8 UNIVERSITY • TO-GO • ADAR 5771

Richard M Joel, President, Kenneth Brander, The David Mitzner Dean, Center for the Jewish Future

Rabbi Robert Shur, General Editor Rabbi Michael Dubitsky, Editor

Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved by Yeshiva University

Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future 500 West 185th Street, Suite 413, , NY 10033 [email protected] • 212.960.5400 x 5313

This publication contains words of Torah. Please treat it with appropriate respect. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Sarah Emerson Helfand, director of the West Coast Region of Yeshiva University, at 646.246.5332or [email protected].

9 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 Message from President Richard M. Joel It is with great pleasure that Yeshiva University partners with the Los Angeles community to bring you this remarkable . Throughout the weekend, in every corner of the community, you will have the opportunity to hear exceptional Torah from some of the leading roshei yeshiva and scholars at Yeshiva University. For me, what is even more significant than the impact of this weekend, is the ongoing synergy between Los Angeles and Yeshiva. I delight in knowing that our and educators fill the ranks of your shuls and schools; that so many of your children emerge from Yeshiva as serious Jews and leaders; that our Center for the Jewish Future delivers to your community meaningful learning and programming that advance our shared values; that our Institute for University-School Partnership sustains your day schools and and improves student outcomes in measurable ways – the list goes on and on. Together we champion an integrated life through which we can impact the Jewish community and humanity in ways wondrous. At Yeshiva University, we nurture the leaders of tomorrow. The dual curriculum, our exceptional roshei yeshiva and faculty, the myriad leadership opportunities and the Torah environment in which our students live coalesce to create a whole student. Our undergraduate campuses hum with the constant energy of a student body taking the reins of the Jewish future. I invite all our friends in Los Angeles to participate in any and all of our programming in the community and to experience firsthand the dynamism that is Yeshiva University. On a personal note, I am grateful for the collaboration and dedication of our esteemed host committee - Rabbi Moshe Benzaquen, Rabbi Asher Brander, Rabbi Alan Kalinsky, Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky Rabbi Daniel Korobkin Rabbi Yaakov Krause, Rabbi Elazar Muskin, Rabbi Dovid Revah, Rabbi Jonathan Rosenberg, and Rabbi Kalman Topp - a group whom individually and collectively represent the best of our people. I am also delighted to introduce Sarah Emerson Helfand, who will serve as YU’s inaugural West Coast Regional Director. Sarah represents our significant commitment to deepening the connections between Los Angeles and Yeshiva. It is our hope that as you come to know us more intimately, you will become owners and sacred partners in advancing all that we do – all that we must do – to shape the Jewish future we want for our children. Warmest regards, Richard M. Joel President, Yeshiva University

10 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771

Table of Contents Purim 2011/5771

News from Yeshiva University CJF Missions Take Students to , Ukraine, North and South America ...... Page 5 Don’t Write Off the Next Generation Rabbi Kenneth Brander ...... Page 7 YUConnects Celebrates 50th Engagement ...... Page 8 Einstein-Montefiore Doctors Give Life-Changing Heart Surgery to Haitian Teen ...... Page 9 Showing Their Appreciation, RIETS Alumni Sponsor Day of Learning ...... Page 10 Women’s Leadership Fellowship ...... Page 11 Divrei Torah for Purim Remember to Forget Rabbi ...... Page 12 When is a Bar in a Leap Year? Rabbi ...... Page 15 A Life of Giving Rabbi Reuven Brand ...... Page 18 Why Don't We Recite Hallel on Purim? Rabbi Joshua Flug ...... Page 22 Making Scents of Purim Rabbi Yoni Levin ...... Page 27 Purim and Pesach: Two Holidays, One Theme Mrs. Shira Schechter...... Page 31 Purim: The Other Day of Rest Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky...... Page 37

11 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 Yeshiva University Los Angeles Shabbaton Speakers

Richard M. Joel Rabbi Rabbi Kenneth Brander President, , The David Mitzner Dean, Yeshiva University Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Yeshiva University Center Theological Seminary for the Jewish Future

Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff Mrs. Yael Leibowitz Dr. Rona Novick Judaic Studies Faculty, Judaic Studies Faculty, Director, Doctoral Stern College for Women Program, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education

Rabbi Eli Baruch Rabbi Dr. Efrat Sobolofsky Schulman Rosh Yeshiva, Director, YUConnects, Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Center for the Jewish Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Future Theological Seminary

For more information on YU Speakers, visit www.yu.edu/speakers

CJF MISSIONS TAKE STUDENTS TO ISRAEL, UKRAINE, NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA

The Nicaraguan village of Boca de la Montana appears remote and desolate in an image captured from space by a satellite; hardly the place for a hard-earned vacation. But more than a dozen Yeshiva University students accompanied by Rabbi , mashgiach ruchani [spiritual advisor] of YU-affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), visited Nicaragua during their winter break to help lay the foundation for a new library there. YU students were introduced to the community two years ago when they worked on the construction of the road and bridge to the school complex. “I think it’s an important part of our student’s education, that they interact with others and take responsibility,” Rabbi Blau said. “The intellectual experience in school, while the essence of what we are, does not automatically translate to life. This is a way of translating the values that we learn into Student and Rabbi Blau, right, shovel dirt to be used in mixing actual experiences and doing so while contributing and not cement for village library. just watching.” Home,” students engaged Israelis on kibbutzim, in develop- ment towns, immigrant villages, towns in Judea and Samaria and religious and secular communities. These compelling experiences forced students to examine their shared existen- tial dilemma of loyalty to both a birthplace and a homeland. The trip also introduced the students to “some of the complex social issues of the State of Israel,” said Rabbi Yaakov Neuberger, rosh yeshiva at RIETS. “Specifically, this group was introduced to the issue of the disengagement from Gaza in a way that they were not aware of before. These programs are very valuable and should be attended by anyone planning to go into rabbanus [the rabbinate] or chin- uch [Jewish education].”

Laying bricks for library’s foundation in Nicaragua.

Other YU students participated in Jewish Life Coast to Coast—a trip to Richmond, Charleston, Jacksonville and South Florida—during which they explored how individu- als can become active and make a difference in North America’s diverse Jewish communities. “Watching our students engage with the Jewish commu- nity of Richmond was exciting,” said Rabbi Kenneth Brander, the David Mitzner Dean of Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF). “They interacted with Jews of all ages and all backgrounds. In the process of inspiring the communities they encountered, our students were transformed.” Coast-to-Coast and the Nicaragua mission were among seven experiential learning trips organized this winter by the YU students design and lead programs for children of the Martin J. CJF. Others included a humanitarian mission to Mexico; Gottlieb School in Jacksonville, FL. Project Kharkov, a two-week program aimed at gaining first- hand understanding of the welfare challenges and identity crises facing Ukrainian Jewry; QUEST II, a leadership pro- The CJF is grateful to the programming and institutional partners gram that helped former Gush Katif residents rebuild their that made these missions possible for hundreds of YU students. lives in the desert community of Halutza; and “A Place They include: American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Called Home,” during which students traveled across Israel American Jewish World Service, the Eckstein Family, Jim Joseph for a week, discovering what it means to create a national Foundation, Jewish National Fund and Repair the World. home for the Jewish people. Throughout “A Place Called

YU in Los Angeles REGIONAL COUNCIL

A special thank you to the members of the YU Regional Council — Los Angeles who continue to show support for YU by serving as lay leaders and strengthening YU’s visibility in their hometown. The council, currently in formation, includes: Alex Altberg, Jennifer Altberg, Evan Anziska, Israel Bick, Aryeh Goldberg, Mark Hecht, Ari Hier, Adena Rohatiner, Rafi Rosenkranz, Lou Shapiro, Avi Steinlauf, Shuli Steinlauf, Shimmy Steinmetz, Jonathan Wernick and Alan Willner. For more information about YU in Los Angeles, contact Sarah Emerson Helfand, West Coast Regional Director, at [email protected]. DON’T WRITE OFF THE NEXT GENERATION

By Rabbi Kenneth Brander The impact on Jewish continuity as a whole is equally noteworthy. Nearly 10 percent of the student participants It comes as no surprise that in a world where many neglect change their career paths to fields of education, the rab- the importance of community, iPhones, iPods, iMacs and binate and social work, and 95 percent pledge to bring their iPads constantly and consistently appear as the trendiest professional skills to serve the greater community. I am sure gadgets. These devices represent a culture that desires to that American Jewish World Service and the American deconstruct the power and purpose of community, placing Jewish Joint Distribution Committee have realized similar all importance on the needs of the individual. results from the many initiatives in which they engage stu- Despite this societal disposition, I believe the young peo- dents in service-learning opportunities. ple of this generation possess an ever-increasing eagerness to It is a tragic paradox that an old joke told among service live lives of meaning. With all the serious setbacks brought providers begins with a participant asking how does one say on by our new economic realities, the “Gen-Y” generation “tikkun olam” in Hebrew? Leadership experiences, whether has still had the opportunity to amass so much material stuff in Israel, the FSU, Thailand or around the corner, must be and travel with unprecedented frequency. contextualized with the ideals of Jewish leadership. We must Yet, they still feel hungry to live meaningful lives. Indeed, share the paradigms of leadership found in the Bible: that of as just one example, the Yeshiva University Center for the the kohen (priest) and the navi (prophet). Rooted in exter- Jewish Future sends close to a thousand young adults on nals, the priest realized his holiness through the wearing of various service-learning experiences across the globe annu- his special garb and his lineage. As the custodian of ritual for ally and cannot keep up with the demand on the part of the Jewish community he guaranteed that the form and the even more students to participate. Organizations around the function of the Temple and the Jewish community passed on country that work with young adults have seen a similar from generation to generation. phenomenon and are working in partnership to create struc- We must share with our young adults that participation tures enabling all of us to respond to this yearning. in the identical rituals in which our great-grandparents In contrast to this vitality, we increasingly hear of grayer engaged (and perhaps even using their candlesticks or kid- boardrooms, the passing of philanthropists who supported dush cup for the Shabbat/holiday experience) creates a sense our organizations, the thinning of the ranks of dedicated of continuity and immortality to the Jewish story. Like the volunteers and a dearth of professionals to service our many kohen, our leadership experiences must engage our young worthwhile organizations. adults in knowing our story. So, how do we in the Jewish communal and educational Yet that is just half the job, for they must also embrace the world leverage the hunger of the Gen-Yers to insure the role of the prophet. Dress and lineage possessed no conse- future health of our institutions? More importantly, how do quence for the prophet. His/her concern rested in the sub- we ensure that this new generation brings its creativity, stance of the religious experience, in the effort to ensure that charisma and capacity to the leadership table with a com- the ritual did not become robotic or devoid of meaning and mitment to Jewish ideals, guaranteeing the perpetuation of purpose. Like the prophet, our young adults must experi- the soul of our sacred community? ence a tradition imbued with passion and principle. We We need look no further than service-learning programs as must ensure the placement of service-learning initiatives a start, for they transform young adults. To be sure, such oppor- and leadership opportunities within a rich Jewish context; tunities have a profound impact on participants when these this allows our experiential opportunities to give voice to the experiences begin with proper preparation and enable those immortal and contemporary traditions of our people. who are engaged to serve as real change agents. Counterpoint The Gen-Yers wish to live lives that matter. They are hun- Israel, a Center for the Jewish Future-led summer program in gry for community, and where they do not find ones that the development towns of southern Israel, affords 200 under- welcome them, they will create their own. They do not wish privileged children and teens a summer experience focusing on to escape, but to engage; they do not want to judge or to be self-esteem and skills like English and computer science. judged, but to join. They are not interested in being silent The real beneficiaries of these summer camps are the 23 stu- partners in an organizational bureaucracy but want to mat- dents from YU who run these programs. This experience enables ter and will accept process only if it leads to purpose. them to actualize their potential and speaks to them about their If we create portals of entry, share with them our story ability to change the world around them. I have often shared with undiluted or whitewashed, and find the courage to let them the Counterpoint counselors and college students on other serv- make it their own, they will do something that we can’t: ice missions that they now understand why the Hebrew word for guarantee our future. giving, NaTaN, is a palindrome. For when one gives to another Variations of this Op-Ed have appeared in newspapers across with the sole purpose of effectuating change, what one receives Israel and the United States. in return is as great or greater than the efforts expended. YUConnects Celebrates 50th* Engagement

Now Beginning its Third Year, CJF Program Offers Jewish Singles Multiple Opportunities to Connect

Much has been said about the need for healthy outlets where Jewish singles can meet one another with little pressure and, hopefully, find their soul mates. In 2008, Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) — committed to inspiring and strengthening Jewish communities around the world — decided to pool its unique resources and create a program with a multi- faceted approach to the age-old issue of meeting a mate. The result was YUConnects, a program that matched Yeshiva University students and alumni from an extensive online database. With the recent engagement of two accomplished YU Graduates, Yaffi Spodek and Matan Wexler, YUConnects celebrated its 50th shidduch [match]. “What makes YUConnects unique is its capacity to con- vene a team of Yeshiva University trained mental health experts and Torah personalities from RIETS and partner with our students, alumni, educators and the communi- YU alumni, Matan Wexler and Yaffi Spodek, mark the 50th ty to promote effective dating and healthy relation- YUConnects engagement. ships,” said Rabbi Kenneth Brander, The David Mitzner Dean of the CJF. YUConnects is facilitated by more than 100 trained “YU Connectors” — many of them YU alumni themselves — dedi- cated, often seasoned matchmakers who get to know the singles signed up to the site and suggest shidduchim for them. To widen the network of available men and women, YUConnects — powered by SawYouatSinai, one of the Jewish community’s largest dating sites — recently opened registration to the public. “This program offers multiple opportunities for individuals to meet,” said Rebbetzin Dr. Efrat Sobolofsky, director of YUConnects. “In addition to the various social events held throughout the year, participants can network online with assis- tance from their Connectors.” One such event was an “International Weekend of Creating Connections” in May of 2010 that successfully partnered dozens of communities with YUConnects to develop unique programming for local singles. Spodek, who met Wexler at an August mixer co-sponsored by YUConnects and the Young Israel of Teaneck, recalls being initially hesitant to sign up to the site. “I was among the first of my friends to sign up,” recalled Spodek, a graduate of Stern College for Women and Columbia’s school of journalism. “Now, however, it has become much more accepted in the community and I don’t think there is a stigma associated with dating sites anymore among the post-collegiate crowd.” For his part, Wexler, a rabbi at Hebrew Academy of Nassau County and a graduate of Sy , Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration signed up right away at the request of his close friends. Now planning their April wedding and setting up their home in Washington Heights, the duo is eager to reciprocate their joy. “We would love to become Connectors and are excited to help singles,” said Spodek. “As people who have been through the system and who know the difficulties of the dating process, we view it as an opportunity to give back to others.” For more information about YUConnects and for a schedule of upcoming events, please visit www.yuconnects.com. *Since this article was printed, YUConnects has celebrated six additional engagements. News from The Institute for University School Partnership

The YU School Partnership has a remarkable presence in Los Angeles. Because of our extensive work in the community, we have our own project coordinator on the ground in LA, Mrs. Ariella Agatstein, who coordinates our work with the schools and also works at Yavneh. With 6 of our 18 Jewish Educator Fellows working in 5 different schools in the LA area, we are partnering with the schools in providing their students with role models and teachers who have access to the University’s resources for professional development and support. The 2010-2011 Jewish educator fellows are: Ouriel Hazan and Sara Schwarz-Halpern (Maimonides Academy); Jessica Tabak (Harkham Hillel Academy); Noam Weissman (Shalhevet); Arye Sufrin (YULA Boys); and Annie Statman (YULA Girls). In addition, our faculty has presented lectures and workshops in various LA schools on a wide array of topics including Bully Prevention, Internet and Technology, and Sex Education. Teachers from the LA schools are also well represented in our new online certificate programs in Differentiated Instruction and Educational Technology, in our online webinars, and in our online communities of practice for professional development and for mental health professionals in Jewish Day Schools. We also have several LA members on YU 2.0, our new online community for educators invested in learning and integrating technology into Jewish education. Our new placement office played an instrumental role in working with Mr. Larry Gil, Shalhevet’s Board President, in placing Rabbi Ari Segal as their new incoming head of school. Furthermore, we hosted the North American Conference in Los Angeles, where over 600 Jewish education leaders from across the spectrum of Jewish practice convened to learn and collaborate about the pressing issues in jewish education today.

EINSTEIN-MONTEFIORE DOCTORS GIVE LIFE-CHANGING HEART SURGERY TO HAITIAN TEEN

January 13, 2011 — (BRONX, NY) — The devastating “Lovely had a large hole in between the two upper cham- earthquakes that struck Haiti last January saved at least one bers of her heart,” explained Samuel Weinstein, M.D., life — that of Lovely Ajuste, a Port-au-Prince teen. Ms. director of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at Montefiore Ajuste sought treatment for a severe cough and shortness of and associate professor of cardiovascular and thoracic sur- breath in the days following the disaster that has left her gery at Einstein, who performed Ms. Ajuste’s operation. homeless. Mahalia Desruisseaux, M.D., assistant professor “This causes her right heart to be stressed, causing an of pathology and of medicine at Albert Einstein College of inability to function normally.” Left untreated, ASD can Medicine of Yeshiva University who had traveled to Haiti to permanently damage the heart and may lead to a shortened assist in the relief effort, identified a serious heart condition. life span. Yesterday, on the one-year anniversary of the quakes, Ms. “The procedure to repair this defect would be difficult, Ajuste underwent open-heart surgery at Montefiore, The if not impossible, to have performed in Haiti right now, University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for but it is routine in the United States,” continued Dr. Einstein, to correct the defect. The three-hour surgery went Weinstein. “Following surgery, her life expectancy should well and the 15-year-old is scheduled to be released tomor- be near normal.” row morning. “Without the needed surgical intervention, Lovely would Dr. Desruisseaux, a native of Haiti, returned to the have continued to be severely limited in her day-to-day Caribbean nation for the first time in 24 years as a volunteer activities and in her ability to function normally, which is at a private hospital in the Sacre Coeur region of Port-au- why I was desperate to bring her to the U.S.,” said Dr. Prince after the earthquakes struck. Along with the numer- Desruisseaux. She worked with her colleagues at Einstein ous patients she helped treat for severe wound infections, and Montefiore to connect Ms. Ajuste with Gift of Life broken bones, dehydration, and even typhoid, Dr. International, which is sponsoring her trip to New York. Desruisseaux met Ms. Ajuste. After her discharge from Montefiore, Ms. Ajuste will “When I met Lovely, she had a severe cough and short- return to the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island in ness of breath — which she thought was due to the dust in New Hyde Park, where she initially stayed in the days lead- the air and living outside in crowded conditions,” said Dr. ing up to her surgery. If all goes as scheduled, she will return Desruisseaux. “After taking an x-ray, I noticed that she had to Port-au-Prince in late January, having just celebrated her an enlarged heart and vascular congestion, so I asked for a 16th birthday. Ms. Ajuste and her mother will be traveling cardiac specialist to further examine her.” to and from the U.S. through American Airlines’ Miles for That decision may have saved Ms. Ajuste’s life. She was Kids program. Upon their return, they will continue to seek subsequently diagnosed with a congenital heart condition permanent housing. called an atrial septal defect (ASD). SHOWING THEIR APPRECIATION, RIETS ALUMNI SPONSOR DAY OF LEARNING

Every year, Rabbi to see a bunch of rabbis, not much older than they are, so Jonathan Gross appreciative of the education they received,” said Rabbi and a few fellow Yonah Gross. graduates of the Every RIETS student is provided with a full academic Rabbi Isaac scholarship and many receive other benefits, such as liv- Elchanan ing and housing stipends, which are made possible with Theological the financial support of alumni and affiliates of the insti- Seminary tution. This investment allows the Yeshiva to continue its (RIETS) get tradition of providing tuition-free [rabbinic together to catch ordination] and post-semikhah [advanced learning] up, share their study programs to attract quality candidates for rabbinical experiences training. as community “The truth is that all of our supporters have a cherished leaders across chelek [share] in the constant and vibrant Torah learning the country and that takes place at our Yeshiva,” said Rabbi Yonah Reiss, exchange ideas the Max and Marion Grill Dean of RIETS. “The notion of about how to dedicating a day of learning has in its origins the famous best serve their statement of our Rabbis that the words of Torah should congregations. constantly be viewed as new and fresh each day, as if the At their last gath- Torah was given to us on that day (Rashi, Shemot 19:1). ering, however, Likewise, the fire of Torah in our batei midrashot [study Gross started halls] is rekindled each day through the parnas hayon pro- thinking. gram and the committed benefactors who help sustain our “That we were able to learn at RIETS for free, with students one day at a time.” world-class rabbis who I can still call up today—not to mention the network of relationships we built with other rabbis and colleagues while we were there—is truly incred- ible,” he said. “My degree is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and I don’t owe a penny. I thought, ‘How can I in some way show my gratitude and acknowledge the value of Did You Know? my degree?’” When he learned about RIETS’ parnas hayom program, With nearly 1200 alumni in Los Angeles, we’ve discov- which offers the chance to sponsor a day, week or even a ered that: month of learning, Gross shared it with the group. He • 38 are rabbinic alumni wanted to sponsor a day of learning in recognition of the • 19% are Yeshiva College graduates, 16% from Stern education he’d received. Everyone wanted to pitch in. College for Women and 11% are from the Sy Syms “There’s a lot about RIETS that I’m very appreciative of,” School of Business said Rabbi Yonah Gross (no relation). “The education and • 10% attended a Yeshiva University-affiliated high the background there really prepared me for the challenges school I face in my daily work, and we covered a lot of things, like • 56 % attended a YU graduate school or program practical halachos (laws), which don’t get covered in many • 3%of our L.A.-based alumni are parents of current YU yeshivas.” Like Rabbi Jonathan Gross, he felt the friend- students ships created in RIETS were critical, noting that it created • Los Angeles is home to one of our YU Regional a system of support for rabbis just starting out in commu- Councils established in the last year nities across America. “Yesterday, a rabbi from South • Outside of the tri-state area, Los Angeles has one of Carolina threw out a question about minyan, and I hap- the largest concentrations of YU alumni. pened to have a book he didn’t have,” he said. “In some To learn more about YU alumni and the Office of Alumni places, your library is the only thing you’ve got. But I Affairs, visit www.yu.edu/alumni could scan a couple pages and send it to him.” The group of alumni hopes the sponsorship will set a precedent for other students and alumni to follow. “It would be great if it inspired students in Yeshiva right now WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP FELLOWSHIP

Starting in February the Center for the Jewish Future will ship training program for high school students from Yeshiva continue to develop the next generation of female leaders for University High School for Girls at the end of the year. the Jewish community with its Women’s Leadership The Women’s Leadership Fellowship is generously pro- Fellowship. vided for by the Covenant Foundation’s Signature Grant, This Fellowship caters to select students at Stern College which has for the past fifteen years, funded an array of pro- who exhibit outstanding leadership initiative and leadership grams which create and support innovative Jewish educa- qualities. The Fellowship curriculum includes a plethora of tional experiences, especially for women and girls. As part of female guest speakers who are distinct from one another approximately $1.6 million to be distributed this year, the both in terms of their backgrounds as well as in their vari- Foundation included the CJF’s Women’s Leadership ous Jewish communal professional or lay roles. These speak- Initiative as part of its mission to support, advance and ers include Dr. Erica Brown, writer and educator who works impact Jewish education. as the scholar-in-residence for the Jewish Federation of The fellowship trains, empowers and prepares these Greater Washington; Bracha Rutner, Yoetzet Halacha at the orthodox women to assume leadership roles in the Jewish Riverdale Jewish Center and a and Halacha teacher community as we are aware of the growing need for female in Yeshiva of Flatbush; Mem Bernstein, Trustee of both the role models. In a safe and respectful environment these Avi-Chai and Keren Keshet Foundation, Mrs. Chaya Batya women grapple with many of the major issues facing Neugroschl, ‘93SCW, head of school at Central, the Yeshiva women in Orthodoxy today, with the hope of shaping their University High School for Girls, and many more. As a part and Modern Orthodoxy’s future. of the fellowship, the Fellows will also be creating a leader-

SAVE THE DATE Yeshiva University Inaugural Los Angeles Convocation and Dinner Monday, June 13, 2011 11 Sivan 5771 Beverly Wilshire Hotel Beverly Hills For more information contact Sarah Emerson Helfand at [email protected] OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS – SAVE THE DATE MAY 1, 2011 Beth Jacob Congregation, Yom Hashoah Lecture sponsored by The David & Fela Shapell Family Foundation Institute on Shoah U’Gevurah at Yeshiva University Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter JUNE 7 – 9, 2011 Shavuot Scholar in Residence at the Young Israel of Century City Rabbi Jeremy Weider JUNE 7 – 9, 2011 Shavuot Scholar in Residence at Beth Jacob Congregation Rabbi Aaron Rakeffet JUNE 28 – AUGUST 2, 2011 Summer Beit Midrash Program at Beth Jacob Congregation Remember to Forget Rabbi Norman Lamm Rosh HaYeshiva, RIETS and Chancellor, Yeshiva University

Originally given at the Jewish Center in NYC as a derasha for Ki Tetzei 5734 (1974). Excerpted with permission from “Festivals of Faith” (OU Press and YU/RIETS Press, 2011) Memory and forgetfulness are subjects for study by psychologists, neurologists, and cyberneticians. It is for them to learn and explain the “how” of these processes, the mechanisms, the dynamics. But these themes are also the substance of spiritual life. Many commandments of the Torah refer to remembering and forgetting. We are commanded to remember, amongst other things: the Sabbath; the day we left the Land of Egypt; what the Lord did to Miriam - and, thus, the teaching that no one is infallible; how we angered the Lord in the desert - and, therefore, to be aware of our own penchant for ingratitude. Similarly, there are commandments concerning forgetfulness. Most prominent is the commandment of shikhhah - that if one has harvested his field and forgotten a corner, he should not return to it but must leave that forgotten corner for the poor (Deut. 25:19). Even more paradoxical is a commandment to forget (although it is not worded explicitly in that manner). We must forget grudges, insults, hurt. Lo tikkom ve-lo tittor - you shall not take revenge, you shall not bear a grudge (Lev. 19:18). Forgetfulness is even considered a blessing. Our Rabbis teach us: gezerah al ha-met sheyishtakkah min ha-lev, “it is ordained that the dead be forgotten from the heart” (Bereshit Rabbah 84:19). R. Bahya ben Asher pointed out that this is a great blessing, for if man were always to remember the dead, he soon would be laden with such grief that he could not survive emotionally or spiritually (commentary to Gen. 37:35). But most often, and most usually, forgetfulness is regarded as an evil, as a sin. Thus, the Rabbis taught, Ha-shokheah davar ehad mi-mishnato ma‘aleh alav ha-katuv ke-illu mithayyev be-nafsho, “If one forgets a single item from his studies, Scripture considers it as if he were guilty with his life” (Avot 3:10). And, of course, the source of all these commandments is the one which gives the Shabbat before Purim its special distinction and its very name: Shabbat Zakhor. Zakhor et asher asah lekha Amalek . . . lo tishkah (Deut. 25:17–19) - remember what Amalek, that barbaric and savage tribe, did to you . . . you shall not forget. But this commandment not to forget is problematic. After all, everyone forgets. Forgetting is natural, it is part of both our psychological and our physiological selves; it is not a volitional or deliberate act. How, then, can the Torah consider it a sin if we forget?

12 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 Permit me to recommend to you an answer suggested by R. Yitzhak Meir, the Gerer , known to posterity by the name of his great halakhic work, Hiddushei ha-Rim. Forgetfulness, he says, often depends upon man. For we are not speaking here of simple recollection of facts, but the kind of forgetfulness that implies the emptying out of the mind, the catharsis of the heart of its most basic spiritual principles, of the very props of its identity. And this kind of shikhhah is contingent upon ga’avah; it is a forgetfulness which has its roots in man’s arrogance. When a man’s mind is preoccupied with himself, he has little place for what is really important— and he forgets it. Hence we read (Deut. 8:14): Ve-ram levavekha ve-shakhahta et Hashem Elokekha ha-motzi’akha me-Eretz Mitzrayim mi-beit avadim, “And thy heart shall be lifted up, and thou wilt forget the Lord thy God who taketh thee out of the Land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves.” Similarly, we are commanded to remember and not to forget Amalek. Now, the numerical value of the Hebrew word Amalek is 240—the very same numerical value as the word ram, the heart being lifted, raised, exalted, supercilious! When man is filled with conceit, he falters and forgets. Too much ego results in too little memory. An absent mind is the result of a swelled head. A high demeanor results in a low recall. If ram, you will forget Amalek. It is the arithmetic of mind and character. Indeed, this is a human, if not a specifically Jewish, weakness. Rav Kook has taught us in effect that the root of all evils is that we forget who we are, our higher selves. We turn cynical and act as if man is only an amalgam of base drives, of ego-satisfactions, of sexual and material grasping. We forget that, in addition, man is capable of noble action, of sublime sentiment, of self-sacrifice. When we forget that, we are in desperate trouble. (See Orot ha-Kodesh III:97.) Most Jews who assimilate today, so unlike those of the early and middle parts of this century, do not do so primarily because of self-hatred, but because of a massive act of ethnic forgetfulness. And such national absent-mindedness, such forgetting of our higher identity, is often the result of ve-ram levavekha. Our memory is weakened by excessive affluence and too much self-confidence. We American Jews act as if our liberties and successes are self-evidently our right. We act as if our good fortune is deserved. And so ve-ram levavekha leads to ve-shakhahta. And what do we most often forget? Amalek! I read recently that a Swedish gentile woman, who has several times been proposed for the Nobel Peace Prize because of the hundreds of Jews she saved during the Nazi period, said in an interview that only once in her life did she entertain hatred for a fleeting moment. It occurred during a visit she paid to Yad Vashem, museum, in . She overheard an American Jew say to the guide: “I don’t understand why they didn’t fight? Why weren’t they real men?” She was seized with anger, and said to him: “You look fat and prosperous! Have you ever been hungry a day in your life? Do you have any idea what it is like to be starved almost to insanity, surrounded by powerful enemies, aware that no one in the world cares for you—and you have the unmitigated nerve to ask that question?”

13 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 I confess that in reading the interview, I shared her hatred—but only for a fleeting moment. One cannot hate fools. One can only have contempt for them. Certainly, we are subject to that weakness of forgetting time and again. Only a year ago Israelis—and Jews throughout the world—were afflicted by overconfidence, and the Yom Kippur War was the result. I should hope that we Jews are bright enough to have learned from this experience. Most important, one of the things we must never dare to forget is the contemporary Amalek, the Holocaust. The news that the younger generation of Germans does not want to be reminded of it, that they feel they did not participate in it, comes as no surprise to me. But Jews must never fall into the trap of ve-ram levavekha and so forget Amalek. Remember and do not forget! The Holocaust must constantly be part of our education, commemoration, and motivation for further study and spiritual development. Conversely, too, if we remember Amalek, that will lead to a realistic assessment of ourselves, and we shall be able to avoid the pitfall of a “lifted heart.” The United States and all Western world are today in the doldrums. We are all of us in a pessimistic mood about the economy, something which affects each and every one of us. If the Lord helps, and we all escape economic disaster—if it will be, as we say in Yiddish, afgekumen mit a shrek, “escaped with a scare”—then perhaps we will have learned to rid ourselves of the cultural and psychological and moral signs of decadence in our culture, all these corruptions the result of ve-ram levavekha, overconfidence inspired by affluence. So the Hiddushei ha-Rim has given us an unforgettable devar Torah about forgetfulness and arrogance. It is a lesson worthy of our deep thought and meditation. Remember it, do not forget.

14 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 When is a Bar Mitzvah in a Leap Year? Rabbi Mordechai Willig Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS

The Jewish calendar has 12 months. In a leap year, there are 13 months. Each month has either 29 or 30 days, and the first month is the month of Nissan (Shemos 12:2.) If a boy is born on the 29th of Cheshvan (in a year when Cheshvan has 29 days) he becomes a bar mitzvah on his birthday even if that year Cheshvan has 30 days. The fact that it isn’t the last day of the month is halachically irrelevant. Born in a Regular Year, Bar Mitzvah in a Leap Year What if a boy is born in the 12th month, Adar, in a year that has 12 months, and becomes a bar mitzvah in a year that has 13 months? Logically, he should become a bar mitzvah in the 12th month, just as the boy in the previous example becomes a bar mitzvah on the 29th day of the month. The fact that it isn’t the last month of the year should be irrelevant. In fact, the Pri Chadash (OC 55:10) quotes the Maharash HaLevi who rules that he does become a bar mitzvah in the first month of Adar, the 12th calendar month. However, the Rama rules that he becomes a bar mitzvah in the second month of Adar, the 13th month of the year. The Mishna Brurah (55:45) states that the gemara (Megillah 6b) supports the ruling of the Rama. The Gemara there discusses whether, in a leap year, the megillah should be read in Adar I, the first opportunity to do so, or Adar II, based on the reasoning of celebrating the redemption of Purim and Pesach in consecutive months, and concludes to read it in the second Adar. Therefore, just as the megillah is read in Adar II and not Adar I, so too a boy doesn’t become a bar mitzvah until Adar II. This proof is questionable, as the plain reading of the gemara is that both months have the status of Adar. In fact, the Rama himself rules (568:7) that a yahrtzeit for one who passed away in Adar during a 12-month year is observed at the first possible opportunity, in Adar I, in a leap year, while the Gra (568:16) rules that it should be observed in both months. Therefore, if a boy born in Adar becomes a bar mitzvah in Adar, it should occur in Adar I, the first opportunity, according to the Rama. In fact, since the months in the Torah are numbered and not named, the paradigm of 29 and 30 day months should apply. This, too, indicates that the bar mitzvah should occur in month 12, Adar I, parallel to the 29th day of Cheshvan. The existence of a subsequent day, or month, in the bar mitzvah year should be irrelevant.

15 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 The Pri Chadash suggests a support for the opinion of the Rama from the Yerushalmi (Megillah 1:5) which suggests, in the context of the requirement to bring an animal as a korban within a year of its birth, that Adar I is the added month, and therefore an animal born in Adar can be brought until Adar II of the following year. So too, he writes, the 13th year of a boy born in Adar isn’t reached until Adar II. How can this be explained? Perhaps there is a set number of 12 months in a year, and in a leap year the 12th month occurs twice, 12a and 12b. Since, according to the Yerushalmi, 12a is the additional month, the bar mitzvah status is not conferred until 12b, otherwise known as Adar II. This innovative definition of a year may help answer another question as well. The Mishna Brurah (55:45) rules that a boy born on the 30th day of Cheshvan who becomes a bar mitzvah in a year where Cheshvan has 29 days becomes a bar mitzvah on the 1st day of Kislev and not on the 29th day of Cheshvan. The fact that Kislev is the next month is irrelevant for this case. Born in a Leap Year, Bar Mitzvah in a Regular Year What is the halacha in the reverse case, where a boy is born in Adar II and becomes a bar mitzvah in a “regular” year with only 12 months? Logically, based on the previous example, he should become a bar mitzvah on the first of Nissan, just as he becomes a bar mitzvah on the 1st of Kislev if he was born on the 30th day of Cheshvan. The fact that it’s not the same month he was born in should be irrelevant, as it was for the boy born on the 30th day of Cheshvan. In fact, Rav Hershel Schachter shlit”a (B’ikvei Hatzon p. 12) does suggest such a position. However, the (55:10) assumes that the boy becomes a bar mitzvah in Adar. How can this be explained? Perforce, we define his birth month of Adar II as month 12b, the last month of the year, not the 13th. Therefore, he would become a bar mitzvah in Adar, the 12th and last month of the year. Born in a Leap Year, Bar Mitzvah in a Leap Year What if a boy is born in Adar I and becomes a bar mitzvah in a leap year? Most authorities rule (Mishna Brurah 55:43) that since he was born in Adar I he becomes bar mitzvah in Adar I. However, the Magen Avraham (55:10) disagrees. He is of the opinion that the 13th year ends in Adar II, one year after the boy’s 12th birthday, since Adar I is considered the additional month. Just as an animal born in Adar I can be offered until Adar II, so too the boy would become a bar mitzvah in Adar II. The fact that he was born in Adar I is irrelevant. This position seems perfectly logical and perhaps should be followed. Born on Rosh Chodesh Kislev What if a boy is born on the 1st day of Kislev in a year when Cheshvan had 29 days, and becomes a bar mitzvah in a year when Cheshvan has 30 days? The Mishna Brurah (55:45) rules that he becomes a bar mitzvah on the 30th day of Cheshvan, while the Sha’arei Teshuva (55:11) disagrees and holds that he becomes a bar mitzvah on the same calendar day he was born, the 1st day of Kislev. How can the Mishna Brurah’s position be explained?

16 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 The answer lies in the precise formulation of the Shulchan Aruch (55:9). A boy must be 13 years and one day old to be a bar mitzvah. In this context, the Mishna Brurah (55:42) explains that one day means that the 13 years have passed and that the first day of the 14th year has begun. If a boy is born on the 1st day of Kislev in a year when Cheshvan had 29 days, then 13 years have passed on the 29th day of Cheshvan, the anniversary of the day before he was born. On the next day, he becomes a bar mitzvah, whether it is the 1st day of Kislev or the 30th of Cheshvan. The first day of the 14th year has begun even when the anniversary of his birth, the 1st day of Kislev, is not until the next day. Born on Rosh Chodesh Adar What if a boy is born on the 30th day of Adar I, and becomes a bar mitzvah in a plain year when Adar has only 29 days? This seems to resemble the aforementioned case of a boy born on the 30th day of Cheshvan who becomes a bar mitzvah in a year where Cheshvan only has 29 days. As noted, the Mishna Brurah (55:45) rules he becomes a bar mitzvah on the first day of Kislev. Here too, since Adar has only 29 days, he becomes a bar mitzvah on the 1st day of Nissan. However, the Binyan Zion (158) rules that he becomes a bar mitzvah on the first day of Rosh Chodesh Adar, which is the 30th day of Shevat, since he was born on the first day of Rosh Chodesh Adar. This novel view, which makes him a bar mitzvah over a month earlier, is based on an unproven thesis that the status of Rosh Chodesh can determine a birth day. On this basis, the Binyan Zion rules that a boy born on the first day of Rosh Chodesh Adar in a 12-month year becomes a bar mitzvah on the first day of Rosh Chodesh Adar II in a leap year, based on the opinion of the Rama that those born in a regular Adar become bnei mitzvah in Adar II in a leap year. If the status of Rosh Chodesh is not a determining factor, the boy would become a bar mitzvah a full month earlier. Since he was born on the 30th day of Shevat, he would become a bar mitzvah on the 30th day of Shevat, which is the first day of Rosh Chodesh Adar I. May the double Adar of this year increase the joy that Adar heralds in, in particular the joy of learning Hashem’s Torah.

17 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 A Life of Giving Rabbi Reuven Brand Rosh Kollel, Yeshiva University Torah Mitzion Kollel of Chicago

A Season of Giving אם על המלך טוב יכתב לאבדם ועשרת [If it should please the king, write to destroy [the Jews“ אלפים ככר כסף וגו' אמר ריש לקיש : גלוי ,and [I will pay] 20,000 kikar of silver” Reish Lakish says וידוע לפני מי שאמר והיה העולם שעתיד it was clear to the Creator of the World that in the future המן לשקול שקלים על ישראל , לפיכך ,Haman would take out shekalim for the Jewish people הקדים שקליהן לשקליו. והיינו דתנן : באחד [and therefore He committed [the Jewish people’s באדר משמיעין על השקלים ועל הכלאים . . shekalim before his. מגילה דף יג: Megilla 13b

This Talmudic passage conveys Hashem's providence in protecting the Jewish people, drawing a creative connection between the shekalim that Haman offered to Achashveirosh and the ones the Jewish people donate annually to the Beit Hamikdash. Hashem orchestrated it such that our donation should precede the offer of Haman. Providence is surely a classic theme of the Purim story, yet we can wonder why does the Talmud focus on this specific episode- the donation of the silver- to present it? Perhaps the Talmud is underscoring another key, central motif in the holiday of Purim: the notion of giving, which is highlighted by the giving of Haman and the giving of the Jewish people. Giving finds expression in multiple ways throughout Purim, especially in a Halachic context. While we find the celebration of a festive meal and public reading of a text in other holidays as well, the other two Mitzvot of the day- Matanot Laevyonim and Mishloach Manot- are unique to Purim. Matanot Laevyonim, gifts to the poor, is a specific Mitzvah of this day, distinct from our general obligation to disburse tzedakah. The Shulchan Aruch describes one manifestation of this difference: אין מדקדקים במעות פורים אלא We don’t investigate recipients of [gifts to the poor] on Purim, but כל מי שפושט ידו ליטול נותנים לו .rather anyone who extends their hand to receive should be given שולחן ערוך או"ח סימן תרצד Shulchan Aruch OC 694

We learn that while the ongoing obligation to assist others financially is tempered by the possibility of inquiring about potential recipients, our giving on Purim is different. It is not subject to these boundaries, and we give to all those who ask. The mitzvah of Mishloach Manot is a Mitzvah that has no parallel in other holidays or Halacha in general. In truth, it is a curious commandment. Why are we obligated to share food with others or exchange meals with those who do not need them? Clearly, the emphasis is upon the

18 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 others or exchange meals with those who do not need them? Clearly, the emphasis is upon the act of giving, irrespective of the need of the recipient. Halacha requires that on Purim we habituate to the act of giving; this commandment ennobles the giver. Hence, both of these Mitzvot reflect our theme of giving. Yet, we are left to wonder: what about the original holiday of Purim mandates a response of giving? A Definition of Death תנו רבנן: ארבעים ושמונה נביאים It was taught: 48 prophets and 7 prophetesses prophesied to ושבע נביאות נתנבאו להם לישראל, the Jewish people, and they did not expand or take away from ולא פחתו ולא הותירו על מה שכתוב [what was written in the Torah, except for [the mitzvah of בתורה, חוץ ממקרא מגילה. מאי דרוש? reading the Megilla. How did they extrapolate this? Rebbi אמר רבי חייא בר אבין אמר רבי יהושע Chiyah the son of Abin said in the name of Rebbi Yehoshua בן קרחה: ומה מעבדות לחירות אמרינן ben Karcha, [going] from slavery to freedom warrants singing, שירה - ממיתה לחיים לא כל שכן ? ? and so from death to life all the more so. מגילה דף יד. Megillah 14a

The Gemara presents a rationale for the basis of the institution of Purim founded on intuitive reason; this holiday is a celebration of our transition from death to life. It would seem from the language of the Gemara that in the case of Purim we were in fact considered dead, much as we were actually slaves when we were in Egypt. Although the simple understanding of the comment is that we were faced with death, and not in fact dead, why did the Talmud describe it in this way? In addition, the cause of this "death" is puzzling. The Gemara in Megillah suggests at first שאלו תלמידיו את רבי שמעון בן יוחאי: Rebbi Shimon ben Yochai was asked by his students, why מפני מה נתחייבו שונאיהן של ישראל were the Jews liable for death in that generation? He שבאותו הדור כליה? אמר להם : אמרו responded, say the answer yourselves! They said, because אתם -! אמרו לו: מפני שנהנו מסעודתו they derived benefit from the banquet of that evil one של אותו רשע . (.Achashverosh) מגילה דף יב. Megillah 12a

While this reason does not seem to be accepted at the conclusion of the Gemara, the glaring question remains. How did the Gemara even consider for a moment that the enjoyment of Achashveirosh's meal would be a cause for the destruction of the Jewish people?1 Finally, in attempting to understand the "death" of Purim, we should consider another definition of death: poverty. The Talmud (Nedarim 64b) states that a pauper is considered dead. Here, too, we wonder, why is poverty synonymous with death? Understanding life To appreciate a definition of death, one must consider an understanding of life. From a Jewish perspective, life is not defined biologically. Rather, it can be viewed as the ongoing presence of a

1 See Maharsha, Megillah 12a s.v. Laasot who suggests that the food and drink at the meal were Kosher, in fulfillment of the Talmud’s observation that the meal was to “the wishes of Mordechai.”

19 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 connection with Hashem, the source of all life in this world. Organic virility does not define life, as the Talmud teaches: והמתים אינם יודעים מאומה - אלו And the dead know nothing” refers to the wicked who in“ רשעים שבחייהן קרויין מתים, their lifetime are called dead, as it says “And you wicked one שנאמר (: יחזקאל כ"א) ואתה חלל רשע ,who is to be slain, the prince of Israel” or perhaps from here נשיא ישראל. ואי בעית אימא, מהכא: on the word of two or three witnesses shall the dead one be“ (דברים י"ז) על פי שנים עדים או (על put to death.” Is he not yet alive? Rather he is already פי) שלשה עדים יומת המת. חי הוא! considered dead from the start. אלא: המת מעיקרא. ברכות דף יח: Berachot 18b

Hence, as long as one is spiritually disconnected, although they may appear alive, they are not considered to be truly living. Every person is endowed with this ongoing, spiritual connection with G-d at birth, just like the world was endowed with life when Hashem created it. This spark of creation and life is explored by Rav Eliyahu Dessler (Israel, 1892- 1953), who examines the origins of life and explains how we can imitate and connect with Hashem, our source of life: כאשר ברא אלהים את האדם עשהו לנותן .When God created man He made him a giver and a taker ונוטל. כח הנתינה הוא כח עליון ממדות The power to give is the greatest attribute of the Creator of יוצר הכל ברוך הוא שהוא מרחם ומטיב the World, for He is merciful and bestows goodness and gives ונותן מבלי קבל דבר תמורה . ... וככה without receiving anything in return… And this is how man עשה את האדם ככתוב "בצלם אלהים was created, as it says “Man was created in the image of עשה את האדם" כי יוכל לרחם ולהטיב God” for he can be merciful, to do good and to give. But the וליתן. אבל כח הנטילה הוא אשר יתאוה האדם למשוך אליו את כל הבא בתחומו. power to take is what man desires to draw close everything in כח זה הוא אשר יקראוהו בני אדם "אהבת his reach. This urge is what is called “self-love” and is the עצמו" והוא שורש כל הרעות. .root of all evil קונטרס החסד פרק א Kuntrus Hachesed Chap 1 p. 32

According to Rav Dessler, truly imitating and connecting with G-d is achieved through the Divine one) ”,שונא מתנות יחיה“ :(attribute of giving. In this way, he explains the verse in Mishlei (15:27 who despises receiving gifts will live) to mean that one will have life if they give and do not take. According to this view, Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz (Israel, 1902- 1979, Sichat Mussar 63) explains why an indigent person is not considered alive according to the Talmud. It is not because the pauper does not have that they are not alive. Rather it is because such a person is unable to give that precludes them from being truly alive. One’s inability to imitate the Divinely creative, life giving attribute of giving means that one is tantamount to deceased. The story of Purim While there is a lack of clarity in the Megillah itself as to why the Jewish people were deserving of destruction, perhaps we can now piece together several clues. לְתַאֲוָה יְבַקֵּשׁ נִפְרָד בְּכָל תּוּשִׁיָּה יִתְגַּלָּע : He that separates himself seeks his own desire, and snarls משלי יח:א .against all sound wisdom Mishlei 18:1

20 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771

This verse in Mishlei encapsulates the essence of desire- a solitary existence without concern for others. Pleasure seeking leads one to a self-centered, isolated destination that leaves no room for sharing nor any notion of giving. Hence, desire is the antithesis of giving and, by definition, of life. Perhaps, the students of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in the Talmud are implying that the sin of the feast of Achashveirosh was their participation in a gluttonous affair, one that encouraged desire and selfishness. The feast itself was a hedonic event championed by an egotistical king, into whose pleasure seeking value system the Jews were being drawn. Haman's assessment of the scattered ,”מפוזר ומפורד“ Jews at the time may corroborate this suggestion. He describes them as and disunified. This may signify more than just a geographic reality, but also a spiritual assessment. They were scattered, disparate individuals seeking their own personal interests. Esther’s response in the face of crisis is revealing as well. She responded to the decree with the ultimate act of giving: sacrificing herself and her life by appearing before Achashveirosh fast for me, as an -”צומו עלי“ uninvited. She charged the Jewish community not just to fast, but act of giving and communal unity. Even the origins of the redemption are rooted in giving, as Esther gave credit to Mordechai for the capture of Bigtan and Teresh, which resulted in Mordechai’s triumph over Haman. Perhaps now we can accept the literal reading of the Talmud’s statement about the institution of Purim- that the Jews were saved from actual death. Purim is a story of metamorphosis from a self- centered people to a community of giving. This is truly a transformation from spiritual death, at the feast of Achashveirosh, to life, with the unification and sacrifice of a mutually concerned community. It explains why Purim manifests the notion of giving in such practical ways- to enable us to become alive again each year with our acts of giving in fulfillment of the theme of the Purim story. We can now appreciate the Talmud’s contrast between the giving of Haman and the giving of the Jewish community. We describe Haman as the descendent of Amalek, the spiritual nemesis of the Jewish people. While the Jewish people strive to manifest the energy of giving, imitating G-d’s creation of the world, Amalek stands in opposition. Amalek represents the ultimate evil, which Rav Dessler explains as the attribute of taking. Historically, Amalek was the embodiment of evil as it was a parasitic band of nomads, who sought out defenseless tribes and peoples whom they could plunder. According to the Talmud, Haman presented his offer to Achashveirosh in an ironic and duplicitous manner. Haman suggested that he was willing to give, to adopt the life force of the Jewish nation, to achieve his ultimate goal of taking power, wealth and honor. Hashem responded by noting that the quality of giving was already spoken for by the Jewish people, whose annual giving to the Beit Hamikdash sealed our destiny as a future of life. Each year, in each generation, we have the opportunity to tap into this source of life, the spirit of giving. It is our Avodah- our mission- to celebrate the holiday of Purim with its unique Mitzvot that exemplify this fundamental value.2

2 The author is grateful to Professor Leslie Newman for her helpful comments on this article.

21 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 Why Don't We Recite Hallel on Purim? Rabbi Joshua Flug Director of Torah Research, Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future

One of rituals that is noticeably absent from the celebration of Purim is the recitation of Hallel. Hallel is recited on all other holidays that involve rejoicing, including the rabbinic holiday of Chanukah. If so, why don't we recite Hallel on Purim? אי הכי הלל נמי ... רב נחמן אמר If so [why don't we] recite Hallel as well? R. Nachman stated: The קרייתא זו הלילא רבא אמר reading of [the Megillah] is [Purim's] Hallel. Rava stated: It בשלמא התם הללו עבדי ה ' ולא makes sense [to recite Hallel on Pesach] and say "The servants of עבדי פרעה אלא הכא הללו עבדי G-d sing praise" and not the servants of Paroh. However, here ה' ולא עבדי אחשורוש אכתי עבדי regarding Purim) "The servants of G-d sing praise" and not the) אחשורוש אנן. servants of Achashverosh? We are still servants of Achashverosh. מגילה יד. Megillah 14a

According to R. Nachman, there is an inherent requirement to recite Hallel on Purim. However, that obligation is fulfilled through the reading of Megillat Esther. Rava, on the other hand, is of the opinion that there is no obligation to recite Hallel on Purim.3 Is R. Nachman's Position Accepted? Rambam (1138-1204) states explicitly that the reading of Megillat Esther serves as the Hallel of Purim: ולא תקנו הלל בפורים שקריאת המגילה היא The [rabbis] did not institute [recitation of] Hallel on ההלל. .Purim because the reading of the Megillah is its Hallel רמב"ם הל' חנוכה ומגילה ג:ו Rambam, Hilchot Chanukah 3:6

Rabbeinu Asher (c. 1250-1327), Megillah 1:8, codifies the opinion of Rava that there is no obligation to recite Hallel on Purim.

3 The phrase "we are still servants of Achashverosh" seems to indicate that even Rava considered himself a servant of Achashverosh. Shita Mekubetzet, Erchin 10b, notes a version that states "they were still servants of Achashverosh." Rashi, Megillah 14a, s.v. Akati, also implies that Rava's opinion is that there is no obligation to recite Hallel on Purim because at the time of the Purim miracle, the Jews were still servants of Achashverosh.

22 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 R. Menachem Meiri (1249-1306), notes that there is a practical difference between the approach of R. Nachman and the approach of Rava: ונראה לי לטעם זה שאם היה במקום שאין לו It seems to me that according to this reason if one is in a מגלה שקורא את ההלל שהרי לא נמנעה קריאתו place that there is no Megillah, he should recite Hallel אלא מפני שקריאת המגלה במקומו ומכל מקום because the only reason why Hallel is not recited is that טעם אחר נאמר בה בגמרא והוא מפני שעדיין .it was replaced by the reading of the Megillah עבדי אחשורוש היו ולא יצאו מעבדות לחירות However, there is another reason mentioned in the ואין לשון עבדי ה' נופל אלא בנס שאפשר לומר Gemara and that is because they were still servant of בו עבדי ה' לבד כגון נס של מצרים עבדי ה ' ולא ' Achashverosh … and according to this reason, even עבדי פרעה אבל בזו עדיין עבדי אחשורוש היו ולטעם זה אף מי שאין בידו מגלה אינו קורא את one who does not have a Megillah should not recite ההלל וראשון נראה יותר. .Hallel. The first opinion seems more logical מאירי מגילה יד. Meiri, Megillah 14a

According to R. Nachman, there is an inherent obligation to recite Hallel on Purim that can be fulfilled through reading the Megillah. As such, if one has no ability to fulfill the mitzvah of reading the Megillah, he should recite Hallel on Purim. According to Rava, there is no inherent obligation to recite Hallel on Purim. Therefore, if one is unable to fulfill the mitzvah of reading the Megillah, there is still no requirement to recite Hallel. Meiri's comments lay the groundwork for assuming that according to R. Nachman, the laws of Purim, and specifically, the laws of reading the Megillah reflect the obligation to recite Hallel. R. Chaim Y.D. Azulai (1724-1807), Birkei Yosef, Orach Chaim 793:4, notes that the codifiers of Jewish law do not include any requirement to recite Hallel even if one has no ability of fulfilling the mitzvah of reading the Megillah. One must conclude that Rava's opinion is the normative opinion and there is never a requirement to recite Hallel on Purim. However, R. Avraham S.B. Sofer (1815-1871), K'tav Sofer, Orach Chaim no. 140, notes that it is difficult to conclude definitively that R. Nachman's opinion is rejected given that Rambam codifies the opinion of R. Nachman. He suggests that the reason why we don't find any of the codifiers requiring recitation of Hallel when a Megillah is not available is that R. Nachman's opinion is that the institution to read the Megillah replaces the initial obligation to recite Hallel. Once this institution took effect, even if one is in a rare situation where he cannot fulfill the mitzvah of reading the Megillah, he does not gain by reciting Hallel because the obligation to recite Hallel no longer exists.4 According to R. Sofer, R. Nachman's opinion doesn't necessarily have halachic significance and merely serves as a reason why Hallel was not instituted on Purim. R. Nachman's Position In Halachic Literature There are a number of areas where R. Nachman's opinion is discussed. First, R. Moshe Sofer (1762-1839), Chatam Sofer, Orach Chaim no. 161, discusses cities where there is a doubt whether they should celebrate Purim on the fourteenth or the fifteenth. He notes that if one

4 R. Sofer's explanation implies that the original obligation to recite Hallel is rabbinic in nature. His father, R. Moshe Sofer, presents an approach that will be discussed later, that the obligation to recite Hallel on festivals is biblical in nature.

23 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 assumes that the requirement to recite Hallel is of biblical origin and one also assumes that there is an inherent requirement to recite Hallel on Purim, one must observe both days of Purim based on the principle of safek d'oraita l'chumra (one must be stringent on matters relating to Torah law). If one assumes that recitation of Hallel is rabbinic in nature (or that there is no inherent requirement to recite Hallel), one may be lenient and observe only one of the days. Second, R. Ya'akov B. Zolty (1920-1982), Mishnat Ya'avetz, Orach Chaim no. 77, notes that R. Nachman's opinion sheds light on the nature of the daytime reading of the Megillah. Tosafot, Megillah 4a, s.v. Chayav, quote the opinion of Rabbeinu Yitzchak that the daytime reading is considered the primary reading. Therefore, although one recites the beracha of Shehechiyanu before the nighttime reading, one repeats the beracha at the daytime reading. Rambam, Hilchot Megillah U'Chanukah 1:3, rules that one should not recite Shehechiyanu during the daytime reading. R. Zolty explains that Rambam's opinion is that the daytime reading is not the primary fulfillment of the mitzvah of reading the Megillah. The Mishna, Megillah 20b, states that one can only recite Hallel during the day. Therefore, it is possible that the primary impetus to institute a daytime reading was to fulfill the requirement to recite Hallel. As such, there are two aspects of the daytime reading, neither of which warrants recitation of Shehechiyanu. The Hallel aspect does not warrant a Shehechiyanu since one does not ordinarily recite Shehechiyanu on the recitation of Hallel. The inherent obligation to repeat the reading of the Megillah during the daytime does not warrant a Shehechiyanu since the Shehechiyanu was already recited at the nighttime reading. A second recitation of Shehechiyanu is only logical according to Rabbeinu Yitzchak's opinion that the primary reading is during the daytime. Third, R. Moshe Sofer, Chatam Sofer, Orach Chaim no. 51, notes that there are three principles that ostensibly cannot coexist. 1) The Mishna's principle (Megillah 21a) that the Megillah can be read standing or sitting. 2) The principle of Shibolei HaLeket, no. 173, codified by Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 422:7, that Hallel must be recited in the standing position. 3) R. Nachman's principle that reading the Megillah fulfills the requirement to recite Hallel on Purim. If one assumes that Hallel must be recited standing and that reading of the Megillah fulfills the requirement to recite Hallel, how does the Mishna allow one to read the Megillah while seated? R. Zolty, op. cit., without directly referencing Chatam Sofer's question, notes that the leniency to read the Megillah while seated may be contingent on whether one accepts R. Nachman's opinion. Tur, Orach Chaim no. 590, rules that although one can fulfill the mitzvah if he reads the Megillah in the sitting position, ideally, one should only read the Megillah in the standing position. Ran, Megillah 11b, s.v. HaKorei, rules that even in an ideal situation one may read the Megillah in the sitting position. R. Zolty explains that Tur's reluctance to allow reading the Megillah in the sitting position is a function of R. Nachman's opinion that reading the Megillah fulfills the requirement to recite Hallel on Purim. Since Hallel is recited in the standing position, the Megillah should ideally be read in the standing position. R. Zolty further explains that since the reason to read the Megillah standing is due to the obligation to recite Hallel, Tur would agree that at the nighttime reading - which does not serve to fulfill the obligation to recite Hallel - there is no insistence on standing for the reading of the Megillah.

24 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 Fourth, R. Yehudai Gaon (8th century), Halachot Gedolot, Hilchot Megillah, writes that women and children are not required to read the Megillah, but they are required to listen to the Megillah. Tosafot, Megillah 4a, s.v. nashim, note that according to R. Yehudai Gaon, a woman cannot read on behalf of a man because a man's obligation is to read the Megillah and a woman's obligation is to listen to the Megillah. R. Chanoch H. Eiges (1863-1941), Marcheshet 1:22, suggests that the approach of Halachot Gedolot is based on R. Nachman's opinion. The obligation to read the Megillah is only a function of the obligation to recite Hallel. Since women are exempt from Hallel, they only have an obligation to listen to the Megillah. Therefore, R. Eiges rules that at the nighttime reading, both men and women only have an obligation to listen to the Megillah and therefore, a woman may read on behalf of a man. R. Aryeh Z. Pomeranchik (1908-1942), Emek Beracha, Keriat HaMegillah no. 3, deduces the exact opposite conclusion. He assumes that women are obligated to recite Hallel and therefore suggests that both men and women have an equal obligation to read the megillah during the day. Halachot Gedolot's idea only applies to the nighttime reading. Fifth, R. Yekutiel Halberstam (1905-1994), Divrei Yatziv, Orach Chaim 2:296, discusses two different customs regarding when one should perform a circumcision that occurs on Purim. According to R. Yosef Karo (1488-1575), Bedek HaBayit, Yoreh De'ah no. 262, the circumcision should be performed after the reading of the Megillah. According to Rama (1520-1572), Orach Chaim 693:4, the circumcision should take place before the reading of the Megillah. R. Halberstam suggests that these two customs may reflect the two approaches regarding recitation of Hallel on Purim. If the reading of the Megillah serves as the recitation of Hallel, it would not be appropriate to perform a circumcision between the and the reading of the Megillah because according to the Tosefta, Menachot 6:5, the Amidah and Hallel are inherently linked. If there is no requirement to recite Hallel, one may perform a circumcision between the Amidah and the reading of the Megillah. R. Halberstam adds that the custom to perform the circumcision specifically before the reading of the Megillah may be to show that we follow the opinion of Rava that there is no requirement of Hallel on Purim. Sixth, R. Ya'akov Y. Algazi (1680-1756), Chug Ha'Aretz no. 16, discusses the law that if Shushan Purim occurs on Shabbat, those who live in a walled city read the Megillah on Friday (Mishna, Megillah 2a). R. Algazi asks: granted that one cannot read the Megillah on Shabbat, but why isn't there a recitation of Hallel on Shabbat, the day when Purim actually occurs? He answers that it would cause confusion in other years. Alternatively, the reading of the Megillah on Friday serves as the Hallel for the actual day of Purim. R. Algazi's question is only applicable according to R. Nachman. According to Rava, there is no reason to entertain recitation of Hallel in such a situation. R. Yosef D. Soloveitchik (1903-1993, cited in Harerei Kedem 1:192) provides two more insights into how R. Nachman's position impacts the reading of the Megillah. First, Orchot Chaim, Hilchot Megillah no. 24, rules that if there is no minyan (a group of ten male adults) available, each person should read the Megillah on his own. If there is someone who is unable to read on his own, someone may read for him and he will fulfill the mitzvah by listening. R. Avraham

25 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 Gombiner (c.1633-1683), Magen Avraham 689:10, explains that although the principle of shomei'a k'oneh (the listener is like the responder) should allow one to listen to the reading of the Megillah from someone else, the reading of the Megillah is similar to tefillah (prayer). Regarding tefillah, each person must pray on his own unless it is within the context of a minyan or he does not know how to pray on his own. R. Soloveitchik notes that Magen Avraham's comparison of reading the Megillah to tefillah seems to be based on the principle that reading the Megillah fulfills the obligation to recite Hallel on Purim. Since one aspect of reading the Megillah is Hallel, when there is no minyan, it is preferable for each individual to read on his own. Second, R. Soloveitchik notes that the Hallel aspect of the reading of the Megillah explains why certain verses of the Megillah are read by the entire congregation. Regarding Hallel, the Gemara, Sukkah 38b, states that certain portions of Hallel should be recited responsively (i.e. one person reads a verse and the rest of the congregation responds). The responsive reading of some of the verses in the Megillah serves to fulfill that requirement.

26 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 Making Scents of Purim Rabbi Yoni Levin Director of Programming, Beren and Wexner Kollel Elyon

In His infinite wisdom, Hashem authored the Torah, laced with countless secrets. This timeless masterpiece alludes to episodes that would eventually greet the world, and masks personalities that would alter the fate of the Jewish people. As with other characters in Tanach, Chazal search for a Biblical allusion to one of the heroes of the Purim story, Mordechai Hayehudi. מרדכי מן התורה מנין? דכתיב Where is Mordechai to be found in the Torah? As it is written (שמות ל:כג ) [ואתה קח לך בשמים ,Shmos 30:23) : [And you shall take for yourselves] mar deror) ראש ] מר דרור ומתרגמינן: מירא .and the Targum [Onkelos] translates this as mira dachyia דכיא. Chullin 139b חולין דף קלט:

The specific words employed by the Torah to envelop these mysteries are of great significance; the words are meant to reveal something profound about the characters hidden behind them. The words “mar deror,” therefore, should then indicate something insightful about Mordechai. Mar deror is a spice used in making the shemen hamishcha, the holy oil used to anoint and initiate the use of the utensils in the mishkan. What is the correlation between Mordechai and spices? What is the Torah teaching us about Mordechai’s character by concealing his name within the words “mar deror”? The connection to havdalah Mordechai is not the only Purim character likened to a spice. Esther follows suit with her second name, Hadassah, which the gemara (Megilah 10b) compares to a hadas. In Talmudic times, the hadas, one of the four species taken on Sukkos, was primarily used for smelling (Sukkah 37b). In addition to its inclusion in the mitzvah of lulav on Sukkos, the hadas is also used in connection with havdalah. נהגו לברך על ההדס כל היכא The custom is to use a hadas [for besamim] when possible דאפשר Shulchan Aruch O”C 297:4 שולחן ערוך או"ח רצז:ד And it is written in the Zohar that this is based on the passuk וכ"כ בזוהר וסמך לדבר ותחת Yeshayahu 55:13) “and in place of sarpad will rise hadas” which) הסרפד יעלה הדס וסמיך ליה precedes the passuk (56:2) “and you shall keep the Shabbos from שומר שבת מחללו being profaned” משנה ברורה רצז:ח Mishna Brurah 297:8

The rationale, explains the Tur, is that when an object is used for one mitzvah one should strive to use that item for another mitzvah (Brachos 39b), and, therefore, since the hadasim were used

27 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 for the mitzvah of lulav they should also be used for the mitzvah of havdalah. Although logical, Rav Yosef Karo writes that there is a more profound meaning to the custom of using hadasim for havdalah, but does not provide the reader with any further explanation. A further analysis of the sources will help reveal this strong link between Purim, spices, and now, havdalah as well. Fragrance is the spiritual sustenance מנין שאומרים הלל בראש חדש מצינו What is the source for saying hallel on Rosh Chodesh? We find שרמז דוד בתהלים (קנ) הללויה הללו that David HaMelech hints to it in Psalm 150 by mentioning אל בקדשו י"ב פעמים הללו כנגד י "ב .the word ‘praise’ 12 times corresponding to the 12 months חדשים ולפיכך אנו כופלים כל הנשמה Therefore, we repeat the last statement of praise totaling 13 על שנה מעוברת שיש לה י "ג חדשים .praises for the 13 months in the leap year ועל חדש ב' ימים Shibolei HaLeket (172) שיבולי הלקט קעב

But which praise corresponds to which month? The Klausenberger Rebbe, Rav Yekutial Yehuda Halberstam, offers some insight. The first mention of praise corresponds to the first month of all the months, Nisan, and the praise that includes the blowing of the shofar refers to Elul, when we blow the shofar every morning of the entire month (Shu”t Divrei Yatziv O”C 96). It would seem which is repeated, should correspond to the ,”כל הַנְּשָׁמָה תְּהַלֵּל יָהּ הַלְלוּ יָהּ“ very sensible that month of Adar that gets repeated on the Jewish leap year – the very month containing Purim. What’s even more interesting is that this very pasuk, which represents the month of Adar, is also the source7 of making brachos prior to smelling besamim, further highlighting the correlation between Purim and the nature of smell. The power of smell warrants a bracha because of the benefit and nourishment it provides the body. But it is not the nourishment of the physical body; rather, it is to the spiritual component of man that is nourished by a pleasant fragrance. This notion that the spiritual element of man is nourished by the breathtaking aromas emitted from the finest spices will be a key factor in understanding the enigma at hand. Drinking wine is like smelling! But before connecting the dots, it is imperative that an essential theme of Purim be addressed. There are seven liquids (water, dew, wine, milk, blood, honey, and oil) that make any food susceptible to impurity; for example, an apple that has been detached from the tree must first come in contact with one of these liquids as a prerequisite to obtaining a state of impurity. Chazal write that each of these liquids corresponds to one of the Jewish holidays: Pesach:blood, Shavuos:milk, Rosh Hashannah:honey, Yom Kippur:dew, Sukkos:water, Chanukah:oil, and Purim:wine. The connection of wine to Purim needs little defense, but a connection of wine to the sense of smell ”מיחייב איניש לבסומי“ would seem unfounded. Chazal issued the well-known statement of chazal (Megilah 7b), which describes the requirement to drink wine on Purim. The Aramaic word for almost identical to the Hebrew word besamim, spices! Does this suggest ’לבסומי‘ getting drunk is that the consumption of wine and the smelling of spices have similar effects?

7 Berachos 43b

28 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 אמר רבי חנינא: כל המתפתה ביינו R’ Chanina said, anyone who can be reconciled while under the יש בו מדעת קונו, שנאמר וירח ה' influence of wine has a quality of his Creator, as it is written את ריח הניחח וגו .”Bereishis 8:21) “and Hashem smelled the sweet savor) ערובין סה: Eruvin 65b ואמרן לעיל דריחא דומיא דמשתייא And we explained earlier that smelling is like drinking הוא, Rashi ibid. רש"י שם

translated as he smelled, is used to prove that wine operates as a great pacifist ,’וירח‘ The word and peacemaker. One of the most basic themes of Purim is wine, and here too, the power of smell is an underlying factor. The motives of the nachash and Haman In order to fully comprehend the unique power of smell, the malicious motives of the villain of the Purim story must be analyzed. What set off Haman on a tirade to annihilate the Jews? Rabbi Zvi Elimelech Shapira of Dinov writes in Bnei Yisaschar (Mamarei Chodesh Sivan 4) that the sense of smell was the only one of the senses unaffected by the sin of the snake in Gan Eden. Focusing in on the story of Adam and Chavah, particularly their sin and exile from Gan Eden, a mention of each of the five senses can be found with the exception of the sense of smell, thus serving as a basis for Rabbi Shapira’s argument. Haman is considered by chazal to be a “descendent” of the nachash. המן מן התורה מנין (? בראשית ג )' המן העץ, Where is Haman found in the Torah? As it says [אשר צויתיך לבלתי אכל ממנו אכלת ]: Bereshis 3:11) “[Have you eaten] of the tree, [that I) חולין קלט: [?commanded you not to eat Chullin 139b

What were the motives of the nachash? The nachash argued that by eating the forbidden fruit, Chavah would transform into a heavenly creature, elevating her onto a plane with Hashem. Notwithstanding that his assertion was entirely incorrect, the nachash intended on equating all forms of creation. He desired equality, conformity, and uniformity. No individual should be superior to the next. The nachash believed that G-d should not have full sovereign over the world and, therefore, insisted that Chavah eat from the Tree of Knowledge hoping to equate her to the Almighty. This set of beliefs was echoed centuries later by the nachash’s “progeny”, Haman. Haman wanted every member of the kingdom to be equal, but Mordechai’s stubborn refusal to prostrate to Haman and conform to the actions of others aggravated Haman tremendously. Haman relayed to the king the heinous crime of the Jews ויאמר המן למלך אחשורוש ישנו And Haman said to King Achashverosh there is one nation עם אחד מפזר ומפרד בין העמים scattered and alone among the nations in all the states of your בכל מדינות מלכותך ודתיהם שנות kingdom, and their belief is different from other nations, and they מכל עם ואת דתי המלך אינם עשים don’t conform to the rules of the king and it is not worthwhile for ולמלך אין שוה להניחם: .the king to leave them אסתר ג:ח Esther 3:8

29 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771

The crime was that Mordechai did not bow down to Haman. It had nothing to do with the unique religion and culture of Klal Yisrael. Yet Haman’s complaint to Achashverosh exposed Haman’s true colors. It is apparent that Haman was opposed to Klal Yisrael’s unique, special, and sacred religion. Haman tried blurring the class lines as did his role model, the snake. The strength of smell Despite Haman’s efforts, Mordechai and Esther waged a successful war against their nemesis. What was the secret weapon that overpowered Haman? The heroes of Purim tapped into a deep long-held arsenal untainted by the many generations of enemies. The power of smell endured the tactics of the snake and it was this force that ultimately dethroned Haman. The sense of smell earned its might by channeling sweet aromas to the neshama, providing it with spiritual nourishment and sustenance. Similar to the way the delightful aroma travels an unadulterated path directly to the neshama, so too Mordechai and Esther, the “mar deror” and the “"hadas, maintained a clear and moral outlook. It is because of the pure connection to the neshama that Mordechai and Esther were able to thwart Haman’s plans. They were empowered to recognize the importance of individuality, the significance of distinctiveness, and the value of hierarchy. They recognized the difference between the sanctified and the mundane, between light and darkness, between the Jewish people and the other nations, and between Shabbos and the rest of the week. It is for this reason that we incorporate the hadas in havdalah, where we mention all of these differences. And it is for this reason that we include the famed pasuk from Megilas Esther and for the Jews there was light, happiness ," ליהודים היתה אורה ושמחה וששון ויקר“ in havdalah joy and honor.

30 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 Purim and Pesach: Two Holidays, One Theme Mrs. Shira Schechter Faculty, The Madricha Ruchaniyah, Stern College for Women

Every year as Purim approaches we already begin looking towards Pesach. Many begin cleaning, preparing menus, compiling guest lists and making sleeping arrangements, but there is actually a halachik requirement to start preparing for Pesach on Purim. The Gemara in Pesachim8 tells us that one should start to review the laws of Pesach 30 days before its arrival. The Mishna Berurah9 points out that this day on which we are required to start reviewing the laws of Pesach is indeed Purim. We therefore have a halachik obligation to start getting ready for Pesach on Purim. While this could just be a coincidence - after all, the holiday of Pesach existed long before there was a Purim story and Chazal learn the obligation to start preparing for Pesach 30 days in advance from Moshe Rabbeinu - there seems to be a much deeper connection between the two holidays. The Gemara in Megillah10 tells us that we are required to celebrate the holidays of Purim and Pesach in consecutive months in order to juxtapose the redemptions that took place on each. Therefore, during a leap year, such as the one we are in now, we celebrate Purim in Adar II and not in Adar I, despite the usual preference to do a Mitzvah as soon as it arises. The need to connect the two holidays, stemming from the redemption which took place on each one, seems to indicate a strong relationship between them. Furthermore, the Gemara in Taanit11 says that just as we limit our rejoicing and happiness in Av, we increase it in Adar. Rashi indicates that this

8תלמוד בבלי מסכת פסחים דף ו עמוד א ׳שואלין ודורשין בהלכות הפסח קודם הפסח שלשים יום 9שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן תכט סעיף א שואלין בהלכות פסח קודם לפסח שלשים יום משנה ברורה סימן תכט (א) שואלין בהלכות פסח וכו' - שהרי משה עומד בפסח ראשון ומזהירן על כל הלכות פסח שני (ב) שלשים יום - ומתחילין מיום הפורים עצמו 10תלמוד בבלי מסכת מגילה דף ו עמוד ב בכל שנה ושנה. רבי אליעזר ברבי יוסי סבר: בכל שנה ושנה, מה כל שנה ושנה אדר הסמוך לשבט - אף כאן אדר הסמוך לשבט, ורבן שמעון בן גמליאל סבר: בכל שנה ושנה, מה כל שנה ושנה אדר הסמוך לניסן - אף כאן אדר הסמוך לניסן. בשלמא רבי אליעזר ברבי יוסי - טע מסתבר מא, דאין מעבירין על המצות, אלא רבן שמעון בן גמליאל מאי טעמא? - אמר - רבי טבי: טעמא דרבי שמעון בן גמליאל מסמך גאולה לגאולה עדיף. 11תלמוד בבלי מסכת תענית דף כט עמוד א כשם שמשנכנס אב ממעטין בשמחה - כך משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה רש"י מסכת תענית דף כט עמוד א משנכנס אדר - ימי נסים היו לישראל: פורים ופסח.

31 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 increased level of joy continues through Purim and Pesach because of the miracles that happened on each, a further indication that the two holidays are connected. The sources quoted above seem to indicate that the relationship between these two holidays stems from the miraculous redemption that took place on each. At first glance, however, the redemption from Egypt and the redemption of Purim seem to be quite different. On the one hand, the redemption from Egypt was accomplished through overt miracles that clearly indicated G-d’s intervention on behalf of His people: sticks turning into snakes, the ten plagues, the splitting of the sea and ultimately, the spectacular giving of the Torah. The redemption of Purim, on the other hand, was just the opposite. The salvation came about through completely natural means with no supernatural, spectacular or out of the ordinary miracles. There is not even one mention of G-d’s name in the entire megillah, allowing one to attribute the salvation of the Jews on Purim to mere luck or good fortune Yet, we know that the story of Purim is not lacking miracles. It is just as rich with Divine intervention as the redemption from Egypt; the only difference is that the miracles of Purim are hidden. Perhaps the difference between these holidays is actually what connects them. Pesach, the holiday of overt miracles, and Purim, that of hidden miracles, are really two sides of the same coin. In fact, according to the Ramban12 the supernatural miracles of Pesach occurred so that we learn to appreciate the natural, hidden miracles which occur every day, the likes of which took place on Purim. The two holidays are therefore intertwined. Both are a demonstration of G-d’s role in this world and His intervention on behalf of klal Yisrael. We needed Pesach, a time in which G-d’s involvement was obvious, in order to understand this about times like Purim – the quintessential example of hester panim, when G-d’s face is hidden. This explains the connection between the two holidays, specifically regarding the miracles and redemption that took place on both and why we are required to celebrate them in consecutive months. Perhaps this can also explain why we start learning about Pesach on Purim. We need to see the “Pesach”, the unconstrained revelation of G-d, in the Purim, the hidden and concealed. Based on this understanding we can now answer three commonly asked questions that arise regarding Purim. The first is based on a Gemara in Shabbat13 which suggests that based on the passuk in Shemot 19:17,14 G-d held Har Sinai over the heads of the Jewish people and threatened to kill them if they did not except the Torah. The Gemara states that while the Jews

12רמב"ן שמות יג:טז ומן הנסים הגדולים המפורסמים אדם מודה בנסים הנסתרים שהם יסוד התורה כלה 13תלמוד בבלי מסכת שבת דף פח עמוד א ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר, אמר רב אבדימי בר חמא בר חסא: מלמד שכפה הקדוש ברוך הוא עליהם את ההר כגיגית, ואמר להם: אם אתם מקבלים התורה - מוטב, ואם לאו - שם תהא קבורתכם. אמר רב אחא בר יעקב: מכאן מודעא רבה לאורייתא. (רש"י מודעא רבה - שאם יזמינם לדין למה לא קיימתם מה שקבלתם עליכם - יש להם תשובה, שקבלוה באונס) אמר רבא: אף על פי כן, הדור קבלוה בימי אחשורוש. דכתיב (אסתר ט) קימו וקבלו היהודים, קיימו מה שקיבלו כבר (רש "י בימי אחשורוש - מאהבת הנס שנעשה להם). and they stood at the bottom of the mountain ,ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר 14

32 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 were forced to accept the Torah at Har Sinai, during the time of Purim they demonstrated a willing acceptance of the Torah. Many are bothered by this Gemara and numerous explanations have been given in order to understand the meaning of a forced acceptance at Har Sinai versus a willing acceptance centuries later in the kingdom of Achashverosh. The Maharal15 explains that the re-acceptance of the Torah on Purim was demonstrated by the addition of a mitzvah, namely the reading of the megillah. He reasons that if the Jews added a mitzvah, then by definition they willingly accepted the first 613. But how are we to understand the meaning of forced acceptance of the Torah in we will do and we will listen, accepting the Torah ,נעשה ונשמע the first place – did they not say on blind faith and vowing to keep it’s laws before even knowing what was written inside? Based on our understanding of the difference between Purim and Pesach, we can understand how they were “forced” to accept the Torah during the time of yetziat Mitzrayim, while they willingly accepted it on Purim. The Meshech Chochmah16 explains that the Jews were “forced” to accept the Torah in the sense that G-d had revealed Himself so clearly to them that it was obvious that accepting His Torah was the right thing to do; Essentially that had no choice. Purim, however, was a time of hester panim. G-d’s face was hidden, one could easily have concluded that G-d played no role in the story. Therefore, accepting the Torah at that time was considered a willing acceptance. The Jews at the time were able to recognize G-d’s hand and chose to embrace Him despite the fact that He remained hidden. The second question stems from a comment in the Rambam17, based on a Gemara Yerushalmi18, which says that in the times of Mashiach all of the books of Neviim and Ketuvim will be nullified except for Megillat Esther. The Raavad modifies his statement and says that what this means is that there will be no obligation to read any of them publicly aside from Esther. The Medrash19 makes a similar statement in which it states that in the future all of the holidays that we celebrate

15מהר"ל אור חדש עמוד מז הדר קבלוהו בימי אחשורוש כי כאשר הוסיפו במצות מקרא מגילה ודבר זה כמו הוספה וכמו שאמרו בפ "ק דמגילה (יד, א) מ"ח נביאים ושבע נביאות עמדו לישראל וכולם לא פחתו ולא הוסיפו על התורה אפילו אות אחת חוץ ממקרא מגילה... וכאשר יש כאן הוספה א"כ העיקר קודם, ולפיכך כאשר קיבלו מעצמם ההוספה הזאת שהוא מקרא מגילה בזה קבלו כל התורה שהיא ראשונה (שבת שם) ובתוספת נמצא העיקר מק"ו, וא"כ מעתה אין כאן מודעא כלל ולפיכך אמרו (מגילה טז, ב) (אסתר ח, ט) ליהודים היתה אורה זו תורה, אע"ג שכבר היה להם התורה מסיני מ"מ צריך שלא היה כאן מודעא רבה לאורייתא ומה שאין כאן מודעא זה היה על ידי מקרא מגילה כאשר קבלו מדעתם מקרא מגילה 16משך חכמה, (ר' מאיר שמחה מדווינסק) שמות יט:יז מלמד שכפה עליהם הר כגיגית. פירוש: שהראה להם כבוד ה' בהקיץ ובהתגלות נפלאה, עד כי ממש בטלה בחירתם הטבעי, ויצאה נשמתם מהשגת כבוד ה' והיו מוכרחים כמלאכים בלא הבדל, וראו כי כל הנבראים תלוי רק בקבלת התורה 17רמב"ם הלכות מגילה וחנוכה פרק ב הלכה יח כל ספרי הנביאים וכל הכתובים עתידין ליבטל לימות המשיח ה חוץ ממגילת אסתר הרי היא קיימת כחמשה חומשי תורה וכהלכות של תורה שבעל פה שאינן בטלין לעולם, ואע"פ שכל זכרון הצרות יבטל שנאמר (ישעיהו ס"ה) כי נשכחו הצרות הראשונות וכי נסתרו מעיני, ימי הפורים לא יבטלו שנאמר (אס תר ט )' וימי הפורים האלה לא יעברו מתוך היהודים וזכרם לא יסוף מזרעם. השגת הראב"ד - כל ספרי הנביאים והכתובים עתידין ליבטל. א"א דבר הדיוטות הוא זה, כי לא יבטל ספר מכל הספרים שאין ספר שאין בו למוד, אבל כך מרו אפילוא יבטלו שאר ספרים מלקרות בהם מגילה לא תבטל מלקרות אותה בצבור 18תלמוד ירושלמי מסכת מגילה פרק א דף ע טור ד /ה "ה ר' יוחנן ורבי שמעון בן לקיש רבי יוחנן אמר הנביאים והכתובים עתידין ליבטל וחמשת סיפרי תורה אינן עתידין ליבטל... רבי שמעון בן לקיש אמר אף מגילת אסתר והלכות אינן עתידין ליבטל 19מדרש משלי (בובר) פרשה ט ד "ה [ב] טבחה טבחה ...שכל המועדים עתידים בטלים, וימי הפורים [אינם בטלים לעולם, שנאמר וימי הפורים] האלה לא יעברו מתוך היהודים (אסתר ט כח). אמר ר' אלעזר אף יום הכפורים אינו בטל לעולם, שנאמר והיתה זאת לכם לחקת עולם לכפר על בני ישראל מכל חטאתם אחת בשנה (ויקרא טז לד).

33 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 will be void except for Purim. What is it about Megillat Esther and the holiday of Purim that make them different than the other books in Nach and the other holidays? Why is it that even in the times of Mashiach when all other holidays and all other books will be void to a certain extent, the holiday of Purim and the book of Esther will remain? Rav Yitzchak Mirski, in his sefer Hegyonai Halacha20, explains that the reason Megillat Esther will not be nullified is because it contains the real acceptance of the Torah. What about the celebration of the holiday of Purim itself? The Maharal21 explains the reason as follows. All the other holidays were instituted as a remembrance of the exodus from Egypt, and since during the times of Mashiach, yetziat Mitzrayim will no longer be our focus, we do not need to celebrate these holidays. The future redemption will either be fresher in our minds or will contain open miracles that are so spectacular that they will replace the ones which took place earlier, rendering unnecessary the remembrance of those initial miracles. While the holidays which were instituted in order to commemorate yetziat Mitzrayim will be overshadowed by the new redemption, the message of Purim, seeing G-d’s hand in the natural, is an eternal one. Or, as Rav Baruch Halevi Epstein22 writes, in the future the supernatural miracles commemorated on other holidays will cease to occur, but the type of miracles that took place on Purim, natural ones, never cease to exist and therefore what we commemorate on Purim is a message for eternity. The final question is based on another Gemara in Megillah23 which discusses the question of why Hallel, verses of praise and thanks to G-d, is not recited on Purim, when we were saved from annihilation, while on Pesach, when we were saved only from slavery, we do say Hallel. Three

20ר' יצחק מירסקי- הגיוני הלכה חלק א 271 כיוון שראינו שבמגילת אסתר כתובה קבלת התורה, על כן אי אפשר לה למגילה שתיבטל. שאם תיבטל, תיבטל עמה קבלת התורה. ובדבר הזה שונה מגילת אסתר משאר הנביאים. שהללו לא באו אלא לגלות רמזי התורה, ומגילת אסתר הרי היא כתורה עצמה, שבאה לגלות שישראל קיבלו על עצמם תורה שבכתב מרצון. 21מהר"ל, אור חדש כי לעתיד יהיה שעבוד מלכויות עיקר, ויציאת מצרים טפל ולפיכך כל המועדים אשר הם זכר ליציאת מצרים בלבד והם טפלים לשעבוד מלכויות, שייך לומר שיהיה ביטול למועדים, כאשר אינם עיקר, אבל פורים אינו זכר ליציאת מצרים – דבר – זה לא יהיה בטל 22ברוך שאמר - ר' ברוך הלוי עפשטיין – בפיוט לפרשת זכור ... מה יתרון פורים על נסי כל מועדי השנה אשר הופיעו בהוד הדרת יפעת אלקות, כמו בפסח... ובשבועות... ובסוכות... והם היו נסים גלויים ונחלטים, בעוד אשר המאורע בפורים בה בעת שנחשבת למאמינים לנס, בעת ההיא נחשבת לבלתי מאמינים למאורע טבעית מהליכות עולמם של מלכים ושרים... ואין כל מופת חותך ומכריע... והנה עם כל זה אומר מפורש שנס זה עומד למעלה מכל נסי מועדי השנה, עד אשר גם אם יבטלו, יבטלו הם, וימי הפורים לא יבטלו, ובהשקפה ראשונה אין קץ לפליאה. אך על האמת, היא נותנת, כי יען שנס פורים לא היה בולט ומכריע, יהיה עלוט במהלך טבעי כמו שבארנו, פני זה מגופא גדולה מעלתו שלא יבלט, ונבאר דברינו: כי הנה אף אם בהמשך הזמנים פסקו נסים גלויים להתראות בישראל, אבל נסים נסתרים העלוטים במהלך טבעי, כמו נס פורים, כמו שבארנו, נסים כאלה לעולם לא יפסקו ולא יבטלו, כאשר יווכח זה האיש המסתכל בעין עמוקה וברגש חושי בהליכות עולם בכלל ובהליכות עולמם של ישראל בפרט, אשר זה כאלפים שנה חי חיי נדודים ומרודים ומצבו בין האומות הוא בערך מצב כבשה אחת בין שבעים זאבים, כפי שידוע וגם נראה לכל, ואחר כל אלה חי חי הוא, האין בזה מעשה נסים העלוטים במעטה טבעי? וזה היא כונת המאמר ואם כל מועדים יהיו בטלים ימי פורים לא נבטלים, וזה מוסב לא על גופי המועדים, אשר הם באמת לא יבטלו, אך מוסב על נסי כל המועדים, כלומר, נסים גלויים, אשר עתה לא נזכה להם, אבל נסים העלוטים ועטופים במעה טבע, כמו נס פורים, כמו שבארנו – נסים כאלה עד עולם לא יבטלו... 23תלמוד בבלי מסכת מגילה דף יד עמוד א אמר רבי חייא בר אבין אמר רבי יהושע בן קרחה: ומה מעבדות לחירות אמרינן שירה - ממיתה לחיים לא כל שכן? - אי הכי הלל נמי נימא! - לפי שאין אומרים הלל על נס שבחוצה לארץ... רב נחמן אמר: קרייתא זו הלילא רבא אמר: בשלמא התם (תהלים קי"ג) הללו עבדי ה' - ולא עבדי פרעה, אלא הכא - הללו עבדי ה' ולא עבדי אחשורוש? אכתי עבדי אחשורוש אנן.

34 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 answers are given to this question in the Gemara. The first answer is that Hallel is not recited on miracles that took place outside of Israel once the land had been acquired and settled. The second answer given is that the recitation of the megillah itself takes the place of the recitation of אכתי עבדי Hallel. Finally, the Gemara suggests that we do not say Hallel on Purim because the redemption was not complete since the Jews remained under the control of ,אחשורוש אנן Achashverosh. The Rambam24 follows the second approach, claiming that the reading of the megillah is the Hallel of Purim. In other words, we do say Hallel on Purim, only a different kind of Hallel. Rabbi Soloveitchik25 explained that there are two different types of Hallel, what he refers to as Hallel Hamitzri and Hallel D’Psukei D’zimra. Hallel Hamitzri is that we usually refer to as Hallel, the verses we recite on Rosh Chodesh and the holidays. This type of Hallel is said for obvious supernatural miracles such as those of the holiday of Pesach. Hallel D’Psukei D’zimra, on the other hand, is what is recited when it comes to hidden miracles. It would be inappropriate to say Hallel Hamitzri on Purim because there were no supernatural miracles that occurred on that day. Instead, we say a Hallel that reflects the miracles of the day, namely we read the megillah which makes no obvious mention of G-d or his divine intervention. The Rav takes this one step further and suggests that the fact that we read the megillah as Hallel on Purim teaches us that not only are we are required to recite Hallel and thank G-d for the open miracles, but we are equally obligated to recognize and praise Him for the hidden and natural miracles. While the redemption and miracles of Purim and Pesach are very much related, they still remain quite different. The redemption of Pesach was a complete, irreversible one, while following the .We were still under the control of Achashverosh .אכתי עבדי אחשורוש אנן -redemption of Purim Indeed, there are even halachik implications of this difference. For example, the Gemara26 concludes that Purim is not considered a yom tov and therefore there is no prohibition of doing work on Purim. Furthermore, the rejoicing on Purim applies only at the seudah, the festive meal eaten on Purim day, but there is no mitzvah to rejoice the rest of the day27. Finally, while on

24רמב"ם הלכות מגילה וחנוכה פרק ג הלכה ו ...ולא תקנו הלל בפורים שקריאת המגילה היא ההלל 25 Shiur HaRav Soloveitchik ZT”L on Inyana D’Megilas Esther There are 2 forms of Hallel: Hallel Hamitzri and Hallel D’Psukei D’zimra… Hallel Hamitzri was not instituted on Purim because Purim is the miracle of v’atah kadosh, when Hashem is hidden and there are no supernatural miracles… The Megillah is also a sefer and a great book of that contains a fundamental principle of , that Jews recite Hallel not only on supernatural miracles as described in Hallel Hamitzri, but also on natural invisible miracles as seen in retrospect in the story of Megillat Esther. 26תלמוד בבלי מסכת מגילה דף ה עמוד ב ...והתני רב יוסף: שמחה ומשתה ויום טוב, שמחה - מלמד שאסורים בהספד, משתה - מלמד שאסור בתענית, ויום טוב - - מלמד שאסור בעשיית מלאכה! ...רבה בריה דרבא אמר: אפילו תימא ביומיה, הספד ותענית - קבילו עלייהו, מלאכה לא קבילו עלייהו. דמעיקרא כתיב שמחה ומשתה ויום טוב, ולבסוף כתיב לעשות אותם ימי משתה ושמחה, ואילו יום טוב לא כתיב. רש"י מסכת מגילה דף ה עמוד ב ...ההוא קרא דכתיב שמחה ומשתה ויום טוב כתיב מעיקרא, קודם קבלה, אבל בשעת קבלה - לא קיבלו עליהן אלא שמחה ומשתה, לאוסרן בהספד ותענית, אבל יום טוב לא קיבלו עליהן. 27משנת יעבץ – ר' יעקב בצלאל ז 'ולטי – סימן ע"ט: מצות משתה ושמחה בפורים ...והנה לכאורה צריך עיון דלמה שינה הכתוב, דמעיקרא כתיב "שמחה ומשתה ויום טוב", הרי כתיב שמחה לפני משתה, ואחרי כן כתיב ימי "משתה ושמחה," משתה לפני שמחה. ואשר נראה לומר דמעיקרא שבקשו לעשות ימי הפורים ליום טוב שאסור במלאכה, אם כן מה שיש חובת שמחה בפורים הוא מתורת יום טוב, כמו ביום טוב של תורה דכתיב "ושמחת " בחגך", והיינו שהחיוב שמחה הוא חובת היום של פורים, ואינו תלוי בשעת קיום המשתה בפורים, ולהכי כתיב "שמחה "

35 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 Purim the mitzvah of rejoicing involves drinking and getting drunk, on yom tov there is a prohibition against getting drunk28. Rabbi Soloveitchik29 explained that what accounts for these differences, is that the redemption on Purim was not complete. On Purim we begin learning about Pesach. On the one hand, Purim completes the message of Pesach. We learn to recognize the hand of G-d that was so clear in the miracles of Pesach in the ordinary miracles that take place each and every day. We take the recognition of G-d’s revelation on Pesach to the next level, and see the “Pesach” in Purim. On the other hand, we look to redemption of Pesach and realize that the redemption on Purim was not complete, and that we continue to be in a situation of incomplete redemption to this day. By internalizing the message of Pesach and Purim, and using it to strengthen our belief in G-d through a recognition of His hand in everything, may we merit the coming of the final, complete redemption; one that will be so great it will overshadow even the miracles of yetziat Mitzrayim.

ומשתה ויום טוב" היינו שמחה לפני המשתה, שהרי חיוב השמחה שיש בפורים הוא חובת היום מתורת יום טוב, וגם לפני המשתה יש חובת שמחה. אבל בשעת קבלה שלא קיבלו עליהן יום טוב, אלא משתה ושמחה, אם כן עיקר הדין שמחה שיש בפורים, הוא לא חובת היום של פורים, שהוא יום שמחה, אלא שהוא דין במשתה של פורים, שצריך לעשות משתה שיש בו שמחה, והיינו שקיום השמחה הוא בשעת המשתה, כלומר משתה שיש בו שמחה, ומשום הכי כתיב ימי "משתה ושמחה", משתה לפני השמחה, שהרי קיום השמחה הוא רק בשעת המשתה. 28רמב"ם הלכות מגילה וחנוכה פרק ב הלכה טו כיצד חובת סעודה זו שיאכל בשר ויתקן סעודה נאה כפי אשר תמצא ידו, ושותה יין עד שישתכר וירדם בשכרות. רמב"ם הלכות יום טוב פרק ו הלכה כ כשאדם אוכל ושותה ושמח ברגל לא ימשך ביין מ ובשחוק ובקלות ראש ויאמר שכל מי שיוסיף בזה ירבה במצות שמחה, שהשכרות והשחוק הרבה וקלות הראש אינה שמחה אלא הוללות וסכלות ולא נצטוינו על ההוללות והסכלות אלא על השמחה שיש בה עבודת יוצר הכל שנאמר (דברים כ"ח) תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה' אלהיך בשמחה ובטוב לבב (מרב כל) הא למדת שהעבודה בשמחה, ואי אפשר לעבוד את השם לא מתוך שחוק ולא מתוך קלות ראש ולא מתוך שכרות. 29 Days of Deliverance, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, “The Joy of Purim” What is strange is that we know the mitzvah of rejoicing is applicable not only to Purim, but to the Shalosh Regalim, the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, as well. Yet we have never come across a law or norm that would require a person to become drunk on Passover, Shavuot, or Sukkot. To the contrary, Maimonides emphasizes that we should not get drunk on a festival… Take into consideration Ahasuerus and his changing moods. He killed his beautiful queen at the suggestion of Memucan, who was Haman (Megillah 12b). A few months later, he killed Haman at the suggestion of his new, beautiful queen, Esther. He was unstable. No one could be confident that the next day he would not demote Mordechai and appoint a new Haman. There was not sense of security. The miracle was incomplete. There was hatzalah, salvation, but no ge’ullah, redemption. That which happened on Pesach and Shavuot changed the people. On Pesach, the bondman became a freeman. The people who were previously committed to the fleshpots of Egypt became an elected community, a covenantal community. The same happened on Shavuot. On Sukkot, we portray the sojourn in the wilderness. Again, we are celebrating the gradual change that came over the people… What happened on Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot was permanent. No galut, or exile, or political change; no Ahasuerus could undo what happened… What happened on Purim was not of permanent nature. They were saved, of course. However, no one could guarantee that the next day the same story would not repeat itself. Of course, we have to celebrate the miracle. But there is no guarantee, no security. That is why Hazal did not introduce the concept of simhah as it was recommended by the Torah Vis-à-vis the Three Festivals. Rather, they introduced a different concept of simhah - gaiety, fun, which is just “acting” and is not sincere. The concept of lifnei Hashem was not applied to Purim… The victory is not final; the triumph is not decisive; a repetition possible. That is why we cannot equate the celebration of Purim with simhat ha-regel, the joy of the Festival.

36 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 Purim: The Other Day of Rest Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky Rabbi, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Community Shul

If I were to ask why we celebrate Purim on the fourteenth of Adar, you might answer that on that day we defeated our enemies. And if I were to ask why the residents of walled cities celebrate Purim on the fifteenth, you might answer similarly that the residents of Shushan only defeated their combatants on the fifteenth. But if we examine the text of the Megilla carefully it becomes clear that the Jews were not victorious on the fourteenth or fifteenth but on the thirteenth and fourteenth, respectively. Why, then, do we celebrate Purim on the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar? The Megilla explains: ויקהלו היהודים אשר בשושן גם ביום The Jews of Shushan also gathered on the fourteenth day of the ארבעה עשר לחדש אדר ויהרגו בשושן month of Adar. In Shushan they killed 300 men, yet they did שלש מאות איש ובבזה לא שלחו את not extend their hands to take the spoils. The other Jews in the ידם : ושאר היהודים אשר במדינות king’s provinces gathered and defended their lives. They rested המלך נקהלו ועמד על נפשם ונוח ,from their enemies and killed among their haters 75,000 men מאיביהם והרג בשנאיהם חמשה yet they did not extend their hands to take the spoils. [All this ושבעים אלף ובבזה לא שלחו את ידם: ביום שלשה עשר לחדש אדר ונוח took place] on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. On the בארבעה עשר בו ועשה אתו יום משתה fourteenth of that month they rested, and made it a day of ושמחה : והיהודים אשר בשושן נקהלו feasting and joy. The Jews in Shushan gathered on the בשלשה עשר בו ובארבעה עשר בו ונוח thirteenth and fourteenth of that month. On the fifteenth of בחמשה עשר בו ועשה אתו יום משתה that month they rested, and made it a day of feasting and ושמחה : על כן היהודים הפרזים joy. Therefore the Jews who dwelled in unwalled cities observe הישבים בערי הפרזות עשים את יום ,the fourteenth day of the month of Adar with joy, feasting ארבעה עשר לחדש אדר שמחה ומשתה .Yom Tov, and sending portions from a man to his friend ויום טוב ומשלוח מנות איש לרעהו: Esther 9:15-19 אסתר ט:טו-יט

The Megilla states clearly that the date of Purim corresponds not to the day of the triumph but to the day the Jews rested from battle.30

30 Interestingly, we encounter Purim as “the day of rest” in another context. The Mishnah (Megilla 2a) states that the residents of towns may read the Megilla on a number of dates including the thirteenth of Adar. The Gemara explains that this date does not require a scriptural source for it and can be derived from pure logic, as the thirteenth of Adar is “z’man kehila lakol,” “a time of gathering for all.” In what sense is the thirteenth a day of gathering, and

37 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 Ignoring the military victory seems quite unusual. After all, Purim ostensibly celebrates the miraculous triumph over our enemies, which unfolded on the thirteenth and fourteenth! In contrast, for example, Shevi’i shel Pesach is celebrated on the seventh day of Pesach, the very day our Egyptian tormentors drowned in the sea. Why then was Purim not similarly established on the day we defeated our enemies? Why do we celebrate the rest, as opposed to the victory?31 Marking the Downfall of Our Enemies In his Meshech Chochmah (Shemot 12:16), Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk offers a beautiful approach to Purim. Building upon the famous Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni Beshalach 233) in "מעשי ידי which Hashem forbids the angels from reciting shira upon keriat yam suf because My creations are drowning in the sea and you sing my“ ,טובעים בים ואתם אומרים שירה לפני" praises before me?” R. Meir Simcha posits that we celebrate the day of rest on Purim to stress that we commemorate not the destruction of the enemy but the salvation of klal yisrael. R. Meir Simcha further continues that we encounter the same phenomenon in connection with Chanukah and Pesach, which similarly commemorate military victories. Lighting the Menorah highlights only the miracle of the oil, the rededication of the Temple and Hashem’s providence – not the military victory – so as to avoid the possible misunderstanding that we celebrate the downfall of the Syrian-Greeks. The Meshech Chochmah advances a similar thesis regarding Shevi’i shel Pesach. It seems puzzling that Hashem instructed the Jews when they still remained in Egypt to abstain from melacha on the seventh day: שבעת ימים מצות תאכלו אך ביום Seven days you shall eat Matzah. But on the first day you shall הראשון תשביתו שאר מבתיכם כי כל destroy leavened bread from your homes. For anyone who shall of Adar is “z’man kehila lakol,” “a time of gathering for all.” In what sense is the thirteenth a day of gathering, and how does that justify reading the Megilla on that date? Rabbenu Tam (quoted in Rosh 1:1, Ran 1b be’Alfas) interprets this phrase to mean that the Jews gathered and fasted before they went out to war (according to Rabbenu Tam this Gemara in fact provides a Talmudic source for Ta’anit Esther), whereas Rashi (2a s.v. z’man) explains that on the thirteenth the Jews who had gathered for battle vanquished the enemy. At first glance Rashi’s explanation appears quite reasonable. The Ran (1b be’Alfas), however, rejects this interpretation, based on Tosafot who argue that the matter does not depend on war; rather, the Megilla made it dependent upon resting. Tosafot’s argument echoes the pesukim in the Megilla, which relate that Purim was in fact established not on the day of victory but on the day of rest. Rashi would presumably answer that although the original date of Purim was set on the day of rest, the day of war is sufficiently important to justify setting that date as an alternative for reading the Megilla. Thus Tosafot maintains that the final day of battle is completely irrelevant, whereas Rashi holds that it remains significant, albeit on a secondary level. It is also interesting to note that the debate between Rashi and Tosafot seems to play out in the Talmud Yerushalmi (Megilla 1:1). At first the Yerushalmi claims that pure logic does not dictate reading the Megilla on the thirteenth, as it is the anniversary of the war and not the day of rest. Rather, we require a passuk to justify reading the Megilla on this date. This follows the logic of Tosafot. However, the Yerushalmi’s conclusion seems to side with Rashi, arguing that the victory on the battlefield is at least sufficient to justify reading the Megilla on the thirteenth. 31 For an interesting approach to this problem see Rabbi Yehuda Shaviv, which is available on ’s Virtual Beit Midrash at http://vbm-torah.org/purim/pur58-ys.htm. Rav Shaviv links “menucha” on Purim to the rest of Shabbat and especially to that of the messianic era, which will follow the destruction of Amalek.

38 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 מישראל מיום הראשן עד יום השבעי: be cut off from Israel. And on the first day shall be a holy וביום הראשון מקרא קדש וביום convocation. And on the seventh day shall be a holy convocation השביעי מקרא קדש יהיה לכם כל to you. No work shall be performed on them, with the exception מלאכה לא יעשה בהם אך אשר יאכל of any work performed for enjoyment – that alone may be לכל נפש הוא לבדו יעשה לכם: .performed for you שמות יב:טו-טז Shemot 12:15-16

First, the sea had not yet split, so the day remained bereft of any historical significance! Second, the Gemara asserts ( 96b) that during the first year of Pesach the prohibition of chametz was limited to the first day. As many note (Tzlach Pesachim 37b and others), we may similarly assume that there was no issur melacha on the seventh day. If so, why would Hashem instruct the Jews now that Shevi’i shel Pesach would be holy? The day’s status would not be in effect until future years?! In light of the above, the answer is clear. Hashem intentionally instructed the Jews about the seventh day before the splitting of the sea, so as to stress that we do not celebrate the seventh day due to the drowning of the Egyptians but irrespective of that event.32 For this reason Hashem commanded the observance of Shevi’i shel Pesach now: the profound message of ahavat ha-beriyot, love of all human beings, is so crucial that Hashem taught that formative lesson even before the holiday was to be observed.33 R. Meir Simcha also utilizes this approach to explain an intriguing ma’amar Chazal. The Gemara (Megilla 7a) records a dialogue between Esther and the contemporary rabbis, in which Esther argues that Purim should be established as a permanent holiday. The rabbis hesitate, expressing you will thereby stir jealousy among the other“ ,"קנאה את מעוררת בין האומות" the concern that nations.” The Meshech Chochmah understands the rabbis to be worried that celebrating the Jews’ military supremacy might lead to an increase in anti-Semitism.34 How would Esther respond to the rabbis’ seemingly legitimate concern? R. Meir Simcha explains that there would

32 R. Meir Simcha does not account for the uniqueness of the seventh day. Perhaps he would assert as a general principle that the first and last day of a yom tov is celebrated as “mikra kodesh.” According to this approach, Shevi’i shel Pesach would be quite similar to Shmini Atzeret. This connection is reinforced by the language of the passuk in ,Indeed ."ששת ימים תאכל מצות וביום השביעי עצרת לה' אלקיך לא תעשה מלאכה" ,(Parshat Re’eh (Devarim 16:8 Ramban and Rabbenu Bachaye (ibid.) link Shevi’i shel Pesach and Shmini Atzeret. It should be noted, however, that many commentators, including Ibn Ezra and Rabbenu Bachaye (Shemot 12:16), clearly reject the Meshech Chochmah’s thesis, instead linking the issur melacha on Shevi’i shel Pesach to the events of keriat yam suf. 33 We can raise an obvious question on the Meshech Chochmah’s thesis: Why then do we not celebrate the last day of yom tov on the eighth day instead of the seventh, in keeping with the model of Purim? Two answers come to mind. First, whereas on Purim the Jews did not rest until the following day because they needed to return home from the battlefield, on Pesach it is reasonable to assume that the Jews rested on the seventh day itself. Second, as we discussed in the previous footnote, according to R. Meir Simcha there was an entirely different reason that Shevi’i shel Pesach was established on that date. Apparently this reasoning could not be overridden by the concern in ways other "מעשי ידי טובעים בים" for the enemy’s downfall. Therefore Hashem chose to convey the message of than by delaying the holiday. 34 This reading fits nicely with Rashi (s.v. kinah), who, in explaining the Chachamim’s concern, specifically stresses we are“ ,"שמחים להזכיר מפלתן" that the potential spike in anti-Semitism will be due to the nations’ perception that happy to mark their downfall.”

39 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 be no increase in anti-Semitism because the holiday celebrates not the victory per se but the salvation of the Jewish people.35 A possible support for the Meshech Chochmah’s interpretation appears toward the end of the words of peace and“ ,"דברי שלום ואמת" Megilla (9:30), where Mordechai sends a letter conveying truth.” Perhaps the Megilla indicates that Mordechai went out of his way to stress the peaceful nature of the holiday. We can similarly account for the closing words of the Megilla, which seeking good for his nation“ ,"דורש טוב לעמו ודובר שלום לכל זרעו" curiously describe Mordechai as and speaking peace to all his progeny.” What does it mean that Mordechai spoke peace to his progeny, and how is it different from seeking the good of his nation? It is especially curious that the final words of the Megilla are left ambiguous. We can suggest that the Megilla closes by stressing that despite his powerful position, and despite having instituted the holiday of Purim, Mordechai went out of his way to stress the fundamentally peaceful message of Purim and the Megilla.36 Proactive Celebration We can offer a second approach: the “day of rest” motif underscores a fundamental insight specific to the nature of Purim. Megillat Esther stresses that the Jews accepted Mordechai’s edict to establish the days of Purim (9:23,27). Moreover, it seems that it was the “amcha,” the Everyman, who named the holiday “Purim” (9:26). As mentioned, the Gemara (Megilla 7a) records Esther’s attempts to establish Purim as a holiday not only for that year but for all future generations. Indeed, she eventually succeeded in convincing the rabbis to establish Purim. The Jews were not only passive recipients of Hashem’s benevolence; they responded to the salvation by "וקבל ,actively participating in the institution the holiday. In the striking phraseology of the Megilla ”.the Jews accepted that which they had already begun to perform“ ,היהודים את אשר החלו לעשות" A similar theme emerges from Ramban’s thesis as to why residents of unwalled cities celebrate Purim on the fourteenth, a day earlier than residents of walled cities. Ramban explains that those residing in unwalled cities were particularly vulnerable and therefore found themselves in greater danger than their brethren. In appreciation for their salvation the residents of these cities celebrated a Yom Tov: ולאחר מיכן בשנים הבאות עמדו פרזים And afterward during subsequent years, the residents of the ונהוג מעצמן לעשות יום ארבעה עשר unwalled cities stood and of their own volition observed the שמחה ומשתה ויום טוב . אבל מוקפין fourteenth day with happiness, feasting and Yom Tov. But the לא עשו כלום לפי שהיה הנס גדול residents of the walled cities did nothing, for the miracle was בפרזים והיה עליהם [הסכנה] יותר. .greater in the unwalled cities, and they were in greater danger רמב"ן מגילה ב. Ramban Megilla 2a

35 Despite its creativity, however, R. Meir Simcha’s interpretation of the Gemara seems rather difficult, as in the very next line of the Gemara, Esther responds that the events of Purim have already been publicized in the Persian chronicles. According the Meshech Chochmah. she should have simply answered that there will be no anti-Semitism because we are not celebrating their downfall! Perhaps R. Meir Simcha would respond that despite the widespread knowledge, establishing a holiday would have nevertheless stoked the coals of anti-Semitism, if not for the fact that the yom tov is focused not only the enemies’ defeat but on Jewish survival. Nevertheless, the difficulty remains. 36Admittedly, however, Ibn Ezra, Alshich and Malbim understand this phrase differently.

40 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 As a reward for having taken the initiative and established the holiday on their own, the members of the unwalled cities celebrate Purim a day early. My teacher HaRav noted that Ramban’s analysis heightens the role of klal yisrael’s initiative in the establishment of Purim.37 This theme of proactivity is not limited to the establishment of the holiday. Although the Jews were permitted to plunder the booty (Esther 8:11) they chose not to do so (9:10,15,16), apparently of their own volition and without any rabbinic directive. Moreover, there are numerous indications that the nation played a crucial role in the salvation. According to Chazal, the Jews were deemed guilty for having attended Achashveirosh’s party and were nearly wiped out due to their sins (Megilla 12b, Midrash Megillat Esther 179). Furthermore, the Megilla stresses that all Jews were included in the decree, including “young and old, women and children” (3:13). According to this understanding the Jews’ salvation was due primarily to their repentance.38 Indeed, according to this reading the crucial turning point comes when the Jews join Mordechai in prayer and fasting (Esther 4:3; see also 4:16-17); they not only pray for their lives but also perform teshuvah for having attended the feast and more generally for the sin of assimilation.39 This understanding of Purim sheds new light on the famous Gemara (Shabbat 88a), which to indicate that although we did not fully accept the Torah at "קיימו וקבלו" understands the phrase Har Sinai – God had threatened us by holding the mountain over our heads – we willingly accepted the Torah at the time of Purim. How did Chazal derive this novel idea? In light of the proactivity theme we can suggest that the Gemara is simply building off what we already know about klal yisrael’s powerfully highlights our active "קיימו וקבלו" response to the miracles of Purim. Just as the phrase role in instituting the holiday, so too it demonstrates our proactivity in another sense. Although the Jews of Persia found themselves far removed from the foot of Har Sinai, nevertheless of their own is a dramatic manifestation of קיימו וקבלו .volition they recommitted themselves to the covenant of Sinai the spiritual creativity the Jews demonstrated at the time of Purim. By way of contrast, the Gemara records that the rabbis themselves established Chanukah: לשנה אחרת קבעום ועשאום ימים Another year [the rabbis] established them, and made them טובים בהלל והודאה. .into yamim tovim with praise and thanksgiving שבת כא: Shabbat 21b

The character and celebration of Chanukah were not set down until “another year.” It was not the people but the rabbis who initiated the establishment of the holiday. We do not hear about the entire nation but about Yehuda Maccabi and his brothers going out to battle. The people as a whole did not repent; in fact, so far as we can tell, the Hellenizing Jews carried their

37 Of course, even Purim was only established with the consent of the rabbis. Nevertheless, the personal initiative displayed by Esther and the residents of the unwalled cities remain central to the holiday’s theme. 38 For a famous (and controversial) elaboration of this theme, see Rav Dessler in Michtav Me’Eliyahu, Vol. 1 pgs. 75-77. an awakening from below, as opposed to ,איתעררותא דלתתא In kabbalistic terms, Purim is associated with 39 an awakening from above. In other words, the Jewish people awaken divine providence through ,איתעררותא דלעילא their own initiative.

41 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771 assimilationist philosophy to the grave. All this confirms that Purim is more of a “bottom-up” holiday, as opposed to Chanukah, which is more “top-down.” How does this thesis relate to our observation that Purim was established on the day of rest? In recognition of klal yisrael’s active role in establishing the holiday, we continue to observe Purim in much the same way. We continue to observe the day of rest because that is what we have been doing since the very beginning. In this way we grant recognition to klal yisrael’s unique role in establishing Purim. We are now in position to understand a number of other phenomenon as well. According to one prominent view (Rabbenu Tam quoted in Rosh Megilla 1:1 and Ran 1b be’Alfas) we observe Ta’anit Esther on the thirteenth of Adar to simulate the emotions of the Jews immediately before departing for the battlefield. Once again we mark the role played by the Jews of that generation: just as they fasted and prayed before engaging the enemy, so too we fast and pray before reading the Megilla. Perhaps we can now offer a novel resolution to another problem. Purim is unique among the Jewish holidays in that two dates have been set aside for the holiday – the fourteenth and fifteenth. Why does Purim break so sharply from general Yom Tov protocol? In light of the above the answer is clear: we continue to observe Purim in this unusual fashion simply because that’s what the Jews did in that inaugural year. We can also now explain a curious position among the . Tosafot (Megilla 4a s.v. psak) maintains that we do not recite the prayer of al hanissim during Shmoneh Esrei of Maariv because we have not yet read the Megilla. This is quite an unusual suggestion, and seems to be sui generis among the other yamim tovim of the year. Did anyone ever propose omitting al ha- nissim on the first night of Chanukah? Or leaving out ya’aleh ve-yavo on the first night of the Shalosh Regalim?40 How are we to understand Tosafot’s seemingly radical position? Perhaps we can explain that our observance of Purim is modeled after that of our forefathers: We do not celebrate Purim by reciting al hanissim until we first “take the initiative” by reading the Megilla and offering thanks to Hashem. Just as the original Purim was incomplete without the active participation of the Jews, so too our Purim is incomplete without our first reliving the miracle and offering praise and thanks to the Almighty. Purim – and its unusual placement on the day of rest – thus highlights two crucial themes. First, as much as we hate the sin we nevertheless love the sinner, for all humans are created in the image of God. This principle dictates not only the details of the holidays but their timing as well. Second, we must not only passively accept Hashem’s commands but to be proactive in seeking out religious opportunities. Let us not merely try to “keep up” with our religious responsibilities; instead we must identify ways in which we can take new steps to enrich our religious lives. By they“ ,"וקבל עליהם את אשר החלו לעשות" :doing so we will follow the path blazed by our ancestors accepted that which they had already begun to perform.”

40 The halacha that one who omits ya’aleh ve-yavo at night need not repeat Shmoneh Esrei (Berachot 30b, Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 422:1) is not germane to our discussion. First, no one suggests that even lechatchila one need not recite ya’aleh ve-yavo at night, only that one need not repeat Shmoneh Esrei for this omission. Second, that is a unique halacha based on the fact that Beit Din did not sanctify the new moon at night, and is therefore not connected to our discussion.

42 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • PURIM TO-GO • ADAR 5771

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YU SHABBATON IN LOS ANGELES – SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

High School Programming Beth Jacob Congregation Young Israel of Century City Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff President Richard M. Joel Thursday March 3rd, 2011 Community High School Dinner “Chosen-ness and Choices” Shabbat Drasha Torah Leadership Network – President Richard M. Joel High School Boys Lunch N’ Learn: “The Sacred Space of the Shacharit & Mussaf with Yeshiva University Valley Torah High School Jewish Community” Maccabeats B’nai David-Judea Shabbat Afternoon Community Panel Torah Leadership Network – Friday Night Community Oneg Discussion following 4:30 p.m. Mincha High School Girls Rabbi Kenneth Brander “Modernity & Spirituality: What’s Missing Shalhevet High School “The Value of Atheism: God’s Search for Man; from our Community?” Bnos Devorah High School Man’s Search for God” Moderator: President Richard M. Joel Valley Torah High School Friday Night Oneg – Home of Panelists: Rabbi Kenneth Brander, Dr. Rona Friday March 4th, 2011 Marnin & Alison Weinreb, 8:30 p.m. Novick, Rabbi Eli Baruch Shulman Torah Leadership Network – Dr. Rona Novick Young Israel of Hancock Park High School Boys & Girls “Happiness: Chasing the Elusive Blue Bird” Rabbi Hershel Schachter YULA Shabbat Drasha "Expanding Your Portfolio: Why Learning Torah is the Best Investment You Can Make" West Coast Torah Center Community High School Dinner at Friday Night Oneg – Home of Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff Beth Jacob Congregation with Steve & Helena Usdan, 8:30 p.m. Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff Shabbat Drasha “The Contrast of Krias Hatorah to “Moshiach: Who is He, When is He Coming Shabbat March 5th, 2011 Krias Hamegillah” and What Does He Want?” Afternoon Community Shiur, 4:30 p.m. Shabbat Afternoon Panel for High School Afternoon Shiur, 3:45 p.m. Girls with Mrs. Yael Leibowitz at the Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky Yavneh Bendik and Rimmon home Shabbat Drasha Rabbi Hershel Schachter Seudah Shlishit for High School Boys at the "Expanding Your Portfolio: Why Learning Young Israel of North Beverly Hills Home of Joey & Tracey Goldstein, 5:00 p.m. Torah is the Best Investment You Can Make" President Richard M. Joel Friday Night Oneg – Home of “Wanderings & Wonderings” Community Programming Steve & Helena Usdan, 8:30 p.m. Friday Night Dinner – Home of Philip & Janice Kaufler Friday Night Community Women’s Shiur “Halachic Issues of the Tuition Crisis” Mrs. Yael Leibowitz Shabbat Drasha Rabbi Kenneth Brander “Megillah Reading and the Gestalt of Purim” Shabbat Drasha Home of Avi & Shuli Steinlauf, 8:30 p.m. “The Contrast of Krias Hatorah to Krias Hamegillah” Motzei Shabbat Program Adas Torah Afternoon Community Shiur at Young Israel Community Motzei Shabbat Program with Rabbi Eli Baruch Shulman of Hancock Park, 4:30 p.m. Rabbi Hershel Schachter Friday Night Dvar Halacha Home of Daniel & Nomi Silverman, 8:30 p.m. Shabbat Drasha Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky “The Jewish Traveler: The International Shaarey Zedek “On the Grape: A Valedictory Blessing” Date Line” Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky Shiur following Davening, 11:00 a.m. Seudah Shlishit Following 5:30 p.m. Mincha “Halachic Overview: The Parent-Child Kabbalat Shabbat with Yeshiva University Relationship Through the Years”, 8:15 p.m. Maccabeats Dr. Efrat Sobolofsky “Helping Parents Navigate Through the Dating Maze Today”, 9:00 p.m. Sunday March 6th, 2011 The Westwood Kehilla Rabbi Hershel Schachter “Halachic Definiton of Death and Organ Transplant Implications”, 9:30 a.m.