Sukkos - The Sukkah and the Function of the Jewish People

In the Torah’s description of the festival of Sukkos, the Torah describes the obligation for Jews to dwell in sukkos – “booths” – for the entire seven days of the festival (Leviticus 23:42-43):

You shall dwell in sukkos for seven days; every native in Israel shall dwell in sukkos. In order that your generations will know that I had the children of Israel dwell in sukkos when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am Hashem your God.

For the seven days of Sukkos, a Jew is required to make the sukkah his main dwelling place. He must eat all his meals there, and, ideally, he is required to sleep there as well.

The Menoras HaMaor (Rabbi Yitzchak Aboav, Late 14^th Century) explains that the underlying message of the obligation to dwell in the sukkah is to teach us place our trust purely in God. He writes (146:3-5):

...באה מצות סכה זאת ללמדנו שלא ישים אדם בטחונו בגבה ביתו וחזוקו ותקונו הטוב – ואף כי יהיה מלא מכל טוב – ואל יבטח בסיוע שום אדם – אע"פ שיהא אדון הארץ ומושל בה – אבל ישים בטחונו במי שאמר והיה העולם...

ולהעיר לאדם על זה, באה מצות סכה בזמן הזה – אחר אסיפת גרן ויקב בארץ ישראל... – לפי שבזמן הזה הוא זמן בעיטה לכל, שהאוצרות מלאים כל טוב והאדם כבר נאסף לעיר..., לפיכך צוה לצאת מביתו החזק וישב בסכה, כדי שיתעורר וישים מבטחו בשם ית' ויתן אל לבו כי כל הטוב שהגיע אליו מן היוצא בשדה, הכל בא לו ברצון ה'.... ויזכור שכל שמירת גופו וכל אשר לו מאת ה' ית' ולא יבטח באשר לו.

וגם באה מצוה זו להעיר ולהזכיר כי בסכות הושיב ה' ית' את בני ישראל במדבר ושמרם מן החרף ומן הקרח והצנה והגשמים והחום בלי בית ותקרה, ובזה יראו כי בכל דור ודור שומרם בוראם בלי בית וחומה דלתים ובריח.

The mitzvah of sukkah comes to teach us that a person should not place his trust in the height and strength of his home, or its good condition – even if it is filled with all good things – and he should not place his trust in any human being – even if he is the lord of the land and has dominion over it – but he should put his trust in He Who Spoke and the world came to be….

To bring forth this point, the mitzvah of sukkah comes at this specific time – after the grain and wine harvest in the land of Israel – for this is a time of rebelliousness for all, when the storehouses are full of all good things and one is gathered into the city…. Therefore, one is commanded to go out of his secure home and dwell in a sukkah, in order to awaken him to place his trust in God, and to take to heart that all the good that has come to him from going out to the field, it all came to him by the will of God…. And he should remember that his security, and the security of all that he has, comes from God, and he should not place his trust in his possessions.

This mitzvah also brings forth and reminds us that God had the children of Israel dwell in sukkos in the wilderness, and He protected them from the winter ice and cold, and from the rains, and from the heat, without a house or a ceiling, and through this they would see that in every generation their Creator would protect them, without a house, wall, doors, or key.

The basic message of the sukkah is our dependence on God; that He alone is the one true source of security and protection. R’ Avigdor Miller writes (A Kingdom of Cohanim – Vayikra 23:43):

In the Wilderness our fathers had no walled cities inn which to find protection from the many potential predators. Our father’s possessed great wealth that they had taken from Egypt, and all the nations would have attempted to attack Israel to seize this wealth. But despite the fact that that our fathers possessed no fortifications or walls to protect them, and even no houses with sturdy walls, yet in their flimsy tabernacles of cloth and straw, they were more secure during these 40 years than at any subsequent time in their history. The only true security is Hashem: that is the lesson of Succos.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch

Ultimately, the message of the sukkah – that God controls everything, and that our welfare is entirely in His hands – is the basic message that the Jewish people exist to convey to the entire world. R’ Samson Raphael Hirsch writes (The Nineteen Letters, Letter Seven):

While mankind was to be taught by experience, and from its fate it was to gain knowledge about God and itself, the attainment of this aim was to be assured and furthered by a special arrangement. …There would be introduced into the ranks of nations one people which would demonstrate by its history and way of life that the sole foundation of life is God alone; that life’s only purpose is the fulfillment of His Will; and that the formal expression of this Will, specifically addressed to this people, serves as the exclusive bond of its unity.

This objective required a nation that was poor in everything upon which the rest of mankind builds its greatness and the entire structure of its life. To all appearances being at the mercy of nations armed with self-reliant might, it was to be directly sustained by God Himself, so that, in manifestly overcoming all opposing forces, God would stand revealed as the sole Creator, Judge and Master of history and nature....

Thus, this people came to constitute the cornerstone on which humanity could be reconstructed. Recognition of God and of man's calling found a refuge in this nation and would be taught to all through it's fate and its way of life, which were to serve as a manifest example, a warning, a model, a education.

For the sake of this mission, however, Yisrael could not join in the doings of the rest of the nations, in order not to sink down with them to the worship of material possessions and pleasure. It has to remain separate until the day on which all mankind will have absorbed the lessons of its experiences and the example of this nation, and will united turn toward God. Joining with Yisrael at that time, mankind will then acknowledge God as the sole basis for its existence and "as God is One, the recognition of His Name will be one." Then, "the teaching of His Law will go forth from Zion and the Word of God from Jerusalem."

The passage of the Jewish people through the desert encompassed by the “Clouds of Glory”, with no material protection but their trust in God, marked the beginning of the role of the Jewish people as the “Light unto the Nations”, which required their elevation and separation from the nations, but which would ultimately bring all mankind to the service of God in unity.

This transition is described in Kabbalistic terms by R’ Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (d.1747) in Derech Hashem (IV:8:2):

הנה ענני הכבוד שהקיף הקב"ה את ישראל, מלבד תועלתם בגשמיות שהיה לסכך עליהם ולהגן בעדם, עוד היתה תולדה גדולה נולדת מהם בדרכי הרוחניות, והוא כמו שעל ידי העננים ההם היו נמצאים ישראל מבדלים לבדם ונשואים מן הארץ, כן היה נמשך להם מציאות הארה המשכנת אותם לבד, נבדלים מכל העמים, ומנשאים ומנטלים מן העולם הזה עצמו, ועליונים ממש על כל גויי הארץ. ודבר זה נעשה בשעתו לישראל, להגיעם אל המעלה העליונה הראויה להם.... ומתחדש דבר זה בישראל בחג הסכות על ידי הסוכה.

The Clouds of Glory with which God encompassed Israel [in the wilderness], asides from their physical benefit, which was to shelter and protect them, also had a major spiritual effect. Just as the clouds caused Israel to be set apart and lifted above the earth [physically], similarly there was drawn a reality of illumination that dwelled only with them, separating them from all the nations and lifting them and removing them from this [physical] world itself, [so that] they were literally elevated above all the nations of the earth. This was done to Israel at that time, in order to bring them to the high level that was proper for them. … This [elevation and separation] is renewed [each year] for Israel on the festival of Sukkos through the sukkah.

Thus, the sukkah thus represents the role of the Jewish people in this world, as a distinct nation devoted purely to God, elevated and separated from the nations of the world, to serve as a model of what humanity’s relationship with God can and should be. The Jewish people, who’s very existence as a nation is a miracle, a people who’s fortunes throughout history have been clearly tied to their obedience to God’s will, testify through their existence and their fortunes to God’s dominion over history.

The prophet Zechariah (14:16, in the haftara of the first day of Sukkos) tells us that, ultimately, when mankind will come to recognize the truth of God’s dominion, then all the nations will come to celebrate Sukkos:

והיה כל הנותר מכל הגוים הבאים על ירושלים ועלו מדי שנה בשנה להשתחות למלך ה' צבאות ולחוג את חג הסוכות.

And it shall come to pass, that all who are left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem, shall go up from year to year to bow before the King, Hashem, Lord of Hosts, and to celebrate the festival of Sukkos.

In his commentary on the Haftaros, R’ Mendel Hirsch (d.1900) comments on this verse:

So we see Judaism as the religion of the future. Its truths acknowledged by all, its laws understood and kept, the general ones of humanness and morality by mankind in general, the special ones for Jews dedicating them to be the priests of mankind, by the Jews. The reign of everlasting peace will have started. All enmity, all hate of one to the other will have disappeared for by the universal recognition of God as their One King henceforth all men form one great family. And all class war will have come to an end by the knowledge and realization of the teachings of the Tabernacles Festival.

---

Forgiveness for Inter-Personal Sins

Jewish law requires us to ask forgiveness from anyone whom we may have harmed, whether the harm was physical, financial, emotional, or social. We are also required to be gracious in granting forgiveness. The Talmud (Bava Kamma 8:7) states, "From where do we know that it is cruel to not forgive? For it says, "Abraham prayed to God and God healed Abimelech..." (Genesis 20:17).

Maimonides writes (Hil. Teshuvah 2:9-10):

Repentance and Yom Kippur only atone for sins between Man and God such as eating forbidden foods or engaging in forbidden sexual relations. Sins between one man and his fellow, such as striking, cursing, or stealing are never forgiven until one pays up his debt and appeases his fellow. Even if he returns the money he owes he must still ask for forgiveness. Even if he only spoke badly about him, he must appease and beseech until he is forgiven. If his fellow refuses to forgive him then he must bring a group of three of his fellows and go to him and ask him [for forgiveness]. If he still does not forgive him he must go to him a second and third time (with a different group of three people). If he still refuses to forgive him he may cease and the other is the sinner. If [however, the injured party] is his teacher (rebbe) he must go to him even a thousand times until he is forgiven.

It is forbidden to be cruel and difficult to appease, rather, a person must be quick to forgive and difficult to anger and when the sinner asks for forgiveness he should forgive him willingly and wholeheartedly....

In Shulchan Aruch (R' Yosef Karo, d.1575) in the laws of Yom Kippur (Orech Chaim 606:1) we find essentially the same thing. The Rema (R' Moshe Isserles, d.1572) adds that one may withhold forgiveness if it is for the benefit of the person asking. The Mishna Berurah (R' Yisrael Meir Kagan, d.1933) explains that it may be appropriate to withhold forgiveness to teach the supplicant not to take it lightly. The Rema also permits withholding forgiveness when someone spread false rumors about you, however the Mishna Berurah says that in such a case one should still forgive.

In the prayer titled Tefilah Zaka which many people recite before Kol Nidrei on the eve of Yom Kippur it says:

I extend complete forgiveness to everyone who has sinned against me, whether physically or monetarily, or spoke lashon hara (negative speech) about me or even false reports. And (I also forgive them) for any damages, whether on my body or my property, and for all sins between a man and his fellow except for money which I can claim in a court of law and except for someone who sins against me saying, "I will sin against him and he will forgive me". Except for these I grant complete forgiveness and no person should be punished on my account. And just as I forgive everyone so should You grant me favor in the eyes of all men that they should completely forgive me.

The complete prayer is printed in many machzorim (holiday prayer books).

---

The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy - The 13 Middos Shel Rachamim

One of the main features of the prayers of the High Holy Days is the recitation of the י"ג מדות של רחמים – the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. These play a particularly prominent role in the daily Selichos recited at this time and in the Yom Kippur prayers. The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy were first revealed to Moses by God in the aftermath of the sin of the golden calf, when God forgave the Jewish people. (Exodus 34:6-7) The Talmud (Rosh Hashana 17b) tells us that God established a covenant that the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy never go unanswered and that God instructed Moses, “Whenever the Jewish people sin, let them perform this ‘order’ and their sins will be forgiven.”

There are, unsurprisingly, a vast number of commentaries on the exact meaning of these Thirteen Attributes and there is even some dispute about exactly how the words in these two verses should be divided into thirteen. For the ordinary person who wishes to recite the Thirteen Attributes with proper kavanah (intent), however, there is a need for a basic, straightforward, interpretation of the attributes that one can actually have in mind during prayer.

Moreover, as should be obvious, the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are not a magical incantation of forgiveness. The Reishis Chochma (R’ Eliyahu di Vidas d.1592) writes (שער הענוה פרק א') that the Gaonim point out that the Talmud does not say that the Jewish people should “recite this order” for their sins to be forgiven, but that they should “perform this order.” This means that we must emulate these middos (attributes) in our own lives, and through this we will gain forgiveness. It is therefore important that when we recite these attributes, we have a clear idea of what they mean, not only as descriptions of God’s mercy, but also as practical guides for our own behavior.

The following is an highly condensed explanation of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy that I compiled several years ago for my students (based on a wide variety of sources). After each attribute I am including, in parentheses, some additional commentary and notes on how we can apply this middah in practical terms. 

1. ה' – “Hashem” – God is merciful before we sin. (Even though He knows that we will sin, He is still merciful. So too, we should be kind and considerate to others, even if we don’t think they will appreciate it or reciprocate.)
   
   
2. ה' – “Hashem” – He is merciful after we sin when we repent. (If someone hurt us and sincerely wishes to make amends, we should forgive them wholeheartedly.)
   
   
3. א-ל – “God” – His power saves us from our sins after we repent. (If someone sincerely wishes to make amends for hurting us, then we should share the burden of reparation with them.)
   
   
4. רחום – “Merciful” – His mercy is active even before we repent. (If someone hurt us, we should not respond with anger and rejection, but with love and kindness, showing that way to forgiveness is still open.)
   
   
5. וחנון – “And Gracious” – He is kind to us even when we have not earned it.
   
   
6. ארך אפים – “Slow to Anger” – He waits patiently for us to repent. (Instead of punishing us immediately for our sins, as would be justified, God gives us time to repent on our own and avoid punishment. So too, if someone wrongs us, we should give the person time to make amends.)
   
   
7. ורב חסד – “And Abundant in Kindness” – He is biased to judge us favorably. (Whenever there is room for “doubt”, God’s kindness inclines Him to judge us favorably. Similarly, whenever there is room for doubt, we should judge others favorably.)
   
   
8. ואמת: – “And Truth” – He keeps His promises of good even if we are not deserving. (If we promised to do a good thing for another person, we should keep our word even if the person no longer deserves it.)
   
   
9. נצר חסד לאלפים – “He Keeps Kindness for Thousands [of generations]” – He rewards the righteous for two thousand generations. (If we owe a debt of gratitude to someone, we should continue to express that gratitude even to that person’s descendants.)
   
   
10. נשא עון – “He Lifts Up Sin” – When we repent, God “lifts up” our sins [of temptation]…
    
    
11. ופשע – “And Rebellion” – And our sins of rebellion…
    
    
12. וחטאה – “And Error” – And our unintentional sins, and transforms them into merits. (When a person sincerely wishes to make amends for hurting us, we should use this as an opportunity to develop an even closer friendship with the person.)
    
    
13. ונקה – “And He cleans” – Even when we need to be punished (i.e. cleansed) for our sins, He does so gradually, rather than overwhelmingly at once. (Even with repentance, the spiritual damage caused by the more severe sins may still require suffering to fully rectified. Even so, if the total punishment would be beyond our capacity to handle at once, then God spreads it out over time. So too, even in those cases where we must demand that someone make reparations for the harm that they have caused us, we should still be merciful and not demand that they do so in a way that is too difficult for them to handle.)

---

Elul – The Lion Roars

“The lion roars! Who is not afraid?” – Amos 3:8

The commentaries (של"ה הקדוש, מס' ר"ה, נר מצוה בשם הקדמונים) tell us that the word אריה - lion – is an acronym for אלול - Elul, ראש השנה - Rosh HaShana, יום כיפור - Yom Kippur, and הושענה רבה - Hoshana Raba. This period of time, beginning with the month of Elul until Hoshana Raba, the seventh day of the festival of Succos, is a time for introspection and repentance. During this time, Jewish tradition teaches, the gates of teshuva – return – are opened.

The Chayei Adam (Rabbi Avraham Danzig, d.1820) writes (138:1):

Out of the love of the Holy One, blessed be He, towards His people Israel, He has done abundant good for us, and He has commanded us to return to Him anytime we have sinned. And, while teshuva is beneficial at all times, nevertheless, the month of Elul is particularly chosen and prepared beyond the other days of the year for the acceptance of teshuva.

For these days have been days of favor from the moment that we were chosen to be a nation. For after Israel sinned with the golden calf and the Tablets were broken on the seventeenth of Tamuz, Moses went up on the mountain and prayed, and the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him (Exodus 34:1), “Carve for yourself [two stone tablets like the first ones]”, and He found favor to give him a second set of tablets.

Moses then went [back] up on the first of Elul and remained there [for forty days] until Yom Kippur, which is the completion of the atonement. And it states in [the midrash] Tana D’Vei Eliyahu:

“For all these days the people of Israel engaged in fasting, and on the final day – the tenth of Tishrei – they decreed a fast day and they fasted overnight. Therefore, this day – which is Yom Kippur – was established for eternity for atonement.”

And because these [forty] days [from the beginning of Elul until Yom Kippur] were days of favor at that time, therefore every year mercy is again aroused above [during this time] and they are days of favor.

Elul is a time of great opportunity. However, like every true opportunity, it is also a great responsibility. For if God has granted us the opportunity to change and improve and we do not make use of that opportunity, then we effectively compound our guilt.

In previous generations the significance of Elul was better appreciated. The story is told of the marketplace of Kelm, Lithuania – the little town that was home to the famous Talmud Torah of Kelm – where a Gentile was attempting to bargain with a Jewish merchant, and he wasn’t getting anywhere. Finally, another Gentile approached him and asked him why he was trying to bargain. "What?" responded the bargainer, "Of course, I’m trying to bargain! Everyone knows that the initial asking price is always just a bluff!" To which the second Gentile responded, "Don’t you know? It's Elul! The Jews don't bluff during Elul!”

As we enter into this period, and approach the days of judgment on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, it behooves us to think over the past year and the events that have taken place and to remind ourselves that happened in the past year was decreed in the previous Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur.

I heard many times from my rebbe, Rabbi Yitzchok Knobel שליט"א, that it is very easy for us to get discouraged about truly changing our behavior at this time of year. After all, every year we go through the motions and afterwards we quickly revert to our prior behavior. He used to advise us to choose one concrete act, even if it was fairly minor, to improve and to make a solid commitment in that one area. God doesn't expect us to change overnight, He only wants us to make progress, and if we can show concrete progress we have a far better chance of a positive decision on these days of judgment.

So, let us look over our lives. Let us pick something – one thing – that we can truly commit to change, even if only for a specified period of time. Let it be a decision to recite a daily prayer, to attend a Torah class or to study Torah with a partner, to help another person, to speak gently to our spouse, or any similar positive act.

And may God grant us a sweet new year!

---

Tu B'Av - The Fifteenth of Av

One of the minor holidays of the Jewish calendar is Tu B'Av - the fifteenth of Av. The Talmud (Taanis 4:8) tells us that on this day (as well as on Yom Kippur) "the daughters of Jerusalem would go out in borrowed white garments" and "dance in circles in the vineyards" saying, ""Young man! Lift up your eyes and see, what will you choose for yourself? Do not look for beauty, [rather] look for family! 'Charm is false and beauty is empty; a God-fearing wife, she is to be praised.' (Proverbs 31:30) and it says, 'Give to her from the fruits of her hands, and her deeds shall praise her in the gates.' (ibid. 31:31)"

The Talmud tells us that several significant events took place on Tu B'Av:

1. The temporary prohibition of intermarriage between female heirs and members of other tribes  (Numbers 36) ended on this day.
2. The prohibition against allowing men from the tribe of Benjamin from marrying women from the other tribes (Judges 21) ended on this date.
3. After the sin of the spies, a portion of the Jewish population in the wilderness would pass away each year on the ninth of Av. In the fortieth year in the wilderness, no one died on the 9th. At first, the Jews thought that they may have erred in the calculation of the date, but when the fifteenth of Av arrived and still no one had died, they realized that the decree was no longer in effect.
4. On this date the king, Hoshea ben Elah, of the northern kingdom of Israel, removed the guards that had been set by Jeroboam to prevent the people from going to Jerusalem for the festivals.
5. On this date the dead of Beitar were permitted to be buried.
6. Every year, the harvesting of wood to fuel the Temple altar ended on this day.

Of these reasons, two of them have particular relevance to the custom associating shidduchim - finding a match for marriage - with Tu B'Av. However this needs to be explained. Why should the date of Tu B'Av have this special association?

To explain this connection, Rav Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov (d.1841), in his work Bnei Yissaschar (מאמרי תמוז-אב ד:ב) cites the famous teaching that God created the world for the purpose of Yisrael (the Jewish people) and the Torah (see Rashi on Genesis 1:1). In other words, the reason for creation is the relationship between the Jewish people and God (by means of the Torah). The relationship between man and wife is frequently used to describe the relationship between God and the Jewish people. Thus, the creation of the world can be seen as the beginning of the shidduch process between God and Yisrael.

Rosh Hashana, the first day of the month of Tishrei, is the anniversary of the creation of Adam, which took place on the sixth day of creation. This means that the first day of creation took place on the equivalent of the  25th of Elul, forty days after the fifteenth of Av.

The Sages tell us (Talmud Sotah 2a) that forty days before the formation of a child a heavenly voice declares, "The daughter of so-and-so is for so-and-so." In other words, in some sense, the process of shidduchim begins even before birth. Similarly, the day of Tu B'Av marks, in some sense, the beginning of the shidduch between God and Israel. It is therefore an appropriate time for human beings to be involved in their own shidduchim, for human marriage is an emulation of and a model for our relationship with God.

---

"Jerusalem has Sinned a Sin..." (Eicha 1:8)

In Megilas Eicha (the Book of Lamentations) we read (1:8):

חטא חטאה ירושלים על כן לנידה היתה וכו'

"Jerusalem has sinned a sin, therefore she has become a wanderer..."

(The translation of נידה as "wanderer" follows Rashi and Targum. Homiletically, it can also be understood as referring to a "niddah" - a menstruant woman, who is forbidden to her husband until she undergoes ritual purification.)

Many commentaries note the repetitious language of the opening words in the verse, "חטא חטאה ירושלים" - "Jerusalem has sinned a sin" - and a wide range of homiletic interpretations are given for this language.

The Chida

The Chida (Rav Chaim Yosef David Azulai, d.1806), in his commentary Nachal Eshkol, gives nine interesting and illuminating explanations for the repetitious language of the verse. In most of these commentaries (the exceptions being the last two), the Chida interprets the double language either as indicating a "double sin", or as indicating that, despite some argument to minimize their guilt, nevertheless, their act was indeed a sin. It should be noted that some of explanations rely on rather obscure Kabbalistic concepts:

1. While, with regard to most sins, one is only held liable for the actual sinful act, with regard to the sin of idolatry one is held liable even for the thought of sin. Thus, when the Jewish people committed the sin of idolatry, they were held liable for a "double sin" - a sin of thought and a sin of deed.
2. The guilt of one who commits a crime in the palace of the king is far greater than that of one who commits a crime outside the immediate presence of the king. Jerusalem is the "palace of the king", and a sin committed within Jerusalem carries a double burden of guilt.
3. The Shechina (Divine Presence) rests in Jerusalem, and the land itself is holy. These factors should have a powerful influence on us to help us avoid sin and to serve God properly. To sin in such a environment therefore carries a double portion of guilt.
4. Rav Chaim Vital (d.1620) taught that saying that one does not wish to give tzedaka (charity) is considered a sinful act. Thus, the Jewish people indeed sinned by saying that they did not want to give tzedaka. (The Chida's intent here seems to be as follows. One of the sins that led to the churban (destruction) was the failure to give charity (Targum on Eicha 1:3). However, in of itself, the failure to give tzedaka is simply a failure to fulfill a positive obligation and should not be sufficient to bring about such a punishment. However, from Rav Chaim Vital we learn that if one explicitly states that he does not wish to give charity, this is considered a sinful act akin to idolatry. Thus, they indeed actively "sinned a sin.")
5. The Sages comment on this verse (Eicha Rabba 1:35):

   חטא חטאה ירושלים - אומות העולם אינן חוטאים? אלא אע"פ שחוטאין אינן כלום, אבל ישראל חטאו ולקו 

   "Jerusalem has sinned a sin" - [And] the [other] nations of the word don't sin? Rather, even though they sin, it is insignificant, whereas [when the people of] Israel sin, they are punished.

   What is the justice in this? Why are the sins of the Jewish people considered so much worse than the sins of the nations? The answer is because God took us out of Egypt, gave us His Torah, performed great signs and wonders for us, and gave us the land of Israel, all for the purpose that we should obey His laws. Thus, the Jewish people are held to a higher standard and their sins, even those that would be of no significance with regard to the other nations, are indeed sins.
6. Alternatively, we can understand this medrash based upon a concept found in the work Chesed L'Avraham (a major Kabbalistic work written by the Chida's ancestor, Rav Avraham Azulai, d.1643) that, from the generation of the dispersal (resulting from the Tower of Babel), the sins of the non-Jewish nations only damage the "prince" (i.e. angel) assigned to that nation, whereas the sins of the Jewish people cause damage to the highest "attributes." Thus, the sins of Jewish people bear of double portion of guilt. At the same time, however, the fact that the sins of the Jewish people cause damage on such a high level also means that they can be rectified (the Chida does not explain exactly why this is so). Thus, "Jerusalem has sinned a sin" (i.e. the sins of the Jewish people are considered significant) "therefore she has become a niddah" - a menstruant woman - whose separation from her husband is temporary.
7. If a person sins unintentionally twice, it is no longer considered an unintentional sin. (The Chida states that we learn this from the second perek of Beitza, presumably referring to Beitza 16b, where we learn that one who twice forgets to make an eruv tavshilin is considered a poshea (negligent) and cannot rely on the eruv of the local rabbi.) Thus, the verse says that even if Jerusalem sinned unintentionally, because of repetition the unintentional sin bore the full weight of guilt of an intentional sin; it was indeed a sin.
8. The prophet Micah (4:6) said about the time of redemption:

   ביום ההוא נאום ה' אספה הצלעה והנדחה אקבצה ואשר הרעותי. 

   "On that day, says God, I will bring in the lame one, and the one who was driven away I shall gather, and the one I have harmed.

   On this verse the Sages comment (Shemos Rabba 46:4), מהו 'אשר הרעותי'? זה יצר הרע - "What is the meaning of, 'the one I have harmed'? [What harm does this refer to?] This refers to the yetzer hara - the evil inclination." God placed the yetzer hara within every human being to tempt him to sin. Thus, so to speak, on a certain level, God acknowledges that the sin of Jerusalem is His "fault". Thus, we can read the verse, "חטא" - "Sin," i.e. the yetzer hara (the term חטא can be understood to refer to the yetzer hara, as we see in Genesis 4:7), "חטאה ירושלים" - "caused Jerusalem to sin." This reduces their guilt,  "therefore she has become a niddah" and will be purified and return to her Husband.
9. The intentional sins of a צבור - community - are considered as unintentional. (כמ"ש הרב כתנות אור פרשת נצבים) Thus, the sins of Jerusalem are to be considered unintentional sins. (While the term  "חטא" is a generic term for sin, in some contexts - such as when used in combination with other terms for sin - it can have the specific connotation of unintentional sin. In this commentary, the Chida apparently interprets the double language to indicate an emphasis on the specific language of  "חטא" with its connotation of unintentional sin.) Thus the verse says, "Jerusalem has sinned an unintentional sin, therefore she has become a niddah" and will be purified and return to her Husband.

---

Tisha B'Av - The Purpose of Fasting

On the Ninth of Av (Tisha B'Av) it was decreed on our ancestors that they would not enter the Land (of Israel), the Temple was destroyed the first and second time, Beitar [the stronghold of the Bar Kochba rebellion] was captured, and the city (of Jerusalem) was plowed under. Talmud Taanis 4

As the anniversary of the most tragic events in Jewish history, the ninth of Av is the most important day of mourning in the Jewish year. Like all fast days, the basic purpose of Tisha B'Av is for us to meditate upon the tragedies that have come about through our sins and to commit to rectifying those errors. As Maimonides writes (Hil. Taanios 5:1):

There are days when all Israel fasts because of the troubles that occurred on them, in order to arouse the hearts to begin the ways of repentance and to be a reminder of our evil deeds and the deeds of our ancestors that were like our deeds today which brought them and us these troubles. For by remembering these things we are brought to return to the good, as it says (Leviticus 26:40), "And they shall confess their sin and the sin of their ancestors."

The sources enumerate a number of different sins that were the root causes of the destruction, and which should be the primary focus of repentance on these days. These include:

• Unjustified hatred of our fellow Jews (sinas chinam). We must work to feel love towards our fellow Jews, and also for all human beings.
• Murder. We should work on ourselves to respect our fellow man and see in him the image of God that exists in every person. Even publicly shaming another person is likened to murder.
• Idolatry. We must recognize that only God is the cause of good and bad. No person or thing can hurt you or help you unless it is the will of God. Nothing else has any real power in the world. We should focus on developing our relationship with HaShem and to realize that He cares about each and every one of us and hears our prayers.
• Immorality. Not only must we avoid outright acts of immorality, but we must also train ourselves to avoid circumstances and situations that can lead us in that direction.
• Neglect of Torah study. We must recognize that the Torah is God's direct revelation to us. As such, it is fundamentally different from all other forms of knowledge. From the Torah we learn what our purpose is in this world and how to achieve that purpose. Our attitude towards the Torah must express this recognition. We must not treat the study of Torah like any other form of study.

---

Note: Part of this post is a repeat of material from a previous post: Asara b'Teves - Mourning the Loss of the Temple

---

Bamidbar - Everything Has Its Place

In Parshas Bamidbar we read of how God chose the tribe of Levi to be His, to a degree above and beyond the rest of the Jewish people. Originally, the Temple service was to have been performed by the first-born sons of the entire nation. When the people sinned with the golden calf, they lost this privilege and it was given to the tribe of Levi. The tribe of Levi was chosen because, at the time of the sin of the golden calf, they answered Moses' cry of "Whoever is for God, to me!" and took up their swords to punish the worshippers of the calf.

In his commentary on Bamidbar, Rav Avigdor Miller notes a surprising irony in this. At the end of his life, Jacob admonished his sons Shimon and Levi for the violent manner in which they avenged the honor of their sister, Dinah. Yet now the descendants of Levi were being rewarded for engaging in a violent battle against their fellow Jews!

Rav Miller explains that this teaches us an important lesson:

...we learn that no natural emotion or character-trait is intrinsically evil: "God made the Man right" (Koheles 7:29), but good or evil depends on the manner in which these emotions and character-traits are exercised. Anger and even cruelty, jealousy and ambition, indulgence and temperance, indolence and alacrity: each has its proper place, and when employed in Hashem's service all of these motivations gain recompense in this life and everlasting reward in the Afterlife. The anger which endangered Jacob's family was cursed and was punished by landlessness, but when the anger was utilized to combat idolatry it was rewarded by an eternal covenant: "The Levites shall be Mine."

This is an important lesson as we come into Shavuos, the festival of Matan Torah (the Giving of the Torah). One of the most basic messages of the Torah is that every aspect of human life has the potential for holiness. Judaism teaches us not to reject our natural drives and desires, but to channel them into the service of God. This is one of the basic symbolic messages of circumcision, which the Jewish people had to undergo before they could receive the Torah, and which every male convert must undergo to enter into the Jewish covenant with God. As Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch writes (Collected Writings III, pp. 78-79 - emphasis added):

All the physical aspects of of our earthly existence, with all its impulses and forces, its riches and pleasures, must be brought under the firm control of the holy will of God. This sign [of circumcision] poses, as the first and indispensable condition for our covenant with God that we must circumcise the ערלה [uncontrolled nature (lit. "foreskin)] of the physical aspect of our body. It is not the consecration of the spirit but the consecration of the body that marks the entry into the covenant of Abraham. This covenant categorically rejects the erroneous concepts of both extremes. It does not condone a mortification of the flesh one earth for the purpose of gaining life in the world to come. But it also rejects the worship of physical appetites and the cult of "beautiful" sensualism.

---

What is the Torah?

On the festival of Shavuos we celebrate the event of Matan Torah - the Giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. This was the foundational event of Judaism, from which all else follows. It was at Sinai that God made the Jewish people into His nation, and gave us His Torah.

But what, exactly, is the Torah? By this, I am not asking about the simple definition of the Torah - i.e. the five books of Moses - or even the broader definition of the complete corpus of the Written and Oral Law. I am asking, what kind of "book" is the Torah? Specifically, what kind of information did God intend to reveal to us through the Torah and what kinds of expectations can we reasonably have when studying it?

To clarify, in order to productively read a book, we need to have a reasonably good idea as to what the author is attempting to do. If our understanding of the author's intent is significantly flawed, then our ability to understand and use the book will be, at best, equally flawed. Our understanding of the author's intent causes us to have specific expectations from the book and it is the author's success in satisfying those expectations that we use in assessing the quality of the book. Thus, we have very different expectations from a history book than we have from a cookbook, or a book on car repair, or a medical textbook, or a dictionary.

The same is true for the Torah. In order for us to properly study the Torah, we first need to clarify what the Author of the Torah is trying to accomplish. What is the intended function of the Torah? Thankfully, the Torah itself is fairly clear on what its purpose is; the function of the Torah is to instruct, i.e. to tell us what to do with our lives. As the Torah (Exodus 24:12) says, "And Hashem said to Moses: 'Come up to Me, to the mountain, and stay there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, and the Torah and the commandment, which I have written to instruct them.'" One of the most basic themes throughout the Torah is the absolute importance of obeying God's commands, as given to us in the Torah.

Everything in the Torah is there for the purpose of instruction. This is true not only for the mitzvos, but even for the stories found in the Torah.  The stories in the Torah are intended to teach us lessons, and are presented in the manner that best serve God's educational purposes. They are not there for our entertainment, or even to teach us history, but, like the mitzvos, to teach us how to properly live our lives.

This is an important principle, because it tells us two critical concepts:

• There is nothing extraneous in the Torah. Everything, down to the details of every story, is there to teach us something or it would not have been included.
• The Torah does not include information that is unrelated to its purpose. While there is historical information in the Torah, it is usually vague at best. The Torah is not a history book, or a science book, or even a philosophical work. (It also isn't a cookbook or a book on how to manage your money. But you already knew that.) It is book of Divine instruction.

Much to the disappointment of many a yeshiva student, God did not give us the Torah so that we wouldn't have to study history, or science, or math (or any other area of human study). The Torah is intended to answer questions that we can't really answer for ourselves: What are we here for? How do we fulfill our purpose?

Sometimes people ask why God didn't include scientific or medical information in the Torah, or why He didn't provide more precise historical information. Such questions are no more reasonable with regard to the Torah than they would be with regard to a cookbook (which is also a book of instruction). When we study the Torah, it is perfectly legitimate to ask what we are supposed to learn from a given story, or even a specific detail within the story. It is not legitimate to ask why God omitted the cure for cancer or the Grand Unified Theory for physics.

---

Lag BaOmer - What exactly are we celebrating?

The Talmud (Yevamos 62b) tells us that Rabbi Akiva had 12,000 pairs of disciples, all of whom passed away during the period from Pesach to Atzeres (i.e.Shavuos):

ר"ע אומר: למד תורה בילדותו, ילמוד תורה בזקנותו. היו לו תלמידים בילדותו, יהיו לו תלמידים בזקנותו. שנא', "בבקר זרע את זרעך וגו'."

אמרו: שנים עשר אלף זוגים תלמידים היו לו לרבי עקיבא, מגבת עד אנטיפרס, וכולן מתו בפרק אחד מפני שלא נהגו כבוד זה לזה, והיה העולם שמם, עד שבא ר"ע אצל רבותינו שבדרום, ושנאה להם ר"מ ור' יהודה ור' יוסי ורבי שמעון ורבי אלעזר בן שמוע, והם הם העמידו תורה אותה שעה.

תנא: כולם מתו מפסח ועד עצרת. אמר רב חמא בר אבא, ואיתימא ר' חייא בר אבין: כולם מתו מיתה רעה. מאי היא? א"ר נחמן: אסכרה.

Rabbi Akiva said: If a man studied Torah in his youth, he should also study it in his old age. If he had disciples in his youth, he should also have disciples in his old age. As it says (Ecclesiastes 11:6), "In the morning plant your seed [and and in the evening do not rest your hand; for you do not know which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether they shall both be alike good.]"

It was said: Rabbi Akiva had twelve thousand pairs of disciples, from Gabbath to Antipatris, and they all died at the same time because they did not show proper respect towards each other, and the world was desolate until R. Akiba came to our Rabbis in the south and taught the Torah to them: Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Yose, Rabbi Shimon, and Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua; and it was they who upheld the Torah at that time.

It was taught: All of them died from Pesach and until Atzeres. Rav Chama bar Abba, or, it might be said, Rav Chiya bar Abin said: All of them died a bad death. What was it? — Rav Nachman said: Askera (a choking disease).

It is in memory of this loss that we engage in a period of mourning during this time. According to tradition, the deaths actually ended on Lag BaOmer (the 33rd day of the Omer), fifteen days before Shavuos, and for this reason the mourning ends at this time. (ספר המנהיג, הל' פסח סי' ק"ו; מאירי יבמות ס"ב)

However, while this would explain why the mourning ends on Lag BaOmer (the 33rd day of the Omer), it does not explain how the 33rd day of the Omer has come to be a minor holiday on which, as the Rema states (O"C 493:2), “מרבים בו קצת שמחה” – “we engage in a small amount of rejoicing.” Why are we rejoicing? That the students of Rabbi Akiva stopped dying? The students of Rabbi Akiva did not experience a miraculous salvation on this day. The students of Rabbi Akiva stopped dying because there weren't any left! They were all dead. How does this become a celebration?

Perhaps the most basic explanation for what we are celebrating on Lag BaOmer is found in the Pri Chadash, a major commentary written on the Shulchan Aruch by Rabbi Chizkia di Silva (d.1698), who begins by asking the very same question we have just raised:

......יש לדקדק בשמחה זו למה. ואי משום שפסקו מלמות, מה בכך? הרי לא נשאר אחד מהם, וכולם מתו! ומה סיבה של שמחה זו? ואפשר שהשמחה היא על אותם תלמידים שהוסיף אח"כ ר"ע, שלא מתו כאלו.

We need to clarify the purpose of this rejoicing [on Lag BaOmer]. If it is because they stopped dying, what [reason for rejoicing] is there in that? Not one of them remained, they had all died! So what is the reason for this rejoicing? Possibly, the answer is that the rejoicing is over those disciples that Rabbi Akiva added on afterwards, who did not die as these did.

The Pri Chadash tells us that the reason for our celebration is because Rabbi Akiva went on to teach new students, who did not fall prey to the errors of their predecessors, thereby rebuilding the Torah world.

Based upon this Pri Chadash, we can see that there are, fundamentally, three basic themes that underlie the celebration of Lag BaOmer:

1. We celebrate the greatness of Rabbi Akiva that, even after suffering such an incredible blow, he never gave up hope. This is the main lesson taught in the Talmudic passage quoted above. Even after he lost all of his students, Rabbi Akiva did not give up but went on to teach new students.
   Rav Gedalia Schorr expands upon this theme ('אור גדליהו – מועדים, ל"ג בעומר ו):

   בל"ג בעומר הוא זמן להתחזק בתורה, שאף אם לא למד והיה לו זמנים של נפילה, בל"ג בעומר הוא זמן לחזק את עצמו. ויש לו ליקח לימוד מרע"ק, שמתו לו כ"ד אלף תלמידים, ואח"כ העמיד חמשה תלמידים, וביניהם רשב"י, שעל ידיהם היה התפשטות התורה בישראל, ולא נתייאש מזה שמתו לו כ"ד אלף תלמידים. כן כל אדם, אף שעברו לו הסתירות שונים ונפילות, יחזק עצמו בלימוד התורה.

   
   

   Lag BaOmer is a time for us to strengthen ourselves in Torah study. Even if one has not learned, and has had periods of downfall, Lag BaOmer is a time to strengthen oneself. One should learn from the example of Rabbi Akiva, whose twenty-four thousand disciples died, and afterwards he raised up five students (one of whom was Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai) through whom the Torah was spread through Israel. The death of his 24,000 students did not cause him to give up. Similarly for every person, even if one endures various obstacles and downfalls, one should strengthen himself in Torah study.

2. We celebrate that the later students of Rabbi Akiva recognized the lesson in what had happened to their predecessors and took that lesson to heart. It is certain that, however we are to understand the sin of Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students – that “they did not show proper respect towards each other” – their sin was not an obvious one. The students of Rabbi Akiva were great men, and their death left the world “desolate” of Torah. Nevertheless, the later students of Rabbi Akiva recognized that such a major catastrophe could only come about through some significant underlying moral error, and through this recognition they were able to avoid repeating that error.
   
   
3. Finally, our mourning for the students of Rabbi Akiva, and our celebration of Rabbi Akiva’s new students, points to our recognition of the absolute centrality of a living mesorah – Torah tradition – in Judaism. While the Jewish people are often called the “People of the Book” (a phrase coined by Mohammed), the title is misleading in that the word “book” refers to a physical object. We are not the people of the “Book of the Torah”, we are the people of the Torah, in both its written and oral form. Even today, when much of the “Oral” Torah has been written down in works such as the Talmud, the core of the Torah is still oral and is transmitted from teachers to students. The existence of a living mesorah – of actual flesh and blood rabbis and disciples – is essential for the survival of the Torah and the Jewish people.

---

From the Lowliest of Beginnings...

Why does the Hagada begin the narrative of יציאת מצרים (the Exodus from Egypt) with the shameful statement that “in the beginning our ancestors were idolaters”?

The Koznitzer Maggid (d.1814) explains that this teaches us that no matter how far we may have strayed from the proper path, we should never give up hope of coming close to God. For our ancestors were worshipers of idols, the lowest spiritual level possible, yet, nevertheless, in the end "קרבנו המקום לעבדתו" – "God brought us close to His service." No matter how low we may fallen spiritually, there is no point at which we cannot return to God.

---

Tzav - The Korban Todah and Pesach: Giving Thanks to God for Salvation

In Parshas Tzav we read about the korban todah, the thanksgiving offering. The commentaries (Rashi, Rashbam) explain that this offering was brought by someone who had been saved from danger, especially referring to the four cases enumerated by the Talmud (Brachos 54b), based upon Psalms 107, in which a person "needs to give thanks." These are: one who has traveled by sea, one who traveled through a desert, one who was released from prison, and one who has recovered from illness. (Although the Talmud is speaking there of birkas hagomel, i.e. publicly reciting the blessing of thanksgiving, Rashi understands these categories to apply to the korban torah as well, citing the verse in Psalm 107, "and they shall slaughter thanksgiving offerings." Rashi presumably holds like the Tosafos HaRosh (Brachos 54b) that birkas hagomel is itself based upon the korban todah.)

Anytime we give thanks to God for saving us from a difficulty or a danger, we face an obvious question. Our thanks to God is based upon the premise that God is almighty, and that He controls all that happens in our lives and in the world as a whole. However, if God is indeed the one who controls all that happens in our lives, then it was He who put us into the bad situation in the first place! If so, why are giving thanks to God for saving us from troubles that He caused?

If any holiday embodies this paradox, it is Pesach! Pesach is a holiday devoted to giving thanks to God for freeing us from the slavery and oppression we experienced in Egypt. The theme of gratitude is basic to the entire seder night; ”לפיכך אנחנו חיבים להודות וכו” - "Therefore, [we conclude the narrative of the Exodus,] we are obligated to give thanks...”. Yet, from the very beginning of Jewish history, God told Abraham that his descendants would be oppressed in a foreign land, and God went to great efforts to force the family of Jacob to move down to Egypt. The slavery in Egypt was God’s plan from the beginning, and all the suffering that the Jewish people endured there can be placed at His feet. Why then are we giving thanks to God for saving us from Egypt, when He is the one who put us there in the first place?

This question is asked by the Dubna Maggid (Rabbi Yakov Kranz, d.1804) early on in his commentary on the Hagada. He illustrates the question with an analogy. If a person falls ill, or is injured, and a doctor treats his illness and cures him, then it is obvious that the patient must express gratitude towards the doctor. But if the doctor was the one who injured him in the first place, then there is little gratitude due to him. The patient would have been better off if the doctor had left alone to begin with!

In the end, therefore, the Dubno Maggid explains that we have to recognize that when we give thanks to God for our salvation, we are not only thanking Him for saving us from our troubles, we are also thanking Him for the troubles themselves. For we must understand that everything that God brings upon us is ultimately for our benefit, and we must give thanks to Him for the bad as well as the good, as the Talmud (Brachos 54a) states, “A person is obligated to bless God for the bad, just as he blesses God for the good.”

The suffering we endured in Egypt was necessary to prepare us to be the “kingdom of priests and holy nation” that would receive the Torah. The lessons we learned in the “iron furnace”, as the Jeremiah (11:4) called Egypt, were what made us into the Jewish people, and it would be these lessons that God would continually remind us of, in His Torah.

The Sefas Emes (R’ Yehuda Aryeh Leib of Ger, d.1905), in his commentary on the Hagada, points out that this is the lesson of the korech that we eat at the Seder, in which eat the matzoh and maror together. The primary symbolism of the matzah is redemption and freedom, the symbolism of maror is suffering. By eating them together, we indicate that, at the most basic level, they are not separable. The achievement of true redemption and freedom can only come about through the spiritual crucible of suffering. As the Dubno Maggid quotes from Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Brachos 5a):

שלש מתנות טובות נתן הקב”ה לישראל, וכולן לא נתנן אלא על ידי יסורין. אלו הן: תורה וארץ ישראל והעולם הבא

God gave three good gifts to the Jewish people, and all of them were only given through suffering. These are: The Torah, the land of Israel, and the World-to-Come.

---

"Go and Learn" - The Hidden Miracles

צא ולמד מה בקש לבן הארמי לעשות ליעקב אבינו. שפרעה לא גזר אלא על הזכרים, ולבן בקש לעקור את הכל

"Go and learn what Laban the Aramean sought to do to our father, Jacob. For Pharaoh only decreed [the annihilation] of the males, but Laban sought to uproot everything."

The Hagada tells us that Lavan wanted to totally destroy Jacob and his family. Yet, a simple reading of the text in Genesis gives no real indication of this. Laban did not appear to want to harm Jacob and, if the Sages had not told us so, we would never have known on our own.

The Vilna Gaon (Rabbi Elijah of Vilna, d.1797) explains that this teaches us that God is always acting to save us from dangers, even though, most of the time we are completely unaware of these miracles. As the Talmud states (נדה לא.), אפילו בעל הנס אינו מכיר בנסו – “even the one who experiences the miracle does not perceive the miracle.” Hashem does constant miracles for us in a hidden manner. This is the meaning of the verse in Psalms (72:18), “עושה נפלאות לבדו” – “He does wonders alone.” “Alone” meaning, He alone knows about the miracle, but those who benefit from the miracle don’t even know that a miracle has occurred. Therefore, even when life seems to be going along in a perfectly normal and natural manner, we must give thanks to God for the many hidden miracles He is performing for us.

(פירוש הגר"א)

---

The Parameters of Sippur Yetzias Mitzraim

There is a daily mitzvah of זכירת יציאת מצרים – “mentioning the exodus from Egypt” – which requires us to remember, orally, the exodus from Egypt. (We fulfill this mitzvah through the recitation of the third paragraph of the Shema.) Rav Chaim Soloveitchik asks, what is the difference between the daily mitzvah of זכירה – “remembering” – and the special mitzvah of סיפור – “recounting” – that we have on Pesach night?

He explains that there are three distinctions between the mitzvot of זכירה and סיפור:

1. To fulfill the mitzvah of זכירה one only needs to mention יציאת מצרים to himself. The mitzvah of סיפור יציאת מצרים requires that you tell the story over to another person in the form of a question and answer discussion.
2. The narrative of the סיפור must follow the pattern of מתחיל בגנות ומסים בשבח – “begin with shame and conclude with praise” – whereas זכירה does not require any narrative at all.
3. The mitzvah of סיפור יציאת מצרים also includes discussing the טעמי המצוות (“reasons for the mitzvot”) that we perform at the Seder, as we read in the Hagada from Rabban Gamliel.

The Brisker Rav, Rav Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik, points out that we can see this last point in the question and answer of the “Wise Son”, which makes no mention of the story of the Exodus, but only about the laws of the Pesach offering.

The Brisker Rav expands further on this idea, noting that at the beginning of Maggid (which is basically an introduction to the mitzvah of sippur, in which we describe how important the mitzvah is and recount how even the greatest sages invested great effort into it) we include a passage about a debate between Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya and the Sages regarding the daily mitzvah of זכירת יציאת מצרים.

The Brisker Rav explains that, as we see from the Rambam, this debate was part of the discussion that took place at the seder in Bnei Brak described in the previous paragraph, and the fact that the Sages discussed this topic at their seder demonstrates that any discussion of any mitzvah or halacha connected to Pesach or the Exodus from Egypt, is included in the mitzvah of סיפור יציאת מצרים. It was precisely to teach us this rule that this paragraph was included in the Hagada.

(הגדה מבית לוי)

---

The Structure of Shoshanas Yaakov

It is customary to sing Shoshanas Yaakov after the reading of the Megillas Esther, both at night and by day.

While we tend to think of it as a song in its own right, Shoshanas Yaakov is actually just the conclusion of the poem Asher Heini (which, in most congregations, is recited in full after the megillah reading on Purim night). Asher Heini is a very ancient poem. R' Seligmann Baer (d.1897), in his Siddur Avodas Yisrael, describes Asher Heini as "אחד מן הפיוטים קדמוני הקדמונים" - "one of the earliest of the early (liturgical) poems." The Machzor Vitry (p.214) ascribes the poem to the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah, at the beginning of the Second Temple period. The poem is written in alphabetical order; the first sentence begins with the letter “aleph”, and each following sentence begins with the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The first two sentences of Shoshanas Yaakov (“Shoshanas Yaakov…” and “T’shuasam hayisa…”) complete the alphabet. 

In the version of the poem found in Machzor Vitry (an important liturgical work compiled by Rabbi Simcha of Vitry, d.1105) there are two verses that follow after the completion of the alphabet. The first is a slightly different version of the familiar verse “L’hodia sh’kol…”. The second is a verse that is omitted from all modern versions (that I am aware of), "כי אתה מגן לצדיקים ומושיע לעמו ישראל בעת צרה" - "For You are the shield of the righteous and the savior of His people Israel in times of oppression."

The next section of Shoshanas Yaakov, "Arur Haman asher bikeish...", is based upon Chazal’s injunction (מס' סופרים יד:ו, ירושלמי מגילה סוף פרק ג' ועוד) that, upon concluding the reading of the megilla, we should bless the righteous and curse the wicked. This section is not included in the version of the poem found in Machzor Vitri, but is found a bit later (p.217) as part of a different liturgical poem that, to my knowledge, is no longer in use in any community.

It seems, therefore, that the version of Shoshanas Yaakov that we use today is a synthesis of the original poem of Asher Heini and another poem, otherwise almost entirely forgotten, devoted to the topic of “Arur Haman” and “Baruch Mordechai.”

---

Megillas Esther - Summary and Commentaries

The following is a summary of Megillas Esther and selected commentaries. The commentaries are in italics.

---

Basic Historical Context

The events described in Megillas Esther took place during the first exile of the Jewish people. In the year 3338 (422 BCE), the Babylonian emperor, Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed the Holy Temple of Jerusalem and exiled the Jews. This exile had been predicted by the prophet Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah), who also prophesized that the exile would last for seventy years.

Nebuchadnezzar ruled the Babylonian empire until his death in the year 3364 (396 BCE). He was succeeded by his son Evil-Merodach, who was followed by his son, Balshazzar. Then Babylon was conquered by Darius, king of Madai. When Darius died he was succeeded by Cyrus, king of Persia. Darius and Cyrus were followed by Achashveirosh. Achashveirosh married Vashti, the daughter of Balshazzar.

This was the situation at the opening of the Megillah.

Chapter 1

In the third year of the reign of Achashveirosh, king of the Persian Empire, in the capital, Shushan, King Achashveirosh decided to make a feast. The feast was for his court and the nobility of the entire empire, and lasted for 180 days. After this feast he made a second feast for the entire population of Shushan that lasted seven days.  The queen, Vashti, also made a feast for the women.

The Feast

Why did Achashveirosh make the feast in the third year of his reign? Our Sages teach us that Achashveirosh knew of the prophecy that the Jewish exile would last only seventy years. Achashveirosh was afraid of this, because of the erosive effect it would have on his empire. According to Achashveirosh’s accounting the 70 years ended on the third year of his reign. Believing this to prove that the prophecy would never be fulfilled, he celebrated. However, Achashveirosh was in error, he had begun counting from too early a point. (:מגילה יא)

Other explanations given (אבן עזרא) for the feast are: 

• Achashveirosh had finally succeeded in solidifying his hold on the empire.
• It was in celebration of his marriage to Vashti.

Vashti’s Party

Vashti also made a party for the women, but, instead of having the party in her own palace, she had it in the palace of Achashveirosh, where the other party was. Why did she do this? Our Sages teach us that her intent was that the men and women would see each other and behave immorally. (.מגילה יב)

On the seventh day of the feast, when the king was drunk, he ordered his servants to bring Vashti before the people wearing (only) the royal crown so that he could display her beauty, but Vashti refused to come. Achashveirosh, enraged, consulted with his advisors as to what should be done to Vashti for her disobedience. One of his advisors, named Memuchan, declared that Vashti’s crime went far beyond simple disobedience, for if the wife of the king could disobey her husband then any wife could do the same. Memuchan advised that the king decree that Vashti be deposed (and executed), and that the king should issue a decree that women should obey their husbands. This advice found favor with the king and he followed it.

Vashti’s Refusal

Vashti, an evil woman known for her immoral behavior, refused to display her beauty to the men. Why did she refuse? Our Sages (:מגילה יב) teach us that she had an outbreak of צרעת (“leprosy”) and grew a tail and she was embarrassed. Some say that this was a hallucination and no one else could understand what she was talking about. (פירוש הרמב"ם)

Vashti’s Guilt

Vashti was an extremely wicked person. The granddaughter of Nebuchadnezzar and the daughter of Balshazzar, she had a fiery hatred for the Jewish people. Our Sages tell us that she would take Jewish girls and force them to perform forbidden labors on the Sabbath and to serve her naked. This is why she was punished in this manner, she was summoned to display her naked body, and when she refused she was executed on the seventh day of the party, which was Sabbath. (:מגילה יא)

Memuchan

Achashveirosh summoned his seven chief advisors to discuss what to do with Vashti. Memuchan was the lowest ranking of the seven. Nevertheless, he alone immediately jumped forward with the advice to kill Vashti. What happened here? Our Sages identify Memuchan as Haman. While many explanations can be given as to why Haman gave the advice he did, our Sages teach us that we see from here that those who are less thoughtful tend to speak first. The other advisors, who were wiser than Haman, were not as quick to jump to a conclusion. (:מגילה יב)

Chapter 2

Later, when Achashveirosh’s anger had subsided, he regretted what he had done to Vashti. Then Achashveirosh’s young servants advised him to gather all the beautiful young women from throughout the kingdom, and the one who pleased him most could be Vashti’s replacement. Achashveirosh was pleased with this advice and followed it.

In the city of Shushan dwelt a Jewish man named Mordechai. Mordechai had an orphaned cousin named Esther, whom he adopted as a daughter (or married). Esther was very beautiful, so when the king’s decree went into effect she was taken to the king’s palace. Esther found favor in the eyes of Hagai, the King’s chamberlain, and he placed her in the best quarters and provided her with seven special maids. Esther told nothing of her origins, for Mordechai had instructed her to not reveal that she was a Jew. Every day, Mordechai would visit the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther’s well being.

Mordechai

The Megillah introduces Mordechai to us as “איש יהודי... ושמו מרדכי... איש ימיני” – “a Yehudi man… named Mordechai… a Benjaminite.” Our Sages ask, which tribe was Mordechai from, Binyamin or Yehudah? They answer that he was from Binyamin but he is also called a Yehudi because he denied foreign gods and anyone who denies foreign gods is called Yehudi. (.מגילה יג)

Esther

Esther is introduced to us as “Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter.”  Which was her real name? Some of the Sages say her real name was Esther but she was called Hadassah, which means myrtle branch, because צדיקים – the righteous – are called myrtles. (.מגילה יג)

Secret Identity

The commentaries give several explanations for why Mordechai instructed Esther to keep her origins secret:

• Having seen how Achashveirosh treated Vashti, Mordechai feared that if Achashveirosh ever got angry with Esther, he would take out his anger upon the entire Jewish people. (תרגום)
• Mordechai had prophetic knowledge that keeping her identity secret would enable her to save the Jewish people. (אבן עזרא, מגילת סתרים)
• So the king would think she was from a lowly family and not marry her. (רש"י)
• So that they would not deliberately force her to violate Jewish laws. (אבן עזרא, רבינו בחיי)

How Did They Keep The Secret?

How was it possible for Esther to keep her origin secret? Surely there were many Jews who knew who she was! From this we see how great the Jewish people of that time were, for not one Jew informed on Esther! (פירוש הרמב"ם)

In addition, our Sages (.מגילה יג) tell us that Esther was so popular that every nation claimed that she was from their people. (ראה מנות הלוי ב:יט)

Every girl followed the same procedure, for twelve months she would receive an extensive beauty treatment, then she was brought before the king. She was given whatever adornments she desired for the meeting. She would be brought in the evening, and in the morning she would be taken to the second harem, where she would remain unless the king specifically requested her.

In the seventh year of Achashveirosh’s reign, Esther’s turn to go to the king arrived. She took with her only those adornments that Hagai ordered her to take. Nevertheless, the king immediately fell in love with her and he made her his new queen. He threw a big celebration and granted tax reductions throughout the kingdom. He then began a second collection of women. Through all this, Esther continued to keep her origins secret and Mordechai sat at the king’s gate.

It was during this period, while Mordechai was sitting at the king’s gate, that two of Achashveirosh’s servants, named Bigsan and Seresh, plotted to assassinate the king. Mordechai discovered the plot and he informed Esther and she told the king of Mordechai’s discovery. The king had this investigated and found the accusation to be true. Bigsan and Seresh were executed and Mordechai’s service to the king was written in the king’s official history.

How did Mordechai Know?

Bigsan and Seresh only spoke of their plot in the language of Tarsi, which they thought would not be understood. Mordechai, however, did understand them, because he had been a member of the Sanhedrin who were all required to understand seventy languages. (:מגילה יג)

Giving Credit to Others

The Talmud drives an important lesson from the incident of Bigsan and Seresh:

כל האומר דבר בשם אומרו מביא גאולה לעולם, שנאמר (אסתר ב) "ותאמר אסתר למלך בשם מרדכי:" - אבות ו:ו

“Anyone who says something in the name of the one who [first] said it brings redemption to the world, as it says, “And Esther said to the king in the name of Mordechai.”

The Maharal (דרך חיים) explains that when God sends redemption, He wants us to acknowledge that He saved us, and not take credit for our own redemption. Taking credit for another person’s work is the same bad מדה -character trait - that causes us to deny what God has done for us. In order for the redemption to come through Esther, she had to demonstrate that she would not take credit for it herself. She did this when she gave proper credit to Mordechai.

Chapter 3

Now, after these events had occurred, Achashveirosh elevated Haman the Agagite to a very high position, making him the superior over all the officers of his court. All of Achashveirosh’s servants were required to bow down to Haman according to the king’s decree. However, Mordechai refused to do so. When this was brought to Haman’s attention, he became enraged. In his anger, it was insufficient for him to simply punish Mordechai; instead, he decided to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom of Achashveirosh. He threw a lot (called a pur in Persian) to determine when to fulfill his plot and the lot fell on the twelfth month – Adar.

The Cure Before The Injury

Haman did not come into power until Esther had already become queen. Our Sages teach us that this shows how God protects the Jewish people. He puts the solution in place before He introduces the problem. (:מגילה יג)

Haman

Haman was a descendant of King Agag of the nation of Amalek. The Amalekites were ancient enemies of the Jews. King Saul, the first king of the Jews, had fought a war with the Amalekites and wiped out the entire nation. However, instead of killing King Agag as well, he took him captive. Although Agag was killed the next day by the prophet Samuel, during that one night Agag managed to father a child. Haman was descended from this child.

Mordechai’s Refusal

Why did Mordechai refuse to obey the king’s command to bow down to Haman? Our Sages explain that Haman had idols sewn into his clothing so that anyone who bowed down to him was also bowing down to his idols. (אסתר רבה ו:ב)

The Month of Adar

Our Sages teach us that when Haman’s lot fell on the month of Adar he rejoiced, because Moses had passed away in the month of Adar. He was unaware that Moses had also been born in the month of Adar. (:מגילה יג)

Haman approached Achashveirosh to get his consent to his plan. He told the king, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed amongst the peoples in all the countries of your empire. Their laws are different from every other people’s and they do not observe the king’s laws. Therefore it is not befitting for the king to allow them to remain. If it pleases the king, let it be written that they be destroyed; and I will pay ten thousand silver talents to the workers, for deposit in the king’s treasuries.” Achashveirosh then gave over his signet ring to Haman and told him that he could keep his money and do with the people as he wished.

Haman’s Accusations

Haman accused the Jews of not observing the king’s laws. Our Sages teach us that he was pointing out that the Jewish nation refused to assimilate with the rest of the peoples in the empire. The Jewish people refused to marry with the non-Jews, or to eat non-Jewish food. They observed their own holidays, but would not observe the king’s religious holidays. When they get up in the morning they do not first go to serve the king, but instead they go to pray to their god. One day out of every week (the Sabbath) they refuse to work altogether. He finished off by saying that they disrespect the king, for they would not drink wine that the king touched, but if a fly fell into the wine they would simply remove the fly. (מגילה יג:, אסתר רבה)

Ten Thousand Talents

This was a very large amount of money. Our Sages teach us that, here too, God had prepared the cure before the injury, for God had commanded the Jews to give their shekalim for sacrifices in the the Holy Temple so that their generosity would counterbalance Haman’s generosity for his evil plans. (:מגילה יג)

The Giving of the Ring

Our Sages teach us, “This removal of [Achashveirosh’s] ring was greater than forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses who prophesied to the Jewish people, for none of them were successful in returning the Jewish people to the good; but the removal of the ring did return them to the good.” The threat of destruction under Haman had such a powerful impact that the Jewish people were inspired to truly and wholly repent and return to God, something which none of the prophets had ever been fully successful at achieving. (.מגילה יג)

Our Sages also tell us that Achashveirosh’s generosity in giving over his ring and refusing Haman’s money demonstrates that he hated the Jews as much as Haman did. (אסתר רבה)

So, on the thirteenth day of the first month, Nisan, the decree was issued to all the countries in Achashveirosh’s kingdom, that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, all of the Jews, young and old, women and children, were to be slaughtered and their property to be plundered. After the decree had been sent out, the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the (Jewish population of the) city of Shushan was bewildered.

Chapter 4

Mordechai knew of all that had happened and he put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city crying loudly and bitterly. He walked in this manner until he came to the king’s gate, for it was forbidden to enter the king’s gate dressed in sackcloth. Throughout the empire the Jews were fasting and weeping, and dressing in sackcloth and ashes as soon as they heard of the decree.

Mordechai’s Knowledge
The commentaries explain that Elijah the Prophet revealed to Mordechai the reason for this terrible decree. The decree was because of two sins that had been committed by the Jewish people. One was when they had bowed down to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol; the other was when the Jews attended Achashveirosh’s party. (רש"י, אסתר רבה)

When Esther was told about Mordechai’s behavior she was very disturbed and she sent clothes out to Mordechai so that he could change, but he refused. So Esther sent out Hasach, one of the king’s servants, to speak to Mordechai and find out why he was doing this. Mordechai told Hasach about everything which had occurred and told him to tell Esther to go before the king and plead with him for the Jewish people. Hasach reported Mordechai’s information and instructions to Esther and she sent back a message that it was impossible for her to go before the king, because anyone who approaches the king’s inner courtyard without being summoned is executed, unless the king extends his scepter. And the king had not summoned her for thirty days.

Hasach

Our Sages tell us that Hasach was the prophet Daniel. (.מגילה טו)

Esther’s Refusal

Esther was a very righteous woman. Why did she initially refuse to go to Achashveirosh? The commentaries explain that Esther was perfectly willing to risk her life, if necessary, to save her people. However, she believed it would be more effective, and safer, to wait until the king summoned her. This was particularly true because, if she waited, Achashveirosh would certainly summon her sometime soon. This is why she mentioned that Achashveirosh had not summoned her for thirty days. (מלבי"ם, מגילת סתרים)

In addition, for Esther – a Jewish woman married against her will to a non-Jew – to go willingly to Achashveirosh was a sin. Until this time, she had only gone when Achashveirosh summoned her and she had no choice. She therefore did not want to go voluntarily. (.מגילה טו)

When Esther’s words were reported to Mordechai he sent back the message, “Don’t think that you will survive in the palace more than the rest of the Jews. For if you keep silent at this time then relief and rescue will come to the Jews from another place; while you and your father’s household will perish. Who knows if it was for this very time that you were brought into the royalty?”

Her Father’s House
Esther was a descendant of King Saul, who had sinned by not immediately killing Agag, the ancestor of Haman. Esther now had an opportunity to atone for her ancestor’s sin by working to stop Haman. If she failed to do so then she would remove any chance that Saul had for atonement. (מגילת סתרים)

Esther then responded to Mordechai, instructing him to gather all the Jews in Shushan for a three day fast, and she and her servants would also fast. At the end of the three days she would go before Achashveirosh, and “if I am lost, I am lost”. Mordechai then went and followed Esther’s instructions.

Chapter 5

On the third day Esther dressed herself in royal garments and went to the inner courtyard of the palace where the king sat on his throne. When the king saw her, she found favor in his eyes and he stretched out his scepter to her and Esther touched the tip of the scepter. The king said to Esther, “What do you want, Esther? What is your request? Even half the kingdom and it shall be given to you.” Esther responded by inviting the king and Haman to attend a banquet she had prepared for him that day. Achashveirosh commanded that Haman be hurried to the banquet. At the banquet, Achashveirosh repeated his offer to Esther, “even half the kingdom and it shall be done.” Esther then requested that the king and Haman attend another banquet the next day and at that banquet she would do as the king requested (to reveal her nationality).

“Until Half the Kingdom”

Our Sages explain that when Achashveirosh said “until half the kingdom”, he meant that he would not give her anything that could divide and weaken his empire. His specific intent was to refuse to allow the rebuilding of the Holy Temple. (:מגילה טו)

Haman’s Invitation

Why did Esther invite Haman to the banquet? Our Sages (:מגילה טו) give several explanations. Among them:

• She invited Haman to make the Jews think she was abandoning them so that they would pray to God instead of just waiting for Esther to save them.
• She wanted to make the king jealous of Haman. She also wanted the other officers of the court to be jealous of Haman so that no one would protect him.
• So that they would not suspect that she was a Jew.
•  Perhaps an opportunity would arise to make Haman look bad in front of the king.
• So God would see her suffering because she had to be friendly to such an evil man and He would have mercy on her.
• Achashveirosh was a fickle man and changed his mind frequently. So she wanted Haman available so that as soon as Achashveirosh decided to kill him he would be able to do so immediately, before he changed his mind.
• She wanted to keep Haman busy so that he wouldn’t rebel against Achashveirosh and make himself the king.

The Delay

Why did Esther push off making her request until the next day? The commentaries explain that she was waiting for a sign that God had accepted the repentance of the Jewish people. That sign came the next day with the incident of Haman leading Mordechai on the king’s horse. (אבן עזרא)

Achashveirosh’s Offer

Achashveirosh changed the language of his offer to Esther. At first he offered to give to her what she wanted, but at the feast he said he would do what she asked. The commentators explain that at first he suspected that she might be Jewish, for why else would she risk her life to approach him? He therefore told her that he would give her anything she desired for herself, but he would not help anyone else for her. However, after he saw that she had invited Haman to the party as well, he assumed that she must also hate the Jews and he therefore felt safe offering to fulfill any request. (מגילת סתרים)

Haman left the banquet in a very joyful mood, but, as he passed the king’s gate, he once again saw Mordechai and noticed that Mordechai did not bow down to him. Haman’s good mood evaporated and he was filled with rage towards Mordechai. He went home and summoned his wife, Zeresh, and his friends. Haman told them about all his accomplishments, his great wealth, his many sons, and his phenomenal political successes. He bragged that he was so important that when the queen invited her husband to a special private banquet she invited Haman too. Furthermore, he was invited to another such feast the next day. Then Haman said, “But all this is worth nothing to me whenever I see that Jew, Mordechai, sitting in the king’s gate.” So Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and his friends advised him to build a gallows (or crucifix) fifty cubits high and to get the king’s permission to hang Mordechai on it the next morning. That way he would be able to attend the banquet in a good mood. Haman was pleased with this advice and had the gallows built.

“But all this is worth nothing…”

Haman’s anger tells us a lot about his character. Haman had reached the pinnacle of prestige and power. He was so important that the queen invited him to her private parties with the king. He was phenomenally wealthy. He had many children (commentaries say from 30 to 108 sons). Yet, one man – a man who, if Haman’s plans were successful, would be dead in less than a year – refused to give him the extreme degree of honor that he desired and all of Haman’s accomplishments became worthless to him.

Chapter 6

That night the king was unable to sleep. The king ordered that the royal history book be brought and read before him. They read to him about the incident when Mordechai saved the king from the assassination plot of Bigsan and Seresh. The king asked what he had done to reward Mordechai, but his servants answered that no reward had been given. Achashveirosh then asked, “Who is in the courtyard?” and his servants told him that Haman was standing in the courtyard. (Haman had just arrived to ask the king for permission to kill Mordechai.) The king ordered that Haman be brought before him.

The King’s Sleeplessness

Our Sages explain that the king was unable to sleep because he was suspicious of Haman’s relationship with Esther. Why had she invited Haman to her banquet? Perhaps they were plotting to kill him? But, if so, why had no one informed him of such a plot? Surely there were people who knew. Perhaps sometime in the past someone had done him a similar kindness and he had not rewarded him. Once people saw that he did not reward such favors then they would no longer help him. So he called for the royal history book and discovered that he had never rewarded Mordechai. (:רש"י, מגילה טו)

When Haman came before the king, the king asked him, “What should be done for a man whom the king wishes to honor?” Haman, thinking that Achashveirosh was referring to himself, said that he should be dressed in the king’s royal garments by one of the king’s highest officers, placed upon the king’s horse, and led through the streets of the city, and they shall cry out before him, “Thus shall be done to the man whom the king wishes to honor!”

The king then ordered Haman to hurry and do all these things to Mordechai. So Haman hurried to dress Mordechai in the royal garments, and to lead him through the city on the royal horse, calling out, “Thus shall be done to the man whom the king wishes to honor!”

Afterwards, Mordechai returned to the king’s gate, and Haman hurried home in mourning. When Haman told his wife and his friends all that happened, they told him, “If Mordechai, before whom you have begun to fall, is a Jew, then you will not have victory against him, for you will surely fall before him.” As they were talking, the king’s soldiers arrived and rushed Haman off to Esther’s banquet.

Mourning

Why was Haman “mourning”? Our Sages tell us that while Haman was leading Mordechai they passed by Haman’s home. When Haman’s daughter saw them coming from the rooftop, she assumed that the man on the horse was her father and that it was Mordechai who was leading. She took the chamber pot and dumped it on the man in front. When he looked up she saw that she had poured the filth onto her father. Realizing what she had done, she fell from the roof to her death. (.מגילה טז)

The Dust and the Stars

Haman’s wife and friends told him that the Jews are compared to the dust and to the stars. When they fall, they fall all the way to the dust, but when they rise, they rise all the way to the stars. Now that Mordechai had begun to rise, there was no hope that Haman would ever succeed against him. (.מגילה טז)

Chapter 7

So the king and Haman both arrived at the queen’s banquet. The king again repeated his offer to Esther, “until half the kingdom and it shall be done”. Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your eyes, O king, and if it pleases the king, give me my life as my request, and my nation as my entreaty. For I and my nation have been sold to be destroyed, killed, and wiped out. If we had only been sold as slaves and maidservants I would have kept quiet. But our oppressor does not care about the loss to the king.”

The King’s Loss

Esther pointed out that if Haman had really been interested in benefiting Achashveirosh, he would have advised him to sell the Jews as slaves and keep the money. Or simply enslave them for his own use. By advising him to exterminate the Jews, Haman showed that he was not concerned with the tremendous loss that this would cause the king, nor did he care that Achashveirosh would make himself look like a foolish and wicked king, who wiped out an entire nation because one of them did not bow down to Haman. (רש"י, רמב"ם)

Achashveirosh asked, “Who is this? Where is this one who tries to do such a thing?” Esther responded, “A man who is an oppressor and enemy, this wicked Haman!” Haman trembled in fear. The king rose up in his anger and went to walk in his gardens. Haman saw that the king was determined to do evil to him, so he begged Esther for mercy. As the king returned from the gardens Haman fell upon Esther’s couch. When the king saw this, he said, “Does he even try to assault the queen with me in the house?” When these words left the kings mouth, the servants covered Haman’s face.

The King’s Gardens
Our Sages tell us that when Achashveirosh went to walk in the gardens he encountered angels in the form of men chopping down his trees. When he demanded to know why they were doing this, they responded that they were following Haman’s orders. (.מגילה טז)

Haman’s Fall
Our Sages teach that an angel came and pushed Haman on top of Esther. (.מגילה טז)

Then Charvonah, one of the king’s chamberlains, said, “Not only that! Behold the gallows that Haman built for Mordechai, who spoke good for the king, is standing in Haman’s house. It is fifty cubits high”. So the king ordered, “Hang him upon it.” So they hanged Haman upon the gallows that he had built for Mordechai. And the king’s anger subsided.

Charvonah

Charvonah was a friend of Haman’s and had actually been part of Haman’s plot to kill Mordechai, but when he saw that Haman was being defeated, he immediately changed sides. (.מגילה טז)

Chapter 8

That day, the king gave the estates of Haman to Esther. The king also met with Mordechai, because Esther had informed the king that Mordechai was related to her. The king gave Mordechai his ring, the same ring that he had previously given to Haman. Esther appointed Mordechai over Haman’s estate.

Esther then approached Achashveirosh a second time, falling at his feet, crying and begging that he undo Haman’s evil plot. She asked him to call back the scrolls that had been sent out by Haman ordering the extermination of the Jews. She told him that she could not bear to see her people suffer. King Achashveirosh told Mordechai and Esther that he had already given the estates of Haman to them and had executed Haman because of his attempt to harm the Jews. Achashveirosh then gave them permission to issue a new decree regarding the Jews. So, on the twenty-third day of Sivan, they issued a new decree that the king permitted the Jews to attack and destroy all their enemies on the thirteenth day of Adar.

Mordechai then left the presence of the king dressed in royal finery, and the city of Shushan rejoiced. “ליהודים היתה אורה ושמחה וששן ויקר” – “For the Jews there was light, happiness, rejoicing, and honor.” Throughout the kingdom, when the news arrived of the new decree the Jews rejoiced and made a feast and a holiday. Many non-Jews became Jews, for the fear of the Jewish people was upon them.

אורה ושמחה וששן ויקר – Light, Happiness, Rejoicing, and Honor

Our Sages teach us, “Light refers to Torah, Happiness refers to Yom Tov (the holidays), Rejoicing refers to circumcision, and Honor refers to tefillin.” In addition to Haman’s genocidal plans, he had also begun an intensive oppression of Judaism, forbidding all of these practices. (:מגילה טז)

Chapter 9

So it happened, that on the 13^th of Adar, the day when the enemies of the Jews had planned to exterminate them, the Jews instead vanquished their enemies. In all the provinces of Achashveirosh, the Jews rallied in the cities to attack those who would have killed them, and no one stood against them, for the fear of the Jews had fallen upon all the nations. And the officers and nobility of the king’s court aided the Jews for they were afraid of Mordechai.

The Jews attacked their enemies with deadly force. In the city of Shushan, the Jews killed 500 men. They also killed ten sons of Haman. Despite these victories, the Jews did not take any of the spoils.

That day, when a count of the dead was brought to the king, he said to Esther, “In Shushan, the capital, the Jews have killed 500 and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the other provinces? What do you request? It shall be given to you. What more do you wish? It shall be done.” Esther requested that the Jews be permitted to continue the fighting for another day, and to hang the ten dead sons of Haman. Achashveirosh decreed that this should be done.

So on the 14^th of Adar, the Jews of Shushan again rallied and killed 300 men, but they did not touch the spoils. The Jews in the other provinces had rallied and killed 75,000 of their enemies on the 13^th, and on the 14^th they rested and made a day of rejoicing. The Jews of Shushan rested on the 15^th and made it a day of rejoicing. Therefore, in the open, unwalled, cities the Jews keep the 14^th day as a holiday for rejoicing, feasting, and sending gifts to one’s fellow and gifts to the poor (whereas, the Jews who live in ancient walled cities celebrate Purim on the 15^th of Adar in memory of Shushan). Mordechai wrote scrolls describing all the events which had taken place and sent them to all the provinces of Achashveirosh’s kingdom so that the Jews would accept upon themselves the 14^th and 15^th of Adar in every year as days of celebration. For on these days the Jews had been relieved of their enemies and their situation had been turned around from sadness to happiness, from mourning to a holiday. The Jews accepted what Mordechai had written. These days were called Purim, for Haman had cast a pur to determine when to kill the Jews. The Jews accepted upon themselves and all their descendants and anyone who would join them in the future (meaning converts) to keep these days as a holiday through all generations.

The Jews Accepted Upon Themselves

Our Sages teach us that the Jews accepted more than just Purim at this time; they reaccepted the entire Torah. (.שבת פח)

Mordechai and Esther then wrote a second letter emphasizing the significance of this miracle. Esther’s statement established the history of Purim and it was written in a book.

Chapter 10

After this, the king set a tax on his entire kingdom. The entire incident is written in the royal history books of Madai and Paras (Persia). For Mordechai the Jew was viceroy to the king and a great leader of the Jews. He was liked by most of his brothers. “He sought the good for his people and he spoke peace to all its children.”

By Most of His Brothers

Mordechai was liked by most of the Jews, but not all. Why? Some commentaries say that this is just the way the world is; it is never possible to get everyone to like you, no matter how good you are. (אבן עזרא) Others say that Mordechai fell in stature somewhat relative to his colleagues in the Sanhedrin because he was so heavily involved in governmental affairs that he was unable to fully maintain his learning. (:רש"י, מגילה טז)

---