A Purim Story

One Purim, after shachris, Rav Shmelkeh of Nikolsburg, zt”l, noticed a very wealthy man lingering in shul. This person said much more Tehillim than was his wont and then began to slowly learn the day’s Chok L’Yisrael and recite Zohar. Rav Shmelke approached this wealthy man and immediately got to the point. “You should know that you are nothing more than a soldier who has deserted his post. This is true despite the Torah you are learning since one who runs away from a battlefield where his unit is fighting is a deserter even if he joins a different unit in different circumstances. Why are you different from a foot soldier who suddenly turns up at the stables where the cavalry keep their horses and tries to join them? The moment they realize that he is a member of a different unit he will be tried for treason or at least sent back to his unit with a warning. You are just the same. Your job is to be at home now and wait for the many poor people who will visit your house and give them a generous donation in accordance with your great wealth. Doing anything else, even learning in the beis midrash, is abandoning your post!” After he told this anecdote, the Rebbe of Vitzhnitz added, “I knew a certain wealthy man who would visit my father every Purim day. He would wander around the beis midrash and hang around with the gabaim specifically on this day, since he felt that every moment spent away from home was more money he could keep in his bulging pockets. This person was a ‘kamtzan l’mehadrin!’” The rebbe continued, “This is how I understand the gemara in Bava Basra 10. There we find that Rabbi Elazar gave tzedakah and only then davened. This was to remove any suspicion on the part of observers that he was davening at length to get out of fulfilling the mitzvah of giving charity!”

Spirit of the Law: Chanukah

Reb Nosson, zt”l, explains that the “Al HaNissim” prayer was instituted because we overcame the kingdom of Yavan and the evil Haman, who were jealous of us and wanted to keep us from serving Hashem. Haman didn’t even want any Jew to be left alive! However, Hashem in His great mercy didn’t abandon us. He turned our grief and anguish into joy. Not only did they fail abysmally, but we gained two holy festival—Chanukah and Purim—which have sustained us throughout our long exile. We see, then, that their very attempt to destroy us has actually been the means through which we have gained the strength we need to survive until the redemption. The events that led up to our deliverance have made us worthy of receiving new and powerful spiritual illuminations and new mitzvos: the lighting of the menorah, recitation of Hallel, and the special Torah readings on Chanukah; and the reading of the megillah, sending of mishloach manos, contributions to the poor, and the festival meal and drinking on Purim.

The descent turned into an ascent—this is the character of Chanukah and Purim, and it can also be true for everyone, all the time. Every day, and at every moment, Hashem is orchestrating events in the most miraculous way to prevent us from falling completely. On the contrary, He turns all of our falls into ascents if we are only willing and try our best to begin again. This is the essence of doing teshuvah our of love—through which all of our sins are transformed into merits. This is how we can rise ever higher in our service of Hashem!

To Drink or not to Drink?

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, zt"l, taught that one should avoid alcohol at all times. He explained that many major failures in history happened due to wine. From Adam to Noach and beyond, the underlying problem was alcohol. The only exceptions to this iron rule are Shabbos and Moadim, when one should drink "a little." And Purim when one should fulfill the halacha to drink abundantly.
Rebbe Nachman explains that a true tzaddik elevates the wine he drinks and rectifies the world by drinking; nevertheless most who drink at Chasidic gatherings would be better off abstaining. Although some great authorities argued with this contention-- Bnei Machshavah Tovah is in favor of drinking at Chasidic gatherings as a means of uplifting one's spirits--others emphatically agreed with Rebbe Nachman.
Rav Yeshayah of Prague, zt”l, was once sitting at a tisch surrounded by his chassidim. Together, they partook of a seduas mitzvah where they discussed inspiring divrei Torah at length. Naturally, this sublime experience sparked a lot of enthusiasm.
“Let’s send someone to bring wine,” a certain older chassid declared.
Rav Yeshayah immediately discouraged this notion. “Our sages teach that sleep in the morning sleep and wine in the afternoon take a person out of the world.”
“But don’t our sages also teach that one who gives wine to a talmid chacham is like one who pours libations on the altar?” the old man piously declaimed.
But Rav Yeshayah did not feel that this was appropriate. “I never understood the words of our sages at the end of Sotah. There we find that in the times proceeding Moshiach’s arrival, grape vines will give their fruit yet wine will be expensive. If there is an abundance of grapes, why is wine costly?
“But now I understand. Since we also find that chutzpah will be rampant in the times immediately preceding the arrival of Moshiach, every person will think that his rebbe is like a talmid chacham discussed in the gemara and buy wine to fill his throat and those of his followers. With such a great demand for wine, it’s no wonder that it will be costly!”

Audio Class for Women: Purim #2

Yehudis' Sunday night shiur can be accessed here. Thanks, Dixie Yid!
This lesson wrapped up lesson #1, which was on Likutei Moharan II:74 and I:10. Ample anecdotes and jokes, and then a discussion of Parshas Zachor according to Reb Nosson.

Purim Audio Classes for Women

Yehudis' Sunday night class on Breslov chassidus for women can be accessed here.
Anecdotes from Siach Sarfei Kodesh, Likutei Moharan II:74 and I:10.
Enjoy!

Spirit of the Law: Matanos L'evyonim

Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, 143: 3

“On Purim every person must give at least one gift to two paupers...”

Misuse of the imagination can cause a person to have delusions of grandeur about his spiritual level. Rav Nosson of Breslov, zt”l, writes that matanos l’evyonim helps a person overcome these delusions that prevent him from feeling close to Hashem. When we give tzedakah to help another Jew, we are freed of the bondage of self-absorption and become open to dveikus. As the verse states, “Through tzedakah, I will gaze upon Your presence.” Many sources explain this literally. Even if one’s spiritual preparation is minimal, the act of giving tzedakah alone enables true dveikus, true connection with Hashem. This is especially true on Purim.

One of the worst defilements is the lust for money. Even someone on a high spiritual level who is unable to give tzedakah is distant from Hashem. As Rabbeinu Tam writes in Sefer Hayashar: “The hardest characteristic to change is miserliness.”

Rav Shlomo Wolbe zt”l once quoted a letter of Rav Yisrael Salanter zt”l that mentioned a well-known idea. Although it is possible to serve Hashem on a high level without learning Mussar, it is completely impossible to transform the negative inside ourselves without it. This is like trying to see without an eye, or trying to hear without an ear. Rav Wolbe then explained how this could be. The person hasn’t changed his mental outlook about the important issues in life. For example, it is possible to be a great servant of Hashem who has learned a lot of Torah, and the main thing in this person’s life is still money!

Rav Eliyahu Lopian zt”l, told about a certain prominent person from his hometown who was an excellent man except for a single failing: his desire for money was limitless. It was literally an act of self-sacrifice for him to contribute even the smallest amount for any cause at all. It was almost as if he became mentally ill about this matter.

On his deathbed, this miser whispered urgently to his friends and family at the bedside: “Learn a lesson from me! Even though I can feel that my life is slipping away, I am still a slave to my flaws. If one of you were to offer me a handful of coins, I would grab them and hide them beneath my pillow!” A short time later, the man expired. This is the lust that can take a person right out of the world. May we merit to uproot our self-absorption through giving generously to our fellow Jews!

"Little Purim"

A freilichen Purim Katan!

For those who want to really feel the joy of Purim next month, you might want to start saying the prayer that Rav Berland, shlit"a, wrote for the occasion.
It is long, but if you say a little bit every day, you will not believe the difference it will make for your Purim.
Tefillah L'Oni--Purim
Enjoy!

Forty Days To Purim!

The Zohar HaKadosh teaches that there is no way to experience holiness without preparation.

In Breslov, we have a custom to begin our preparations for Purim forty days before the festival. What are the preparations? Crying out to G-d to be worthy of the great joy and light of Purim!

Many Breslovers sing the words of Reb Nosson to the tune of the higher chorus of "V'Nahafoch Hu":

"Hatzileini m'klippas Haman Amalek, v'zakeini l'kedushas Mordechai V'Esther!"
"Save me from the impure force of Haman/Amalek, and make me worthy of the holiness of Mordechai and Esther!"

A freilichen Purim!