Oneg purim ki sisa

OnegShabbos

‫בס"ד‬

North West London's Weekly Torah and Opinion Sheets

‫ פורים‬- ‫פרשת כי תשא‬ 7th Mar ‘15 ‫ט"ז אדר תשע”ה‬ To receive this via email or for sponsorship opportunities please email mc@markittech.com Now in London, Hale, Edgware, Borehamwood, Elstree, South Tottenham, Gibraltar, Bet Shemesh, Yerushalayim, Baltimore, New York, Miami, Vienna, Toronto, Johannesburg, Los Angeles

‫הדלקת נרות‬

‫מוצש’’ק‬

‫לע"נ חזן שלמה בן אברהם משה ז"ל‬

‫פ' כי תשא‬ ‫ל''ט‬-'‫ מלכים א' י''ח א‬:‫הפטרה‬

London 5.33 pm

London: 6.41 pm

‫לע"נ חנה בת אלעזר ע"ה‬

The Secret is Out

Rabbi Amram Landau

Hasmonean High School

‫משנכנס יין יצא סוד‬ Alongside the famous saying of ‫ – חז''ל‬that ‫ – משנכנס אדר מרבים בשמחה‬is another ‫משנכנס יין יצא סוד‬. This means that when wine goes in, secrets come out. Indeed it is a known fact that those who have imbibed alcohol are often easier to elicit guarded information out of. ‫ חז''ל‬point out that the two words of ‫ יין‬and ‫ סוד‬are parallel in ‫ גימטריא‬too, suggesting that there is a deep-rooted relationship between them. The word ‫ סוד‬is etymologically synonymous with the word ‫יסוד‬, which means foundation. Just as the foundations of a house are hidden from view, so is a secret. ‫ יסוד‬also has connotations for the building blocks of our way of life. The ‫ מסילת ישרים‬begins with the words '‫יסוד החסידות ושורש העבודה התמימה הוא שיתברר ויתאמת‬ ‫ – 'אצל האדם מה חובתו בעולמו‬that achieving perfection in‫ 'עבודת ה‬is based on one’s recognition of his duty in this world. But what is this connection between wine and Purim that gives us two phrases so strikingly similar? The answer is staring us in the face. Even if you open the ‫קיצור‬ you will find the solution. The ‫ מגלה‬begins with a feast (called ‫ – משתה‬from the root to drink) which placed its emphasis on vast amounts of wine drunk from holy vessels, apparently signifying the end of the Jewish people’s hopes. In his intoxicated state the

king has his wife called before him and she refuses. This results in her removal and the appointment of ‫אסתר‬. The ‫ ישועה‬itself comes about through the invitation of the queen to the king and ‫ המן‬to a feast. At the end the Jews are told to celebrate through feasting. The truth is that ‫ מגלת אסתר‬is the story of ‫ הקב''ה‬revealing His presence in what – at first glance – seems nothing more than a wonderfully entertaining episode of court intrigue and political shenanigans. Only when looking at the whole series of events together do we see how '‫ – 'המלך‬the real One that is – guides and protects His people from the darkest times towards ‫ישועה‬. This indeed, is an exercise in understanding how the‫ עולם בורא‬guides us and, in turn expects us to work towards achieving the perfection in‫ 'עבודת ה‬that the ‫ מסלת ישרים‬told us about. This, perhaps more than anything else, should make us think twice before raising our ‫ לחיים‬glasses. Are we of a calibre pure enough to drink wine and radiate an inner core of goodness, that people say, ‘there goes a ‫ ?’צלם אלקים‬Or will we be seen to be rolling around in a state of disgrace (if so, it may be wiser to fulfil the words of the ‫ – רמ''א‬drink a little and go to sleep. You thereby fulfil the ‫ ענין‬of ‫)עד דלא ידע‬. It all depends on how finely tuned we are, only if fulfilling the criteria of working towards a spiritual end – ‫ובלבד שיכוון את לבו לשמים‬. No wonder that the appellation of the Purim story is ‫מגלת אסתר‬ – look at the roots. You will see as the ‫ גר''א‬did, with such clarity, that a direct translation of these two words is… ‘the revealing of the hidden’. How apt.