For a two weeks only. Freda
Leah bas Basha.
30 DAYS BEFORE PESSACH SMART
PEOPLE START CLEANING, EVEN MAKING SHOPPING LISTS AND MEN LEARN HALACHA. Remember
dust and cobwebs are nice to clean but not Chametz so if you start early
enough, you can get them too.
Parsha Ki Sisa
To get a frame of reference where
we are in time. The year is 2448 between the 7th of Sivan and the 17th
of Tammuz (the names at that time are the 3rd month and 4th
month). Moshe is on Har Sinai receiving instructions how to construct the
Mishkan, whom to take to build it and the clothing and initiation of Aaron and
his sons.
The good and the bad are numbered together and the Angel of Death puts out his evil eye and evil tongue to cast Sofek (doubts) upon the loyalty or observance of some people. The half-Shekelim are counted and multiplied by two and that is how we get the number of the population. Even still, bad things have occurred during census taking.
13 This they shall give, every one that passes among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary--the shekel is twenty gerahs--half a shekel for an offering to the LORD. 14 Every one that passes among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of the LORD. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of the LORD, to make atonement for your souls.
This shows that all men are equal before G-D.
16 And thou shalt take the atonement money from the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for your souls.'
In the Midbar, this was an atonement. It Temple times yearly there was a half-shekel donation but this was for repairing the Temple and cisterns for drinking during festivals. It might also have been an atonement.
17 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 18 'Thou shalt also make a laver of brass,
and the base thereof of brass, whereat to wash; and thou shalt put it between
the tent of meeting and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.
This
section is said daily along with the Korban Tamid and the cleaning of the
Ashes.
19 And
Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat; 20 when they
go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or
when they come near to the altar to minister, to cause an offering made by fire
to smoke unto the LORD; 21 so they shall wash their hands and their feet, that
they die not; and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to
his seed throughout their generations.'
The
washing of the hands and the feet first appeared with Avraham and the Angels
and this was the initial purification process.
22
Moreover the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 23 'Take thou also unto thee the
chief spices, of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half
so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and
fifty, 24 and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of
olive oil a hin. 25 And thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume
compounded after the art of the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. … 31:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 2 'See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur,
of the tribe of Judah; 3 and I have filled him with the spirit of God, in
wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of
workmanship, 4 to devise skilful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in
brass, 5 and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work
in all manner of workmanship.
The conversation that is hidden from us is that of Moshe who could not understand what to do or command. So HASHEM gave him the name of Betzalel to work in metal and the picture was sent to his head upon hearing the words of Moshe. This was something that was beyond the skills of Moshe.
6 And I, behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee:
He was skilled in woodwork and tailoring and also received prophecy on this subject.
7 the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the ark-cover that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the Tent; 8 and the table and its vessels, and the pure candlestick with all its vessels, and the altar of incense; 9 and the altar of burnt-offering with all its vessels, and the laver and its base; 10 and the plaited garments, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office; 11 and the anointing oil, and the incense of sweet spices for the holy place; according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.'
Moshe is seeing the images and they are being engraved in Moshe’s head. However, he needed the two men mentioned here to produce the great works and supervise the production of the chemicals for the incense and oil production.
12 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 13 'Speak thou also unto the children of
Israel, saying: Verily ye shall keep My Sabbaths, for it is a sign between Me
and you throughout your generations, that ye may know that I am the LORD who
sanctify you.
And you, speak to the children of Israel: But
[as for] you, although I have mandated you to command them [the Israelites]
concerning the work of the Mishkan, do not let it seem to you that you may
easily set aside the Sabbath because of that work. Only
keep My Sabbaths!: Although you will be
rushed to perform the work [of the Mishkan] quickly, the Sabbath shall not be
set aside because of it. All instances of אַ
and רַק [imply limitations, i.e.,] are exclusive,
to exclude the Sabbath from the work of the Mishkan.For
it is a sign between Me and you: It is a sign of
distinction between us that I have chosen you, by granting you as an
inheritance My day of rest for [your] rest. To
know: [So that] the nations [should know] that I,
the Lord, sanctify you.
Rashi is
concerned with the building of the Mishkan and therefore learns that Shabbos is
not put aside to build the Mishkan although Korbanos in the Mikdash such as the
Tamid and Pessach do put the Shabbos aside for they are directly for the MOST
HIGH.
The
second half of the Rashi is what I am writing here in my words. Often the
potential Ger is disappointed that he or she cannot fully observe Shabbos until
completing Conversion. However, explaining that: it is a sign between Me and
you throughout your generations and upon conversion they can observe usually
placates them. For the full observance of the Shabbos was only given to the
Bnei Yisrael. The Bnei Noach might honor Shabbos but cannot observe like we do.
14 Ye
shall keep the Sabbath therefore, for it is holy unto you; every one that
profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein,
that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Shall be put to death: If there are witnesses and a warning.
Will be cut off: without warning. -[from Mechilta] Those who desecrate it:
Heb. מְחַלְלֶיהָ, [those] who treat
its sanctity as profane.
Purposely violating the Shabbos
after one has been educated will result in a separation of that soul from the
souls of Am Yisrael in the next. It will then depend on deeds if that soul will
be on the level of a Ben Noach or will have to reincarnate. What the punishment
dealt out by the heavenly Beis Din also depends upon deeds in this world and if
reincarnation is necessary.
15 Six
days shall work be done; but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest,
holy to the LORD; whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely
be put to death.
ASabbath of complete rest: Heb.
שַׁבָּתשַׁבָּתוֹן, a reposeful rest,
not a casual rest. (a Sabbath of complete
rest: For this reason, Scripture repeated it [the
word, שַׁבָּת], to inform [us] that on it all work is
prohibited, even what is needed for food. Similarly regarding Yom Kippur, in
whose context it says: “It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you” (Lev. 23:32),
all work is prohibited. However, concerning festivals it says only: “on the
first day is a rest, and on the eighth day is a rest” (Lev. 23:39),
[meaning that] on them [i.e., on holidays] only servile work is prohibited, but
work needed for food [preparation] is permitted.) Holy
to the Lord: The observance of its
sanctity shall be for My name and by My commandment.
From
Rashi we find that Shabbos and Yom Kippur are similar but the true Kedusha of
Shabbos is higher while Yom Tov is less than either.
16
Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath
throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
No other
nation has this. Not the Ger Toshav such as the Druze, not the Bnei Noach and
certainly not other religious that are further away from Torah.
17 It is
a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever; for in six days the LORD
made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and rested.'
And rested: Heb.
וַיִּנָפַשׁ. As the Targum [Onkelos] renders: וְנָח, and rested. Now every expression of נוֹפֶשׁ, rest, is an expression of נֶפֶשׁ, soul, for one regains one’s soul and one’s breath when one
rests from the toil of work. He about Whom it is written: “He neither tires nor
wearies” (Isa.
40:28), and Whose every act is performed by speech [alone, without
physical effort], dictated rest in reference to Himself [only] in order to make
it understood to the [human] ear with words that it can understand.
The
holiness of Shabbos is told to Moshe just before he is about to receive the
Asera Dibros with Remember the Shabbos and keep it holy to reinforce this
Mitzvah. We rest our bodies, the Kodesh Baruch Hu takes a spiritual rest on a
whole different level from us and it is beyond our understanding.
18 And
He gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of speaking with him upon mount
Sinai, the two tables of the testimony, tables of stone, written with the
finger of God.
What a
precious treasure, gigantic sapphire tablets engraved by G-D being carried down
the mountain by Moshe. He is about to present them to the Bnei Yisrael.
This is precisely what happened when the mob began to rule. Moshe was a prophet and a leader. Aaron was the symbol of peace and the priest.
2 And Aaron said unto them: 'Break off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.'
He was buying time and figured that the wives, sons and daughters would resist but a person hell bent on Avoda Zara will do anything to obtain these things and unlike Aaron, the man of Shalom, these people were prone to violence.
3 And all the people broke off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4 And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf; and they said: 'This is thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.'
Why an Egel (calf)? You can find the reason out by reading the first chapter of Yechezkel. 7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass. … 10 As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle. Having seen the Divine Chariot or Throne above the split sea, the likeness of a calf of the holy Chayos was sticking out in their mind.
5 And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said: 'To-morrow shall be a feast to the LORD.'
They miscalculated the 40th day for the return of Moshe from the mountain. There is a Medrash that the Satan showed them Moshe’s Coffin in the sky.
6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to make merry.
Not only did they eat, drink and make an idol but the making of merry implies other impropriate actions.
7 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses: 'Go, get thee down; for thy people, that thou
broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have dealt corruptly; 8 they have
turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them
a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it, and said:
This is thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.' 9
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a
stiffnecked people. 10 Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot
against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of thee a great
nation.'
Moshe
can plead now as a neutral shepherd of the people as he has not seen the golden
calf. However, as soon as he sees it, he completely loses his logic and in a
fit of anger smashes the Luchos.
11 And
Moses besought the LORD his God, and said: 'LORD, why doth Thy wrath wax hot
against Thy people, that Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with
great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak,
saying: For evil did He bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to
consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent
of this evil against Thy people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Thy
servants, to whom Thou didst swear by Thine own self, and said unto them: I
will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have
spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.' 14
And the LORD repented of the evil which He said He would do unto His people.
HASHEM
told Moshe before he really knew what was going on as to say, “Hold me back
from my wrath.” It reminds me of the story in the Gemara if I recall correctly,
Berachos 13 where HASHEM asks Rabbi Yishmael to bless HIM. The Rabbi, at this
point, basically says who am I to bless YOU. However, he does with “May your
Mercy have dominance over your anger.” The same thing with Moshe is here.
15 And
Moses turned, and went down from the mount, with the two tables of the
testimony in his hand; tables that were written on both their sides; on the one
side and on the other were they written. 16 And the tables were the work of
God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. 17 And
when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses:
'There is a noise of war in the camp.' 18 And he said: 'It is not the voice of
them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being
overcome, but the noise of them that sing do I hear.' 19 And it came to pass,
as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing;
and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and broke
them beneath the mount. 20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt
it with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made
the children of Israel drink of it.
Any
water with metal inside of it tastes bitter and the people deserve a collective
punishment like this for not stopping the mob getting out of hand.
26 then
Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said: 'Whoso is on the LORD'S side,
let him come unto me.' And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together
unto him. 27 And he said unto them: 'Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Put
ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate
throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his
companion, and every man his neighbor.'
The first-born
aka Bechorim should have stood up with Moshe, but some must have participated
in the mob. They in turned lost their ability to serve like the Leviim did.
28 And
the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the
people that day about three thousand men. 29 And Moses said: 'Consecrate
yourselves to-day to the LORD, for every man hath been against his son and
against his brother; that He may also bestow upon you a blessing this day.'
The
Leviim shall be blessed.
30 And
it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people: 'Ye have sinned
a great sin; and now I will go up unto the LORD, peradventure I shall make
atonement for your sin.' 31 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said: 'Oh,
this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them a god of gold. 32 Yet
now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of
Thy book which Thou hast written.' 33 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Whosoever
hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book. 34 And now go, lead the
people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee; behold, Mine angel
shall go before thee; nevertheless in the day when I visit, I will visit their
sin upon them.' 35 And the LORD smote the people, because they made the calf,
which Aaron made.
So stiffnecked, that this generation will eventually die in the wilderness (my observation of future events and not the Pshat here).
17 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken, for
thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name.' 18 And he said:
'Show me, I pray Thee, Thy glory.' 19 And He said: 'I will make all My goodness
pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and I
will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will
show mercy.' 20 And He said: 'Thou can not see My face, for man shall not see
Me and live.' …
34:1 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Hew thee two tables of
stone like unto the first; and I will write upon the tables the words that were
on the first tables, which thou didst break. 2 And be ready by the morning, and
come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to Me on the
top of the mount. 3 And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be
seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before
that mount.' 4 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses
rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had
commanded him, and took in his hand two tables of stone. 5 And the LORD
descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the
LORD. 6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed: 'The LORD, the LORD,
God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth;
7 keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children,
unto the third and unto the fourth generation.' This is the 13 attributes that we say on fast days to invoke mercy upon our people.
…17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. 18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib thou comes out from Egypt. 19 All that opens the womb is Mine; and of all thy cattle thou shalt sanctify the males, the firstlings of ox and sheep. 20 And the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck. All the first-born of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty. 21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; in plowing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
Nothing takes precedence over the Shabbos until the Rabbis enacted Pekuach Nefesh. For it is better to have a person violate the Shabbos once in able to make holy hundreds or thousands of Shabbosos. Under normal circumstances there will be complete rest including all electronics and one can read and study. Even though newspapers except for the Orthodox ones don’t have Kedusha, one can read them or a novel to relax as long as one derives pleasure and rest on Shabbos.
22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, even of the first-fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the turn of the year. 23 Three times in the year shall all thy males appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. 24 For I will cast out nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders; neither shall any man covet thy land, when thou go up to appear before the LORD thy God three times in the year. 25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the Passover be left unto the morning. 26 The choicest first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.'
Again the laws of the holidays are remembered here and the prohibition of dairy and meat being cooked, eaten together.
27 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Write thou these words, for after the tenor of these
words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.' 28 And he was there
with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink
water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten words.
29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two
tables of the testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that
Moses knew not that the skin of his face sent forth beams while He talked with
him. 30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the
skin of his face sent forth beams; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 31
And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation
returned unto him; and Moses spoke to them. 32 And afterward all the children
of Israel came nigh, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had
spoken with him in mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had done speaking with them,
he put a veil on his face. 34 But when Moses went in before the LORD that He
might speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and he came out;
and spoke unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35 And the
children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face sent
forth beams; and Moses put the veil back upon his face, until he went in to
speak with Him.
Poor Michael Angelo he saw the work
Keren which can be horn or light ray and pictured horns on Moshe instead of
light rays projecting from his face.
From Judith: Another movie about the splitting
of the sea. Ref. VID-20180201-WA0000
The Year that Purim
ended at 5:30 A.M.
Brooklyn, NY, 1958:
At 8:30 in the evening the Rebbe arrived at the Albany
Manor hall. The Rebbe’s synagogue, at 770 Eastern Parkway, was too small to
accommodate the crowds expected to gather for the Purim celebration. By the
time he left, it was approximately 5:30 A.M., and the next day was already
dawning. At one point, well after midnight, the Rebbe remarked that they had
reached the status of “not knowing” so far as time was concerned, referencing
the Talmudic imperative to celebrate to the point of “not knowing” the
difference between Haman and Mordechai. (Megillah, 7b.)
Over the course of
the nine intervening hours, the Rebbe delivered a series of inspired talks on
the awesome significance of the day, and on the contemporary application of the
dramatic story recorded in the Megillah. With each successive talk, the Rebbe
grew more animated and more engaged, calling on his listeners to enter fully
into the spirit of the holiday, and to transcend all their mundane concerns and
rational anxieties. In some talks, the Rebbe grappled with profound questions
on the interplay of reason, will, and moral instinct. In others, he probed the
nature of Jewish identity, and the place of the Jew within the wider world.
Between these talks he led the crowd in song and raised his glass time and
again to wish individuals “Le Chaim!”
At one point, the
crowd sung a complex and contemplative melody, and the room was filled with a
sense of solemn ascent and soul searching. When the melody came to its
conclusion, the Rebbe admonished them for their solemnity and demanded they
sing a joyous Purim song. The next song leaped with jollity, but the Rebbe was
still not satisfied. As soon as the second song was finished, he began an
intensely lively song of his own choosing, whooping and cheering as he led the
chorus.
It
was already late, and some might have thought this would be the climax. But the
Rebbe was just getting started. Later in the evening he devoted several talks
to the Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim, which had originally been founded by the Fifth
Rebbe of Chabad in 1897, and was
celebrating the 18th year since it had been re-established on American shores
in the midst of the Holocaust. Here the Rebbe elaborated on several famous
talks by the Fifth Rebbe, the Rebbe Rashab:
To enter the Yeshiva, he explained, is to
divorce oneself from the world and to commit oneself entirely to spiritual
pursuits. Yet it must be understood from the very outset that this divorce is a
temporary one, and that the real purpose of entering the Yeshiva is to equip
oneself to engage the world and to transform the world. He also discussed the
Fifth Rebbe’s bold declaration that “all the mitzvoth relate
directly to the essence of G‑d.”
At
a later point, the Rebbe led the crowd in a heartfelt rendition of Ani Maamin:
“I believe with perfect faith in the coming of Moshiach.
Though he tarries, nevertheless I believe!”
In the final talk,
at about 5 a.m., the Rebbe extolled the dedication and initiative displayed
by Esther, emphasizing the integral role that Jewish women must continue to
play in transforming the world into a home for G‑d.
For audio recordings
of many of these talks and songs click here. For a Hebrew
transcript click here. Below are six nuggets of
insight from amongst the great wealth of teachings imparted by the Rebbe over
the course of the night, freely rendered and abbreviated in English:
1.
Why Is Purim a Working Holiday?
The Talmud tells us that
Mordechai and Esther originally wanted Purim to be a holiday on which work is
forbidden, as it is on the major Biblical festivals, but the Rabbis did not
accept this. (Megillah, 5b.) The Chassidic masters explain that work does not
stand in opposition to the sacred joy of Purim. On the contrary, work should
itself be seen as a sacred activity. To work is to bring holiness into the
mundane world, to improve the world, to transform the world into a dwelling
place for G‑d. Indeed, all the categories of work forbidden on Shabbat and on Biblical
holidays, are the same categories of work that were required for the
construction of G‑d’s sanctuary, the Mishkan, as described in the Torah. Accordingly, the license
to work on Purim is actually a sacred imperative to transform the entire world
into a sanctuary for G‑d.
2.
The “One” in Every Word
There was once a Jew
who was, in intellectual terms, a simpleton. It was doubtful if he even knew
the meaning of the words in the daily prayer liturgy. Yet for 40 years, he
prayed intensely and at great length, and not only on the High Holidays, or on
Shabbat, but each and every day: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday etc. When others asked
what inspired him with such constant passion, he responded, “I’m not a
knowledgeable person, but 40 years ago, I heard this teaching from the Alter Rebbe: Our sages say that in the
Ten Commandments, G‑d miraculously pronounced the two words ‘remember’ and
‘guard’ [the Shabbat] in a single utterance (zachor ve’shamor
b’dibbur echad). Lifted from its original context, it can be read as an
imperative: “In [each] word, remember and guard the ‘One.’” This means that in
every word you utter, you must preserve your consciousness of the One G‑d in
whose presence you stand.” Indeed, at all times, you must “remember and guard”
the One that animates every aspect of existence and of your experience. With
this simple thought, you can serve G‑d for 40 years, pouring out your soul in
prayer. Indeed, the Talmud tells us that it takes 40 years for a student to
fully assimilate the teachings of his master.
At this point, the
Rebbe began singing Darkecha Elokeinu, a song usually sung in the period
leading up to the High Holidays.
3.
The Work of Purim: Be Joyous!
In addition to the
broad mandate of working to transform the world, which applies constantly, each
day has its specific work tasks, both spiritual and physical. Our constant
mission is to “serve G‑d with joy.” (Psalms, 100:2) But,
for the most part, the chief mandate is to “serve G‑d,” with joy being a
secondary condition of our daily work. But, when we come to the month of Adar, we are specifically specifically called on to
“increase joy,” (Taanit, 29a) and on Purim the specific work of increasing joy
is brought to its ultimate climax. Indeed, the other work tasks of Purim are
governed by certain limitations. The Megillah must be read, once on the eve of
Purim, and once on Purim day, and no more. Charity must be given to two
paupers, a gift of two foods to a friend. But the obligatory task of being
joyous encompasses the entire day with complete equality.
4.
The Intoxicating Triumph of Good Over Evil
The Talmud tells us
“One is obligated to drink wine until one no longer knows the difference
between ‘cursed is Haman’ and ‘blessed is Mordechai.’” This formulation
contains an inherent paradox: The entire celebration of Purim is predicated on
the distinction between good and evil, and on the miraculous triumph of blessed
Mordechai over cursed Haman. Yet, we are instructed to transcend all knowledge
of this distinction in order to celebrate it! The key to this paradox is that this
transcendence of reason and knowledge is defined by the essential joy that is
its foundation. Joy, even irrational joy, is fundamentally tethered to our
essential humanity, to the divine soul, to the inner feeling of transcendent
purpose and pleasure that is the unconscious core of our moral compass. On
Purim we are tasked with becoming conscious of this unconscious core,
intoxicating ourselves with the joyous fact that even when reason is overcome,
good will yet triumph over evil.
5. “The Peoples of the Land Made
Themselves Jewish”
With the dramatic
fall of Haman, the Megillah records, “the Jews had light and joy, and gladness
and honor … and many of the peoples of the land made themselves Jewish because
the fear of the Jews was upon them.” (Esther, 8:16-17.)
R. Moshe Isserles, the great halachic
master known as Remo, writes that this
doesn’t simply mean that “the peoples of the land” were afraid of the Jews, but
rather that they acquired the Jewish quality of having “fear of G‑d.” How were
the other peoples inspired with fear of G‑d? They were not impressed by the
Jews’ prayer and Torah study alone, but by the fact that even in the secular
realm, in the activities that the Jews shared with “the peoples of the land,”
it was evident that they felt themselves to be standing in the presence of G‑d.
This inspired “the peoples of the land” to likewise imbue all their activities
with a “Jewish” sense of sacred duty, with fear of G‑d. As the Talmud says,
“anyone who denies idolatry is called a Jew.” (Megillah, 13a.)
6. Esther: A Woman of Valor,
Understanding and Initiative
“The Jews had light
and joy…” and the Talmud comments “light refers to Torah” (Megillah, 16b), for
the Jewish people now embraced Torah of their own initiative, dedicating
themselves to G‑d more deeply than they did at Mt. Sinai (Shabbat, 88a). The
Alter Rebbe points out that the word used in this verse for “light” is the
feminine form, orah, rather than the masculine or.
(Mamarei Adhaz 5564, 62.) He connects this to the Talmudic adage, “greater
understanding is given to women than to men.” (Niddah, 45b.) This indicates
that for Torah to be fully internalized—for it to overcome all opposition and
transform the world intellectually, culturally, and actually—it is integral
that Jewish women emulate Esther, who risked her life for her people. As the
Alter Rebbe explains elsewhere, she even acted of her own initiative: Without
consulting Mordechai, she invited Haman to feast with her twice, understanding
that he could not come so close to holiness and survive. (Torah Or, 93d.)
After the last talk
the Rebbe instructed that the Shalosh Tenu’ot melody—attributed
to the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid of Mezritch, and the Alter Rebbe—be sung. At
its conclusion he began singing the melody of the fourth Chabad Rebbe,
the Rebbe Maharash, known as Le’chatchilah
Ariber. After that the Alter Rebbe’s melody, Daled Bavot, was sung, followed by Nye Zhuritze Chloptzi.
Niggunim from 5718 at the site above.
Rabbi Lazer Brody on his tour of
the USA and perhaps redemption soon. https://www.facebook.com/rabbieaston/videos/10216301842799602/
Purim fun: Now I was about to go the gym to live well and age well when
some young blond invited me to join this group. Now if my wife finds out I
could be in deep trouble. https://www.facebook.com/groups/968874959838823/ {the name of the group is
live well and age well}
Former bureau chief to testify against PM. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5132304,00.html
My friend Rabbi Chaim Coffman Shlita teaching
conversion courses for the appearance before the Beit Din or being a Noachide. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/242407
Meretz Party the old guard bows out. https://www.timesofisrael.com/meretz-old-guard-drops-out-of-party-leadership-race/
Charedim serious about the draft law. https://www.timesofisrael.com/vote-on-military-draft-bills-delayed-prompting-haredi-threat-to-coalition/
New Prostate Cancer non-invasive test developed
in Israel. https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-breakthrough-in-noninvasive-prostate-cancer-test/
Inyanay Diyoma
High alert opposite Gaza snipers
deployed. https://www.timesofisrael.com/expecting-further-violent-protests-idf-goes-on-high-alert-on-gaza-border/
Abbas receives medical treatment in USA appears
afraid of or thinks incompetent the Arab doctors. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/242311
Grandmother who fled Iran has a death sentence
against her for saving abused women. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/242352
The Rabbi who opposed the draft and Charedim in
the army passes away. Even though I did not like his traffic blocking tactics
and a girl nearly lost her eye in his followers demonstrations, he was a Torah
Giant. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/242351
UK needs another Churchill. https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/02/23/the-uk-needs-another-churchill-to-confront-iran/
Berkley threat against Jewish Prof. https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/02/23/uc-berkeley-investigating-antisemitic-death-threat-targeting-jewish-professor/
Diane Weber Bederman three Ed-Ops: Video the
entitled generation. https://dianebederman.com/diane-bederman-the-young-generation-is-filled-with-grandiose-infantile-delusions-of-entitlement/
Video on Canadian Terrorism. https://dianebederman.com/diane-bederman-on-justin-trudeau-canadian-is-canadian-terrorism-and-canadian-identity/
Sarah Silverman “You might be Progressive or
Reform but you are not a Jew”. https://dianebederman.com/progressive-reform-but-not-jewish-sarah-silverman/
Massive IDF-USEUCOM exercise to begin in March.
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5129204,00.html
Is the news honest if scripted? http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/02/22/cnn-scripted-gun-violence-town-hall-debate-questions-says-florida-student-colton-haab
Probe by the enemy? Gaza ship enters restricted
zone one dead. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5131564,00.html
Gazans learning from our home front conduct a
civil defense drill for school children. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5131430,00.html
Ed – Op Ben Dror slandering Israel by the
extreme left. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5126946,00.html
We have a few surprises for Hezballah. https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/02/25/idf-officer-after-northern-drill-we-have-surprises-waiting-for-hezbollah/
Poland warned to stop antisemitic remarks. https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/02/24/european-union-leader-warns-poland-must-stop-antisemitic-remarks/
Israel aids in fighting Boko Haram: https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/02/25/report-nigerian-air-force-special-forces-soldiers-receive-counter-terrorism-training-from-israeli-military-team/
Russia talks to tough to both Israel and Iran
but they bluff. https://www.debka.com/russia-israel-will-defend-iran-attacks-also-defend-irans-presence-syria/
SHAMEFUL BETRAYAL OF THE KURDS AND JUST LIKE THEY BETRAYED THE KURDS THEY WILL DO IT TO
ISRAEL TOO. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/21766
The evacuation of refugees may be designed to
put them by Israeli border. A potential powder keg. https://www.debka.com/concern-israel-masses-e-ghouta-refugees-will-stream-golan-border/
Ed-Op Gen. Retired Yadlin the northern border
is escalating. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5135189,00.html
Ed-Op Ben Dror Yemeni the justice system is
rotten. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5134586,00.html
New to fight Judicial activism. www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/242505
Iran testing Israel and Trump. https://www.timesofisrael.com/satellite-image-said-to-show-new-iran-base-near-syria/
How many times must children be murdered in
schools before something is done? https://dianebederman.com/will-that-be-guns-ideology-or-children-first/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=socialnetwork
Kushner’s clearance lowered due to fear that
foreign players might take advantage of him. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5136525,00.html
Saudis fail to keep Lebanon out of Iranian
Camp. https://www.debka.com/saudis-summon-lebanese-pm-moments-beirut-falls-iranian-orbit/
Ground Forces will play a greater part in the
next war. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5137783,00.html
Analysis of Iranian expansion by Ron ben Yishai
(who just won the Israel Prize) https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5136979,00.html
Hezballah releases film of the assassination of
an Israeli General and war correspondent. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5139289,00.html
Prince Wm. To visit Israel in summer. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5140046,00.html
FBI probing Ivanka’s business. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/242614
The Russians want to control the sea in Syria
and not provoke an Israeli response. Iranians on the Sea stopped. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/242615
I agree with Dr. Martin Sherman the
Iranians, Hezballah, Hamas, etc. have to be thwarted by action. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/21794
Have a good Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
