We usually feel happy about the good things in life, but because life also includes evil and pain, this joy is not complete. However, when we understand that even the bad is ultimately transformed into good, this can make us feel especially joyful. This is exactly what happened in the month of Adar, on Purim: God transformed bad into good and saved His people. (See section 5 below.) This teaches us that everything that happens in the world – even terrible things – will eventually be transformed for the better. The greater our faith in God and our commitment to the Torah, the closer we bring the ultimate redemption, when all bad will be transformed into good, and the world will become a much happier place. Since the month of Adar has the unique ability to transform bad into good, the Sages proclaimed: “When Adar arrives, we increase joy.”
In a leap year, there are two months of Adar, which we call Adar Rishon (or Adar Aleph, the first Adar) and Adar Sheni (or Adar Bet, the second Adar). Purim is celebrated during the second Adar, to juxtapose the redemption of Purim with the redemption from Egypt (since Passover is in Nissan, the following month). However, even the first Adar has a celebratory aspect to it, and we increase our joy then as well.
