I apologize for my hoarse voice – this is all part of v'nahafoch hu. B'ezrat Hashem, may it be transformed for me into clear, melodious sounds. We will try to speak a bit more slowly this week; as someone told me earlier: “It's actually good that you’re speaking this way – at least you're not shouting!”
The Parsha we’ll read this Shabbat is Parshat Tetzaveh, which deals with the garments of the Kohen Gadol and the ordinary Kohen. Beyond that, for the Maftir we will read the Pesukim from Parshat Ki Teitzei:
זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם׃
Remember what Amalek did to you on the way, as you left Egypt.
It is well known that when an event occurs during the week, it is connected to the Shabbat that precedes it. Since this Shabbat we will read about the garments of the Kohanim, there must be a connection between the topic of Purim and Megillat Esther, and these priestly garments – and the question is: what is that connection?
The Gemara in Megillah tells us that when Achashveirosh made his feast in the third year of his reign – for one hundred and eighty days – the reason for this extravagance was as follows. Achashveirosh's father-in-law, known as Belshatzar, had taken out the vessels of the Beit Hamikdash that Nevuchadnetzar had seized from the First Beit Hamikdash and used them publicly. On the very day he used them, he died – and this was the night of Pesach, as recorded by Chazal.
After Belshatzar died, a king named Koresh (Cyrus) rose to power. Koresh was a good king – he granted permission to rebuild the Beit Hamikdash. Belshatzar had taken out the vessels because, by his calculation, the Beit Hamikdash would never be rebuilt again. The navi had declared that after seventy years from the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash it would be rebuilt, and Belshatzar calculated that seventy years had already passed – and since it had still not been rebuilt, he concluded it never would be. He took out the vessels, was punished, and died.
After him, Koresh arose and he permitted the Jews to rebuild the Beit Hamikdash. Ezra ascended from Bavel together with the Jews who came with him, among them Mordechai HaYehudi, and the construction began. In the midst of the construction, however, Koresh died. The one who rose to rule after him was Vashti, daughter of Belshatzar. She had married Achashveirosh, who was no royal heir – he was, as they say today, a stable hand who tended horses. Apparently marrying him worked in her favor, because had he been of royal lineage he would not have killed her, but he had a horse’s head.
The Gemara then tells us Achashveirosh calculated that the Beit Hamikdash would not be rebuilt. He said, "My father-in-law made an error – but I did not." So, what did he do? He displayed the vessels of the Beit Hamikdash – the same thing his father-in-law had done. And how long did his feast last? One hundred and eighty days. Sifrei Chazal write that the feast corresponded to the years of Yitzchak Avinu – who lived one hundred and eighty years. Perhaps we’ll discuss that connection at our upcoming Purim night shiur.
What is relevant here is that Achashveirosh displayed thirty vessels from the Beit Hamikdash per day. Chazal derive this from the pasuk וְכֵלִים מִכֵלִים שׁוֹנִים – Vessels upon vessels of every kind. Thirty vessels per day for one hundred and eighty days requires five thousand four hundred vessels! The navi states in Sefer Ezra (1:11) that the total count of all the vessels was exactly five thousand four hundred – and the feast ended precisely when the display was complete.
The Gemara in Megillah then states: throughout all the days of the feast, Achashveirosh sat wearing the garments of the Kohen Gadol. How do we derive this? The Parsha states regarding the Kohen Gadol's garments: וְעָשִׂיתָ בִגְדֵי קֹדֶשׁ לְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ לְכָבוֹד וּלְתִפְאָרֶת: You shall make holy garments for Aharon your brother, for honor and for glory. And related, Megillat Esther states אֵת יְקַר תִפְאֶרֶת גְּדֻלָּתוֹ – The splendor of his glorious greatness. Chazal derive from this juxtaposition of "תִפְאֶרֶת" (glory) in both pesukim that Achashveirosh sat in the garments of the Kohen Gadol.
A question was posed to the Imrei Emes of Gur – I believe it was his brother-in-law who asked it. The Torah also uses the phrase לְכָבוֹד וּלְתִפְאָרֶת – for honor and for glory regarding the ordinary Kohen's garments. So, who told you Achashveirosh wore the Kohen Gadol's garments? Perhaps he wore the ordinary Kohen's garments!
The Imrei Emes answered: Rashi writes that he wore the garments of the Kohen Gadol, and the logic is simple. A non-Jew is not going to be dazzled by white linen. What dazzles him? Gold. The Tzitz. Sky-blue and purple. It is from those garments that he’d be dazzled, and therefore, Achashveirosh wore the Kohen Gadol's garments.
The Midrash states that Vashti, who made a feast for the women, also wore the garments of the Kohen Gadol – she wore the Tzitz, on it written "Kodesh L’Hashem." A Kohen Gadol imposter displaying the vessels of the Beit Hamikdash, and she doing the same at her feast – identical! And what could be a more beautiful Purim costume than that of the Kohen Gadol? To attach oneself to the character traits of Aharon HaKohen is a noble act! I remember many years ago I asked my grandson what he was dressing up as. He told me he was dressed up as Aharon, the Kohen Gadol. What beauty! He arrived on Purim dressed in the garments of the Kohen Gadol – and with two pistols! I said to him: “How does a Kohen Gadol walk around with pistols?” He replied: “Saba, because of the security situation!” Today, you would need a missile capable of two thousand kilometers in your holster! But in any case, what a beautiful teaching from the Imrei Emes.
Rabbotai, let’s move to another remarkable idea. In the sefer Siftei Chachamim, by one of the great scholars of Pressburg, there is an interesting teaching. The Gemara in Chagigah (13b) discusses how many wings the angels have. In Sefer Yeshayahu, it is written that angels have six wings: בִּשְׁתַּיִם יְכַסֶּה פָנָיו וּבִשְׁתַּיִם יְכַסֶּה רַגְלָיו וּבִשְׁתַּיִם יְעוֹפֵף: With two he covers his face, with two he covers his feet, and with two he flies. But in Sefer Yechezkel it is written that they have four: וְאַרְבַּע כְּנָפַיִם לְאַחַת לָהֶם. And four wings to each of them.
The Gemara asks: is it four or six? It answers: לָא קַשְׁיָא. כָּאן בִּזְמַן שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּם, כָּאן בִּזְמַן שֶׁאֵין בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּם. There is no contradiction. One refers to when the Beit Hamikdash stands; and the other to when the Beit Hamikdash does not stand. When the Beit Hamikdash stands – six wings. And when the Beit Hamikdash is not standing – four. A remarkable idea.
Everyone knows what the angels declare as they move their wings: בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד – Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever. Remarkably, this phrase does not appear anywhere in Tanach – not in Yeshayhu, not in Yechezkel, not in any other Sefer. Only the angels say it!
Where did this phrase originate for us? The first time was when Yaakov Avinu, in the dream of the ladder, saw angels of Hahem ascending and descending and heard them declaring it. Later, when he asked his sons whether any of them had strayed from the path of Hakadosh Baruch Hu – for he had sought to reveal the End of Days but the Shechinah temporarily departed from him – they all declared in unison: שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה' אֱלֹקֵינוּ ה' אֶחָד. Yaakov Avinu then responded: בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד.
This declaration of בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם was then forgotten. And who restored it? Moshe Rabbeinu. When he ascended on high and spent three times forty days there, he heard the ministering angels declaring it – moving their wings and declaring aloud: בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד. He descended and revealed it to Bnei Yisrael but also instructed them – as the Gemara in Pesachim (56a) states – to say it quietly. Why? Because he had brought it down from above without receiving permission to do so. It belongs to the angels.
What is the parable? Chazal compare it to a man who worked as a cleaner in the palace. While going about his duties in the royal bedroom he noticed a magnificent necklace on the bedside table. He thought to himself: next week is my twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. He took the necklace, wrapped it beautifully, and presented it to his wife at the celebration. She was overjoyed – diamonds, extraordinary! He said to her: “Wonderful, but this stays in the house only. We don't take it outside. Why? Don't ask why! Like Chanukah candles, which we have no permission to be used only to look at – if you want your husband at home and not in prison or dead, please keep these inside!”
The moral of this story is that Moshe Rabbeinu brought down the jewel from Heaven and said: “This one stays inside!” So, we say it quietly, in a whisper. When is the only time we say it aloud? On Yom Kippur – because on Yom Kippur we resemble the angels.
Rav Shalom Schwadron questioned this practice. On Kol Nidrei night you arrive straight from your seudah mafseket – your final meal before the fast; stomach full, loaded with water just as the doctors recommend until you hear the waves swishing around inside when you walk – and you proceed to shout aloud: בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד. Are you suddenly an angel? In that state during the opening minutes of Yom Kippur? And at the end of Yom Kippur, two minutes after twenty-five straight hours of fasting and davening, you don’t say it aloud in Maariv – now you're suddenly not an angel? Rav Schwadron answered: the moment you arrive at Kol Nidrei and commit to twenty-five hours of fasting, from that very first moment you are already an angel. And at the end of Yom Kippur, after twenty-five hours? You are transitioning back to being human. Some people emerge from Ne'ilah looking for the moon for in order to recite Kiddush Levana but unfortunately, all they can see in the sky is cheesecake – you are no longer an angel when it ends and therefore, you no longer say it aloud.
The Gemara asks: when the angels lost two wings, which two were they? The Gemara states that the two lower wings fell – those corresponding to לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד (forever and ever). So now the angels sing only: בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ – without the conclusion לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד. Why? Because when Bnei Yisrael went into exile, the לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד of Hakadosh Baruch Hu's sovereignty was diminished.
When Yosef was sent by his father to see the welfare of his brothers, it is written: וַיִּשְׁלָחֵהוּ מֵעֵמֶק חֶבְרוֹן – He sent him from the valley of Chevron. The Gemara (Sotah 11a) asks: But Chevron is on a mountain, not a valley! Rather, the meaning is: from the deep counsel of that man buried in Chevron – i.e., Avraham Avinu – to fulfill the words of Hakadosh Baruch Hu: יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה: Know surely that your descendants will be strangers in a land not their own, and they will be enslaved and afflicted for four hundred years.
Yaakov Avinu knew that in sending Yosef, he was setting in motion the exile of Egypt. And the word שְׁכֶם (Shechem) – where the brothers were tending the flocks – is an acronym for שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ. When we are in exile, and Yosef symbolizes the descent into Egypt, the Divine Name is no longer complete – only בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ – without the לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד. Hence the angels have only four wings in exile.
A second approach, held by the Vilna Gaon: what is missing is not the final words but the middle words – כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ. Why? Because the main manifestation of Hakadosh Baruch Hu's glory is when the Beit Hamikdash stands. When the Beit Hamikdash exists, His glory is fully present. Therefore, in Musaf of the festivals we say: גַלֵּה כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתְךָ עָלֵינוּ מְהֵרָה – Reveal the glory of Your kingdom upon us speedily – meaning, reveal Your glory through the Beit Hamikdash.
With this, the Siftei Chachamim teaches something remarkable. The Megillah states בְּהַרְאֹתוֹ אֶת עֹשֶׁר כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ – When he displayed the riches of his glorious kingdom. What is "the riches of the glory of his kingdom"? That is the Beit Hamikdash – the seat of the Shechinah; Achashveirosh was celebrating its absence. Since the Beit Hamikdash was destroyed, כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ is missing from the angels' song. He wanted to demonstrate: “The vessels of the Beit Hamikdash – the very vessels that housed the Shechinah – are in my hands. If I can display them publicly, that means the Beit Hamikdash will never be rebuilt.” This is the teaching of the Siftei Chachamim.
Rabbotai, B'ezrat Hashem on Purim we will fulfill four mitzvot: מִקְרָא מְגִלָּה, מִשְׁתֶּה וְשִׂמְחָה, מִשְׁלוֹחַ מָנוֹת, מַתָּנוֹת לָאֶבְיוֹנִים. Why do all four begin with the letter מ' – Mem? We will discuss this at the Purim Seudah!.
What is the matter of Mikra Megillah? The Gemara (Megillah 14a) states: קְרִיָתָהּ זוּ הִילּוּלָהּ – its reading is the Hallel. The reading of the Megillah takes the place of Hallel. On Chanukah we recite full Hallel for all eight days; but on Purim there is no Hallel – the Megillah reading substitutes for it.
Regarding Mishteh v'Simchah, the Bach asks why Purim has an obligation of feasting while Chanukah does not. He answers that on Chanukah, the enemy sought to take our spirit – לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם תּוֹרָתֶךָ וּלְהַעֲבִירָם מֵחֻקֵי רְצוֹנֶךָ. They sought to take the soul. Since the threat was to the soul, the tikkun is for the soul, in the form of Hallel and thanksgiving. Hakadosh Baruch Hu also performed the miracle through lights, for the lamp symbolizes the soul: נֵר ה' נִשְׁמַת אָדָם – A lamp of Hashem is the soul of man (Mishlei 20:27).
Purim was different though. The enemy sought to destroy, kill, and annihilate the Jews physically – harm to the body, not the soul. When the threat is to the body, the tikkun is for the body. What does the body enjoy? Food and drink! Therefore, the Purim tikkun is feasting and rejoicing.
The Kli Chemda adds, in his first drasha on Tetzaveh: the days of feasting and rejoicing were established because the primary punishment – the decree to destroy, kill, and annihilate – came as a result of the Jews having participated in Achashveirosh's feast. They ate, drank, and indulged, and through this Haman brought his accusation. Since the cause of the decree was the feast, the tikkun is also a feast – but this time in joy, holiness, and purity.
In the sefer Gevul Binyamin, we find a remarkable teaching. Haman decreed four decrees against Yisrael. The proof is brought from Yalkut Shimoni, where Eliyahu HaNavi came before the Kiseh HaKavod when the decree was sealed, and said: “Ribbono Shel Olam, if Yisrael is removed from the world, who will study Torah? Who will observe Shabbat? Who will fulfill Brit Milah? And who will fulfill the mitzvot – including tefillin?” Four things. The Gemara (Megillah 16b) derives this from the Pasuk at the end of Megillat Esther: לַיְּהוּדִים הָיְתָה אוֹרָה וְשִׂמְחָה וְשָׂשֹׂן וִיקָר. אוֹרָה – זוֹ תּוֹרָה. שִׂמְחָה – זה יוֹם טוֹב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וּשְׂמַחְתָּ בְּחַג. שָׂשֹׂן – זוֹ מִילָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: שָׂשׂ אָנֹכִי עַל אִמְרָתֶךָ כְּמוֹצֵא שָׁלָל רָב. וִיקָר – אֵלּוּ תְפִלִּין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְרָאוּ כָל עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ כִּי שֵׁם ה' נִקְרָא עָלֶיךָ וְיָרְאוּ מִמֶּךָּ.
These are precisely the four things Haman sought to abolish from Yisrael. Sefer Resisei Layla by Rav Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin (21) brings forth the Mishna in Avot (4:13): שְׁלֹשָׁה כְתָרִים הֵם: כֶּתֶר תּוֹרָה, וְכֶתֶר כְּהֻנָּה, וְכֶתֶר מַלְכוּת, וְכֶתֶר שֵׁם טוֹב עוֹלֶה עַל גַּבֵּיהֶן. Three crowns there are: the crown of Torah, the crown of Kehunah, and the crown of Malchut – and the crown of a good name rises above them all.
Rav Tzadok teaches: these correspond to the four decrees of Haman. The crown of Torah corresponds to his desire to abolish Torah; the crown of a good name corresponds to Tefillin – the crown we wear on our heads and which Hakadosh Baruch Hu wears as well.
The sefer Hilula D’Mordechai also addresses these four decrees at length in connection to the later decrees of the Greeks: not to observe Shabbat, to abolish the sanctification of the new moon, and to forbid Brit Milah. The Greeks specifically targeted these four mitzvot – Torah, Shabbat, Chodesh, and Milah – because each carries within it the power of Geula – salvation: תּוֹרָה מְגַנָּא וּמַצְלָא – Torah protects and rescues; אִלְמָלֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מְשַׁמְּרִים שְׁתֵּי שַׁבָּתוֹת מִיָּד נִגְאָלִים – Shabbat brings redemption; גַּם־אַתְּ בְּדַם־בְּרִיתֵךְ שִׁלַּחְתִּי אֲסִירַיִךְ – the Navi Zechariah says the blood of Brit Milah brings redemption; and finally, שֶׁהֵם עֲתִידִים לְהִתְחַדֵּשׁ כְּמוֹתָהּ – the sanctification of the new month brings the renewal of redemption. Haman himself focused on what protects Bnei Yisrael most – Torah: כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהַקּוֹל קוֹל יַעֲקֹב אֵין יְדֵי עֵשָׂו שׁוֹלְטוֹת – As long as the voice is the voice of Yaakov the hands of Eisav have no power. So long as Yisrael engages in Torah, Eisav's hands cannot prevail. To harm Yisrael, Haman needed to sever them from Torah first. The Midrash in Vayikra Rabbah (25:1) states: אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה: אֱמוֹר לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בָּנַי – עִסְקוּ בַּתּוֹרָה וְאֵין אַתֶּם מִתְיָרְאִים מִשּׁוּם אוּמָּה. Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to Moshe: Tell Yisrael My children – engage in Torah and you need fear no nation.
The Hilula D'Mordechai adds: Shabbat was given to Yisrael precisely so that they would engage in Torah. The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 11:8) says Shabbat came before Hakadosh Baruch Hu with a complaint: לְיוֹם רִאשׁוֹן נָתַתָּ לְיוֹם שֵׁנִי, לְיוֹם שְׁלִישִׁי רְבִיעִי, וַחֲמִישִׁי שִׁישִּׁי, וְלַשַּׁבָּת אֵין זוּג. אָמַר לָהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל זוּגָךְ. “Every day of the week has a partner: Yom Rishon with Yom Sheini, Shlishi with Revii, Chamishi with Shishi; but Shabbat has no partner!” Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to it: "The congregation of Yisrael is your partner."
All week they work; on Shabbat they study Torah. Shabbat was designed for Torah study. Therefore: abolish Shabbat and there is no Torah study. This was Haman’s plan. And what about Brit Milah? The Midrash (Tanchuma, Mishpatim) tells how Akilas the proselyte converted and circumcised himself. His uncle Hadrian asked him: “Why did you circumcise yourself?” He replied: “Because I wish to study Torah.” Hadrian said: “But you can study Torah without circumcision!” Akilas replied: “One who is uncircumcised cannot study Torah, as it says מַגִּיד דְּבָרָיו לְיַעֲקֹב חֻקָּיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו לְיִשְׂרָאֵל” – only one who is circumcised like Yaakov can receive His statutes and laws.” And regarding Tefillin, the Midrash (Shocher Tov, Tehillim 1) states: אָמְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, רוֹצִים אָנוּ לְהִתְיַגֵּעַ בַּתּוֹרָה יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה, אֲבָל אֵין לָנוּ פְּנַאי. אָמַר לָהֶם: קַיְּמוּ מִצְוַת תְּפִלִּין, וּמַעֲלֶה אֲנִי עֲלֵיכֶם כְּאִלּוּ אַתֶּם יְגֵעִים בַּתּוֹרָה יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה. Yisrael said before Hakadosh Baruch Hu: Master of the Universe, we wish to toil in Torah day and night, but we have no time. He said to them: fulfill the mitzvah of tefillin, and I will consider it as if you are toiling in Torah day and night.
And as the Mechilta states: one who dons Tefillin is considered as if he is reading Torah. All four Mitzvot, therefore, carry within them the power of Torah. Haman sought to sever that connection – to abolish precisely those Mitzvot that bind Yisrael to Torah.
The Sefer Mitzvot Gadol (Semag), writes that among all the 613 Mitzvot only three are called "אוֹת" – a sign: Shabbat, Tefillin, and Brit Milah. These three signs can never all be present simultaneously – on Shabbat there are no Tefillin, on a weekday there is no Shabbat. But Brit Milah is always with you. On a weekday: Tefillin and Milah. On Shabbat: Shabbat and Milah. Two signs, always. Therefore, Haman sought to uproot all three – because all three are called signs of our covenant with Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
The Gevul Binyamin then teaches: the four takkanot of Mordechai correspond directly to what Haman sought to abolish. Against abolishing Torah – Mikra Megillah, which has the status of a Sefer Torah. Against Brit Milah – the Purim Seudah, for at a Brit a feast is made, and Avraham Avinu made a feast on the day Yitzchak was weaned. Against Yom Tov – Mishloach Manot, as the Pasuk in Nechemiah states: לְכוּ אִכְלוּ מַשְׁמַנִּים וּשְׁתוּ מַמְתַקִּים וְשִׁלְחוּ מָנוֹת לְאֵין נָכוֹן לוֹ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ הַיּוֹם לַאֲדֹנֵינוּ Go eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord. And lastly, Matanot La'evyonim corresponds to Tefillin, through a certain Divine Name common to both – which touches on the world of Kabbalah.
The first two Mitzvot – Mikra Megillah and Mishteh v'Simcha – correspond to the relationship between man and Hakadosh Baruch Hu. The second two – Mishloach Manot and Matanot La'evyonim – correspond to the relationship between man and his fellow. There is a completeness here: both dimensions are addressed.
Mordechai wanted to establish Purim as a Yom Tov with a cessation of labor. The Gemara states that they did not accept this – Bnei Yisrael did not accept the prohibition of labor on Purim, and so people go to work on Purim. The Alsheich HaKadosh explains, and the Rokeach…
