, son of Rav Shmuel bar Sheilat, said in the name of Rav: Just as when Av begins one decreases rejoicing, so too when the month of Adar begins, one increases rejoicing. Rav Pappa said: Therefore, in the case of a Jew who has litigation with a gentile, let him avoid him in the month of Av, when the Jews’ fortune is bad, and he should make himself available in Adar, when his fortune is good.

Rabbi Ḥanina said to his students who heard all this: Go and tell the son of Leiva’i, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: It is not the constellation of the day of the week that determines a person’s nature; rather, it is the constellation of the hour that determines his nature.
One who was born under the influence of the sun will be a radiant person; he will eat from his own resources and drink from his own resources, and his secrets will be exposed. If he steals he will not succeed, because he will be like the sun that shines and is revealed to all.
One who was born under the influence of Venus will be a rich and promiscuous person. What is the reason for this? Because fire was born during the hour of Venus, he will be subject the fire of the evil inclination, which burns perpetually.
One who was born under the influence of Mercury will be an enlightened and expert man, because Mercury is the sun’s scribe, as it is closest to the sun.
One who was born under the influence of the moon will be a man who suffers pains, who builds and destroys, and destroys and builds. He will be a man who eats not from his own resources and drinks not from his own resources, and whose secrets are hidden. If he steals he will succeed, as he is like the moon that constantly changes form, whose light is not its own, and who is at times exposed and at times hidden.
One who was born under the influence of Saturn will be a man whose thoughts are for naught. And some say that everything that others think about him and plan to do to him is for naught.
One who was born under the influence of Jupiter [tzedek] will be a just person [tzadkan]. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: And just in this context means just in the performance of mitzvot.
One who was born under the influence of Mars will be one who spills blood. Rav Ashi said: He will be either a blood letter, or a thief, or a slaughterer of animals, or a circumciser. Rabba said: I was born under the influence of Mars and I do not perform any of those activities. Abaye said: My Master also punishes and kills as a judge.

(1) ובראשי חדשיכם, it was an ancient custom among the Israelites to treat the day of the new moon as a semi festival. We know this already from Samuel I 20,19 where Yonathan describes the day as one on which no work is performed in the field, a day not defined as יום המעשה, “a working day.” This is why this day has retained a special significance for the Jewish people, i.e. the Torah describes it as ראשי חדשיכם “the beginning of your months.” You will not find the regular festivals, מועדים described as “your festivals.” We do not find the Sabbath described as “your Sabbath” or the festival of Shavuot as “your day of the firstling fruits.” [the author will go to some length to explain that the ending כם in the word שבועותיכם in verse 26 does not refer to that festival. Ed.] Neither do we find the expression סכותיכם, etc.
The reason for this ancient custom of treating the day of the new moon almost like a festival is that historically, success of the Jewish people in matters terrestrial has always been linked to the lunar cycle. The moon is a phenomenon which has no light of its own, a phenomenon which depends on receiving and reflecting light from an external source.
Although prior to the sin of the golden calf the Jewish people’s fate was totally independent of any foreign domination, described as חרות על הלוחות, a kind of absolute independence, freedom engraved on the Tablets (the first set no doubt), (compare Exodus 32,16) as well as Eyruvin 54 and Tanchuma, Ki Tissa 16), once they had sinned they (divested themselves of this privilege, (and) no longer made use of this “Royal crown” at all times as did the other nations, so that they did no longer appear to enjoy this advantage over the other nations of the world.
Ever since that spiritual disaster, the Jewish people could enjoy their original privilege of independence from the restrictions imposed by the fact that one is part of the “laws of nature” only on rare occasions in their history, whereas most of the time they were dependent on “light”, i.e. good fortune, from external sources not under their control. To that extent, their history reflects the situation of the moon with its periods of ascent and decline month after month. When the moon is not directly exposed to the light of the sun it becomes invisible. The expression אין מזל לישראל, (Shabbat 126) means that the Jewish people do not generate light of their own, do not work at being masters of their own fate, but rely entirely on G’d to guide their fates. They receive this Divinely emanated light when their deeds are pleasing to G’d.
This is why in the parlance of our prophets G’d Himself is referred to as: “אור ישראל” Israel’s source of light. (compare Isaiah 10,16 as well as Psalms 27,1 where David refers to G’d. as אורי וישעי, “my light and my salvation.”)
Whenever the Jewish people are in a state of sin, their sins act as a barrier between them and their G’d so that they are deprived of their source of light. When Isaiah describes their state of being when sinful, he speaks of their G’d’s hiding His face from them, as Israel walking in darkness harassed by the gentile nations. (Isaiah 59,2).

(3) It is from the roots of this commandment [that it is] so that Israel shall make God's holidays in their (proper) times, as God commanded that we make Pesach in the time that the produce is in [bloom], as it is written (Deuteronomy 16:1), "Observe the month of Spring, and you shall offer the Pesach sacrifice." And the holiday of Sukkot is [to fall] at the time of the harvest, as is written, "And the holiday of the harvest at the turn of the year." (Exodus 34:22) And were it not for intercalation, the holidays would come not at these times, since Israel calculates their months and festivals according to the lunar year, which has three hundred and fifty-four days, eight hours, and eight hundred and seventy-six parts, which is less than the solar year by ten days, twenty-one hours and two hundred and four parts - its mnemonic is ten, twenty-one, two hundred and four. Due to the ripening of the produce and fruit from the power of the sun, it turns out that but for intercalation - by which we align the lunar and solar years - Pesach would not come in the Spring, nor Sukkot at the time of the harvest. And this matter is to be fixed by the greatest [sages] of the generation, since it is a matter requiring great wisdom. And since it is also said that from this [calculation, one comes to know] the agricultural happenings of the year, it is appropriate to give [this task] only to great and pious men.