DAY IN

‫שבט‬ NISSAN OF
FLAG MEANING IN NAME MONTH/ BODY SYMBOL
NASI’S
TRIBE OFFERING
T'cheilet, the blue dye that
NISSAN
was used for tzitzis; on the
‫יהודה‬ 1ST
flag is embroidered a lion,
His name means to give thanks, in "The new year for kings"; the king rules his people
YEHUDA ‫יום ראשון‬ speech by the power of his speech, as is said "for the word
the symbol of royalty (King
of the king is his rule."
Dovid & Moshiach)
Black with an embroidered The master of the "secret" of the Jewish IYAR
sun and moon; dedicated to calendar, "knowers of understanding Thought implies contemplation and introspection;
‫יששכר‬ 2ND
the spiritual world. Black the times"; basic nature is also signifies the power of calculation (as in the
YISAKOR ‫יום שני‬
represents a lack of contemplative and serves as the calculation of the calendar); the month of counting
physical possessions. "advisor" to all the brethren ("sefirat haomer")
White with the embroidery SIVAN
The Arizal explains that the origin of
of a ship; this tribe settles Walking (progress, dynamic) means the sense of
the soul of Zevulun is in keter, the level
by the water and conducts continuous, ongoing progress. Each law of the
of the Torah itself, as indicated by the
‫זבולון‬ 3RD business overseas; they are
fact that the Ten Commandments
Torah is called a halacha, from the word "to walk."
ZEVULUN ‫יום שלישי‬ dedicated to supporting the
possess 620 letters =‫( כתר‬corresponding
Our sages interpret the verse: "the walkings of the
Torah study of Yissachar; world are to Him" (Habakuk 6:4), that he who
to the 613 mitzvos together with the 7
The white represents their studies halacha daily will surely merit the world to
mitzvos of the sages)
pure business intentions come
TAMUZ
The root "to see"
Red flag symbolizes the The ability to guard and focus one's eyesight
red implies either the fall of man (odem
revenge to be taken on correctly is the rectified "sense" of sight; the
‫ראובן‬ 4TH
Edom; symbol is a
[red] has the same spelling as adam
summer (the period of Tamuz) is the "holiday" of
REUVEN ‫יום רביעי‬ [man]), as in the sin of the golden calf,
mandrake, a kind of plant the eyes; one must "guard" one’s eyes to see only
or the ultimate rise & rectification of
that grows in the wild. that which is good (in the world in general and in
man, with the coming of Moshiach
his fellow man in particular) and modest
"To hear" in Hebrew = "to understand,"
Green with an embroidery
to integrate into one's consciousness
of a city, representing
(into one's heart, in addition to one's
Shechem. Shimon's AV
‫שמעון‬ 5TH
conquest of the city of
mind); to change depends upon his
The general rectification of the month of Av is the
SHIMEON ‫יום חמישי‬ Shechem is considered the
inner sense of hearing. "Hear [shemah]
rectification of hearing
O' Israel...." Inner hearing (derher in
first in the conquest of
Yiddish) comes with the deep sense of
Eretz Yisroel
humility in the soul
 Woven from black and
white threads. A troop of ELUL
soldiers is embroidered on Gad means "camp," the special talent is Relates, in Kabbalah, to the thirteen principles of
‫גד‬ 6TH
the silk cloth. The tribe of to organize a "company"; also means mercy that are revealed in the month of Elul, in
GAD ‫יום שישי‬
Gad faces the uncertainty "good fortune" order to arouse the soul from its root (its "good
of battle with great trust in fortune") to return to G-d
Hashem
TISHREI
Efraim is the son of Joseph, the Adam HaRishon - Touch (contact, marriage) is the
‫אפרים‬ 7TH Red-violet with a young
archetypal soul of the power to only of the five common and general senses which
EFRAIM ‫שבת‬ bull representing Yehoshua
procreate in marital union is not centered in the "face" of man (but rather in
the tips of his fingers)
Deriving from the word "to forget" CHESVAN
(literally "to leap, up and away"), The sense of smell is the most spiritual of all
Menasheh implies the power of the senses. The Hebrew word for "smell," rei'ach, is
Violet; a wild ox is Tzadik (Joseph) to make us forget the cognate to that for "spirit" (ruach). Our sages teach
‫מנשה‬ 8TH embroidered in the silk to hardships, trials and tribulations of this us that smell is the one and only sense that "the
MENASHE ‫יום ראשון‬ represent the descendant world, with the coming of Moshiach. soul enjoys and not the body." "Soul" (neshamah)
Gideon, the Judge By the power and sense of Menasheh, is a permutation of Menasheh, as mentioned above.
all of the pain of this world will The sense of smell is the only sense (of the five
transform and metamorphose into the common senses) that did not participate, and
pleasure of the Messianic era. thereby was not blemished or polluted
The only tribe who was born in the land
Colors of all the other of Israel. The land of Israel is the place
tribes; a wolf is where one most experiences Divine
KISLEV
embroidered on the flag providence and G-d's absolute
9TH The sense of sleep is the tranquility and restfulness
representing the eagerness omnipresence. In the words of the
BENYAMIN ‫יום שני‬ that comes with trust and security in G-d and His
of Heaven to "snatch" the Zohar: "There is no place vacant of
Divine providence
korbanos, consuming them Him; through the korbanos of the Bait
with the Heavenly fire HaMikdash, all the Shvatim (tribes) are
brought together
 Dan means "to judge"; likened to
TEVES
a snake, which bites with the
The sense of holy anger, or righteous indignation
venom of anger. The "evil eye" is
(the rectification of the month of Tevet) is the
the eye of the snake; the
An opal-colored flag and ability of the soul to arouse one's good
rectification of Dan is his
the serpent embroidered on inclination to become angry at one's evil
engaging in the battle of holy
‫דן‬ 10TH it both allude to the mighty
anger against evil anger
inclination; In Chassidus we are taught that one
DAN ‫יום שלישי‬ Shimshon who shows must direct his left ("evil") eye towards himself
Nachash ("snake") = 358 =
strength and cunning when (with the holy anger of his innate good against
Moshiach. The holy power of
dealing with the Pelishtim his innate evil), to lower and subdue his ego,
Dan reflects a spark of Moshiach;
while simultaneously directing his right ("good")
the Zohar states the commander-
eye towards outer reality (by which power he
in-chief of the army of Moshiach
helps reality perfect itself).
will come from the tribe of Dan
The name "Asher" means
"pleasure" and "happiness." Our
father Yaacov blessed him: "from
Asher comes delicious [lit. fat]
bread, and he shall provide the SHVAT
Pearl color silk. Upon it an
delicacies of the king"; the olive The rectified sense of eating is the special sense
olive tree is embroidered.
tree, which gives the goodly oil of the Tzadik, as is said: "The Tzadik eats to
Asher's portion in the land
with which Asher's portion in satisfy his soul." This verse continues: "but the
‫אשר‬ 11TH of Eretz Yisroel is filled with
Israel was blessed. Of the seven stomach of the wicked is always lacking." The
ASHER ‫יום רביעי‬ olive trees, descendants'
species in Israel, the olive is the soul-oriented Tzadik feels "full" and happy with
daughters are destined to
sixth, which, in Kabbalah, a little; the body-oriented rasha (wicked-one)
marry Kohanim Gedolim
corresponds to the sefirah of never feels "full."
and kings
yesod, the "Tzadik, foundation of
the world." Olive oil represents
the potent seed of the Tzadik to
bear and sustain blessed
generations of Jewish souls
ADAR
Color of diluted wine. A
The mitzvah on Purim to reach the level of the
deer is embroidered on the
In Kabbalah, the name Naftali is "unknowable head" by drinking wine etc., is
‫נפתלי‬ 12TH flag. The descendants of
read (as two words): nofet li, expressed, in the words of our sages, as: "one is
NAFTOLI ‫יום חמישי‬ Naftali study Torah from
"sweetness is to me." obligated on Purim to become sweet, until he is
the mouth of the
unable to differentiate between 'cursed be
Sanhedrin.
Hamen' and 'blessed be Mordechai
 In the desert, the flags were raised above each tribe's camp to identify it

Each flag was different, with a special symbol, color, and passuk (verse from the Torah) representing each tribe
Each individual Shevet gets a flag that fits the personality and expectation of that tribe. The flags are made of silk and match the color
of the gem stone that represents that tribe on the Kohain Gadol's Chosen - breastplate

‫ואיש על דגלו לצברתם‬

And each person at one’s flag to their groups (Bemidbar 1:52)
Final letters spell “Sholom”, peace
When each person goes to their place, peace can flourish

Based on materials from:

Rabbi Ginzburgh; Torah Tots; sichos from the Lubavitcher Rebbe