Close To Torah

ותען אסתר ותאמר שאלתי ובקשתי (אסתר ה:ז).

“Esther responded saying, ‘please grant me my request and my plea!’” (Esther 5:7).

Most Significant

This verse is in one way the most significant one in the entire Megillah! How so? There are one hundred and sixty-seven verses contained throughout the entire ten chapters of this scroll. The middle verse is thus the eighty-forth one (with eighty-three before and after it). This is our verse. I would like to illustrate how the middle verse captures the essence of the entire Sefer and what that means for us based on our present study.

What’s Going On Here?

There is a fascinating thesis that states, if one wishes to understand the theme of a Torah portion, he must study the first, middle and last verse of that section. For example to understand Parshas Bereishis, one can study the first, middle and last verse. This will encapsulate the basic idea found in the entire portion.

Proof and Explanation

This idea is hinted and elucidated quite clearly by at least two Chazal.

First, Rashi in Shabbos (55a) states that the reason that Hashem’s signet ring says “Emes” is because the word Emes is all encompassing. It is comprised of the letters Alef, Mem and Tuf. These are the first, middle and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet (אמת). This is based on the verse in Isaiah (44:5) that states, “Ani Reishon VaAni Acharon U’Mibaladoy Ain Elokim, I am first and last, there is no other God besides me”. (Rashi is basing his comments on: Shir HaShirim Rabbah (1:46) and Shemos Rabbah (4:3).) Hence, we see that there is an idea of an essence being seen from the beginning, middle and end. See also Shabbos (30b).

Secondly, the Gemara in Sotah (14a) states: Rav Simlai says that the Torah begins with Chessed, kindness, as it states, “Hashem provided Adam and his wife with clothing”, and it ends with kindness, as it says, “Hashem buried Moshe”.  The Midrash (Tanchuma Vayeira 4) adds to this: “The Torah begins with kindness in that Hashem adorned Chava in honor of her marriage to Adam. It ends with kindness by Hashem burying Moshe. Its middle expresses kindness as it states that Hashem visited Avraham when he was recuperating from his circumcision and insisted that he not stand up for Him”.

Conclusion

What emerges is clear proof that examining the beginning, middle and end of a Torah idea reveals the entire Torah theme encompassed. In the case of the entire Torah, one learns that Hashem desires for us to take the lesson of proper love and care for others. By extension, it appears that this technique can be applied to every individual Parsha and Sefer in Tanach as well.

One More Proof

Additionally, the Gemara Kiddushin (30a) tells us what the middle word of the Torah is. It is “Gachone, stomach” in Vayikrah (11:42). Why is this important for us to know? This thesis may just be the reason that Chazal found this fact important to identify. In fact, that is how the Vilna Goan explains the Gemara. He states that the middle word is the most important to know for upon it revolves the theme of the entire Torah, which proceeds and follows it. (The full development of this is beyond the scope of this essay. See the words of my dear Rebbe, Reb Aharon Feldman shlit”a, for extrapolation upon it, in “The Juggler and The King”.)

Example (You can skip to the next subtitle if you want to get back to Esther already!)

Here is a brief example of how this approach work. We will analyze one Parsha in the Torah, Parshas Va’ara.

The first verse states:

וידבר אלקים אל משה ויאמר אליו אני ה’ (ו:ב)

“Hashem spoke to Moshe saying, ‘I am God’.”

The middle verse (61 of 120) states:

ויעשו כן החרטמים בלטיהם ויעלו את הצפרדעים על ארץ מצרים (ח:ג)

“The magicians copied the plague and they too brought frogs upon the land”.

The last verse states:

ויחזק לב פרעה ולא שלח את בני ישראל כאשר דבר ה’ ביד משה (ט:לה)

“Hashem strengthened the heart of Pharaoh and he refused to release the Jews, as Hashem had foretold to Moshe”.

Briefly, the theme of the Parsha is the underpinnings which began the redemption. These three verses show that the redemption had not yet set in and that Pharaoh had not thus far accepted Hashem’s sovereignty! It wasn’t until the completion of the Ten Plagues that Pharaoh and his people were brought to their knees in subservience and awe of Hashem. The first and last verse both express this idea most clearly, it is the recurring theme of the Parsha. Hashem was displaying His Kingship and Egypt was not responding as of yet. The middle verse states that the magicians still believed that they were capable of emulating Moshe’s God-sent miracles. This is the summary of Va’ara, and is eloquently and briefly stated between all three verses, spanning the three areas of the Parsha. One question remains, why does it discuss the frogs specifically?

The frogs of Perek Shira sing the song of, “Baruch Shem Kvod Malchuso, Give praise to Hashem’s Honorable Kingdom”. The significance of this verse is that this amphibian constantly sings to Hashem. The Midrash states that when Dovid completed Sefer Tehillim, he asked Hashem if any creature sings more praises than himself. Hashem responded by sending a frog to his feet!

“Baruch Shem” is explained by the Nefesh HaChaim to express the ruler-ship of Hashem upon the earth specifically. The bottom-line theme is that although the Makos were beginning to make their impact of showing the world that Hashem dominates, as the frog declares, this message was not yet complete. This is clearly expressed by the middle verse. Egypt refused to take the lesson of Hashem’s frogs. In the next Parsha, there would finally be a change of heart and a powerful recognition. In Beshalach, the redemption would take place with great honor and an awe inspiring demonstration.

Back On Track

Having established this idea, let us now turn to our dear Megillah. The theme of the Megillah is clear. Although it may appear that there are natural events and order to the world, we must sensitize ourselves to see past them. As faithful Jews, we look to see the great Hand of Hashem guiding and propelling all of the world events. He cares for us and constantly steers our ship to safety and victory. How do we get Him to do this? The answer is well known and clear: By turning to Him and begging Him for help. When we acknowledge Him as our King, He is proud to smile in return. This is the key to our success in this world.

The first verse of the Megillah describes the grand kingdom of Achashveyrosh. It sets the backdrop for the entire climax of adversary against the Jewish nation. There was a haughty and powerful king and he used his power to concede to decimate the Jews. The last verse spells out the entire resolution. Hashem raised the Jews to a high and untouchable status. Mordechai was a powerful governmental official, who worked to insure Jewish diplomatic security. Most importantly, the nation was at peace with each other and true closeness and love between themselves and Hashem was achieved. What does the middle verse exemplify?

The Moment of Truth

The middle verse is the hint as to how we got from the crisis to the solution! “Esther cried with supplication and pleas!” This hints to her true cries and the collective tears of the entire nation, who at that time turned sincerely to Hashem with all of their hearts. The nation committed themselves to repent and mend their ways. This is the entire lesson of the Megillah, to turn to Hashem and put our trust in Him!  The middle verse is the crux of the entire Sefer. When we daven to and connect to Hashem, He hears us and takes care of His precious children.

Number of Verses

Indeed the one word Simman, hint, found at the end of the Megillah to remember how many verses are contained is the word: Penuel (פנואל). This word has the numeric value of 167, the exact number of verses. Reb Dovid Feinstein states that every one of these words stated in the mesorah at the end of a Torah portion, is not just a random word. Each word ties directly into the Torah ideas expressed within that work. What does this word show?

I suggest that the word Penuel means, “turn to Hashem”. This is the beautiful goal and lesson of the entire holy scroll. No further explanation is necessary!

May we all merit to tap into this powerful tool, and see how Hashem truly listens to us when we turn to Him. May we achieve true happiness through our faithfulness to Him every day.

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Hashkafah, Living Purim Every Day, Machshuvah Avodas Hashem, Tefillah

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶֽךְ הָעוֹלָם עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִית. (ע’ ברכות (נט:) ושו”ע או”ח רכט:ב)

Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, who makes the work of creation.

Mark your calendar! This upcoming Wednesday morning, the 14th of Nissan 5769 (Erev Pesach), April 8, 2009, you can take part in history! This opportunity comes only a few times in a lifetime! It is only the 207th time ever in the history of the world that this berachah can be made!

First, I would like to present a brief explanation as what Birchas HaChamah is all about, including general laws. Second, I would like to share one interesting thought on the topic.

Part 1: Laws

The Gemara (Berachos 59b) teaches that once every twenty-eight years the solar cycle begins again and the vernal (spring) equinox falls precisely in Saturn (the technical details of this formula are beyond the scope of this article, but suffice it to say that every one of the zodiac constellations rotate, and Saturn was the “ruling” force on the first hour of Wednesday when the sun was established.), on the evening of Tuesday (6 P.M.) leading into Wednesday. The sun is then located in the exact spot as it was when Hashem first created it on the fourth day of creation in relation to all of the stars, planets, time and day. Since the sun is not visible in all places during that hour of the evening, Chazal decreed that we should pronounce the blessing early the next morning. This is what we call Birchas HaChamah, the recognition of Hashem’s creation of the sun.

These brief laws are collected from many sources. Please consult your local Halachic authority for exact application of these laws.

1- Some announce this upcoming berachah the day before in Shul. One should remind his friends and family about this great and unique Mitzvah.

2- The blessing should be recited while standing, after glancing at the sun and does not have to be made while outside as long as one can see the sun from inside.

3- The blessing is made anytime from sunrise on Wednesday morning until the third hour of the day. It is best to do it immediately following davening.

4- If it is too cloudy to see the sun, one has until midday to pronounce the blessing. After that time however, it should be recited but without Shem u’Malchus: ברוך אתה עושה מעשה בראשית

(for example NYC sunrise is at 6:28 A.M. ; 3rd hour is at 9:43 A.M. ; Midday is at 12:58 P.M.).

5- Many chose to daven Vasikun in order to make the blessing as early as possible and go out with the entire congregation while still wearing their Tallis and Tefillin to pronounce the blessing together. A minyan is not necessary but is commendable if possible.

6- The blessing of Shechiyanu is not pronounced for various reasons.

7- Woman too recite this berachah with Shem u’Malchus.

8- Children at the age of Chinuch recite this berachah with Shem u’Malchus.

9- There are many other prayers that people say before and after reciting this berachah (Click here for the text), though the most important words are the actual blessing!

May we all merit to make this blessing many more times together with all of our loved ones and may we merit to see the coming of Mashiach speedily!

Part 2: A Torah Perspective on Birchas HaChamah

Bringing Hashem Into The Picture

There are two questions that come to mind regarding Birchas HaChamah:

1- What is the significance of the fact that the solar cycle lasts for 28 years? It cannot simply be a coincidental number?

2- Why did Hashem create the sun specifically in the time when Shabsai, Saturn, was ruling, would it not have been more appropriate to create the sun and let the sun rule the sky immediately?! More so, astronomically, according to Chazal’s list of the seven bodies in the sky, Saturn is the furthest away from the sun! (Uranus and Neptune (and Pluto) are not discussed by Chazal because they cannot be seen by the naked eye and thus exert no influence upon us and are thereby irrelevant to Chazal’s discussions of the celestial bodies.)

Here is what I think we can learn from all of this:

The number twenty-eight immediately reminds us of Koheles (Chapter 3). Shlomo HaMelech enumerates twenty-eight varied human actions and emotions that fill the average lifetime. A time for… birth, death, laughter, crying, building, dismantling, love, hate, war and peace, etc. The complete gamut of life stages. But what is it all worth?! Shlomo himself states that it is all futile! His conclusion is that only a life imbued with spirituality and connection to Hashem has any value. Otherwise, all of these fleeting moments and experiences have no intrinsic value what-so-ever!

Chazal (Shabbos 156a) tell us that one born under the mazel, zodiac influence, of the sun will have material wealth. The sun represents material comfort and pleasure. Our challenge is to not get distracted by it, but rather to utilize it for the service of Hashem. This is the ultimate goal.

The world is a monotonous cycle that continues; our job is to sanctify our experiences. Indeed, “there is nothing new under the sun” (Koheles 1:9)! The Jews count their days according to the moon. The moon represents humility, subjugation and constant refreshing. Our lives revolve around subservience to Hashem and are thus meaningful and fulfilled. Now we understand why the cycle is twenty-eight years. It represents the collective physical world. And now we can move on to understand the significance of pronouncing a berachah upon it.

When we pronounce a blessing upon something, we uplift it. When one eats a delicious meal, it may appear that he is doing so solely for his own pleasure. The pleasure is then ephemeral and fleeting. However, when one recites a berachah, he thus brings Hashem into the picture. He is thanking Hashem and elevating the experience. The food has now been transformed into a Mitzvah and thus eternity! The mundane has become valuable!

In this vein, we go outside and look at the sun. We realize that it represents the earthly world and physicality. We then proclaim a berachah upon it, signifying that we commit ourselves to sanctify Hashem and desire ever so passionately to imbue our lives with holiness and growth. This is our power as Jews. We can make a berachah (bring holiness) on the sun (the mundane world)!

Why was the sun established while Saturn ruled the sky? The Gemara (Shabbos 156a) teaches us that one born during the rule of Saturn will have many earthly evil thoughts! This explains why the sun was created under its rule. It represents Olam HaZeh, the present temporal world. This is the most appropriate time for its creation. Our job is to elevate and uplift ourselves by going against our earthly desires.

This is the significance of the Kaddish prayer as well. We honor the dead by pronouncing Kaddish for them. When ten men answer the mourner’s prayer, the soul of the deceased is uplifted. The entire theme of Kaddish is to elevate the physical world to recognize Hashem’s rule. It comes as no surprise then that the climax of Kaddish (from the words “Yehey Shmay Rabba Mivarach, may His Great Name be Blessed” until “B’almah.”) is comprised of precisely twenty-eight words! This is to show that we wish to elevate the world by bringing Hashem into every facet of our daily existence. Also, Kabbalistically, the four letter name  of Hashem when spelled out, extrapolating every letter, contains exactly twenty-eight letters! This is the theme of Kaddish, bringing out Hashem’s name.

([י=] יו”ד וא”ו דל”ת, [ה=] ה”א אל”ף, [ו=] וא”ו אל”ף וא”ו, [ה=] ה”א אל”ף)

Indeed, we see just how precious life is. We constantly have opportunities to elevate the physical world to great spiritual heights. This is what our blessing upon the sun is stating. We wish to imbue our life with spirituality!

May the lesson of Birchas HaChamah touch our hearts and inspire us to live our lives connected to Hashem, bringing us true happiness!

Click here for the complete text of Birchas HaChamah

(Left click to view; right click and “Save Target As / Save Link As” to download)

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Halacha, Hashkafah, Machshuvah Avodas Hashem, Berachah, Birchas HaChamah, Kaddish, Kavod Shamayim, Solar Blessing

…והנערה יפת תואר וטובת מראה ובמות אביה ואמה לקחה מרדכי לו לבת (אסתר ב:ז)

The girl (Esther) possessed a beautiful appearance… and when her parents died, Mordechai took her as his daughter (Esther 2:7)

Chazal tell us (Megilla 13a) that the word “bas, daughter,” in this verse is to be read as “bayis, house,” meaning that in actuality Mordechai took Esther as his wife.

There are many lessons inherent in our verse, let us examine some of them as we attempt to resolve the many difficulties found in understanding this verse.

The Numerous Issues

The first problem is, why does the verse describe Esther as being taken as a daughter if it really means wife, why not just say wife?! Also, according to Chazal’s elucidation, how do we explain the word “bayis, house” this is a strange reference to marriage as well?

Let us site an additional source that is hard to understand as it will ultimately shed much light on this important topic. The Gemara (Sotah 12a) states, “he who marries a women for the sake of Heaven is considered to have given birth to her as his daughter.” At first glance, this statement seems perplexing and hard to understand. What are Chazal trying to teach us? What does it mean to marry L’shem Shamayim, for the sake of Heaven? What is the parable and benefit of considering her to be his daughter?! Very perplexing?!

The commentators are surprisingly silent on many of these issues. One line from the Ben Ish Chai, though, opens up the gates of understanding for us. He connects this Gemara to another statement of Chazal (Bava Basra 141a). “If your first child born is a daughter, this is a good sign for your children who follow!”

He ends by stating that if one marries a woman for the sake of Heaven, then her presence makes it as if you gave birth to a daughter first and thus it is good for your children who follow. This is his answer! But what does it mean?

This completes all of our quandaries regarding many cryptic words; now we will try to find a proper explanation!

The Original Plan

When Hashem gave Adam his wife, Chava, this was the first marriage to ever take place. The Ramban and many other Commentators state that one must study those early events well and take note of every nuance expressed as it represents the foundation of all future unions as well.

One illustration provided by the Ramban is that Hashem did not give Adam his wife until Adam asked for her! Hashem first wanted him to recognize his deficiency without her and then to request her from Hashem and only after that would he be given the great gift of marriage, with newly-gained appreciation. This is a fundamental outlook for one searching for their mate and has connotations for those married as well!

An Extension

The very first description which Adam gives upon seeing his wife is (Beraishis 2:23): She is a bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh, she should be called Isha, woman, for she comes from Ish, man!

Why in fact did Hashem create the woman from a part of man himself? Could He not have just used raw material from another source, perhaps from dirt just as Adam was formed?!

This is a simple yet fundamental question. The answer will prepare us to understand Hashem’s goal for marriage!

Hashem wanted man and woman to be one unified unit! True, each one would have different personalities, tendencies and strengths, in fact very diversely, but, in essence they would blend and work together! By creating their bodies (and souls as well as stated in the Zohar) from one place, this gave them an intrinsic bond and connection that would last for eternity. Man and woman were to ponder their shared creation and realize the importance of building a deep relationship between them. Hashem created them from one body to teach them to work together to become like one! Their serving Hashem together by following His Torah and Mitzvos and treating each other with sensitivity and respect makes them into one! (based on Gra in Mishley 9:10)

Like One

R’ Yaakov Yosef Herman was once waiting in an office together with his wife and newly married daughter and son-in-law, R’ Chaim Pinchus Scheinberg. R’ Scheinberg was sitting next to his own wife and his in-laws were on the outer ends of the two of them. He joked with his father-in-law saying, “I’m closer to my wife that you are to yours!”

R’ Herman chuckled and then retorted with his own quick rebuttal, a lesson that would last a lifetime: You just got married, so for now, in order for you to be close to your wife, you must sit right near her, but my wife and I have been married for years and are so close and connected in our hearts that no physical distance can ever separate us! Thus, I am closer to my wife!

This is the Torah’s perspective on marriage. Intimate closeness in heart and soul.

Bone and Flesh

One more point and then we will tie our original verse about Adam together!

The verse stated that the woman was created from Adam’s “bone” and “flesh.” We understand the reference to his bone as the verse earlier stated explicitly that Hashem created Chava from one of his ribs, hence she comes from his bone. But what is the “flesh” referring to? Where do we see that Hashem built Chava out of any flesh of Adam?!

Chazal (Pirkey D’R’ Eliezer 11) were perplexed by this exact question and thus explained the following. Hashem took flesh from Adam’s heart and used it in the construction of Chava! The depth here is that one’s wife has the power to capture his heart and this in fact is Hashem’s plan for marriage! A deep and loving bond should permeate their lives together!

To Summarize

Hashem desires for man and woman to connect and work together to grow. He set them up to unite and help each other. Their job is to become one and thus be a helpmate for one another in serving Hashem to their fullest. A derivative of this proper bonding will be that they will have children and their love for each other will then pour forth upon their children and inspire them too with an appreciation and dedication to the service of Hashem!

Selfish Spouse

Someone who gets married for selfish reasons does not appreciate this. He simply wants to marry for his own self-pleasure. He seeks to get and to take whatever he can from his spouse and has no plan for caring or sharing. He is thus failing to see that Hashem created man and wife to become one. He cares not for lofty goals, all he wants is personal gratification. He cares nothing of connection, only for fulfilling his desires! This is not the correct approach and his plan will surely fail. He cannot find happiness when he does not follow the Torah’s prescription for fulfillment. Inevitably, he will get tired of her and will not feel very good about his life. This is because he neglected to serve Hashem. It is a tragic and vicious cycle. Very often, he will start to terribly mistreat her and show no appreciation as his only focus and desire is to fulfill his own wants, not caring about the needs of others. His marriage will be painful and his family will become dysfunctional. His children will be turned off from what he claims to believe in as they lack a proper role-model. This is not always the case, but it is the general course that a selfish person is on. How tragic indeed. Only one who follows the Torah approach will have much enjoyment and fulfillment waiting for him.

To Put It All Together

We now understand what it means to marry for the sake of Heaven. To see marriage as an opportunity for growing and encouraging Avodas Hashem together! To appreciate how Hashem created her from his bone and heart so that they can connect! As the Raavad writes, “the beauty of marriage is to be like one single body and entity, connected and working together.”

The Maharal (Ohr Chadash p. 114) states that this is what it means by “if one marries L’Shem Shamayim, she is like your daughter.” A daughter is built from you, she is an extension of you. The Torah wants you to view your wife as an extension of yourself. This is the most productive and beneficial outlook. It is meant in the most positive way, to be truly connected and close.

This is the exact meaning of marrying for the sake of Heaven and the explanation and benefit of considering her your daughter, your connection!

Our original verse is stating this as well. The verse began by stating that Esther was a most beautiful and attractive young lady! We know that her looks and charm even made her the winner of Achashvayrosh’s beauty contest. But this was not the sole focus of Mordechai. He married her for her qualities. She was someone to work and grow with. He viewed her as his daughter, an extension of himself, fulfilling Hashem’s plan for marriage!

What is the Bayis?

But still why do Chazal use the word bayis, house? The answer is that this ties everything together!

The Gemara quoted by the Ben Ish Chai stated that when a girl is born first this is good for the children who follow. He stated that if you marry L’Shem Shamayim you are considered to have had a daughter first already. What does this all mean?!

The Gemara there explains the benefit of this firstborn girl. As the oldest, she will care for and nurture all of her siblings under her! This is the benefit for her family! They will have a second loving and caring mother!

There is nothing that a parent would not do for their child. So if one asks what is the most important thing that I can do for can my children to prepare them for success? The answer is: the best thing you can do for your children is, love their mother! When children grow up in a warm and healthy environment this puts them at a great advantage for life!

If two people marry L’Shem Shamayim, to grow with their spouse in service of Hashem, they have shown that they will work together and be kind and considerate towards each other. They realize that she is his daughter, connected as one! Hence, they will work hard to have marital harmony. They will have the benefit of a loving and nurturing mother for she will be happy and encouraged by her husband who loves and believes in her. Their children will benefit from the “firstborn daughter” who cares for them so affectionately and carefully! A truly heartwarming and inspirational home! This I believe is the intention of the Ben Ish Chai and this I believe brings everything together.

Because she is the bas, they will have a beautiful bayis! May we all achieve these beautiful goals! The opportunity to live with this perspective is available every day!

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Hashkafah, Machshuvah Avodas Hashem, L'shem Shamayim, ShalomBayis, Torah marriage