Yeshiva
Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Purim & The Month of Adar
- The Month of Adar
What about Tishrei, which has in it both Rosh Hashana, a pretty upbeat, happy holiday, as well as Sukkot, with its meals eaten al fresco, the only Chag that commands us, "v’hayita ach sameach" – you must only be happy!
Or what about Nisan?! That’s the month when we were finally freed from slavery, achieved independence & had umpteen miracles done for us. That’s not happiness?!
More on this in just a moment, but first, another question: Why is Esther called Esther, rather than her given name Hadassah (perhaps after the hospital?!)? The classic answer, of course, is that "Esther" connects to "nistar – hidden," since she wisely kept her Jewish lineage hidden from King Never-can-spell-his-name-right-in-English.
But I have another thought on the matter for you: The name "Esther – hidden" relates to much more than just one solitary person. It is a grand statement about the entire saga of Purim in Persia and in fact, it suggests a deeper, more profound comment on Jewish life itself.
The Jews of Shushan were baffled & totally besides themselves. Just the other day they were the sovereign’s sweethearts, close up & cushy with the king, sitting at his banquet in choice seats & sipping (kosher) wine. And now, in a flash, they’re destined for destruction at the hands of Haman the Heartless, without a clue as to their crime. "Why us?" they cry. "Where did we go wrong?"
And then, to their further chagrin, they see Esther strutting royally about the palace. "Hey, what is she doing?! Did she cut some kind of secret deal with the crown; did she sell us out?!"
But all this anxiety & foreboding suddenly turns upside down when the Jews get the news that Haman got the noose. Our salvation is kept hidden til then, but when it is finally revealed, our joy & jubilation knows no bounds. True happiness, you see, is when unexpected – maybe even undeserved - good fortune comes our way. And that is why Adar qualifies as #1 in the happiness column.
In truth, this describes all of Jewish life. We worry, we face enemies, we fixate on all the hassles & heartaches that we think surround us. Yet all the while, Mazal & miracles are being Divinely prepared for us; they’re only hidden til just the right moment. So on Purim - & every day – be happy!
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Hosha'ana Rabba FLYDUBAI & HOSHANA RABBA- ANI VAHU HOSHIA NA- I & HIM SAVE US
"Ani vaHu Hoshia Na", "I and Him, Save Us". We don't just pray to Him, but we also pray to and for ourselves that we should emulate and educate our children to have that instinctive altruism with which He created the world. President Trump seemed amused about Yaniv Hayon, our PLUMBER who confidently worked with G-d like Superman (he learned from a pilot on a TV show!) to save 174 lives on the Dubai hijacking, but we in Israel are totally accustomed already 78 years to our plumbers, teachers, garbage-men, rabbis, farmers & doctors being Hashem's shlichim! This is what Zionism is about.
Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
P'ninat Mishpat A Non-Contractor in Changing Times – part I
(based on ruling 85128 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Moreshet Shaul Our King on Rosh Hashana, Our Father on Yom Kippur.
Based on Aroch Siach, p. 221 (Rav Shaul Yisraeli)
