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by Rabbi E. Tauger
Nissan
Nisan -
A Month of Miracles
Put yourself in the place of the Jews of
Shushan. They had been in exile for many years. Some had been brought
to Babylon after the destruction of the First Temple about 70 years
beforehand. Others had been exiled there previously. For years,
they had seen the fortunes of the Jewish people decline and now
they were being threatened with utter annihilation. Haman, the viceroy
of the king of the entire civilized world, had caused a royal decree
to be issued that would allow the entire Jewish people to be slain
on one day.
Mordechai, their spiritual leader, had donned sackcloth and declared
public fasts to motivate them to repentance. But what could they
do? It would take a miracle to reverse their circumstances and many
years had passed since they had seen miracles.
Nevertheless, they did not despair. Instead, led by Mordechai's
example, they turned to G-d in sincere teshuvah, repenting for their
sins, and resolving to conduct themselves better in the future.
Their children gathered to study the Torah, learning laws concerning
offerings to be brought in the Temple - a Temple they had never
seen.
Now let's fast forward a bit: Haman is hung from the gallows. Months
later the Jews are given permission to defend themselves and assisted
by the king's soldiers, they wreak utter devastation against their
enemies, slaying their foes and destroying all traces of opposition.
Luxuriating in the miracles G-d wrought on their behalf, they celebrate
with genuine happiness and joy.
History Lessons
What is behind this series of events? First
of all, we have to understand what exile is about, what existed
beforehand, and what brought about the change. When the Jewish people
lived in Eretz Yisrael and the Temple was standing, they had absolute
confidence that G-d would save them. Even though they committed
sins, they saw G-dliness overtly revealed in the Temple and therefore,
believed that no matter what they did, they would be saved.
There was a certainly legitimacy to their belief. For indeed, for
hundreds of years, G-d was patient, giving them chance after chance
to repent before the Temple was destroyed. On several occasions,
Jerusalem had been saved by miracles. Their lives had been punctuated
by continuous revelations of G-d's presence.
But then, there reached a point where this pattern was no longer
viable. They could no longer rely on the Temple to save them; their
sins became too great. On Tisha BeAv, the Temple went up in flames.
And from that time onward, their lives changed. G-dliness was no
longer apparent. Instead, their lives were controlled by the natural
order. They were ruled by Babylonian and Persian kings and subject
to their whims. They built homes in the cities of their exile and
became accustomed to the new way of life.
One thing led to another and they committed the sin which was the
spiritual cause for the decree for their destruction. To quote our
Sages: "They took pleasure in the feast of that wicked man."
What happened? Achasverosh, the Persian king, made a feast to mark
- according to his mistaken calculations - the end of the 70 year
period that had been prophesied for the duration of the exile. He
took out the Temple's vessels from his treasury and used them during
the celebrations. Now, the Jews attended that feast. And even more
serious than their actual attendance was the fact they enjoyed being
there. They took pride in being invited to the king's celebration.
This acceptance of the standards of exile repudiated their direct
connection to G-d, and as a result, they were subject to annihilation.
A Convergence of Nature and
Transcendence
How did the Jews repent for their conduct?
The teshuvah of the entire nation was focused on Queen Esther. She
fasted for three days and three nights and then went to appeal to
the king to save the Jewish nation. Now, how was she trying to sway
the king? Through her beauty and grace.
But what effect will a three day fast have on beauty and grace?
It will obviously diminish it.
Then why did she fast? For she knew that before she could sway the
mind of the king on the earthly plane, she had to rectify her people's
relationship with the ultimate King. And once that was accomplished,
she had no fears of what would happen on the earthly plane.
She realized that what was of primary importance was reestablishing
the bond the Jewish people had with G-d. Afterwards, whatever actions
she performed on the material plane would be of secondary importance.
The rest is history. G-d accepted the people's repentance and Achasverosh
gave the Jews the potential to defeat their foes. On one hand, it
was a miraculous series of events. On the other hand, the sea did
not split. Instead, everything looked natural; one could mistake
it for a narrative of palace intrigue. But that makes the miracle
even greater - that it did not break nature, it elevated nature
and allowed nature to serve as a vehicle to communicate G-dliness
that transcends nature's limits.
Past and Present
The Purim narrative is not a tale of ancient
history, but instead contains fundamental lessons relevant to us
at present. a) Firstly, we have to realize that we are in exile.
Although our parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents
may have lived where we live, it is not our natural home. Our natural
home is Eretz Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael as a place of G-dly revelation.
b) Even though we are in exile, we have to guard ourselves against
thinking that we are the same as the others living there. The intent
is not only to take safeguards against forgetting Jewish practice,
but at least as important - to recognize the uniqueness of our Jewish
identity. Purim teaches us that we are unique and share a special
relationship with G-d.
c) Miracles are possible at all times and in all situations. G-d
is not bound by the laws of nature and can bend nature at will.
Even when there have been years when our people have not seen miracles,
He can bring them about at His desire.
d) G-d's miracles need not upset the natural order, but can manifest
themselves within it. Just as Achasverosh, a debauched, foolish
king can be serve as the medium to bring the Jews a miraculous victory,
so, too, G-d can work His ways through non-Jewish leaders today.
Eyes on the Future
All of these four insights are directly related
to Mashiach's coming.
a) At that time, we will again return to Eretz Yisrael and rebuild
the Temple.
b) The uniqueness of our people and our relationship with G-d will
be overtly apparent.
c) We will see miracles, as the prophet states: "As in the
days of your exodus from Egypt, I will show [the people] wonders."
d) These wonders will permeate the natural order, changing the nature
of our everyday experience.
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Hear the Megilah twice, both
in the evening and in the morning.
Give Shalach Manos, presents of food to at least one
other person.
Give Matanos L'Evyonim, gifts to the poor, to at least
two needy people.
Make a Purim feast and celebrate without reservation.
Add the passage V'al Hanissim in prayers and in the
grace after meals.
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Torah
readings of the month
Parshas Pekudei
This Torah reading is one of
summing up. It concludes the Book of Exodus and its content contains
a summary and an inventory of the construction of the Sanctuary.
It highlights the importance of making our summaries significant.
As our Sages say: "Everything follows the summary." Too
often, we start with a proper idea and may even make progress with
it, but never complete its execution properly. Parshas Pekudei points
to the importance of tying things together and putting the final
touches on our accomplishments. Doing so allows us to proceed to
the next phase.
Parshas Vayikra
The Torah reading itself focuses
on the sacrifices offered in the Sanctuary in the desert and later
in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Hebrew term for sacrifice is korban
which shares the root "kerov", meaning, "close."
The sacrifices were a medium through which closeness and intimacy
were established between G-d and man, and in a larger sense, between
Him and every aspect of the world at large.
When a person brought a sacrifice what he was doing was endeavoring
to draw close to G-d. Every person has a spark of G-d within him,
a spiritual potential that is infinite and unbounded, like G-d Himself.
And every person has an animal nature, a part of his personality
which is concerned with taking care of his physical needs; eating,
drinking, sleeping, and doing anything else that will make him satisfied.
Is that evil or even bad? No. But it would be a shame if that's
all a person did throughout his life. It would be a terrible waste
if instead of adding something to the world and better
ing it, a person did nothing but gratify his own wants and desires.
There has got to be a process of communication between the two.
We need a meeting point, a meshing of paths that insures that our
spiritual experience will not be otherworldly, and that our physical
experience is permeated with the mean
ing and depth which spiritual awareness contributes.
This was the purpose of bringing a sacrifice. It was a process of
growth, in which a person elevated the animal inside of himself,
and taught it to look upward and appreciate a higher purpose.
Parshas Tzav
This week's Torah reading describes
in detail the preparatory service for the dedication of the Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary was a very significant place; it was G-d's dwelling.
Now anything significant, how much more so a dwelling for G-d, does
not happen by itself. Therefore, for seven days Moses and the Jews
were involved in preparations. Each day, they erected the Sanctuary.
Aharon and his sons were dressed in their priestly garments, and
Moses himself brought the sacrifices. This is how they set the stage
for the revelation of G-d's presence.
One might ask: The revelation of G-d's presence surpasses any service
man could possibly perform, so what value was there in the sacrifices
the Jews brought? Since every thing is dependent on G-d's initiative,
why was it necessary for the Jews to do anything at all?
Because even though the ultimate goal is a revelation of G-d's infinity
which surpasses all human effort, unless man conducts preparatory
acts that make him fit to receive these revelations, G-d will not
manifest His presence.
Parshas Shemini
The conclusion of this week's
Torah reading speaks about the laws of kashrus: which animals may
be eaten and which may not. These laws are placed in the category
of chukim, laws that do not have an explanation within the realm
of mortal wisdom. Simply put, there is no logical reason why we
may eat beef and not pork. It has nothing to do with health factors,
preventing trichinosis, or other apologetic explanation. We eat
certain meats because G-d said we could, and we don't eat others
because He commanded us not to.
That said, there is still a difference of opinion among our Rabbis:
Did
G-d have a reason for what He commanded? In other words, is there
a spiritual reason not to partake of these species? Some Rabbis
maintain there is. They explain that we as material beings cannot
perceive spiritual truths and hence do not understand why one species
is permitted and one is not. But since G-d created the world and
everything within it, He knows the particular spiritual qualities
associated with every created being. He knows that certain species
have undesirable qualities and if we partake of them, those undesirable
qualities will be assimilated into our bodies and into our characters.
As a favor to us, He told us which foods to eat and which not to
eat.
Other Rabbis differ. They explain that we should fulfill G-d's will
because it is His will. We don't need a reason to do what He wants.
We should do what He wants because He wants it and should feel happy
that He has given us the opportunity to connect to Him by fulfilling
His will.
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