Search Results for: purim

How Many Prophets Are Mentioned In the Megillah?

(So what if Purim passed?)

Want to guess?

Answer: About six.

1. Mordechai.

2. Esther.

3. Hasach (according to the opinion this was Daniel).

4. Charvona (according to the opinion this was Eliyahu).

When a prophet is mentioned in Tanach with his father’s name, his father is a prophet, too, such as Amotz of Yeshayahu, Amitai of Yonah, Be’or of Bil’am, etc.

Perhaps these are mentioned here solely for Yichus reasons, per Rashi, but if not, then:

5. Avichayil, father of Esther.

6. Ya’ir, father of Mordechai.

 

Is Every ‘Melech’ in Megillas Esther Hakadosh Baruch Hu?

No, of course not. This doesn’t fit with half the pesukim in any discernible way. Chassidim separate the words, so when it says “King Achashverosh” made a feast for those living in Shushan, it means Avashverosh plus Hashem. Except this adds nothing, because Hashem does everything, anyhow, so you might as well take all words to mean Hashem.

As usual, people rely on a half-quote from a preacher.

Here’s the original Chazal, Esther Rabba 3:10:

אשר למלך אחשורוש, ר’ יודן ור’ לוי בשם ר’ יוחנן כל מקום שנאמר במגלה זו “למלך אחשורוש” במלך אחשורוש הכתוב מדבר וכל מקום שנאמר “למלך” סתם משמש קדש וחול.
In other words, not “Melech” or “Molech” or “Hamelech”, but only “Lamelech”, and even there, only when not accompanied by the specifier “Achashverosh”. And even then, it’s only a maybe; maybe Kodesh, maybe Chol.
Now we’ve narrowed down the list considerably, let’s see where it can or cannot mean “Kodesh”:
ויודע הדבר למרדכי ויגד לאסתר המלכה ותאמר אסתר למלך בשם מרדכי.
Probably not.
ויאמרו נערי המלך משרתיו יבקשו למלך נערות בתולות טובות מראה.
Definitely not.
ותאמר לו זרש אשתו וכל אהביו יעשו עץ גבה חמשים אמה ובבקר אמר למלך ויתלו את מרדכי עליו ובא עם המלך אל המשתה שמח…
ויאמר המלך מי בחצר והמן בא לחצר בית המלך החיצונה לאמר למלך לתלות את מרדכי על העץ אשר הכין.
Haman praying to Hashem, maybe?
וכל שרי המדינות והאחשדרפנים והפחות ועשי המלאכה אשר למלך מנשאים את היהודים כי נפל פחד מרדכי עליהם.
Maybe.
That’s it.
I figured I’d better say this now, so you still have time to prepare something else – unless you want to say Purim Torah.

Shmuel Sackett: The West Is Dead – Return to Israel!

The Wet Head is Dead: By Shmuel Sackett

Nov-06-2017

Back in the 60’s, the popular look for men was to have a greased head of hair. They used Vitalis or Lucky Tiger to keep their hair slicked back and looking good. In the early 70’s, Gillette changed all that with a product called “The Dry Look”. It was a hairspray for men that promised a cool, yet totally dry look. The advertising campaign they ran was tremendously successful and their slogan was quite catchy; “The Wet Head is Dead”. The tv ad was very direct; “You don’t have to use oil, creams or even water on your head… the wet head is dead! Long live the dry look!”

Why do I mention this, all of a sudden? Because 40 years later, I have come to the conclusion that the wet head is alive and well. I discovered this because I am presently in New York where, unlike Israel, men work on Friday. Since Shabbat starts very early these days, I noticed that many men come to shul Friday night with a “wet head”. I don’t blame these men who are forced to work Friday afternoon and race home on the last train before Shabbat. I used to be one of them. I remember the days of running full speed, straight into the shower on Erev Shabbat, then continuing my race to shul with a head still dripping. (I never minded the wet head but feared that I left some shampoo behind…) As I looked around the shul these last two weeks, I noticed many of these “wet heads” and I felt bad.

I felt bad because I know now, what I didn’t know back then, when I too was a “wet head”. I know now that it doesn’t have to be this way. The fighting with the boss to leave early Friday afternoon, the working on Chol Ha’Moed, the davening shacharit in the pitch dark just to make it to work on time, the uncomfortable feelings of eating an “airline kosher meal” at the annual convention, the search for a heter to shave during sefira and the nine days, the internal battle of wearing vs not wearing a kippa at work… All of these struggles – and I sympathize with everyone because they are indeed struggles – can be completely avoided. How? By living in a country where Jews are not the minority.

America is a wonderful country and we need to thank Hashem for the fantastic blessings we have had here but let’s be totally honest; it’s not where we belong. As wonderful as things are, this is a non Jewish country and we will always be foreigners in this land. Yes, we have built Yeshivot here and Jewish communities have thrived but we are – and always will be – the guests and never the hosts. This is why Fiday afternoons in the winter become very uncomfortable for Jewish professionals. It is the same reason why the most religious man feels he must shave during the nine days – or during the “shloshim” for a parent… because a guest must follow the rules.

Things in Israel are much different. As I have written many times, there are many areas that we still need to improve on, but for the Jewish professional working man and woman, you simply cannot beat working in Israel. All major companies work Sunday-Thursday, which means no work on Friday so, like Gillette said; “The Wet Head is Dead!” You come to shul Friday night with a nice, dry head of hair. But there’s more… much more. Most companies are closed the entire Sukkot and Pesach so you can enjoy the holiday the way it was designed to be (and not have the days deducted from your vacation time!). All hotels are kosher so the annual convention, even if held in Eilat, is no problem at all. You can sit and enjoy the food together with your co-workers and not feel isolated. Men will never have a problem with a kippa nor will women have problems with head coverings. There is never any work on Erev Yom Tov and you can take off work on Purim and  Tisha b’Av. Nobody will question your “sefira beard” and by law, should you need to sit shiva, you will be given 7 days off – once again, not deducted from your vacation time.

This is what it means to live in a Jewish state. Is everybody frum all around us? No. But that’s not what I am referring to. My focus here is on a Jewish culture vs a non-Jewish culture. Like it or not, in the coming days, no matter where you are in America, you will hear Christmas songs. There’s no way around it. The newspapers will be filled with Christmas sales, you will see your neighbor’s house light up and you will probably bump into 5-6 Santa Clauses each day as you walk in Manhattan. That’s what happens when you live in New York.

In Israel, even in a secular city like Tel Aviv, you will not see any Santas. Rather, you will trip over stores selling jelly donuts (some may even have some jelly!!) and you will see store after store selling gifts for… Chanukah! Almost every store lights a menorah each night of Chanukah and every person you meet – even the ones most removed from Jewish observance – will wish you a “Chag Sameyach”!

Let’s stop living as guests in someone else’s home. Yes, the host has been very kind to us but we have overstayed our welcome. The time has come to thank the host and move out to our own place, with our own culture and traditions. No more being the weird guy who leaves early on Friday, doesn’t show up for work in September and eats airline food instead of rib steak. And no more coming to shul with hair that’s dripping wet. The wet head is dead! Long live Erev Shabbat in Israel! Come home now.

From Zehut, here.

Make Aliyah Lishmah!

Don’t Make Aliyah Because of a Hurricane

September 13, 2017

Shmuel Sackett, Chairman of Zehut International

Five years ago, after Hurricane Sandy, I wrote an article which began with the following words; “In the last 24 hours (since the hurricane), I received 10 phone calls and over 30 emails from fellow Israelis telling me to write about the need for American Jews to make Aliyah as soon as possible. One said, ‘They should see this as a sign’ while another told me how ‘if they need to rebuild, let them do it in Israel’. Here is what I said to them:

While I want every single Jew to leave the diaspora and come home to live in Israel, I do not want them to do it because their basement flooded, they had no electricity for 10 days or because they had to wait on a gas line for 4 hours. I want Jews to come home because their lives are not complete outside Israel. I want Jews to come home, regardless if they keep Mitzvot or not, because that is where the Jewish family lives… and families stay together. I want Jews to come home because in 1948 our Father in Heaven gave us the most wonderful gift in the last 2,000 years and we need to embrace, nurture and appreciate that gift.”

Those words were written in 2012 and now, after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, I want to write them again, but – this time – even stronger: Under no circumstances should one make Aliyah because of a hurricane. Israel is not a homeless shelter for people whose homes flooded or whose roofs caved in. And do you know why?? Because people who live in shelters, always want to go back to their “real” homes and will never – and I mean NEVER – be happy living elsewhere. They will always be looking back, remembering what was and wondering what could have been. Sorry, but that’s not the way to move to Israel.

In pre-state days, back in 1945, things were much different. The Jewish nation, primarily in Europe, was broken into many pieces and hundreds of thousands had nowhere to go. Baruch Hashem, many of those broken Yidden came to Israel where they began putting their lives back together. Shortly after that, in the 50’s the big wave of Aliyah came from our Sefardic brothers and sisters who left Morocco, Yemen, Turkey, Iraq and similar countries. Years later, Jews came from Ethiopia and the former USSR. While those Jews did not have flooded basements, their lives were a living hell and they had to get out quickly! As a result, since many of them they did not move to Israel for the right reasons, a large number kept looking back, saying “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons…” (Ba’midbar 11:5). This may be a reason why many of their children now live outside Israel. (Note: As many as 50% of the Russian Jews who came to Israel in the 90’s already left Israel)

Therefore, please, please – do this country a favor and do not consider it your “last resort”. Do not come here only when all else has failed. Israel should never be viewed as the “Jewish Insurance Policy” because even though we all pay insurance… who really wants to use it??

Israel is a place you come to with happiness, joy and great anticipation. As you pack your belongings, you also pack your dreams and aspirations since Israel is the place where those dreams will come to life! The day you arrive is not Tisha B’av… its Purim, with one difference. When you come to Israel, you take off your costume! You are no longer a Jew hiding amongst the Gentile world playing “make believe”. You are a Jew living, breathing and thriving among fellow Jews in a Jewish state with a Jewish army. The day you come to Israel is therefore a day of great joy and a personal Yom Tov!! It’s like winning the gold medal after 10 years of training day and night. You made it to the top of Mount Everest! Flooded basement?? Hurricane Irma?? What are you talking about??? That has nothing to do with it.

So, come home for the right reasons! Come home because your Jewish soul cannot bear being outside the land Hashem gave us for one more minute. Come home because with all due respect to the wonderful Jewish communities around the world, you want to connect to the nation and not just the community.

Remember this, my dear brothers and sisters; fulfillment of this dream – and your destiny – has nothing to do with the “weather”… just “whether” or not you want to be part of the greatest gift – and challenge – that Hashem has given our people in the last 2,000 years.

Next year in Jerusalem… rain or shine!

From Zehut International, here.