Where is the Throne?
In the story of Purim we find one of the ikrei yesodos haTorah; one of the most important foundations of being a Torah Jew. And because in our hustle and bustle of celebrating the yom tov, it is too often overlooked, it’s appropriate therefore that we should spend some time together discussing the subject.
Hakadosh Baruch Hu, when He expressed the necessity to destroy Amalek, He said like this: ִ י יָ ד כ ֵס יָ-ה עַל כ – Because a hand is raised against the throne of Hashem, ֹר דַעֲ מָלֵק מִ ד מִלְחָמָה לַה' ב – that’s why there will be a war against Amalek forever (Shemos 17:16). Again: The mitzvah of mechiyas Amalek is because Amalek raised his hand – not against Hashem – but against His throne.
The question is what is this ‘throne of Hashem’? We don’t know that Amalek ever made an attempt against a throne, that they tried to build a ladder into the heavens to raise their hands against the kisei Kah. And so we have to understand what it’s talking about here; which throne are we being called to defend?
Where He Rests
So listen to the pshat. At the beginning of the Torah we read that קִ ים מְ רַ חֶ פֶ ת עַ ל פְּ נֵי הַ מָּ יִם חַ אֱ ל רו – the spirit of Hashem was hovering over the waters that covered the earth (Bereishis 1:2). It means that the Shechinah had no place to rest; it was looking for a place to settle.
Now, that’s a queer possuk because Hashem could rest His Presence anywhere He wishes. The fact that there’s darkness or water עַל פְּנֵי תְ הוֹם doesn’t make a difference. Today they have seaplanes that could land on water – are you going to say that the Shechinah couldn’t do that? And so it has to be understood.
The answer is there was no nation to rest on. Hashem was looking for a place to rest means He was looking for a nation where His Shechinah could dwell. And He looked around and there was nothing; no place to rest.
That’s why the Torah tells us this story, so that we should know what Hashem was thinking, kavayachol. Hashem made that the ruach Elokim should hover over the water waiting for a nation to rest His Presence upon and He said, “Wait. Wait. The time will come and you'll find a makom menuchah, a place to rest.”
The National Throne
And when will that be? When did it happen? When the Am Yisroel came into existence. When Avraham and his children after him chose to be Hashem’s nation, from then on the spirit of Hashem rested on the Am Yisroel. ִ י וְ שׁ ָ כַ נ ְ ת – Where will I rest? בְ נֵי יִ שְׂ רָ אֵ ל בְ תוֹ ך ב – among the Bnei Yisroel (Shemos 29:45).
So now you know what it means the throne of Hashem: Keis Kah means the Am Hashem. The Bnei Yisroel are the throne on which the Shechinah rests; nowhere else.
In the entire universe if you wish to find the address, ְ בוֹ דוֹ ה מְ קוֹ ם כ אַ י, it's right here on the Bnei Yisroel. In Boro Park, in Williamsburg, in Lakewood, in Passaic, in Baltimore. Wherever there are Jews, each one of us – men, women, children – our heads are supporting the קִ ים חַ אֱ ל ר ו. The Shechinah rests on us and it will never move away from us. That's a yesod hayesodos, that the Am Yisroel are the throne on which the Shechinah rests.
The Never-Ending Purim Story
And that’s what it means יָד עַל כֵס יָ-ה. When Amalek raised up his hand against the Am Yisroel it was a hand against the throne of Hashem. And the same thing in the days of Purim. When Haman gained the king's ring and sealed the decree, he was attacking Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s throne. Because if he would have chas veshalom carried out his plan, Hakadosh Baruch Hu would have no place anymore. The whole world wouldn't exist anymore.
And you shouldn’t think it ended after the Purim story. We close the Megillah and go home and sing and drink and eat and dance, and we imagine it’s the end of the story. It’s not so. You have to know that when the Bnei Yisroel were given permission by Achashveirosh to fight back and they killed many goyim, what do you think was the result? You think they began to love Jews?
Forget about it! After Purim was over the sinah was greater than before. The goyim hated them even more! Goyim do not like it when Jews kill goyim; even if the Jews are defending themselves.
Kosher Pogroms
You remember not long ago the New York Times was complaining that the Jews whenever they have a chance, they make pogroms against the goyim. The writer mentioned that in the times of Haman the Jews made a pogrom on the goyim, and he was upset that the Jews were doing it again.
What happened? A homeless man, a bum with a razor blade, was in an elevator in Williamsburg and he gashed a Jew’s face and took away his wallet.
So the Williamsburg Jews are not fools. They couldn’t appeal to the police; the police wouldn’t do anything. So one of the Jews who saw what happened ran after this homeless man and while he was running he called for help. “Chaptzem! Catch him!” He put out the Williamsburg call for reinforcements.
You know, Williamsburg is not West Orange; they have big families in Williamsburg, and so all of a sudden the windows and doors of the apartment buildings open up and there are chassidim pouring out from everywhere into the streets.
They responded to the call and when they caught this shaigetz they gave him the special chaptzem treatment. They gave him a treatment and he had to go to the hospital.
Fake News
So how did the good friends of the Jewish people report it in the New York Times? Headline: Homeless Man Attacked By Hassidic Mob. You know what that means, right? An innocent homeless man walking in the street with no place to go, probably just looking to do a good deed, and the hassidic mob rushed out of their houses and made a riot; for no reason they attacked the poor honorable fellow.
That’s always how it is for the anti-Semites – when Jews defend themselves it’s called a riot. The New York Times doesn't like that Jews should make pogroms - they prefer it the other way around.
But it’s not only the Times. When the Jews in Eretz Yisroel fought back against the Arabs who attacked them so when the Jews won the war they gained many enemies at that time. Now, I’m no patriot for Medinas Yisroel but if the Arabs are coming to kill, the Jews shouldn’t defend themselves? The gentiles don’t think so. The U.N. makes a special meeting about the problem, a special declaration against Medinas Yisroel. All over the world, all the goyim hated the Jews because they won the war.
Because that’s the way of the world. When Jews are killed, chas veshalom, so the goyim, even the good goyim, don't mind it much. But when Jews kill goyim, all the goyim are hurt very much.
Achashveirosh’s Complaint
And that’s why after Purim the Jews gained more sonim than before. Even Achashveirosh, although he was friendly to Esther, when he got the report about how many goyim were killed in Shushan he said מֶה עָשׂו בִשְׁ אַר מְ דִ ינוֹת הַמֶּלֶך ו – “And in the other provinces what did they do?” It hurt him. He thought like a New York Times writer; it hurt him that they killed the goyim. מֶ ה בִשְׁ אַ ר מְ דִ ינוֹת הַמֶּ לֶך ו עָ שׂ ו means, “How many did they kill already?! So many?!”
Now, chalilah had they killed the Jews, Achashveirosh wouldn’t have said anything. Killing too many Jews, he wouldn’t say a word. But if Jews kill goyim – in self-defense – that’s a tragedy. Nothing changed after Purim.
We Are Friendless
Now if that's the case, we have no friends – הֲלָכָה עֵשָׂיו שׂוֹנֵא יַעֲקֹב. ‘Halachah’ means, have no question about it; it always has been and always will be: Sinas haYehudim is part of Hashem's Plan. There are good reasons for that, for anti-Semitism; it’s not our subject now but there are very good reasons and therefore there’s no such thing as a stop to this sinah. And even though you don't see signs of it always, you should know in their hearts the umos haolam hate Yisroel.
When Hitler was destroying the Jews in Europe, all the goyim, in their hearts, were not disturbed at all. That’s saying it mildly. They were not disturbed at all.
And even though one or two, for political reasons, said “It's terrible. We have to stop this. We have to take revenge on Hitler,” after it was all over, what did they do? Very little. Teirutzim, explanations. “There’s nobody to blame. They couldn’t help themselves. They were forced by the rule of Hitler. He was a dictator. Nobody could get out of it. You had to follow orders.” Teirutzim. And therefore poof, nothing.
Welcoming the Cubans
During the war too. I told you about the St. Louis, a boat of nine hundred refugees who escaped from Europe in order not to be killed by the Germans. And they came to the shores of America and begged “Please let us come into America. We don't want anything of you, just to let us get off and save our lives.”
Nothing doing. They didn't let them land. They said, “Go away. Otherwise we’ll shoot.” They had to go back and everyone was killed by the Germans.
But when Castro took over Cuba, so the American president, he was generous. He said, “If you don’t like living under a dictatorship, America is open to you. I’m going to allow you to come.”
Open Borders
And they came in the tens of thousands; tens of thousands of Cubans came to America. Nobody was trying to kill them; just they didn't like a dictatorship. They all came because America is more comfortable. They can make more money; they're happier. You can go sit in a candy store all night and gamble and you get food stamps and welfare relief. It's a pleasure to come to America.
And so the Cubans were invited with open arms. But Jews who wanted to save their lives were not allowed to land. It’s something about the Jews. It’s the old story, the age-old story of עֵ שָׂ יו שׂ וֹ נֵ א יַ עֲ ק ֹ ב.
Purim Forever
And just like by Purim the hatred didn’t end, it’s a reminder for us that the story never ends. Today also, the hatred of the Jews is a big ikar in the world; the frumme are surrounded on all sides by enemies. Sometimes they're polite, for politics, other reasons. But you should know we have enemies.
So what do we do? We can’t do anything against the goyim now. We shouldn’t even try. One day Hashem will settle all the scores but we don’t have to advertise it – and it won’t help us to advertise it. You should just be a nice polite man. We have to be friendly to them and look only for darkei shalom; for ways and means of appeasing them. Always. But at the same time we should know that in their hearts they do not like us.
And that’s what Purim is. Purim reminds us that the halachah is and always will be עֵ שָׂ יו שׂ וֹ נֵ א יַ עֲ קֹב. But it reminds us also of something bigger than that. Purim says that when there’s hatred against Yaakov – not only hatred but even disdain, derision, disrespect – it means that it’s an attack against the people who are upholding the Presence of Hashem in this world. It’s an attack against the kisei Kah!
That’s the crux of what we’re learning now, that Haman and all those like him that attack the Am Yisroel physically or ideologically, are thereby raising a hand against Hashem’s throne in this world.
