Out of the Fire - Rav Moshe Weinberger on the Megillah

According to the Sfas Emes, who quotes the Chiddushei Harim the phrase, "When the month of Adar enters," is not referring to a date on the calendar (Likkutim, Chodesh Adar). Rather, when Adar truly enters and penetrates our minds and hearts, then we will experience everincreasing joy

The theme of Purim is the unity and connection that is found between opposing forces.

The seforim explain that Mordechai's visits to Esther were about more than a concerned uncle checking on his niece. On a deeper level, his visits were a tzadik's inquiry, every day, on the condition of the inner, hidden point (הסתר) within us, the part we cannot explain to others. Every day, we must assess the status of our inner "Esther," that part of ourselves that no one else sees. How is our emunah? We cannot be satisfied with our old, routine emunah. We must make it fresh and new.

This was Mordechai's attitude in Megillas Esther. He was called איש יהודי, which means man of Yehudah, but also means one who gives thanks. Mordechai took nothing for granted and was constantly thanking Hashem with renewed excitement for what he was given.

Achashverosh was a powerful monarch. Haman was a formidable minister. Vashti was a prominent queen. The banquet was lavish and extravagant. Yet, they all turned out to be illusions. Esther's name is derived from the word for concealment (הסתר) and lack of clarity. She was trapped in the palace of illusions and could not discern what was truly going on.מMordechai, in contrast, is called יהידי, which comes from the root meaning to admit or acknowledge. He acknowledged the truth of what was really happening. He sat at the gates of the palace of illusions, but refused to bow down to the deceptions. He was not impressed by the mirage. He mocked the seemingly imposing fortress. He did not move from his place of conviction. His pulse did not fluctuate.

The pre-Golden Calf Torah that comes purely from above does not last. When we mature, we must break the Luchos, which are the work of Hashem's Hands, and build our own personal relationship with G-d- from the ground up. Parents must have the wisdom, gentleness, and patience to give their children the Luchos of their beliefs, of their love, and their they must have own sacrifice for Hashem and Torah. But at the same time, have the flexibility, humility, and broadmindedness to encourage them to forge their own path in Yiddishkeit. That is true wisdom

Judaism is not a religion of love. Nor is it a religion of hate. It is a religion of truth. As long as there are evil acts and evildoers in the world, there will be a limitation on where love is appropriate. It is not that those who love Hashem also hate evil. Their love of Hashem itself gives birth to hatred of evil people and their evil actions

Someone pointed out to me that in chassidus, we always learn that there is a spark of holiness in everything in the world, from the most benign to the most wicked. He asked whether we should seek out the good in evil ideologies, regimes, and organizations in the world today. Does the Gemara not say, "The great-grandchildren of Haman studied Torah in Bnei Brak" (Gittin 57b)? I explained to him that while this is true, how Hashem ultimately redeems the good in the evil things of this world today is none of our concern. He will extract sparks of goodness according to His plan. But as long as something reveals itself as pure evil in this world, we must relate to it as such

Haman claimed that our relationship with G-d was old and stale, that we no longer sought out the Esther within. That is why we read the Megillah on different days in different places (Megillah 2a); that is why there is a mitzvah on Purim to drink until we are unable to discern (Megillah 7b). We must look back at our emunah of yesterday and not understand how we ever considered that to be actual emunah. That is also why we read the Megillah twice on Purim (Megillah 4a). Every day requires renewal.

Rav Simcha Broyde said nothing, however, until he was giving a shiur approximately three weeks later. At that time, he said, "Why is it that curious people are unable to keep a secret? What is the connection between these two character defects? The answer is that curious people, those who always want to know what everyone else is up to, those who must always keep up with the latest news, live in a world completely outside of themselves. They have no inner life. Consequently, they cannot keep a secret, because they simply have no inner world in which to contain the information. That's why it comes out automatically." The Rosh Yeshivah then quoted the Gemara's story of the holy nazir's rebuke to his evil inclination. After seeing his own beautiful reflection in the river, he found himself tempted to use his good looks for licentious purposes and exclaimed, "Evil one! Why are you taking pride in a world that does not belong to you?!" (Nedarim 9b). Using these words to take the busybody students in yeshivah to task, the Rosh Yeshivah said, "Why are you busying yourselves with a world that does not belong to you? A Jew must build an inner world for himself, a private place where he alone can go to center himself and seek the truth in his service of G-d." In the race to post everything that they or their families or friends do or think on social media, some people never take the time to process or experience the present. They fail to think about what their real-life experiences mean to them

The Ibn Ezra explains, in the name of the Geonim, that the second Luchos were greater than the first because they were carved by Moshe (Shemos 34:1). They correspond to the Oral Torah, in which we discover and derive the Torah's teachings on our own. Because we work out the Torah's message inch by inch, word by word, on our own, it belongs to us. We acquire it. It is ours

As we know, the Megillah refers, at times, to “the king” Achashverosh. But it also refers to "the King," the hidden King of Kings, Who acts behind the scenes (Esther Rabbah 3:10). Purim means making a place in our lives for opposing realities.

Megillas Esther speaks of "until half of the kingdom." The King of All Kings tells Esther, who represents every Jew going through a difficult time, “"I gave you half the Kingdom - I gave you half of Myself. I cannot give you because the second half is up to you to draw down yourself."