This week is Shabbos before Purim. Chazal tell us that the Shabbos is the source of blessing for the whole upcoming week. The success of the upcoming week is dependent on the Shabbos and the Shabbos has influence on the whole week. Therefore when there is a Yom Tov during the upcoming week, the effects of the Yom Tov start on Shabbos. Therefore, this week we will discuss a few messages of Purim and try to integrate them into our minds and that will give us the capabilities to be able to prepare ourselves for the holy Purim and have the vessels to receive and hold all the spiritual blessings and holiness that showers down on this holy day.
The Gemarah (Sanhedrin 11:) tells us that Shmuel Hakatan (the little one, i.e. the humble one) was worthy that the Divine presence should rest on him just like Moshe Rabbeinu, but his generation wasn’t worthy.
In Pirkei Avos (Perek 4 Mishna 19[24]) the Mishna says, Shmuel says, “when your enemy falls don’t be happy, and when he fails your heart shouldn’t rejoice. Because, maybe Hashem will see (how you are rejoicing at his downfall) and it will be bad in His eyes, and he will retract His wrath from him (back on to you).
A person shouldn’t rejoice at someone else’s downfall because when Hashem sees how you are so happy at your enemy’s disaster and you feel an element of revenge, Hashem may say that your behavior is no better, in fact looking at your behavior, your enemy is a Tzaddik; and this may cause the bad to boomerang back on to you.
The truth is that Shmuel didn’t make up this idea or even the words, it is the words of the Passuk in Mishlei (24-17).
So the obvious question is, what was Shmuel trying to say by just repeating a Passuk? And why is the Mishna repeating the words of a Passuk, even if it was said by Shmuel.
Our Rabbis tell us that the Mishnayos in Pirkei Avos that bring down from the Tanaaim a message, it isn’t just a message that the Tanna said, it was one the factors, that specific Tanna worked on, it was one of the main mottos of his life that he focused on and that he felt was vital to his spiritual success.
Shmuel’s Motto and Its Deeper Meaning
Shmuel felt that to reach his goal in life he would succeed by working and focusing on this point.
So now the question is, what did Shmuel see in this Passuk more than the other nine hundred and twelve Pessukim in Mishlei that by focusing on this point he would be able to succeed in life to reach his ultimate purpose in life and ultimate goal in Avodas Hashem?
Shmuel saw an amazing message in this Passuk.
Every person is a mini world of their own. We all have our highlights, peaks and we have our failures. We have our moments we shine with radiance and there are times we are just shadows. There are times we are relaxed and tranquil, and there are times when we have our outburst and explode like volcanos.
Now let us ask ourselves the following questions and be honest!
Am I perfect? No. Do I have bad traits? Yes. Have I committed any Aveiros? Yes Am I a good person? Yes.
How do these answers go together?
But that is the way we look at ourselves. We want to see our good points and avoid looking at our failures. We don’t want to see weak points. That’s why a person cannot be a witness for themselves.
But, when we get into a fight with somebody else, we tend naturally to focus on the weakness, bad traits and failures of the other person. We will judge the other person completely negative. We forget that the other person is just like us. They have highlights, talents, potential just like us.
They have their good times just like we do. And we have bad moments, failures and outbursts just like them.
Neither we nor they are perfect. But we are naturally blinded to see our perfection and other people’s weak areas.
This is the message behind the Passuk that Shmuel saw as such a vital insight to success in life.
Don’t rejoice when your enemy fails, focusing on the other person’s bad points because they aren’t so black and we are not so white.
But if we do, Hashem may say, ‘why are you rejoicing at your enemy’s suffering? Are you any better? In fact he is better and you don’t deserve to be happy.’ And this may cause the punishment the other person was suffering to bounce back on you.
Purim Connection: Mordechai and Haman
Now this Passuk has a direct connection to Purim.
Achashverosh told Haman to take his Royal clothing, and horse, ride Mordechai around Shushan and call out, “this is done to the person that the King wants to honor him.”
Mordechai wasn’t in any fit state to wear Royal clothing. He needed a haircut, to be bathed, washed and dressed. All this was done by Haman, his new servant, at the King’s command.
Now, Mordechai had been fasting for three days. So Mordechai told Haman that he didn’t have the strength to climb up on to the horse. So Haman had to kneel on the floor and Mordechai stepped on to Haman’s back and climbed on to the horse.
Mordechai climbed on to Haman and gave him a good kick.
Haman called out, “doesn’t it say in your Torah, that when your enemy falls don’t be happy?”
Mordechai replied that it refers to Jews. But Jew haters like Amalek the Passuk says that one should tread on them.
Mordechai knew this important message. Every person is a mini world, just like we explained before. This is true about every person and definitely about every Jew. But there is one exception, Amalek. Hashem decided that they are completely wicked and cruel without any good parts and that’s why He commanded us to wipe them out.
But otherwise we have to remember that every Jew is a treasure, full of Hashem’s blessings.
Don’t judge your fellow Jew by their outer appearance, nor by their actions, nor by their comments. Because maybe now you are catching them at their weak moment but in reality they are full of light and radiance deep inside.
That is one of the reasons why we get dressed up on Purim and deliver Mishloach Manos. We know that the reason of Mishloach Manos is to arouse friendship between each other. So we also get dressed up and we send out a clear message, “don’t judge me by my outer appearance, that’s not the real me! Inside there is a holy Jew hiding and covered up.” And with this approach we can try and improve ourselves and grow to love every Jew. And this was the motto of Shmuel and the key to his success.
The Deeper Meaning of Hamantashen
Each Yom Tov has its special food. On Rosh Hashana we eat the head of a sheep or fish, we eat apple dipped in honey. On Shevuos we eat cheese cake, on Chanuka we eat doughnuts and on Purim we eat Hamantashen.
Every Jewish custom has a reason behind it, most times many reasons. Let us discuss one idea why we eat Hamantashen on Purim.
Rabbi Naftoli Zvi of Ropshitz notes that the Hamantash is a light colored dough with a dark colored filling.
White refers to Middas Hachessed – when Hashem runs the world with kindness. Black and dark refers to refers to Middas Hadin – when Hashem runs the world with judgment and strictness.
When a person goes through a difficult time, suffering or pain. On the outside it may look black, but we know that ultimately Hashem runs the world with kindness and although we can’t see the kindness we have the kindness we have to believe that the kindness is hidden within the darkness. The ultimate purpose of the darkness stems from Hashem’s kindness, although right now we can’t see it or understand.
So too when we see the tremendous kindness that Hashem showers upon us, every day, all day, we have to stop and think, do we really deserve such kindness? Are we worthy of such kindness?
So at the time we are seeing the kindness, it is a time for us to meditate and realize that Hashem’s kindness is way beyond what we deserve.
So although we see kindness, the outer covering of the Hamantash, inside there is a message, a claim that demands our soul searching; Hashem is being so kind to us, what are we doing to deserve it, how are we behaving and acting in return after such abundance of kindness.
This is what the Jews felt after the miracle of Purim and felt such appreciation and responsibility to Hashem and therefore accepted the Torah again from Hashem, not by force but through love, through appreciating Hashem’s unconditional love and kindness to Klal Yisrael.
This is a message learned from the story of Purim but a message to install into our daily lives the whole year, even when we are not eating the Hamantashen.
