to that place and do as I command.”
The misnaged asked no more questions and did as he was told.
Rav Mottele’s son, the Magid of Trisk zy”a related that his father’s room was known both as “the Tikkun Chatzos Room” and “the Tikkun Neshamos Room”, because every night at midnight, his father would come to this room to make tikkunim for the dead. He related that when he was a young boy, he and his brother, Rav Dovid of Tolna zy”a, would sleep in one bed in this room. When they would see their father entering the room, they would cover their heads with the blanket so as not to see what he was doing. They once took the blanket off their heads and saw their father granting a tikkun to a neshama, and Rav Dovid got so scared that he got sick and remained sickly for the rest of his life. The Magid of Trisk, however, was not scared.
One Who Forgives Others Has His Tefillos Accepted:
The Peleh Yoetz writes (in Sefer Elef Hamagen) that the words “b’melech timloch” (with salt it shall be salted” have the same letters as the words “b’machol timchol” (with forgiveness they shall be forgiven). This is a hint that anyone who forgives others who have wronged him will have his korbanos and his tefillos accepted by Hashem.”
וְהָיָה כִּי יֶחֱטָא וְאָשֵׁם וְהֵשִׁ יב אֶת הַגְּזֵלָה אֲשֶׁר גָּזָל וגו' (ה, כג)
And it shall be, when he has sinned and is guilty, that he shall return the article which he has stolen. (5:23)
There is No Punishment Without Sin:
The Chofetz Chaim was once traveling with a wagon driver. As they traveled, the driver began to complain about his lot in life. He said that his horse had died and the residents of his city had collected money for him to buy a new one. However, he still had no parnassah. He cried, “What did I do wrong? Why do I deserve so much suffering?”
The Chofetz Chaim calmed him and said, “You should not ask questions of Hashem. He is just in all of his ways. You certainly did something wrong to deserve this. You did not ‘walk with temimus’ with Hashem and did not fulfill all of the mitzvos bein odom l’chavero, specifically in regards to monetary matters. Therefore, you are being repaid in kind. For example, when you set a price for a passenger, you raise the price in the middle of the trip and demand more money. Additionally, you allow your horses to graze in other people’s fields. It is probable that you are being punished for that.”
The wagon driver replied, “Rebbi, if it is true that everyone deserves what they get, why was your coat stolen last year from the train in Vilna. You are a tzadik, so why were you punished?”
The Chofetz Chaim humbly answered, “Why do you think that I am a tzadik. I also am guilty of monetary sins. I sell my sefarim and, sometimes, there is a torn or dirty page. I try to look over every page of every sefer, but mistakes happen and the purchasers are embarrassed to ask for a refund. That is why I was punished.”
Returning Stolen Goods:
A Jewish merchant from the city of Lodzh once hired a non- Jewish wagon driver to transport the merchandise he purchased at the fair. When he reached the place where taxes were collected, the gentile continued on, without relating that he had merchandise in his wagon. The Jewish merchant also remained silent and didn’t say anything. As they approached Lodzh, the wagon driver told him, “If you don’t give me 500 rubles worth of your merchandise, I will go to the police and tell them that you didn’t pay the tax!”
That was the approximate value of everything the merchant had. If he gave it to the driver, he would be left with nothing. He asked the man to have mercy and accept a compromise, but he would not agree. He insisted that if he wasn’t given what he asked for, he would inform on him to the authorities. Left with no other choice, the Jewish merchant gave him almost all of his merchandise.
When he got to Lodzh, he ran to the home of the Rov, Rav Eliyahu Chaim Meisel zt”l, and told him about what happened. Rav Eliyahu Chaim called to his attendant and asked him to hire the wagon driver, saying that he was planning on taking a long journey. When the wagon driver arrived, Rav Eliyahu Chaim put out some food and told him, “Eat something before we go. It is going to be a long trip.”
As the wagon driver sat down to eat, Rav Eliyahu Chaim told his attendant to take the horse and wagon and hide them.
When the gentile finished eating his meal, he went outside and saw that his horse and wagon were gone. He began to shout, “I was robbed!”
The Rov came to the door and said, “What’s the big deal? Go and sell the merchandise that you took from the Jew and buy a new horse and wagon!”
The wagon driver understood that he was caught, and he said, “Rabbi, the merchandise I took from the Jew is not worth even half as much as it will cost me to buy a new horse and wagon.”
The Rov told him, ‘Bring back the merchandise and I will try to get your horse and wagon back.” The man ran to bring over the merchandise and, after he put it down on the table, the Rov told his attendant to bring back the horse. He then gave it back to the wagon driver after making him promise not to do anything like this again.
Revealing The Thief:
Before he became well-known as a great tzadik, Rav Meshulim Feish of Tosh zy”a lived in a small village near the city of Chenger, where the renowned Menuchas Osher zy”a served as Rov. Whenever anyone from the surrounding area had a problem, they would come to the Menuchas Osher for assistance.
One day, a simple villager’s cow got lost. He immediately went to the Rov and asked him to help him find his cow. The Menuchas Osher recognized the Tosher Rebbe’s greatness and also knew that he was extremely poor. He wanted to help him and to spread his greatness so that people would begin to come to him and provide him with parnassah. Therefore, he told the villager to go to R’ Meshulim Feish, saying, “You will find your cow there.”
The villager took the Rov’s words literally. He picked up a big stick and went to Rav Meshulim Feish’s house. He knocked on the door and said, “I have come from the home of the Rov of Chenger. I asked him to help me find my lost cow and he told me that you have it. If you return it to me, everything will be fine. If you don’t, I will use this stick to break every bone in your body. The choice is up to you.”
The Tosher Rebbe told him, “Go home. I promise you that your cow will be returned to you tonight.”
The Rebbe davened for the cow to be returned, and it made its way home that night.
After that story, the villager told his friends how great the Rov of Chenger is and said, “You see? He knew right away exactly who the thief was who stole my cow!”
Parshas Zachor
Unquestioning Emunah:
The Gemara (Chullin 139B) states: “Where do we see Haman in the Torah? From the pasuk (Bereishis 3:1): ‘From the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?’”
The Chiddushei Harim (quoted in Sifsei Tzadik, Parshas Bereishis) explains the connection between Haman and the Eitz Hadaas by saying that when Hashem asked Odom if he ate from the tree that He commanded him not to eat from, it created a thought in Odom’s head that perhaps Hashem does not know everything – perhaps He doesn’t know that I ate from the tree. This thought only lasted a split second, but it had long- lasting ramifications. From this thought was created Haman the rasha!
That is why this Shabbos is known as “Shabbos Zachor” – to teach us that we must always have unquestioning emunah, without any doubts.
Hatred of Amalek:
Sefer Migdal Oz (page 232) relates that the famed chasid Rav Hillel of Paritch zt”l once heard the chasid R’ Zalman Zezmir zt”l, a student of the Baal Hatanya zy”a, reciting Parshas Zachor. He then said in amazement, “Every Jew hates Amalek. But I never met anyone else who hates Amalek this much!”
Amalek Battled Against Emunah:
Sefer Tiferes Shmuel explains the commandment to never forget to destroy Amalek “from under the Heavens” by quoting the Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 29A) that says that whenever Klal Yisroel looked up, they beat Amalek. His father, Rav Yechiel of Alexander zy”a explains this to mean that whenever they recognized that all their power and strength comes from above, they were able to defeat Amalek.
The Tiferes Shmuel adds that Amalek wants to get Yidden to forget this important concept. He wants us not to believe that Hashem is in control of all events and to believe in “nature” and “coincidence”. This is hinted to in the words (Devarim 25:17): “He happened upon you on the road.” He wants us to believe that things just “happen” and are not sent from Hashem. And he attacks us “on the road”, meaning on the “road to emunah in Hashem” (Tehillim 119:30).
The pasuk (Shemos 17:7) says that Klal Yisroel asked if Hashem was with them or not. Amalek had succeeded in placing doubts in their hearts about whether Hashem was guiding them or not. The pasuk continues (ibid:11) to say that when Moshe lifted his hands, and taught the people to have emunah in Hashem and His Divine guidance, the people were victorious over Amalek. They overcome the doubts and defeated the power of Amalek.
He concludes that when we are commanded to destroy Amalek from “under the Heaven” the intent is that we must eradicate the ideas of Amalek. He wanted us to believe in nature and to think that events happen on their own. He wanted us to believe in things “under the Heavens”. But we must destroy that mindset and to look “above the Heavens” and see that only Hashem guides everything that occurs.
It Is a Merit for Klal Yisroel to Eradicate Amalek:
The Chidushei Harim zy”a (Parshos Zachor) asks why Hashem commanded Klal Yisroel to eradicate Amalek. Couldn’t He do this himself in a second?
He answers that Hashem wanted to give Klal Yisroel the merit of being the ones to destroy Amalek and all they stand for.
PURIM PREPARATIONS
Not Missing the Benefits of the Day:
The Bais Avrohom of Slonim zy”a explained the great sanctity of Purim with a moshol: In olden times, a major fair would be held once a year. All types of merchandise was sold at the fair at discount prices, and merchants would come from far and wide to make their purchases. They would buy large quantities of goods at cheap prices, and sell it over the course of the year at a profit. On the sidelines, musicians would play their instruments and sing songs, and they put down plates beside them for passersby to throw in a coin or two.
One year, a villager came to the fair for the first time. He brought along a sum of money to purchase merchandise that he would sell during the year. When he got to the fair, he heard very nice music playing. He enjoyed the music so much that he stood next to the musicians and listened for hours. When it got dark, he realized that he hadn’t bought anything. He ran to the dealers to ask what they had to sell, but they all told him the same thing, “You are too late. Everything is sold already. Where were you all day? You wasted your time all day, so you get nothing!”
The nimshol is that Purim is a “fair” for Hashem. Hashem makes this fair once a year, and, on this day, He opens all of the gates of Shomayim in order to provide hashpa’os of all kinds to whomever asks. A wise person will take advantage of this day and purchase the “merchandise” he needs – both in terms of ruchnius and in terms of gashmius. Therefore, one must be careful not to be like that foolish villager. Make sure not to spend all your time enjoying the music and the revelry, and, at the end of the day, to be left with no merchandise.
The Benefits are in Accordance With the Preparations:
The way to ensure that one takes advantage of the benefits of Purim is to properly prepare for the great day. The pasuk states (Esther 1:21): “And the king did like the words of Memuchin.” The Bais Aharon of Karlin zy”a explains that every time the word “the king” is used in the Megillah, it is a reference to Hashem. Accordingly, the pasuk can be understood to be saying that “the King does” – Hashem provides goodness and hashpa’os on this day – according to “Memuchin” – according to the way one prepares (hachanos) for the day.
Reading the Megillah
Revealing a New Upper World:
The Kav Hayashar (Perek 99) writes about the reading of the Megillah: “You should know that there is a new world above that is extremely holy and awesome. This world is not revealed to the outside because of its great holiness except for once a year. It begins to be revealed when the Megillah is read. And from this world is the root of the soul of Mordechai Hatzadik. We need to arouse Divine mercy to have this world revealed to the outside so that it will provide light on the heads of the nation who gathers to heard the Megillah with pure hearts and devotion.”
Through Reading the Megillah, Sins are Forgiven:
The Sar Shalom of Belz zy”a notes that the word “Megillah” has the same gematriah as the word “machol”. This indicates that our sins are forgiven through the reading of the Megillah. This is as stated in the Zohar Hakadosh that when Klal Yisroel says shira to Hashem, He forgives our sins, and the Megillah is as shira, which is akin to Hallel, as is stated in the Gemara (Megillah 14A). Therefore, reading it atones for our sins.
Mordechai Hatzadik Saves Those Who Read the Megillah:
Rav Moshe of Kobrin zy”a related that there was a city in the Sefardic lands that was ruled by a pasha who was a terrible rasha who claimed that he descended from Amalek. The pasha forbade the Jews from reading the Megillah and decreed that anyone caught doing so would be punished with death.
The Jews were very upset. When it came time to read the Megillah, all they could do was to cry out to Hashem. Suddenly, a very elderly, poor man entered the bais medrash with a sack slung over his shoulders. He asked, “It is time to read the Megillah. Why aren’t you reading it?”
They told him about the decree and he responded, “Read the Megillah and don’t be afraid. Not only that, also stamp as much as you can when Haman’s name is read. I will take responsibility!”
His words encouraged the people greatly. They trusted the old man and felt no fear of the pasha. They read the Megillah and stamped vigorously when Haman’s name was said.
When the recital of the Megillah was completed, everyone was very happy to have been able to fulfill the mitzvah. Everyone wanted to invite the poor man to his home for the seudah to break the fast, but no one could find him. They searched for him all over the city, but he had disappeared. They understood that something extraordinary had occurred. The Rov, who was a great man, made a “shailos chalom” to ask for an explanation, and the elderly man appeared to him in a dream. He told him, “I am Mordechai Hatzadik. I saw how upset you all were about not being able to read the Megillah, so I came to encourage you to read it with no fear. Hashem will help you and no harm will come to you from the wicked pasha.”
Different Than All Nations:
The pasuk (Esther 3:8) states: “And their laws are different than every nation and the laws of the king they do not keep.” Rav Osher of Ropshitz zy”a (Sefer Ohr Yesha) says that this is a hint that the main rule of being a Jew is to be different than all other nations. Even if we do not always obey “the laws of the King”, we still keep the main law of being different than every other nation. As long as we are discernably different than the non-Jews, we are still called Yidden.
A Holiday From Achashveirosh:
Rav Moshe of Sambor zy”a (quoted in B’Devash Hasadeh, Ois 85) explains the pasuk that says that our laws are different than other nations by saying that Haman told Achashveirosh that the Jews have holidays “from all other nations”, meaning that they celebrate defeating other nations, such as Pesach when they celebrate defeating the Egyptians and Chanukah when they celebrate defeating the Greeks. “But they do not do the laws of the king” – meaning that they don’t yet have a holiday that relates to Achashveirosh. Therefore, he advised him to make a day of feasting and joy, and Hashem will turn the day of mourning into a holiday, as He always does. Thus, Haman orchestrated for us to have another yomtov.
Mishteh Yayin
When Wine Enters:
Sefer Sichasan Shel Avdei Avos (Chelek 1, page 69) relates that when Rav Nosson Dovid of Shidlovtza zy”a once came to visit the Sanzer Rov zy”a on Purim, the Rov gave him son wine to drink. However, his son declined the offer because doctors had told him that drinking wine was bad for his health. Rav Nosson Dovid got angry at the boy and said, “Even if the Rov gave me poison to drink, I would drink it without a moment’s delay!”
When Adar Arrives, Joy is Increased:
Sefer Siach Sarfei Kodesh writes that on Purim the Avnei Nezer zy”a would relate the story of a wagon driver from Krakow who was accustomed to drinking a lot of whiskey and getting drunk two weeks before Purim and two weeks after Purim. He explained his conduct by saying, “How could Haman intend to kill all of the Jews on one day? What if some of them would hide in bunkers and caves and would only be found later? He should have made the decree for the entire month of Adar!”
The wagon driver would answer, “This was part of Haman’s wickedness. He knew that Hashem might save the Jews and they would make a yomtov to celebrate their salvation. He didn’t want us to have more than one day of celebration, so he refused to make the decree for more than one day. But because I know his true intentions, and I know that he really would have needed a full month to kill all of the Jews, I celebrate Purim for a full month.”
“Bribing Hashem” With Wine:
Sefer Noam Siach (page 230) relates that Rav Aharon Yeshaya of Hadas zy”a would daven Minchah at the earliest possible zeman – half-an-hour after midday – and he would then sit down by his table to drink wine. He would drink a lot and become very joyful. One year, he said in the middle of his seudah, “Purim is such a great day that we can ‘bribe Hashem’ with a glass of wine.”
It was known that this was an auspicious time to ask the Rebbe for brachos. People would come to him with kvitlach from far and wide and he would tearfully read the kvitlach. At the end of his seudah, he would dance and sing “Anenu” to the famous tune composed by the Kaliver Rebbe with the words “golus, golus.”
Mesiras Nefesh For This Mitzvah:
Sefer Otzar Yisroel (page 245) writes that the minhag of Rav Levi Yitzchok of Berditchov zy”a was to place a barrel on his table on Purim. Everyone would bring drinks and pour them into this barrel, creating a strong mixture of all types of wine and whiskey, which was very intoxicating. Rav Levi Yitzchok would then say that his Rebbi, the Magid of Mezheritzh zy”a, said that he had a student who knew how to “arrange the letters” as they were used to create Heaven and earth, just like Betzalel (who used this esoteric secret to build the Mishkan).
“He was referring to me,” Rav Levi Yitzchok would say. “It really is a shame to cloud this mind, but since Chazal say that one is obligated to get drunk on Purim, I need to do this with mesiras nefesh.”
He would then drink from the barrel.
Drinking Like a Jew:
Rav Yochanon of Stolin zy”a (quoted in Sefer Birchas Aharon, page 228) said, “It says that one is obligated to drink on Purim, but one still must drink like a Yid. There are people who drink and say good things, while others drink and need to be dragged through the streets.”
Like Yom Kippur:
The Sefas Emes (Purim 5635) writes: “Purim is like ‘Yom Kippurim’. On Yom Kippur, we are on a level of being above nature because we do not eat and drink. In the merit of fasting and afflicting our bodies, we are able to reach ‘the world of freedom’ and our sins are forgiven. On Purim, we can reach this level through feasting and rejoicing. This is not as a result of our own actions. Rather, it is a gift from Hashem. What we accomplish on Yom Kippur through fasting, we can accomplish on Purim through eating and drinking.”
At the Purim Seudah, One’s Requests are Granted:
The pasuk states (Esther 2:2) that the king said to Esther at the feast of wine, “What is your request and I will give it to you.” The Kotzker Rebbe (quoted in Sefer Amud Emes) states that this is a hint that Klal Yisroel is not only answered when they daven. We are also answered when we engage in holy forms of rejoicing. When Yidden gather to drink and be happy together, “the King” (Hashem) tells “Esther” (Klal Yisroel) that He will fulfill all of our requests.
The Minkatcher Rebbe zy”a writes similarly (Shaar Yissochor, Chodesh Adar, Maamaer Yemei Sason, Ois 57) that tzadikim explains the pasuk (Esther 5:6): “And the king said to Esther at the feast of wine what is your request, Esther, and I will give it to you” to mean that Hashem tells Klal Yisroel that when they feast and drink on Purim, He will fulfill all of their requests.
Healing Through Wine:
One Purim, the daughter of one of the chassidim of Rav Elimelech of Karlin zy”a became sick. The young men went to call a doctor, and, on the way, went to see the Rebbe.
The Karliner Rebbe said to him, “You think that you need a doctor on Purim? On Purim, mashkeh is a cure for everything!”
He gave the man a little wine and told him to give it to his daughter to drink and not to call the doctor. He gave her a few sips of wine, and she was instantly healed.
No Hishtadlus Needed on This Day:
Rav Tzadok of Lublin zy”a writes (in Sefer Resisei Layla, Ois 31) that on Purim, we merit receiving a great light, which is akin to the light of Shabbos, which is akin to the light of Olam Haba. When we have this light, there is no need for us to do any hishtadlus. He can simply bask in holiness. Therefore, there is no need to do any work on Purim. Instead, we are able to drink as much as we desire and we still receive abundant goodness. We are just like someone who wins the lottery without having to put forth any effort to make a living.
