Purim 5637 First Ma'amar

Why do we celebrate Purim with a party?  Unlike other holidays on which we partake of festive meals, the Purim party is the main vehicle for commemorating our salvation.  It is integral to the holiday.  Why?

To understand this we must understand the sequence of events that lead up to the salvation.  The Purim story begins with a party – Achashveirush's party.  At this party, Achashveirush displayed and used the golden vessels of the Beis HaMikdash.  Achashveirush was not using these vessels because he had no others.  He was making a statement.  Besides the sacrilege, he was saying that there would be no redemption.  The vessels were his and would remain in Shushan.  This was the same Achashveirush who, upon assuming power, cancelled the building of the second Beis HaMikdash.  It was to this party that the Jews of Shushan were invited.  And they went.

Mordechai and Esther understood that this sin caused the decree of destruction that was upon the Jews years later.  If they were to survive this decree, the Jews would need to acknowledge the sin and repent.  Esther told Mordechai, "לך כנוס את כל היהודים הנמצאים בשושן וצומו .../Go and gather all the Jews who are found in Shushan and they should fast …" (Esther 4:16)  This pasuk parallels the pasuk at the beginning of the Megillah, "... עשה המלך לכל העם הנמצאים בשושן ... משתה .../… The king made a party for all the people … who were found in Shushan …" (Esther 1:5) to teach us that the pasuk is referring to the Jews of Shushan.  Esther is making the connection between this fasting and Achashveirosh's party that the Jews attended years earlier.

Incredibly, the seeds of the salvation were planted at this very party at which they sinned.  It was at this party that Achashveirosh deposed Vashti leading the way for Esther to take her place.  How did this happen?  The Sfas Emes explains that the Jews fasted and repented completely out of love of God.  Chazal[1] teach us that when we repent out of love for God, even the sins we committed willfully and knowingly are converted into good deeds.  God, of course, knew that we would repent from love and therefore sowed the seeds of our ultimate salvation in this party that began as a sin.

This idea is alluded to at the end of the pasuk above, "ובכן אבוא אל המלך אשר לא כדת .../… Thus I will go to the king even though it is unlawful …" (Esther 4:16)  Esther is telling Mordechai that she is willing to go to Achashveirosh to intercede on behalf of the Jews even though she would be risking her life by doing so.  

This pasuk can be understood more deeply, though.  It is known that wherever "king" is mentioned alone in the Megillah, it is referring to the King – God.  Esther is telling Mordechai to get the Jews to repent from love.  The sin of the party will then be converted to a good deed.  She (and the entire nation) will then be able to come close to God.  So, the act of the sin itself enabled them to come close to God – "שלא כדת/in an unlawful manner" – because their repentance converted it to a good deed.

We celebrate Purim specifically with a party, then, to commemorate our salvation which came about through the conversion of the sin of attending the original party in Shushan into a good deed when we repented from love of God.

A freilechen Purim!

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[1] Yoma 86b

Tetzaveh (Parshas Zachor) 5632 Second Ma'amar

Many people live in fear.  There is probably no aspect of life that is not subject to people’s fears.  Fear holds us back from improving ourselves.  In order to improve and come close to God it is imperative that we move beyond our fears.  How can we do this?  Fear stems from egocentrism.  Egocentrism is another way of saying God’s concealment.  When we are thinking about ourselves, we are not open to experiencing God.  The opposite of egocentrism is subjugating our own desires in favor of God’s will.  When we do this, God is revealed to us, we feel His presence in our lives and our fears evaporate. 

The Sfas Emes learns this from a Midrash[1] that Rashi cites on the first pasuk of parshas Zachor[2].  Rashi explains the juxtaposition of the preceding paragraph which admonishes us as merchants to keep correct weights and parshas Zachor which relates Amalek’s attack on the nation of Israel and subsequent defeat.  Rashi explains that the former leads to the latter.  When we use fraudulent weights we should be worried about provocation from the enemy.  Why is this so?  Why does dishonesty regarding weights lead to being attacked by Amalek?

The Sfas Emes understands weights metaphorically as referred to God’s presence in this world.  Since God is infinite, how can we finite beings experience Him?  The Sfas Emes explains that we can only experience Him because He reveals Himself in measured doses than we can handle.  The weights of the first parsha refer to these measured doses of God’s revelation.  Dishonesty with weights is an allegory for not recognizing God’s life-force which underpins everything in this world including our very actions.  The result of not recognizing God, relying solely upon ourselves is fear. 

When, on the other hand, we cultivate our faith that God is the continuing cause of everything we find that we have no reason to fear.  This is the significance of Moshe Rabbeinu holding up his hands in prayer during the battle with Amalek.  The pasuk states, “וַיְהִי יָדָיו אֱמוּנָה .../Behold his hands were faithful …” (Shmos 17:12)  It was this faith, nothing else, that enabled the nation to defeat Amalek.

This concept explains why parshas Shekalim precedes parshas Zachor.  The shekel, as we’ve said, represents God’s revelation in measured doses.  When we recognize fully that God gives of His life-force in measured doses to each component of the Creation including ourselves and our actions, then there is no concealment, no room for fear and we are ready to defeat Amalek. 

The key is to subordinate our desires to His.  Then what we thought impossible like eradicating Amalek becomes reality.  In this week’s Haftarah[3] we read that Shaul HaMelech showed mercy to Agag the king of Amalek and did not follow Shmuel HaNavi’s instructions to kill him.  He certainly thought that there was no way to eradicate Amalek completely at that time.  He could not envision it.  But if he had strengthened his faith and believed wholeheartedly that God would certainly help him succeed regardless of what he thought, the belief itself would have caused a revelation of God and would have helped him succeed to wipe out Amalek completely.

Our faith affects our reality.  This explains why God told Shmuel, “... וּדְּבָרַי לֹא הֵקִים .../… and he did not establish my words …” (Shmuel I 15:11) instead of the more understandable “... וּדְּבָרַי לֹא קִיֵם .../… and he did not fulfill my words …”  Shaul had the power to establish God’s words, to turn them into reality. The pasuk in Tehillim (37:3) states, “בְּטַח בַּֽה' וַֽעֲשֵׂה־טוֹב שְׁכָן־אֶרֶץ וּרְעֵה אֱמוּנָה׃/Trust in God and do good so that you may dwell in the land and nourish yourself with belief.”  Chazal[4] tell us that according to the strength of our belief, God reveals Himself to us by helping us to be successful in serving Him.  Our reality is affected according to the extent of our faith.

This is also the reason Shmuel says, “... הִנֵּה שְׁמֹעַ מִזֶבַח טוֹב לְהַקְשִיב מֵחֵלֶב אֵילִים/… Behold accepting (God’s will) is better than a sacrifice, listening is better than the fat of rams.” (Shmuel I 15:22)  The prophet could not be clearer.  All things being equal sacrifices are certainly a very high level of serving God.  However, when God instructs us not to sacrifice as He instructed Shaul HaMelech, following God’s will when it conflicts with our understanding is not just a higher level.  Doing otherwise becomes anathema to serving God. 

May we merit internalizing the belief that God will help us succeed in our service to Him and that with strong faith in Him, there is nothing in this world that can prevent us from succeeding.  Amen.

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[1] Tanchuma Ki Seitzei 8

[2] Rashi on Devarim 25:14 beg. Zachor eis asher

[3] Shmual I 15:2-34

[4] Shmos R. 33:1

Terumah 5632 Third Ma'amar

Chazal[1] teach us that we are required to say one hundred brachos each day.  Furthermore, Chazal[2] teach us that we may partake of the pleasures of this world only after reciting the appropriate bracha.  What is the significance of brachos?  What is so important about brachos?

We can gain understanding from the pesukim whence Chazal learn we must recite a bracha before partaking of this world.  According to one pasuk, "... לה' הארץ ומלואה .../… The earth and its contents are God's …" (Tehillim 24:1)  According to another pasuk, "... הארץ נתן לבני אדם/… He gave the earth to the children of Adam." (Tehillim 115:16)  Chazal reconcile these contradicting pesukim.  The first pasuk is true before we recite a bracha.  The second applies afterwards.  From these pesukim we see that the bracha is our acknowledgement that the earth and all its contents are God's.  Only after this acknowledgement may we partake of it.

The Chiddushei HaRim takes this idea further and teaches that the very purpose of the Creation is to recognize that everything in it is from God – to reveal Him within it – and to thus subordinate ourselves to Him.  This explains Chazal's[3] statement that eating without reciting a bracha is akin to מעילה – making inappropriate personal use of kodashim.  If a person brings an animal as a peace offering, he may eat the meat of the animal only following the mitzvah of throwing its blood on the wall of the altar.  Eating of the meat beforehand is a serious transgression – מעילה.

Not only kodashim but all food has a mitzvah that must be performed before partaking of it.  That mitzvah is reciting a bracha, acknowledging that the food we eat is from God, making the connection between the physical food and its spiritual source.  Furthermore, since we may partake of the food only upon making this connection, it is through this connection that bracha is drawn into this world and to us.  The brachos that we recite, then, are the foundation for drawing bracha into the physical world.

The Chiddushei HaRim therefore said that the one hundred brachos that we are required to say each day are associated with the one hundred silver sockets – אדנים – that were the base for the beams of the Mishkan.[4]  The silver sockets were the foundation of the Mishkan and brachos are the foundation of bracha in the physical world.

Further on the concept of subordination to God through the recitation of brachos, Chazal learn of the requirement to recite one hundred brachos each day from the pasuk, "מה ה' שואל מעמך .../What does God ask of you …" (Devarim 10:12)  In a play on the word מה/what, Chazal read this as, "מאה ה' שואל מעמך/God asks one hundred of you."  This seems somewhat arbitrary however the Sfas Emes explains the connection between the word מה/what, and reciting brachos.  As we've said, the purpose of reciting brachos is to acknowledge God's rule over the physical world, thus, subordinating ourselves to Him.  The word מה/what, brings to mind subordination as in, "What are we?"  The pasuk could thus be understood as, "God asks us to subordinate ourselves."  Appropriately, Chazal learn the requirement for one hundred brachos from this pasuk.

May we merit having the proper intent as we recite brachos during the day, drawing bracha into the world and onto ourselves.  Amen.

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[1] Menachos 43b

[2] Brachos 35a

[3] Ibid.

[4] The source is Sha'arei Ora, Shaar Rishon, of the medieval Kabbalist Rav Yosef Gikatilla.  See there for an extensive and fascinating discussion of brachos and their connection with the name of God – aleph, dalet, nun, yod.

Parshas Shekalim 5633 First Ma'amar

This year Parshas Shekalim coincides with parshas Mishpatim.  In the first pasuk of parshas Mishpatim God tells Moshe Rabbeinu, "ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם/These are the laws that you shall set before them." (Shmos 21:1)  This is strange wording that we find nowhere else.  Why not the more conventional, "Speak to the children of Israel the following laws?"

The Rav of Parshischa explains that God is teaching the importance of the mitzvos.  He is telling Moshe that we must place the mitzvos before ourselves – on a higher level of importance that our own lives.  We, in fact, did this when we said to Moshe Rabbeinu at the end of this week's parsha, "נעשה ונשמע/We will do and we will listen." (Shmos 24:7)  We committed to do even before knowing what we were committing to do.  We were ready to deliver ourselves to God.  We were ready to do anything God required of us without a thought as to what that might be or how it might impact our lives.

God repeats this requirement in Iyov (41:3), "מי הקדימני ואשלם" which, according to the Sfas Emes translates as, "Whosoever will place My will before his own, I will reward."

This concept can help us understand an issue that arises in Parshas Shekalim.  The Torah does not favor counting people.[1]  Counting evokes importance and individuality.  When people are counted, each person is noted.  Counting implies that each person is unique.  When people are noted individually, rather than as part of a group, each person must stand on his own merits.  As part of a group, though, the merits of the group count for each individual even if there are people within the group who do not merit on their own.

In Parshas Shekalim, God instructs Moshe to conduct a census.  What about the issues raised by counting people?  The beginning of the parsha alludes to the answer.  "כי תשא את ראש בני ישראל לפקודיהם ונתנו איש כופר נפשו לה' .../When you take a census of the children of Israel according to their numbers, let each man give a ransom for his soul to God …"  The literal translation of the beginning of this pasuk is, "When you raise up the head of the children of Israel according to their numbers …"  Shouldn't the word "head" be plural? 

The Sfas Emes explains that the "head" of the children of Israel is an allusion to our root or source.  Although we manifest as many different individuals in this physical world, the roots of our souls come together in the highest spiritual realm as one entity.  At our source we are one.  The Torah is advising us to identify with this reality – that the entire nation is, at its source, one.  By identifying with the entire nation, we are protected against being viewed individually and the need to stand scrutiny alone.

The Chiddushei HaRim explains, furthermore that that the word, ראש/head, alludes to Shabbos in this pasuk.  The literal translation, "When you raise the ראש/head …" tells us to look at the letters in the Hebrew alphabet that are above ראש.  The letters following ראש in the Hebrew alphabet are שבת.  On Shabbos the nation of Israel comes together with one will to recognize God as the Creator.  Here again, we see the concept of group instead of individuals in this pasuk.

Another hint to the same concept in this pasuk is from the word, "לפקודיהם/according to their numbers."  Chazal[2] refer to mitzvos as, "פקודי ה'/God's commands."  This word then, alludes to the mitzvos.  The pasuk is telling us that we can raise ourselves up to our source in which we are all one entity through the mitzvos.  How?  The pasuk continues, "ונתנו איש כופר נפשו לה'/Each man will give a ransom of his soul to God ..."  When we place the importance of the mitzvah on a higher level than ourselves, we are automatically raised up to our source where we are all one. 

By subordinating ourselves to the performance of the mitzvos – through mesirus nefesh in performance of the mitzvos – as the Rav of Parshischa taught us in the beginning of parshas Mishpatim, we connect with our source which is one with every other member of the nation of Israel at the highest spiritual place.  We are then protected from the individual scrutiny implied by the census.

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[1] See for example Shmuel 2, 24

[2] Zohar 2:90b, 93b

Yisro 5632 Second Ma'amar

Chazal teach us that before Yisro converted to Judaism he was called יֶתֶר/Yeser.  After he converted, an extra letter ו/vav, was added to his name.  He became יִתְרוֹ/Yisro.[1]  What is the significance of this extra letter?

The Chiddushei HaRim explains.  The prophet Micha (7:18) said, “מִי אֵ-ל כָּמוֹךָ נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וְעֹבֵר עַל פֶּשַׁע לִשְׁאֵרִית נַחֲלָתוֹ .../Who is a God like You, Who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His portion? …”  Micha is referring to the nation of Israel.  He calls us “the remnant of His portion.”  Why does the prophet refer only to a remnant instead of to the entire nation?  Chazal say that Micha is referring to those who make themselves like a remnant.[2]  Cultivating the quality of humility is a surefire way to merit God’s forgiveness.

The name יֶתֶר/Yeser also means remnant.  According to the Chiddushei HaRim, the name Yeser indicates that  Yisro had the attribute of humility.  Before Yisro converted, though, his humility did not result in God passing over his transgressions.  The prophet Micha was referring to the Jewish people when he proclaimed his timeless message of God’s forgiveness.  However, after he converted, Yisro became a part of the remnant of God’s portion.  After Yisro converted, he enjoyed God’s forgiveness together with the other humble members of the nation of Israel.  To show that he was included, a vav, which signifies connection, was added to his name.

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[1] Shmos R. 27:8

[2] Rosh HaShanah 17a