In Adar, though our diet begins a bit wacky, we eventually bring ourselves back to a centered diet of whole grains and beans, and by Purim we are ready to eat The Daniel Diet. The reason our diet begins a bit wacky is because we have just experienced lots of sweet dried fruits and wine at TubShvat and therefore in order to find ones balance many of us will now need to eat meat and other animal products.
Besides this, TubShvat marks one of our seasonal changes, and as we have learned from the commentator the Malbim, that during seasonal changes, (for at TubShvat as Rashi tells us on Parshot Noach, the weather is changing from winter to cold), many of us who are a bit weakened from these seasonal changes as the Malbim says; will need extra strength from animal products such as meat etc. (you can see that in Parshat Noach our permission from G-d to eat meat comes just after the verse which mentions the changing seasons. The Malbim, also a scientist explains that from Gan Eden till the great flood our earth was on a straight axis thus, only one season-nice weather and therefore no need to eat animals, and that only after the great flood did we no experience the changing seasons and together with this came the permission to eat meat. The Malbin explains that the seasonal changes hot to cold and cold to hot can weaken ones body and that meat strengthens the body) Many people catch colds or flues at this time which can be prevented by tightening up with eggs or meat etc.
We therefore begin Chodesh Adar in an unbalanced physical and even spiritual state. Spiritually, we are our of whack because until Purim we are not yet becoming one with our new higher and pure selves. We also see that on the other side of the year is Parshat Ki Tetze which has the laws of the rebellious son who does not listen to the voice of his mother and father. Rashi tells us (Quoiting Chazal) that the rebellious son also ingests a side of meat and keg of wine!-Now thats eating side to side! Just to note, the last aliyah of this parsha is Zachor Amalake which as is read before the 14th of Adar is so too read in its proper place just before the 14th of Elul!
These lavish foods of the side to side, meat and wine, delicacy diet are called The Kings Diet in which Daniel asked (The Book of Daniel-chapter one verses-11-18)to be given instead of The Kings Diet to have to him his men only eat Zaronim-seeds and for drink, only water, and not only that, bit to be tested on this diet for ten days. After the ten days, Daniel and his men looked better in flesh (than all those who ate The Kings Diet, and were super in tune, very high spiritually experiencing real dreams and visions etc.
Many translations of The Book of Daniel are calling Zaronim-vegetables, and truly the main thing is not to have any animal products from Purim on wards (best not till Chag HaPessach, however, our commentators both Rashi and the Metzudat Zion both state that what Daniel and his men ate-Zaronim are actually grains and beans! There is another commentator, the Even Ezra who states that Daniel and his men specifically ate rice. The Even Ezra then goes on to explain that one of the reasons that Daniel and his men looked so good etc. is because rice purifies ones blood! This he said in response to a big rabbi who seemed to think that it must have been a huge miracle that Daniel and his men looked so good after ten days of only-Zaronim-seeds and water. The Even Ezra therefore states; no need to come on to a miracle, they ate rice and rice purifies the blood. So too George Oshawa who brought Macrobiotics from the east to the west, suggests a ten day rice fast for most all health problems. For us, coming out of the cold winter months its now time to heal.
I have had quite a few of my students eat for ten days starting with Purim (though on the day of Purim itself they were also drinking dry wine). They all progressed tremendously, and greatly advanced in their studies!
(In the Parshiot which we read during most of Adar we are building the Mishkan which takes fresh, new, and creative thoughts combined with a natural fabrics etc. It is known that those who eat a more vegetarian diet have more attraction to natural things. This too hints that in Adar we should be eating a more vegetable based diet.)
The reason for beginning the ten day rice fast of Daniel on Purim is because the Ramah in the Shulchan Orich brings and opinion stating that there is to eat at our Purim meal Zaronim as a remembrance of Daniel who was also there at the time of Purim in Shushan with Mordichi and Ester. Seeing this blew my mind! The Gomorrah (Megilah in Rashi) tells us that the secrets of the Messiah are in The Book of Daniel So if you are a good student and keeping up with teachings of The Returning Light, then you tell me, what important date of the Jewish Year have we reached when we count ten days from Adar? Thats right! the twenty fifth day of Adar! A new heaven and earth, time to be balanced! As we know rice is the most centering of all foods. Not only that but this creation of the heaven and the earth is not in lofty thought, but a creation/new birthing, which reaches to physical reality! Now is time to prepare our bodies to reenter into this physical world. This ties together the understanding that Rice (in Hebrew)-Orerez-אורז, is the word Ore meaning light and the letter zion denoting this physical world! Light to this physical world! So too Micio Kushi the head of the Macrobiotic world has stated that rice is more evolved, farther along on the evolutionary scale. He says that this idea comes from how we see that rice is perfectly round with out a clef, whereas the other grains, namely the grains in which The Torah uses to praise The Land of Israel does indeed yes have a clef. The grains with a clef are therefore less evolved and more ancient therefore as I understand it, connecting us more to Kedem, before the evolved physical modern world. These Kedem grains which have a clef, includes the five grains of Israelwheat, rye, barley, spelt, and oats. I therefore when we are on the other side of the year in mid Elul heading towards the beyond this physical world, I put the emphasis on these grains of Israel and in Adar as we the light of our new soul is heading towards a physical birthing, I instead mainly eat rice.
Just as we are approaching the twenty fifth of Adar we should add to the Daniel Diet (our diet at this time) a bit more raw olive oil to our grains. This need for more olive oil actually begins at the first day of the Meluim. (for the eight days before Rosh Chodesh Nissan Moshe Rabanu put together the Mishkan went through the service and oiled all its vessels) For us, this is a time as all the major 25ths of the Jewish Year are-(25th of Elul and Kislev too) to allow new light from heaven to enter our brains. Olive oil has that quality of expansion, expanding and opening our brain to receive new light.[please note that now is not time to expand with sweet dried fruits etc. nor juice etc.] Salt on the other hand pulls us together and focuses our ideas. We will need more salt in Nissan as we begin reading (in a non-leap year) Parshot Vayikra which mentions salt four times in one verse. At this time, as we approach Rosh Chodesh Nissan which is the birthing of Adam-the new you, in to physical reality, we need more salt in all our food preparation (bread etc.) in order to focus our new light, the light of our soul, including our lofty ideas and bring it all together to reach a new existence. This may be with whatever expression you choose; writing, dance, voice, painting, teaching, etc.
Once after the twenty fifth of Adar our diet should open to more live foods including cleansing foods like garlic (which here in Israel you will see beautiful garlic braids in the market). Cucumbers, more olive oil, fresh parsley, etc. and for most of us include good a quality bread. Be physically active, get in shape, (Running in Adar is important for Adar correlates to the Tribe of Naphtali who would run all the way from Tzfat to the Biet HaMikdash to give witness to the seeing of the new moon) stretch, hike in nature, add a bit extra water to your diet, get plenty of sun, (sitting in the direct sun, best the morning hours can also help to knock out your flue or cold) and for you Jews, use your bodies to clean for Chometz!.
