Podcasts about megilah

Eating & Drinking Before Reading The Megilah (2) by Rabbi Avi Harari

Timing of the Megilah

Where did they get the ideas that the big sin of כְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל was either a.) נֶהֱנוּ מִסְּעֻדָּתוֹ שֶׁל אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ or b.) הִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַצֶּלֶם? It is not in the text of the Megilah, is it?

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Length: 1 hour 23 minutesSynopsis: Tonight (3/6/25), in lieu of our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we continued learning the Ralbag's toalos ("beneficial lessons") on Megilas Esther, picking up were we left off last year, at the beginning of Chapter 6. Unlike last year, in which we JUST read the Ralbag, we decided to read and discuss the pesukim this year before learning the toeles. This resulted in a slower pace, but (I hope!) a richer learning experience. We only got through five toalos, but we delved into them deeper than we did last year, and came away with some really sharp insights into the Megilah and some nice practical applications.-----מקורות:Neima Novetsky's translation of Megillas Esther on AlHaTorah.orgרלב"ג - אסתר פרק ו, תועלות ל"ה-מרד"ק - תהלים קטז:ידרש"י - אסתר ו:טErica Brown, "Esther: Power, Fate, and Fragility in Exile"-----The Torah content for this week has been sponsored by Rifka Kaplan-Peck in tribute to the Bibas family. May Hashem avenge their blood and may He grant Yarden Bibas and the extended family comfort in the love of Am Yisroel who mourn with them.-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel

Thank you for listening, please go to StreamcastDetroit.com/donate and pledge your support for Let's Talk TorahIt's all about Purim, the hidden, the revealed, the whole MegilaJoin Rabbi Tzvi as he tells the story of Queen Esther, King Achashverosh and what is a miracle and what isn't Thank you for listening, please go to StreamcastDetroit.com/donate and pledge your support for Let's Talk Torah

Thank you for listening, please go to StreamcastDetroit.com/donate and pledge your support for Let's Talk TorahIt's all about Purim, the hidden, the revealed, the whole Megila Part 2Join Rabbi Tzvi as he tells the story of Queen Esther, King Achashverosh and what is a miracle and what isn't Thank you for listening, please go to StreamcastDetroit.com/donate and pledge your support for Let's Talk Torah

Eating & Drinking Before Reading The Megilah by Rabbi Avi Harari

Megilah 2a: יסוד מצות קריאת המגילה לשיטת הרמב"ם

A weekly shiur by Dayan Levi Yitzchok Raskin, Rov of Anash in London, explores interesting Torah questions and halachic dilemmas. The following issues are discussed by Dayan Raskin in this week's episode: 1) My two-year-old developed chicken-pox. I sent my one-year-old to a child-minder. The following night the one-year-old also has chicken-pox, as do several children that were at the child-minder. Those children had to be kept home, and the child-minder had a loss of income. Do I have financial liability for any of the above? [1] 2) Is Pinyata kosher? [2] 3) The Shulchan Oruch says to rebuke one who is learning during Chazaras haShatz. Does that mean that one is permitted to embarrass the offender? [3] 4) It is customary to look towards the Chazan when he says Birkas Kohanim. Is facing that direction sufficient or should one endeavour to see the Chazan? [4] 5) I'm having a party and I'm expecting some non-Shabbos observant Jews. I'm making cocktails with wine. Does the wine need to be mevushal? [5] 6) At Shacharis on Purim, is the Sefer Torah returned to the Oron Kodesh before the reading of the Megilah or afterwards? [6] 7) The new Chabad Kitzur Shulchan Oruch has a note to bang during the communal recital of the list of the ten sons of Homon. Is that widely followed?[7] 8) My oldest brother was born with a health-defect and he passed away after two weeks from birth. Regarding the Fast of Firstborns, am I counted as a firstborn?[8] 9) Story in Sefer haMinhogim re. Rebbe Rashab and the Kaddish after Krias haTorah:[9] 10) Feedback on Haftorah of Pekudei when Shkolim superseded Vayakhel; is Haftorah of Vayakhel ever read? [10] ________________________________________ [1] ראה אנציקלופדי' תלמודית ערך גרמא בניזקים (כרך ו). בגדר "היזק שאינו ניכר": בס' הביאני חדריו (ע' תכח ואילך, בשם הגרי"ש אלישיב בשם ס' דור רביעי) דהיינו דוקא בהיזק רוחני, שלאוה"ע אין בזה כלום. משא"כ בנדו"ד, שסופו להיגלות. [2] מבואר בשו"ע יו"ד סי' קעח ס"א ברמ"א שמעשה שאין לו טעם אסור משום חקות עכו"ם. [3] ס' מעדני יו"ד (ב"ב תש"פ) ע' תרח. [4] בס' המנהגים ע' 13 – מנהג אדמו"רי חב"ד. בס' יפה ללב סי' קכח מביא המנהג להסתכל בש"ץ. בגדר 'כיוון' - להעיר ממדות פ"ב מ"ד (הובא ביומא טז, א): "כל הכתלים שהיו שם היו גבוהים, חוץ מכותל מזרחי, שהכהן השורף את הפרה עומד בהר המשחה ומתכוין ורואה (כנגד) [ב]פתחו של היכל...". אדם אינו חוצץ, דהוי מינו – ראה שוע"ר סי' צ סכ"א. [5] יו"ד סי' קכג ס"ד. משא"כ ביין שהוא אסור שנתערב, בטל בששה (שם סי' קלד ס"ה). [6] בטור או"ח סו"ס קמט הובאו ב' דעות. נת' בשעה"כ פי"א סט"ז וכ"ב; חקרי מנהגים ח"ג סי' קד. [7] הדברים הובאו שם מלוח כולל חב"ד, והוא על פי דבריו בכרך 'קצות השלחן – הלכה למעשה' ע' קמו. אבל לא נתפשט מנהג זה. [8] באר היטב או"ח סי' תע סוסק"א בשם שו"ת שבות יעקב ח"ב סי' טז. [9] העובדא: ב'היום יום' ח"ב קטע 40, וב'רשימת היומן' – בע' תעא. נעתק בס' המנהגים ע' 77. בשערי אפרים (ש"י ט) 'העניק' קדיש זה לבעל יארצייט שעולה שלישי [ובשבת} שביעי]. גם לבן י"ב חודש העולה למפטיר. אבל בשו"ת אגודות אזוב מדברי סי' ו דייק משו"ת תשב"ץ (ח"ג סי' קעא – שמנע קטן מלומר קדיש זה) שקדיש זה שייך לאבל ר"ל, ע"כ. וכן יוצא מעובדא זו, שהרבי ניגש לס"ת לומר קדיש. ב) בזה מוסבר אמירת קדיש זה גם ע"י שני אבלים, משא"כ אם עיקרו שייך לש"ץ; ג) מה שלא נתן למתחיל לגמור תיכף, אולי אז יש להרבי לחשוש אם יאמר הקדיש שנית אחריו. אבל אחרי שהרבי אמר הקדיש, אז פנה לראשון לגמור המצוה שהתחיל. [10] ראה הטבלא בטור או"ח סימן תכח.

Length: 1 hour 16 minutesSynopsis: This evening (3/28/24), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we began learning the next mishnah which is about humility - or, to be precise, "extreme lowliness of spirit." We started learning through the Rambam's lengthy commentary, which is essentially a treatise on humility, but because this required us to do an overview of the Rambam's entire approach to character traits in Hilchos Deios, we only made it through the first two paragraphs of his commentary here. We had a good review and got some nice insights, but there is much, much more to be said about being very, very humble. To be continued! (בג"ה)-----מקורות:אבות ד:דרמב"םרמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות דעות פרקים א-בWilliam Ernest Henley, "Invictus"-----This week's Torah content has been sponsored anonymously. When I asked the donor what they'd like their dedicatory message to say, they responded: "You can say it was because of your Dennis Rodman breakthrough" (referring to a point I made in a recent Megilah shiur). I love feedback like this because it shows me that people enjoy and gain from the sometimes eclectic Torah I share. Thank you for your support!-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel

Length of the article: 3 pagesLength of the audio: 11 minutes 8 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 3/29/24, entitled: Tzav: Heavenly Fire and Hidden Miracles. Purim may not always fall out during the week of Parashas Tzav, but there is a thematic connection between the theme of Purim and the reason for a perplexing mitzvah at the beginning of the parashah.----- This week's Torah content has been sponsored anonymously. When I asked the donor what they'd like their dedicatory message to say, they responded: "You can say it was because of your Dennis Rodman breakthrough" (referring to a point I made in a recent Megilah shiur). I love feedback like this because it shows me that people enjoy and gain from the sometimes eclectic Torah I share. Thank you for your support!-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel

Mishlei 14:25 - Saving Lives and Saying Lies (Part 2) מַצִּיל נְפָשׁוֹת עֵד אֱמֶת, וְיָפִחַ כְּזָבִים מִרְמָה:Length: 45 minutesSynopsis: This morning (3/28/24), in our morning Mishlei shiur, we came back for another attempt at yesterday's difficult pasuk - and this time, we managed to get ideas! Three really nice ideas, in fact: one original interpretation, one beautiful idea from Rabbeinu Yonah, and one idea inspired by the first half of Metzudas David's commentary. I'm glad we stuck to it and were rewarded!Please feel free to leave your questions, insights, and feedback in the comments! -----מקורות:משלי יד:כהרבינו יונהמצודת דודמלבי"םרש"י - בראשית כז:יטרמב"ן - דברים יח:ו-----This week's Torah content has been sponsored anonymously. When I asked the donor what they'd like their dedicatory message to say, they responded: "You can say it was because of your Dennis Rodman breakthrough" (referring to a point I made in a recent Megilah shiur). I love feedback like this because it shows me that people enjoy and gain from the sometimes eclectic Torah I share. Thank you for your support!-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel

Length: 1 hourSynopsis: This evening (3/27/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we began a new project: re-learning Hallel! (or at least, the first two chapters) The last time I gave shiur on Hallel was three years ago, and there's been enough distance and enough natural forgetting that I feel like I can learn everything with a relatively fresh mind. And even if I can't, we have SOOO many more resources on AlHaTorah than we had last time! Tonight we began with the first perek of Hallel. After translating the perek and identifying the pivot point, we raised a ton of questions and began theorizing. Next time (בג"ה) we'll refine our approach and see what the meforshim have to say.-----מקורות:תהלים פרק קיגתרגום רס"גאבן עזרא - קהלת ג:יאשיעורי ר' עובדיה ספורנו - תהלים קיג:ארד"ק - תהלים צ:אמגילה דף לא עמוד א-----This week's Torah content has been sponsored anonymously. When I asked the donor what they'd like their dedicatory message to say, they responded: "You can say it was because of your Dennis Rodman breakthrough" (referring to a point I made in a recent Megilah shiur). I love feedback like this because it shows me that people enjoy and gain from the sometimes eclectic Torah I share. Thank you for your support!-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel

Mishlei 14:25 - Saving Lives and Saying Lies (Part 1) מַצִּיל נְפָשׁוֹת עֵד אֱמֶת, וְיָפִחַ כְּזָבִים מִרְמָה:Length: 45 minutesSynopsis: This morning (3/27/24), in our morning Mishlei shiur, we started a new and difficult pasuk. Not only was it similar to a pasuk we learned earlier this year, but the syntax was awkward and the two halves didn't match up. In what has become a surprisingly rare occurrence, we weren't able to come up with any full explanations today. We got very close - close enough to feel like the ideas are within reach - but didn't quite make it there. We're going to attempt again tomorrow.-----מקורות:משלי יד:כהתרגום רס"גמצודת דודרבינו יונה-----This week's Torah content has been sponsored anonymously. When I asked the donor what they'd like their dedicatory message to say, they responded: "You can say it was because of your Dennis Rodman breakthrough" (referring to a point I made in a recent Megilah shiur). I love feedback like this because it shows me that people enjoy and gain from the sometimes eclectic Torah I share. Thank you for your support!-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel

The Gemara says we don't say Hallel on Purim because the reading of the Megilah takes the place of Hallel. On the surface level, this is difficult to understand. Hallel is words of praise to Hashem while reading the Megila just tells a story. In fact, the name of Hashem is not written there at all, so where exactly is the praise? One answer is that precisely because Hashem's name is not there, and we are reading the story with the understanding that He is behind everything that was happening, that itself is the praise of Hashem- recognizing that He's behind the scenes in every occurrence, and there's a master plan in motion. Whenever someone relates a Hashgacha Peratit story, it's the same kind of praise. They're understanding that the seemingly regular events that took place in their lives were completely orchestrated by Hashem. They put Hashem's name into every sentence and turn a mundane story into a great mitzvah. The more a person can recognize Hashem's involvement, the greater the praise becomes. Rabbi Menashe Reizman quoted a Chatam Sofer who brought to light an unbelievable praise of Hashem in Megillat Esther. It says there that Ahashverosh had seven close advisors, and when Vashti refused his request, he advised with them on how to go about punishing her. As we know, Vashti being killed is what paved the way for Esther to come in and bring about salvation to Klal Yisrael. It was this meeting that was deciding the fate of Vashti. There was already a prosecution in heaven on Vashti, being the granddaughter of Nevuchadnezer who destroyed the Beit Hamikdash, but that was not enough to seal her fate. The Gemara says that each of the names of the seven advisors hinted to a different aspect of the service of the Beit Hamikdash, and that brought the angels in heaven to ask Hashem to have mercy on His nation, in the merit of the service of the Beit Hamikdash. כרשנא (Karshena), the name of the first advisor, sounds like the words Kar Ben Shana, which the Maharsha says refers to the daily offerings in the Beit Hamikdash. The angels in heaven said to Hashem, ‘If you don't save the Jews, who is going to bring the Kar Ben Shana?' The next advisor's name was שתר (Shetar), which sounds like the words שתי תורין (Sheteh Torin), the two turtle doves that were brought for certain offerings. And once again, the angels said to Hashem, ‘If you don't save the Jews, who is going to bring those offerings to You?' The third advisor's name was אדמתא (Admata), which hints to the Mizbe'ach Adama, the altar made of earth upon which all of the Korbanot were brought. The next advisor's name was תרשיש (Tarshish), which alludes to the Tarshish stone that was put into the breastplate of the Kohen Gadol, who worked in the Beit Hamikdash. The next advisor's name was מרס (Meres), which alludes to the stirring of the blood of certain bird offerings. The next advisor's name was מרסנא (Marsina), which alluded to the stirring of the oil and flour in a flour offering. The last advisor's name was ממוכן (Memuchan), which alludes to the preparation of the Shulchan upon which the 12 loaves of bread were placed. For each of these things, the angels asked Hashem, ‘Who is going to continue them if Your nation will perish?' Because of those advocating angels, who were prompted because of the names of those advisors, the fate of Vashti was sealed for death, and the pathway of salvation was paid for the Jews. Says the Chatam Sofer, Look at the unbelievable Hashgacha of Hashem here, and how much He loves and cares for us. He knew that one day these seven people would be meeting together in a room, and the Jews would need zechuyot at that time to have judgment in their favor. So, He put into the minds of the parents of these seven goy advisors, decades before, to name their children those specific names that would allude to the service in the Beit Hamikdash. Hashem was planning our salvation from decades before, even going deep into the minds of those Persian parents to make sure they name their children accordingly. The Hashgacha of Hashem is mind blowing! Every time we expose another aspect of His Hashgacha, we are also singing a type of Hallel and giving Him praise.

Associated with Megilah of Esther

Harav Yussie Zakutinsky Shlita

Audio files of shiurim are available as a Podcast at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kollel-iyun-halacha

Today, we explore enigmatic Megilahs, where the absence of the text eclipses the written word. We'll learn that this peculiar phenomenon is just a fragment of a larger tendency reflected in the Geniza to produce incomplete texts. We shall unravel the motivations behind this practice, reminding us of the formidable challenges in reproducing sacred texts by scribal hand.   Links: First Megilah image: https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-AS-00044-00005/1 Second Megilah image: https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-NS-00286-00043/1 Third Megilah image: https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-NS-00286-00043/1 First Chumash image https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-A-00043-00004/2 Second Chumash image: https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-A-00043-00013/2 First Tehilim image: https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-NS-00281-00131/2 Second Tehilim image: https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-AS-00039-00186/2 Final Megilah Image https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-AS-00041-00207/1 Scrolls, Scribes, and Shortcuts: An Incomplete Megilah in the Cairo Geniza

Women's Purim Class: This class waspresented on Tuesday, Parshas Pekudei,25Adar II, 5784, March 12, 2024, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY. In one of the most bizarre Talmudic stories (Megilah 7b), two of the greatest Talmudic sages feast on Purim together. They are inebriated and one of them slaughters his friend. The next day he brings him back to life. The following year he invites his colleague for another Purim meal. This fascinating class, based on an address of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, re-invents the meaning of the story, and applies it to our daily opportunity to link heaven and earth. Purim represents the gift to experience an ego-death, the portal to true inner connection and bliss.

Moshe said to Yehoshua, “Choose people for us and go do battle with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill”. (17:9) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֤ה אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ בְּחַר־לָ֣נוּ אֲנָשִׁ֔ים וְצֵ֖א הִלָּחֵ֣ם בַּעֲמָלֵ֑ק מָחָ֗ר אָנֹכִ֤י נִצָּב֙ עַל־רֹ֣אשׁ הַגִּבְעָ֔ה וּמַטֵּ֥ה הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים בְּיָדִֽי׃ בחר לנו אנשים. היה עמלק גדול בחכמת האצטגנינות ובחר אנשי מלחמתו אנשים שלא יוכלו למות בשנה ההיא כי הוא ידע זה בחכמת הכוכבים והמזלות ועל כן אמר משה ליהושע בחר לנו אנשים כיוצא בהם שלא יוכל להתחכם עלינו שיהרוג הוא מישראל וישראל לא יהרוג אחד מהם וזהו שכתוב ויחלש יהושע ולא אמר ויהרוג, ומה שאמר בחר לנו שהשוה אותו לעצמו ולא אמר בחר לי דרשו רז'ל מכאן יהי כבוד תלמידך חביב עליך כשלך. בחר לנו אנשים, “choose men for us!” The Amalekites were expert astrologers (compare Rashi; our edition מכשפים, sorcerers). Moses meant that Joshua should select men who according to their horoscopes would not die during the current year, something Moses was aware of due to his own knowledge of astrology. The two armies facing each other would all consist of soldiers who according to their respective horoscopes would not die during that year. As a result of these considerations neither army inflicted fatal casualties on the other during this encounter. This is what is meant when the Torah reports the outcome of the battle as: “Joshua weakened Amalek and his people by the sword.” The Torah carefully refrained from mentioning that the Israelites actually killed any of the Amalekites. When Moses said to Joshua “choose for us,” he compared Joshua to himself and did not say: “choose for me!” Mechilta Amalek section 1 uses this phrase to teach: “the honor of your student should be as dear to you as your own honor.” https://www.sefaria.org/Rabbeinu_Bahya,_Shemot_17.9.1 https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.17.9 In the Talmud Yoma 52b, Chazal say that the word machar, tomorrow, which is found in the above pasuk, can be interpreted as belonging to the previous phrase: “Choose people for us and go to do battle with Amalek tomorrow.” Alternatively, it can refer to the second half of the pasuk: “Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill.” We wonder what is the significance of the word, “tomorrow”? What message regarding the war with Amalek is being taught to us via the word “tomorrow”? Horav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, z.l., explains that the concept of “tomorrow” plays a crucial role in Amalek's fight against Klal Yisrael. Amalek denotes evil. He represents the forces of evil within a human being – the yetzer hara, evil inclination, whose function it is to ensnare a person and lead him to sin. Outright incitement does not work. The yetzer hara has to use guile to convince a person that the sin is really not so bad; in fact, it might even be the right thing to do. It is very sinister in its methods to convince a person to renege against the Torah, to abrogate mitzvah observance and to perform outright transgressions. In order for the yetzer hara to convince an observant Jew to act against the Torah, it must apply patience and discretion. One of its most potent tools is that of “tomorrow.” It assures its victim, “Yes, of course, you should act appropriately. Very definitely, you must perform this mitzvah. Do not do it today, however, start tomorrow. Study Torah – tomorrow. Give tzedakah – tomorrow. Do whatever good you plan on doing, but do it tomorrow. Thus, the yetzer hara grabs hold of a person and leads him to neglect the mitzvos and eventually to become a full-fledged baal aveirah, sinner. This is the disease called “Amaleikism” that the Torah instructs us to expunge from our midst. When the opportunity to perform a mitzvah presents itself, one should not dawdle, but he should take immediate action and carry out his responsibility. One who slacks off in the area of positive mitzvah performance, will soon end up taking the initiative in a sinful manner. This, says Rav Yosef Chaim, is the idea behind Moshe Rabbeinu's “lifting his hands,” an action that catalyzed Klal Yisrael's victory, as opposed to his lowering his hands, which gave strength to Amalek. Raising his hands symbolizes action, our way of defeating the yetzer hara and its personification in this world – Amalek. Allowing our hands to drop sustains the evil of Amalek, who takes his strength from our weakness. Hashem's name is hidden throughout Megillat Esther. Yet, the Rabbis of Kabbalah found the acronym of His name in the pasuk “yavo hamelech v'haman hayom- the king and Haman shall come today” (ibid. 5:4). Through the last word of the phrase, hayom (today), Esther stressed the proper use of the antidote to Haman's machar (ibid.:12). Indeed, the battle against Amalek starts with the desire to serve Hashem with enthusiasm and without delay. Parashat Zachor, the section that appears at the conclusion of our parasha, and which presents the obligation to remember Amalek's attack against Benei Yisrael, is among the most important sections in the entire Torah. It is of such importance that there rests upon each and every one of us an obligation to hear the reading of this parasha once a year, thereby fulfilling the obligation to eradicate the nation of Amalek. The question arises in this context, why did the Torah view Amalek as the eternal enemy of the Jewish people? After all, we find throughout the Torah many other nations that also waged war against Am Yisrael, peoples who sought to destroy us and deny us our existence. In order to answer this question, we must, in my humble opinion, carefully examine two terms that appear in virtually every instance in Tanach where we find mention of Amalek. I refer to the term “mikreh” (happenstance, coincidence), which comes up repeatedly in the context of Amalek, and the word “machar” (tomorrow), which we often find in reference to the Jewish people. Let us survey these instances and then assess their significance: 1. In the first battle against Amalek, Moshe asks Yehoshua, “Moshe said to Yehoshua… go fight against Amalek tomorrow…“ (Shemot 16:9). 2. At the end of our parasha, Hashem commands us never to forget what Amalek did: “… that they chanced upon you along the way” (Rashi explains the word “karcha” as a derivative of the word “mikreh”). 3. King David battled against the Amalekites who plundered his city of Tziklag: “David smote them from morning until evening on the following day“ (Shemuel I 30:17). 4. A young Amalekite informs David that he killed Shaul on MountGilboa: “The youngster who informed him said to him: ‘Ihappened to have been on MountGilboa…”(Shemuel II 1:6). 5. In Megillat Ester we meet the descendant of the Amalekite king, Aggag – Haman. Ester invites Haman to her feast and says: “If it pleases the king… the king and Haman shall come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king requests.” 6. Mordechai, dressed in sackcloth, sends the royal messenger Hatach to tell Ester of the edict against the Jews: “Mordechai told him all that happened to him… “ We thus find numerous sources related to Amalek, and they all make reference to one of these concepts – “machar” or “mikreh.” I believe that these two concepts can help us answer the question with which we began. The Torah affords great importance to the perpetuation of the memory of Amalek's attack because Amalek, by its very essence, expresses the notion of “mikreh” – happenstance. “Mikreh” in effect means the absence of Hashem's providence in the world. Amalek represents coincidence – the lack of faith in hashgacha peratit – divine providence, the belief that no being oversees world affairs, everything happens here purely by coincidence. Of this the Torah wishes to remind us every year; it is forbidden for us to allow “Amalekism,” the theology of “mikreh,” to take hold. In contradistinction to the Amalekite “mikreh” is the Jewish “machar.” “Tomorrow” expresses the hope, the hashgacha, the idea that there is Someone in the heavens who looks after each and every one of His creatures on earth. “Machar” is the notion that there is something for which to wake up in the morning, the world does not progress at random, without a guiding hand. Everything is foreseen from the outset, and we are granted the power to act as we wish. “Machar” is about our free will to decide what to achieve, what to make of our lives. In Hebrew, the letters of the word “Machar,” tomorrow, are the same as the letters for Rechem, or womb. The word for mercy, Rachamim, is also from the same word. The womb is always about mercy, about nurturing hope for another day, about pushing further toward continuation and reaching a goal. Amalek cannot abide that. Rav Hutner writes that Machar refers to the ultimate Tomorrow, that off Olam HaBa. We Klal Yisroel do not exist for the today of Olam HaZeh. We delay our gratification for the tomorrow of Olam HaBa. Amalek exists in in this world only of today. They exist for the simple today, the immediate gratification, and they deny the ultimate tomorrow. Their existence in the world obscures the ability to see the next world. So long as Amalek exists, we cannot see the tomorrow. So long as there are people in the world who claim there is not Olam HaBa and live like that and seem to exist with no problems, they obscure Olam HaBa for the rest of the world.
We can overcome them on the day of Tomorrow. When we live our lives with an eye on Tomorrow then we are victorious. we read Zachor on Shabbat. r Rave Rudman 
Shabbos is a day of tomorrow, of Olam HaBa. This world is, “Today to work”. Olam HaBa is the tomorrow to receive the reward.” Shabbos is one-sixtieth of Olam HaBa . Erev Shabbos is the ‘today' to work. Shabbos is the ‘tomorrow' to receive the reward. One has to read the Parsha of Amalek on Shabbos. Only on Shabbos can one truly eradicate Amalek. It is the antithesis of Amalek. It is the day of Tomorrow. 
But you can only see that if you realize that the entire world is directed and guided by HaShem. If in this world you can see the hidden hand of HKB”H. 
Only on Shabbos, and only in Olam HaBa can we see that all of this world is truly one. Only on Shabbos can we see that HaShem is the King. Therefore, on Shabbos, we read Parshas Zachor. 
This is to prepare for Purim when we read the Megillah where all of this came true. Purim also has within it a day of Machar. When Esther asks the king for one more day for the Jews of Shushan, she asks that let tomorrow be like today. The king is the King, as is well known in the Megilah. And the tomorrow is the Tomorrow of Olam HaBa. 
Maybe that is the connection between the walled cities specifically from the time of Yehoshua. We want to mention his merit in the connection to the Machar. Yehoshua was the one who had the first battle of Machar against Amalek. We ask that in his merit let us be able to have another Machar, and be able to complete his battle.
And we daven for all of this to once again be seen speedily in our times! 'ושמתי פדות בין עמי ובין עמך למחר יהיה האות הזה' (שמות ח, יט), נראה לי בסיעתא דשמיא 'מחר' אותיות רמ'ח ואותיות 'רחם', והענין הוא כי ישראל כל אחד מהם צריך לקיים רמ'ח מצות, וזה אי אפשר שיעשה כל אחד רמ'ח מצוות עשה אך ע'י אהבה שיש בישראל בין זה לזה כל אחד יהיה נשלם ברמ'ח ממעשה חבירו, ולכן רמ'ח הם אותיות 'רחם' כי 'רחם' הוא תרגום של אהבה לרמוז רמ'ח מצות נשלמין אצל כל אחד ואחד על ידי 'רחם' שהוא אהבה שיש בין זה לזה, וידוע כי שלימות קיום רמ'ח עשה מסוגלים לגאולה כי רמ'ח עשה הם בסוד החסדים, והם בסוד ו'ה שבשם, ושס'ה לא תעשה הם סוד הגבורות והם בסוד י'ה שבשם, והגאולה תהיה מתגבורת החסדים ועל ידי שלימות תיקון ו'ה שבשם, גם ידוע על ידי מדת האהבה שתהיה שלימה בישראל תהיה הגאולה, לזה אמר 'ושמתי פדות בין עמי ובין עמך למחר' אותיות 'לרמ'ח' ואותיות 'לרחם' רוצה לומר על ידי זכות רמ'ח עשה שעתידין לקבל בסיני ועל ידי זכות רחם שיש בינהם יהיה האות הזה של הפדות: או יובן בסיעתא דשמיא ידוע דקריאת שמע יש בה רמ'ח תיבות מפני כי כוחה גדול להכרית את אויבי ישראל הקליפות והתחתונים שברשותם והיא תהיה להם כמו רומח לדקור וכמו חרב להרוג כמו שכתוב' רוממות אל בגרונם' (תהלים קמט, ו) זו קראית שמע ועל ידי כן יהיה 'חרב פיפיות בידם' להרוג את אויביהם, ולכן גבי פנחס כתיב 'ויקח רמ'ח בידו' ואמרו רבותינו ז'ל זכות רמ'ח תיבות דקריאת שמע וגבר בזה על הסטרא אחרא, וזהו דשאמר 'ושמתי פדות בין עמי ובין עמך למחר יהיה האות הזה' לרמ'ח הלמד משמש במקום בעבור כלומר בעבור זכות רמ'ח תיבין דקריאת שמע יהיה האות הזה של פדות עמי מיד אויביהם וגבר ישראל, ולכן אנחנו אומרים בסוף הברכה של הקריאת שמע 'הבוחר בעמו ישראל באהבה' דתרגום 'אהבה' 'רחם' ואז אנחנו מתחילין לומר רמ'ח תיבות דקריאת שמע דזכינו לרמ'ח תיבות דקריאת שמע שתהיה רומ'ח וחרב בידינו נגד אויבינו על ידי 'רחם' שהוא אהבה שיש לנו זה על זה: https://www.sefaria.org/Ben_Ish_Hai,_Halachot_1st_Year,_Vaera,_Introduction.1

Friday 11 Tamuz

Friday 11 Tamuz

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Thursday 10 Tamuz

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Our Rabbis teach us that Purim is one of the holiest days of the entire year, even greater than Yom Kippur. It's a day when our tefilot mean so much and can accomplish what would normally take much longer to accomplish. It's a day of elevating the physical, which is even more spiritual than abstaining from the physical. When the Beit Hamikdash stood, people were able to fulfill the positive commandment from the Torah of eating the meat of a korban . The meat was imbued with sanctity and, when the person ate it with the right intentions, it sanctified and purified him. When we take food and say a beracha on it and consume it during a seudat mitzvah, we become elevated from that. All the more so on the holy day of Purim. If we celebrate it properly, we can become so kadosh . The great Rebbe, Rav Mordechai m'Nadvorna shared with us a secret that he learned from Shamayim in his sefer Razah d'Uvda . There he writes, if he would have known how much Hashem appreciates us bringing joy to others on the day of Purim, he would have left all of his other holy services on that day and spent more time spreading joy to others. We can only imagine how great each of the Rebbe's avodot on Purim were, spending so much time on tefila , reading the entire Tehillim with tears, reciting the Megilah with such devekut to Hashem, giving mishloach manot and matanot l'evyonim with all of his great kavanot and eating the seuda in the most spiritual way possible. But when he found out how important it is to bring joy to others on Purim, he would have limited those holy avodot to spend more time making other people happy. If we analyze the mitzvot of the day, most of them are all about caring for others. Mishloach manot is about giving gifts to our friends to enhance our relationships with them. We do it by making our friends feel special by sending them a gift. Matanot l'evyonim is meant to lift the spirits of the poor people, giving them what they need and thereby bringing them joy. Having a seuda and inviting family and friends and all different types of guests is meant to bring joy to all of those who attend. This is the essence of the mitzvot and we can take it further on our own, cheering up people who are down and giving chizuk to people who could use it. Spreading love and happiness on this day is such a holy endeavor. This will not only bring joy down here, it will bring joy to the Upper Worlds as well. Give mishloach manot to people who will appreciate it the most. Give compliments to people. Give berachot to people that they should have yeshuot and simcha . This, says the Rebbe m'Nadvorna, is the main avodah of the day which will bring Hashem the most nachat ruach . May Hashem help us fulfill His will the best way possible and have the most elevated Purim possible. Purim Sameach !