This week’s Parsha is Parshat Tetzaveh. We have mentioned more than once the words of the Tur, that when an event occurs during the week, it is connected to the preceding Parsha. The Ba’al HaTurim finds the connecting hint in the Pasuk: וְנִשְׁמַע קוֹלוֹ בְּבֹאוֹ אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ – And his voice shall be heard when he comes into the holy place. The Ba’al HaTurim says: וְנִשְׁמַע appears a total of three times – here, in the response of Bnei Yisrael at Har Sinai – נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמַע, and in Megillat Esther – וְנִשְׁמַע פִּתְגָּם הַמֶּלֶך. The Gemara says (Megillah 3b), from here we learn that reading the Megillah takes precedence over Torah study, and reading the Megillah takes precedence over the Avodah in the Beit Hamikdash.
Another connection between our Parsha and Purim is found in the garments of the Kohen Gadol. וְעָשִׂיתָ בִגְדֵי־קֹדֶשׁ לְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיך לְכָבוֹד וּלְתִפְאָרֶת׃ Make sacral vestments for your brother Aaron, for glory and splendor. The words used to present the garments of the Kohen Gadol are the same used to describe the kingdom of Achashveirosh at the beginning of Megillat Esther: בְּהַרְאֹתוֹ אֶת־עֹשֶׁר כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ וְאֶת־יְקָר תִּפְאֶרֶת גְּדוּלָּתוֹ. When he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his splendid majesty. From this, Chazal learn (Megillah 12a) that Achashveirosh wore the garments of the Kehuna!
The words of the Bnei Yissaschar are well-known, that in a person’s face, all twelve months of the year are hinted. The Bnei Yissaschar writes (Adar 1, 9-10): It is known from the writings of the Arizal regarding Rosh Chodesh, that all the months correspond to parts of the head. Adar is the secret of the nose, and since the nose is the sense of smell, you will see that the two redeemers through whom the miracle occurred in Adar are named after spices that delight the sense of smell. Mordechai is hinted at in מׇר־דְּרוֹר (pure myrrh), which is translated as מָרֵי דְכִי; and Esther is called הֲדַסָּה – Hadassah, from the הֲדַס (myrtle).
One could add to his words that not only Mordechai and Esther are connected to the nose, but also Haman. The Midrash says (Bereshit Rabbah, 19:2): Rabbi Chanina ben Sansan said – there are four people who began a statement with אַף (nose/also) and were destroyed by אַף. They are the snake, the chief baker, Korach’s assembly, and Haman. In Haman’s case, he said: אַף לֹא הֵבִיאָה אֶסְתֵּר. Thus, we learn a general rule from Haman. It is not good to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong! I said these words in one of my shiurim, and someone asked me: "Then why don’t we bake Noses of Haman instead of Hamantaschen (Ears of Haman)? At first glance, this is a great question and true wonder. Everyone distributes Haman’s ears and doesn’t know the reason! And there’s more to ask – why specifically a triangle and not a circle? Some say the triangle is in reference to the three Avot, as it says (Tehillim 75:11): וְכׇל־קַרְנֵי רְשָׁעִים אֲגַדֵּעַ תְּרוֹמַמְנָה קַרְנוֹת צַדִּיק׃ All the horns of the wicked I will cut; but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.
There is a wonderful sefer called Zera Shimshon by Rav Shimshon Nachmani, where he brings a related idea. The Gemara says (Megillah 14a): The removal of Achashveirosh’s ring for the sealing of Haman’s decree was more effective than the forty-eight prophets and the seven prophetesses who prophesied on behalf of Bnei Yisrael. They were all unable to return Am Yisrael to the path of righteousness, but the removal of Achashveirosh’s ring returned them, since it brought them to Teshuva.
Zera Shimshon says, the moment Haman removed the ring, everyone listened to Mordechai’s words, which hadn’t happened before. 18,500 people went to Achashverosh’s feast and listened to Haman instead of Mordechai, who had warned them not to get involved in politics. Therefore, we specifically make Haman’s ears – Hamantaschen – to awaken us to Teshuva and tell us that we must always listen to the voice of the wise and the prophets!
If this is so, let us move forward. The sefer Nachalat Sadeh (Mishpatim) addresses the question of why we pierce specifically the right ear – according to Rashi – of the Jewish servant who declines to be set free. One can explain the reason for piercing the right ear based on what is written in sefer Eretz HaChaim regarding the Gemara in Brachot (55b). One who fears his ayin hara (evil eye) – meaning, he fears that he will look upon others with an evil eye – should look at the left side of his nose: לִיחְזֵיהּ אַטַרְפֵיהּ דִּנְחִירֵיהּ דִּשְׂמָאלָא. This is based on what is written in Sefer Yetzira (4:12) that there are seven gates to the soul: two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, and one mouth. These correspond to seven righteous individuals upon whom the world stands: Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef, and David. Two eyes correspond to Avraham and Yitzchak; the right ear to Yaakov; the left ear to Moshe; the right nostril to Aharon; the left nostril to Yosef; the mouth to David. Based on this, it is explained why the left nostril should be looked at when one fears being overcome by his ayin hara. It corresponds to Yosef, who the evil eye did not dominate.
Based on his words, it can also be explained why specifically the right ear is pierced, which corresponds to Yaakov Avinu. Yaakov risked himself to take his father’s bracha. The bracha he received was: הֱוֵה גְבִיר לְאַחֶיךָ וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ בְּנֵי אִמֶּךָ, meaning he would be master over Eisav, and Eisav would be his servant. Therefore, the Jewish servant who wishes to remain a servant after six years damages the attribute of Yaakov Avinu, who ingrained in his children the nature to be free men and not servants to any man of flesh and blood. Therefore, his right ear, which corresponds to Yaakov, is pierced.
A Jew from Moshav Eli called me and shared a most wonderful idea: When Esther sent Hatach to ask why Mordechai tore his garments and wore sackcloth, the wording of the question was: לָדַעַת מַה זֶּה וְעַל מַה זֶּה – To know what this is and why this is. Queen Esther knew that when the Satan wants to accuse, he still has a "card to play" for two sins – Cheit Ha’Eiegel (the sin of the Golden Calf) and Mechirat Yosef (the sin of selling Yosef). When Bnei Yisrael are deficient in Mitzvot Bein Adam L’Chaveiro (between man and his fellow), the Satan accuses regarding the sin of selling Yosef. When they are deficient in Mitzvot Bein Adam LaMakom (between man and Hakadosh Baruch Hu), the Satan accuses regarding Cheit Ha’Eigel. Therefore, Esther asked "מַה זֶּה וְעַל מַה זֶּה" – meaning, what exactly is being demanded of us now; is it the sin of selling Yosef or the sin of the calf? Both of these sins are hidden in her question, as they both begin with the word זֶּה (this). In the sin of selling Yosef, it appears twice: וַיֹאמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו הִנֵּה בַּעַל הַחֲלֹמוֹת הַלָּזֶה בָּא, and then again when the angel meets Yosef and asks what he is looking for. Yosef responds that he is searching for his brothers, and the angel responds: נָסְעוּ מִזֶּה – They have gone from here. The sin of the calf also begins with זֶּה, as it says: כִּי זֶה מֹשֶׁה הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֹא יָדַעְנוּ מֶה הָיָה לוֹ.
Then, in Sefer Nechemiah, we find a variation of what Bnei Yisrael declared after the Golden Calf was formed: אַף כִּי עָשׂוּ לָהֶם עֵגֶל מַסֵּכָה וַיֹאמְרוּ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הֶעֶלְךָ מִמִּצְרַיִם. Based on these words, that Jew said to me: "If you say that the month of Adar corresponds to the nose, and Sefer Yetzira tells us that the right nostril corresponds to Aharon and the left nostril to Yosef, therefore Esther asked מַה זֶּה וְעַל מַה זֶּה – which nostril is the matter about? If it’s the right nostril, which corresponds to Aharon, then the decree relates to Cheit Ha’Eigel; and if it’s the left nostril, which corresponds to Yosef, then the decree is about Mechirat Yosef!”
In this shiur, I’d like to connect the subject of Purim to the stones of the Kohen Gadol’s Ephod (Breastplate). שִׁשָּׁה מִשְּׁמֹתָם עַל הָאֶבֶן הָאֶחָת וְאֶת־שְׁמוֹת הַשִּׁשָּׁה הַנּוֹתָרִים עַל־הָאֶבֶן הַשֵּׁנִית כְּתוֹלְדֹתָם׃ Six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. The Baal HaTurim writes: The acronym of שמותם עשה מש is שמע, as they recited שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל. The question is – what is the connection between the Ephod and reciting Shema? And what then is the אֶבֶן הַשֵּׁנִית – the second stone? In the Pesukim of שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל and בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד, each has six words. Therefore, it says six of the names on one stone and six on the other – the twelve tribes originate from Yaakov Avinu, who established the recitation of Shema. And בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד is also connected to Yaakov Avinu, as the Gemara says (Pesachim 56a), Yaakov sought to reveal the end of days to his sons, but the Shechinah departed from him. He said, perhaps, Heaven forbid, there is a flaw in his descendants just as there was with Avraham (Yishmael) and Yitzchak (Eisav). His sons put him at rest by saying to him שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה' אֶחָד, to which Yaakov Avinu responded בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד. Thus, the twelve tribes correspond to שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל and בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד.
