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Show Notes
On
Saturday night and Sunday, we will celebrate Purim
Last
week we discussed the power of Adar and more specifically Adar Bet
Someone
asked
Why
is Purim celebrated in Adar Bet ?
By
Sephardim, any yahrzeit or birthday which occurs in a regular year in Adar is
marked in a leap year in Adar bet.
We
learn in Shulchan Aruch under the Laws of Passover Siman 429 Seif 1, we are
commanded to start (re) learning the Passover laws thirty days after Passover
right after Purim. Thus, Purim needs to remain thirty days before Passover and
is pushed to Adar Sheni.
Additionally
we celebrate Purim during Adar II, in order to juxtapose the joy of the Purim
redemption with the redemption from Egypt. We also read the Four Parshiyot
during this month, because Parashat Shekalim, Parashat Para, and Parashat Ha-ĥodesh were instituted as a
preparation for the month of Nisan, and Parashat Zakhor must be read
immediately before Purim, which we celebrate in Adar II ( We read Zachor this
Shabbat – Question if we are commanded to
remember what Amalek did and also not to forget – then why not just unfurl a poster or a sign or simply
get up and say I remember or add it to our prayers which many of us do each day.
Why must we come to the synagogue and hear the Torah? Remind me at the end to
bring it back to this.
Before
we begin
I
want you to image a 100 yard dash
A
race in a straight line
The
starting line and the finish line are the two points furthest from each other
Now
let’s imagine a race in a stadium around
a track
There
we circle the track and the start line becomes the finish line
In
this case the starting line and the finish line are the two points closest to
each other
How
do you look at time? As a straight line or as a circle?
Our
class today is based on the beautiful words of Rav Pinchas Friedman of Belz,
The Shvilei Pinchas
We
have learned in the Gemarah (Taanis 29a): “משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה” — when Adar begins we increase joy. Rashi comments: ” ימי נסים היו לישראל פורים ופסח “ — since this month ushers in the time during which the
great miracles of Purim and Pesach occurred.
The
commentaries wonder: What provoked Rashi
to associate the miracles experienced by the Jewish people on Purim, in the
month of Adar, with the miracles that they experienced on Pesach in the month
of Nissan?
In
fact, the Gemarah’s statement -- ” משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה “ — does not even mention the month of Nissan.
As
we mentioned last week, concerning Haman’s choice to issue his decree against Yisrael specifically in the month of
Adar, the Gemarah teaches (Megillah 13b): he was extremely
pleased and happy when the lot fell out on the month of Adar; he reasoned that
it was fortuitous that the lot fell out on the month during which Moshe died;
he did not realize, however, that Moshe not only died on the seventh of Adar
but he was also born on the seventh of Adar. The commentaries note that in this
statement from our blessed sages, the day of death is mentioned before the day
of birth. Seemingly, it should have said: “He did not know realize that he was
born on the seventh of Adar and he also died on the seventh of Adar.”
What day did Haman sit and do the lottery?
. The Rabbis explain that it was the 13th Day of Nissan
Lets look at a timeline of the entire Megilah
How many years from the feast until Hamans Decree
How long between Haman’s decree and his hanging?
One would be surprised to learn that although the entire story takes place
over a decade, the bulk of it takes place of three days !
Achashverosh ascends
the throne of Persia
3392 (369 BCE)
Achashverosh's
Feast, lasting 180 days
3395 (366 BCE)
Esther taken
to Achashverosh's Palace
Tevet, 3399 (362 BCE)
Haman casts
lots
Nissan, 3404 (357 BCE)
First
decrees dispatched by Haman
Nissan 13, 3404 (357 BCE)
Three
days' Fast ordered by Esther*
Nissan 14-16, 3404 (357 BCE)
Haman's
downfall and execution by hanging*
Nissan 17, 3404 (357 BCE)
Second
decrees, reversing the first
Sivan 23, 3404 (357 BCE)
Sadness
turned to gladness; Haman's ten sons executed
Adar 13, 3405 (356 BCE)
Purim celebrations
everywhere, except Shushan where a second day of reckoning is added
Adar 14,
3405 (356 BCE)
Purim celebration in
Shushan
Adar 15, 3405 (356 BCE)
The
Megillah recorded; Festival of Purim instituted for all generations
3406 or 355 BCE
Additionally,
let us examine why Queen Esther requested that Mordechai command all of the
Jews living in Shushan to fast for three days — including the first day of Pesach. It is written in
the Megillah (Esther 4, 15):
וַתֹּ֥אמֶר אֶסְתֵּ֖ר לְהָשִׁ֥יב אֶֽל־מׇרְדֳּכָֽי׃
Then Esther sent
back this answer to Mordecai:
לֵךְ֩ כְּנ֨וֹס אֶת־כׇּל־הַיְּהוּדִ֜ים הַֽנִּמְצְאִ֣ים בְּשׁוּשָׁ֗ן
וְצ֣וּמוּ עָ֠לַ֠י וְאַל־תֹּאכְל֨וּ וְאַל־תִּשְׁתּ֜וּ שְׁלֹ֤שֶׁת יָמִים֙
לַ֣יְלָה וָי֔וֹם גַּם־אֲנִ֥י וְנַעֲרֹתַ֖י אָצ֣וּם כֵּ֑ן וּבְכֵ֞ן אָב֤וֹא
אֶל־הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־כַדָּ֔ת וְכַאֲשֶׁ֥ר אָבַ֖דְתִּי אָבָֽדְתִּי׃
“Go, assemble all
the Jews who live in Shushan, and fast in my behalf; do not eat or drink for
three days, night or day. I and my maidens will observe the same fast. Then I
shall go to the king, though it is contrary to the law; and if I am to perish,
I shall perish!”
וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֖ר מׇרְדֳּכָ֑י וַיַּ֕עַשׂ כְּכֹ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־צִוְּתָ֥ה עָלָ֖יו
אֶסְתֵּֽר׃ {ס}
So Mordecai went
about [the city] and did just as Esther had commanded him.
RASHI
וַיַּעֲבֹר מָרְדְּכָי. עַל דָּת, לְהִתְעַנּוֹת בְּיוֹם טוֹב רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל פֶּסַח, שֶׁהִתְעַנָּה
י'ד בְּנִיסָן וְט'ו וְט'ז, שֶׁהֲרֵי בְּיוֹם י'ג נִכְתְּבוּ
הַסְּפָרִים:
Mordechai passed. [I.e., he
transgressed] the law *Otherwise, ויעבר מרדכי is apparently superfluous
because the text further states that he implemented all her instructions.
Alternatively, Mordechai actually went over (=ויעבר) a bridge. What sin did he
commit?
(Masechet Megillah 15a) by fasting on the
first festive day of Pesach, for he fasted on the fourteenth, the fifteenth
*I.e., Pesach. Although the holiday feast is obligatory, Mordechai bypassed the
obligation and ordered the fast, using the special authority of the Sanhedrin
to suspend such obligations in times of extreme need. *
“ויעבר מרדכי, אמר רב שהעביר יום ראשון
של פסח בתענית” —
Rav teaches that this possuk indicates that Mordechai
supplanted the first day of Pesach with a fast. The Midrash (Esther Rabbah 8,
7) explains the matter in greater detail:
Esther
requested that Mordechai gather together all of the Jews living in Shushan and
refrain on her behalf from food and drink for three days — the thirteenth, fourteenth and
fifteenth of Nissan. Mordechai questioned her request on the grounds that one
of those days was the first day of Pesach. She replied, אמרה לו זקן שבישראל למה הוא פסח
“Elder of Yisrael, what is
the point of celebrating Pesach?” Upon hearing her reply, he confessed that she was in the right and proceeded
to carry out all of her demands — including fasting on the first day of Pesach.
We
must endeavor to understand what possessed Esther to set in motion the
miraculous events of Purim specifically in this manner. Why was it necessary to
annul a positive Torah commandment — to eat matzah on the first night of Pesach -- and a
Rabbinical commandment — to drink four cups of wine
on the first night of Pesach?
Furthermore,
what message was she conveying with her statement to Mordechai: “זקן שבישראל למה הוא פסח” — Elder of Yisrael, what is the point of
celebrating Pesach? Surely,
she was not suggesting that it is permissible to annul or ignore Hashem’s mitzvos whenever Yisrael is faced
with an imminent danger.
Rather,
hear this well, she was trying to stir things up in the heavens above. Even so,
why did she specifically choose to annul the mitzvot related to the first night
of Pesach?
Imagine
for a moment the great Rabbi Yisrael of Rozhin’s, zy”a, festive Purim meal. How
can I ask you to imagine if you have no idea who this Rabbi was?
He
was the great grandson of the Magid of Mezerich. He was born in 1796 and passed
at 54 years old in 1850. He was orphaned at 6 and grew up in the home of Rav Menaḥem Naḥum Twersky, whose daughter he married.
Yisra’el’s elder brother, Avraham succeeded his father after the latter’s death and, at the age of 15,
became the first yenuka (child officiating as a tsadik) in Hasidic history.
After
Avraham’s death 10 years later, Yisra’el, himself then only 16, was called
upon to take his place. In 1815, he moved his court to nearby Ruzhin, and his
fame spread quickly. From the very beginning of his “reign” he stood out for his sharp wit, his organizing
abilities, and his original religious approach. Rejecting asceticism and
self-imposed poverty as religious ideals, he adopted a maximalist
interpretation of the idea of “worship through
corporeality” (i.e., the positive religious value
hidden in trivial, earthly life, such as eating or drinking, sexual relations,
making a living) as equivalent to Torah study or prayer.
I
imagine we can say that the test is to find Hashem in everything!
Inspired
by this philosophy, his court was based on an ostentatious display of the
material wealth and luxury in which the tsadik and his family lived. His palace
at Ruzhin—a mecca for admirers of all social
ranks, including Russian aristocrats—was famed not only for its splendor, but also for its carriages, the
thoroughbred horses in its stables, and the klezmer bands that entertained
visitors and accompanied the tsadik on his travels. He amassed a tremendous
fortune, mainly from donations from his admirers. He became wealthy enough to
be registered in the Second Merchants Guild—an official standing that earned him various privileges and stood him in
good stead later, when he was forced to flee Russia.
.
The dramatic events in which he was involved—imprisonment on suspicion of aiding and abetting the violent murder of
informers, flight from Russia to Austria—made him a legend in his own lifetime, revered by his followers but
despised and ridiculed by his opponents, mainly maskilim. Descended from a
distinguished Hasidic family that
claimed descent from King David, and possessing exceptional religious charisma,
sharp natural intelligence, and organizational talents, he was not only one of
the most prominent and impressive Hasidic leaders in the period of the greatest
growth of Hasidism, but also the founder of a new style of Hasidism known as
the “regal way.”
So
now imagine, you are sitting at a table similar to one set by nobility at the
time with as much opulence as you can imagine and at that seudah, the Rabbi presented
divine and enlightening insights encompassing the entire festival of Purim with
incredible clarity.
His
words are cited in the sefer Irin Kadishin. He addresses the issue of why the
wicked Haman specifically chose to carry out his decree in the month of Adar.
Here are a few of his remarks that are quoted:
“והטעם שהוא בחודש אדר, כי יש י”ב צירופי הוי”ה כנגד י”ב חדשי השנה, ובחודש ניסן אזי מאיר שם
הוי”ה כסידורו והיא התגלות החסדים, ואחר כך נעשה צירופים בכל חודש וחודש, וכל חודש
אשר הצירוף מתרחק מן השורש יותר הוא בהסתר, ובחודש אדר שמאיר בו הצירוף האחרון הוא
הצימצום וההסתר יותר מכל חודש. ועל כן טעה המן והפיל פור, וכל זה בכדי לעשות רע לישראל
ח”ו מחמת שהוא צירוף וההסתר האחרון, אך טעה בזה, כי סוף מעשה במחשבה תחילה, ונעוץ
סופו בתחילתו, כמו שמזל יום שבת קודש הוא מזל אחרון ]יום השביעי[, ודוקא יש בו התגלות
הקדושה, וכמו שאנחנו בעיקבתא דמשיחא שהוא ההסתר היותר אחרון, אנו מצפים להתגלות אור
היותר עליון”.
He explains
as we discussed last week that there are twelve permutations of the four lettered
name Havaya corresponding to the twelve months of the year, i.e. the letters of
the four-lettered name can be arranged in twelve different ways.
The
month of Nissan is illuminated by the name Havaya with its letters in their
original order; this permutation signifies the revelation of Hashem’s favors and kindness.
Thereafter,
each subsequent month is influenced by its particular permutation of the holy
four-lettered name. The farther a month and its permutation are from the
original source, the greater the degree of obscurity and concealment. He
suggests that the month of Adar, which is illuminated by the last permutation
of the holy name, reflects the greatest degree of concealment and restriction.
This,
in fact, was Haman’s mistake. He reckoned
that the month of Adar being the farthest away from the source (Nissan and
redemption of Pesach) was the ideal time to harm Yisrael, chas v’chalilah. The truth of the matter,
however, is that the end of the year is intimately connected with the beginning
of the year.
We read
(Shemos 12, 2): “החודש הזה לכם ראש חדשים ראשון הוא לכם לחדשי השנה” — this month shall be for you the
beginning of the months; it shall be for you the first of the months of the
year.
The
Ramban explains that we are commanded to count the month of Nissan as the first
month of the twelve months of the year, since in this month Yisrael went out of
Egypt in a miraculous fashion.
The
Tikunei Zohar (Introduction 9b) explains that the permutation that reigns in
the month of Nissan is the name Havaya in its proper order; this permutation is
derived from the first letters of the possuk (Tehillim 96, 11): י’שמחו ה’שמים ו’תגל ה’ארץ — the heavens will rejoice and the
earth will be glad.
When
the letters of the holy name are in their proper order, the attribute of mercy
prevails in the world; hence, the heavens and the earth rejoice. During the remaining
eleven months of the year, the permutation of the name Havaya changes from
month to month.
The
farther the month is removed from Nissan, the greater the change in that month’s permutation of the holy name. As a
consequence, the greater the degree of concealment in that month — reflecting the fact that attribute
of mercy is less and less evident. This would suggest that Adar, the last of
the twelve months and the farthest removed from Nissan, and the month
associated with the last permutation — the most distant and different from the permutation
of Nissan — would possess the greatest
degree of concealment of any of the twelve months. So, when the lot fell on the
month of Adar, Haman was extremely happy; he felt that this was a good omen and
would allow him to overcome Yisrael, chas v’shalom.
The
great Rabbi of Rozhin, zy”a, reveals to us that
Haman made a serious error. He was ignorant of the fact that in matters of
kedushah an important principle exists:
the
end is intimately associated with the beginning. The source for this principle
comes from the Sefer Yetzirah (Chapter 1, Mishnah “עשר ספירות בלי מה, נעוץ סופן בתחילתן
ותחילתן בסופן :( 7
כשלהבת קשורה בגחלת, שאדון
יחיד ואין לו שני” — Ten Sefiros of Nothingness, their end is imbedded in
their beginning and their beginning in their end — like a flame in a burning coal. For,
the Master is singular; he has not second.
In
other words, the end of something in kedushah is always inherent in the beginning.
It is a continuous circle; the end and the beginning are connected
magnificently and incomparably.
In
this manner, we find that Shabbat Kodesh, on the one hand, is the final day of
the week. On the other hand, however, it is the beginning and source of what
transpires in the week to come. As the Zohar hakadosh teaches (Yisro 88a), Shabbat
provides the blessings for the week to come and influences the week to come
with abundant good: “כל ברכאן דלעילא ותתא ביומא שביעאה תליין” .
Similarly,
the cycle consisting of the twelve months of the year — beginning with Nissan and ending
with Adar — is like a circle where the
end is intimately connected with the beginning.
This,
in fact, was the wicked Haman’s fatal error. He figured
that being the last month of the year, Adar possessed the greatest degree of
concealment. Therefore, he would be able to succeed in executing his diabolical
decree aimed at the people of Yisrael. He was unaware that in matters of
sanctity, kedushah, the end is inherent in the beginning. Thus, Adar, the final
month of the year, is intimately related to Nissan, the first month of the year
— which possesses the
greatest degree of revelation.
Rav
Pinchas Friedman tells us that he was struck with a wonderful idea based on
this enlightening concept. Queen Esther puts her life in danger by entering the
king’s chambers without permission. She
did so with a clear-cut plan to foil and bring down the wicked Haman, oppressor
of the Jews, and to save Yisrael from extermination. With this understanding,
why was the very first thing she said to Achashverosh (Esther 5, 4): “ותאמר אסתר אם על המלך טוב יבוא המלך והמן
היום אל המשתה אשר עשיתי לו” — if it pleases the king, let the king
and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.
Now,
our blessed sages have taught us a very important principle (Esther Rabbah 3,
10): “כל מקום שנאמר במגלה זו למלך אחשורוש, במלך אחשורוש הכתוב מדבר, וכל מקום שנאמר
למלך סתם, משמש קודש וחול” — whenever the Megillah mentions “King Achashverosh,” it is referring to the
actual flesh and blood king with that name; however, whenever the Megillah
employs the generic term “king,” it serves a dual purpose — referring to our heavenly King as
well as to the lowly human king. This is the basis for the following
elucidation of the possuk (Esther 6, 1) found in the Gemarah (Megillah 15b): “בלילה ההוא נדדה שנת המלך, אמר רבי תנחום,
נדדה שנת מלכו של עולם” — “That night the king’s sleep was disturbed.” Rabbi Tanchum says that the possuk
is telling us that the King of the Universe’s sleep was disturbed. Likewise, when Esther says: “if it pleases the king,” employing the nonspecific term “king,” she is also referring to the King of the Universe, HKB”H.
This
coincides beautifully with a teaching of the Arizal’s. He teaches us that with this
statement Esther intended to awaken the King of the Universe’s attribute of mercy on behalf of
the people of Yisrael; mercy emanates from the blessed name Havaya. So she
directs her entreaty to HKB”H with the introduction: ” אם על המלך טוב “ -- if it pleases the king — addressing the King of the Universe;
” “ י’בוא ה’מלך ו’המן ה’יום — note that the first letters of these
four words spells out the name Havaya in its original and ideal order, which
connotes pure mercy.
Now,
let us apply the illuminating concept of the great Rabbi of Rozhin, zy”a, to gain a deeper appreciation of
Esther’s wise intentions. She realized that
Haman’s lot fell on the month of Adar — which pleased him to no end,
thinking that as the final month of the year, it possessed the greatest level
of concealment and was the farthest removed from mercy.
Esther
wisely prayed to HKB”H: ” י’בוא ה’מלך ו’המן ה’יום “ — invoking the ultimate permutation of the name Havaya,
the permutation that reigns during the month of Nissan. By doing so, she established
the connection between the end of the year and the beginning of the year — associating the month of Adar with the
wondrous and miraculous events that took place in Nissan. One might even
suggest that this idea is alluded to by the very name Adar, spelled א-דר . This suggests that the “aleph,” the first month of the year, “dar” — is contained or dwells within the last month of
the year.
Now,
upon closer examination an amazing fact becomes evident. The preparations for
the miracle of Purim already took place eleven months earlier during the month
of Nissan. Firstly, Esther put her life
in jeopardy immediately after Haman issued his decree on the thirteenth of
Nissan. She entered the King Achashverosh’s chambers without an invitation to do so; this was an act punishable by
death under the laws of that regime. Yet, she miraculously found favor in the
king’s eyes and he extended his golden, royal
scepter to her — indicating that she was welcome.
Next,
Achashverosh accepted an invitation to Esther’s first banquet which was held on the first day of
Pesach. These events concluded with her second banquet which took place on the
second day of Pesach. This second banquet resulted in the hanging of Haman on
the tree that Mordechai prepared. This is a clear-cut example of the end being
firmly connected with the beginning. The greatest concealment of HKB”H’s presence associated with the month of Adar — the month designated by Haman for the extermination
of the Jews — was connected with the
incredible revelation of His presence which occurred in the month of Nissan.
The force of this connection led to the downfall of the wicked Haman. Hashem
has now provided us with the tools to decipher our sages’ riddle:
“תנא כיון שנפל פור בחודש אדר שמח שמחה
גדולה, אמר נפל לי פור בירח שמת בו משה, ולא היה יודע שבשבעה באדר מת ובשבעה באדר נולד” .
Based
on the knowledge that Moshe Rabeinu passed away on the seventh of Adar, Haman considered
this fact proof positive that the last month of the year, Adar, is the time of
ultimate concealment; after all, Yisrael’s great leader left this world during the month of Adar.
Nevertheless,
our blessed sages go on to say: “ולא היה יודע שבשבעה בא