The Goal of the Exodus – Don’t Slander!

22 Adar B 5779
Parashath Shemini/Parah

l'iluy nishmath Lazer Wolf ben Tzvi Hirsh & Lillian on his 15th yahrzeit

by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher | first published here

Blogger's Note: R' Sprecher doesn't often write like this. He feels strongly that the more religious and the more in the public eye a person is, the more he needs to take responsibility for what he says. Israeli elections are times of disunion on all sides, so one must take extra care of what goes out of his mouth — at least as much care as he takes of what goes into it. 

The big question is: Why can't we seem to handle a publicly-known difference between Jews in the Jewish State, implicating all of us who live here, without speaking lashon hara that spreads worldwide?

Rav Sprecher also brings out what might be considered a hiddush (new understanding) regarding a well-known statement by King David. Watch for it!
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"You shall not defile yourselves through any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am G-d who elevates you from the Land of Egypt." (Vayikra 11:44,45)

What is the connection between the Exodus from Egypt and the prohibition of eating insects? Why does the Torah juxtapose these two subjects? HaRav Mordechai HaCohen in his sefer, Al HaTorah, gives a profound explanation. Certain individuals are extremely careful not to swallow any insect, which is a serious transgression. These people painstakingly check fruits and vegetables with a microscopic lens to make certain that even the tiniest bug, not visible to the naked eye, enters their mouth.

Regrettably, some of these same people have no problem "swallowing up" another person through Loshon Hara and Slander. Certain, even Frum, Jews degrade and insult their fellow Jews. Disparaging and slanderous comments can destroy a person's life. Subjecting a fellow Jew to degrading and insulting remarks and comments, taking away his dignity, is more wicked than swallowing an insect.

Last week at an election rally for the Degel Hatorah party, which is part of the United Torah Judaism Knesset faction, a “Charedi” Rosh Yeshiva compared Israel to the Nazis. This person stated that, unlike the Jewish State, the Nazis knew that it was proper to separate men and women. Then he continued, “Israel is a state of idol worship. Even the Nazis knew that there should be separate living quarters for men and women.”

The political party that he spoke for is called United Torah Judaism. So I want to ask, is this Torah Judaism???

Where is the Charedi condemnation for this outrageous Slander and Loshon Hara against Israel?

For this reason the prohibition of eating insects is juxtaposed to the Exodus from Egypt. Just as G-d punished the Egyptian nation for enslaving, degrading, and slandering the Jews, so too will G-d exact punishment from those who slander and degrade their fellow Jews.

Perhaps, this is also the underlying message of King David when he cried out to his "frum" enemies, like King Shaul and Doeg, "I am a worm and not a man." (Tehillim 22:7) King David meant to say, Why do you, King Shaul and Doeg, as "Charedi" Jews, pursue, slander, and persecute me, saying that you would swallow me up alive? Make believe that I am only a worm. You would not think of swallowing a worm. After all - it's a serious sin, so why do you desire to swallow me through your Slander and Loshon Hara, which is much worse than swallowing a worm?

Unfortunately, King David's rebuke and painful critique is just as relevant and warranted today as it was then.

If only our leaders and politicians would learn this lesson from the Exodus.

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PURIM – The Endless Miracle!

15 Adar B 5779
Shushan (Persian) Purim sameah!

Doesn't this look like an endless miracle? Source

by Rav Ephraim Sprecher | first posted here

On Purim, as on Chanukah, we recite Al Hanisim. In this thanksgiving prayer, the stories of the miracles of both Festivals are related in a short and concise synopsis.

However, there is an obvious difference. In the Al Hanisim of Chanukah there is a finale, "Afterwards your sons came to Your House, they cleansed Your Sanctuary, purified Your Place of Holiness and lit lights in Your Holy Courts, and instituted these eight days of Chanukah for giving thanks and praise to Your Great Name."

In contrast, the Al Hanisim of Purim concludes abruptly. "You in Your Abundant Compassion voided Haman's plan and caused that which he sought to do to recoil on his own head, and they hanged him and his sons upon the gallows."

What kind of an ending is this? Where is the rest of the story? As Paul Harvey famously said, “Where is the rest of the story?” Why not tell us that the Festival of Purim was instituted with reading the Megillah, Mishloach Manot, gifts to the poor and the Purim Feast? Why was this part of the story omitted? Is it because the story of Purim is never ending?

Haman was only one episode in the ceaseless hatred and persecution of the Jews throughout our tragic and bitter history.

Though the history of our people is full of Hamans, our Rabbis would not indicate that in the Al Hanisim and spoil the joyous celebration of the Purim Festival. If so, why is there no uplifting conclusion to the Al Hanisim prayer of Purim?

The answer is because the central point of the story of Purim was "Kiymu V'Kiblu" that the Jews again accepted the Torah - unlike at Mount Sinai by coercion, but this time willingly and with love. The main outcome of the Purim story was the rededication to the Torah over and above the merrymaking.

In fact, the joy and celebration of Purim is in honor of our renewed commitment to the Torah, when we became re-JEW-venated as Jews.

Therefore, the Megillah Scroll is to be written on parchment and requires Sirtut, etched lines. Sirtut denotes permanency of the writing forever. The words of the Megillah are called, "Divrei Shalom V'Emet" – "Words of Peace and Truth."

Thus Tractate Megillah 16 states that etched lines are required in the Megillah so that they be words of truth as are the words of the Torah, "K'Amita shel Torah," "like the truth of the Torah."

The Talmud equates the eternal message of the Megillah with that of the Sefer Torah. Therefore, the Megillah concludes, "These days of Purim will never cease from among the Jews."

Each and every day that the State of Israel not only survives but thrives despite Hamas, Hezbullah and Iran is an endless Purim Miracle! As an example of this ongoing miracle, our recent heavy rains have been a blessing. The burned fields around Gaza, as a result of the Fire Balloons, have now become green and lush again BECAUSE the ash from all those fires from Gaza have made the soil extra fertile and extra rich. This is just one example of G-d’s ongoing natural miracles.

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V'nahafokh hu !  (You've never heard the Purim story like this!) ונהפוך הוא

Haman’s Anger Management

8 Adar Bet 5779
Erev Shabbat Vayiqra/Zakhor

Queen Esther Denounces the Evil Haman the Agagite, Son of Amalek!

by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher | first published here

Of all the abilities that human beings possess, perhaps none is as mysterious as our talent for compartmentalization. Each of us is multiple people, and different ones emerge in different circumstances and relationships.

If we can never fully know somebody, it's not simply because his exterior does not match his interior. It's because we have so many chambers inside, and some are more hidden than others, even from the person himself. As the radio program of yesteryear called “The Shadow” stated, “Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of man?”

Thus, even mild mannered people, including me, lose their temper and get angry on occasion. Is there a magic formula to control and manage our anger?

Last week the OU Israel Center showed the film Ground-Hog Day. It’s about a guy that is stuck in a Time Warp. This person keeps re-living the SAME day over and over again. He keeps repeating the same mistakes of the past.

I can identify with the Bill Murray character in the film. When I am having a Bad Hair Day, I tell myself, “I won’t become upset and angry.” And then, BOOM - It’s Ground-Hog Day all over again!

The Talmud in Shabbat 105 and Nedarim 22 state, "When one becomes angry, it is as if he is serving idols." This seems to be a very extreme and exaggerated statement. How can the Talmud compare anger to the worst sin of idolatry?

Upon deep reflection, we can perceive a connection. What really causes anger? When things don’t go my way, when my plans don’t work out, I get angry. The world is not conforming to my vision of perfection.

However, since G-D is running and controlling all events, getting angry is like saying that my version of the world is better than His! A person in the heat of anger thinks, "If I were running the world, I wouldn't have all these problems and troubles." The angry person also thinks, "If I was in charge of the world, I wouldn’t be messing things up the way G-D is." This angry reaction is a subtle form of idol worship. Because I am enthroning my intellect and ego and paying homage to them, instead of to G-d.

What is the best antidote for anger?

Purim is coming fast. Perhaps the antidote for anger can be found in the Megillah. “That day Haman went out (from the King) joyfully and exuberant. But when he noticed Mordechai in the King’s gate, that Mordechai did not stand up and did not bow before him, Haman was filled with anger and rage at Mordechai. Yet Haman controlled and restrained himself and went home. He summoned his friends and his wife Zeresh.” (Esther ch 5)

Why did Haman restrain his fury? How could he have suppressed and controlled his anger? Rashi explains, because Haman was afraid to take revenge against Mordechai without explicit permission from the King.

Here was the wicked and evil Haman “filled with rage.” His whole being was fury and anger, with murderous intent. Yet he was able to control and restrain himself from acting impulsively because he considered its negative consequences. How much more so should we be able to control OUR angry impulses!

The Mishnah in Avot 2 states, “Know Who and What is above you! An All Seeing Eye, an attentive and All Listening Ear, and all your deeds are recorded in The Book.”

When you feel anger coming, stop and say, “Smile, you’re on Candid Camera!”

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Happy belated Adar Bet 5779!

More about Amalek (Haman's ancestor) from Myrtle Rising:

The Hidden Viciousness of the Esav/Edom Pig | How to Identify & Overcome the Amalekite Conspiracy

Esther – A Woman’s View of TANACH

24 Adar A 5779

La Toilette d'Esther, originally Théodore Chassériau, 1841. I found it here.

by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher

When Esther sent the Sages her request, "Write my story for future generations," they responded, "Forget it, you are arousing jealousy between us and the United Nations" (Talmud Megilla 6).

The Sages’ response is puzzling. Since when do we censor TANACH because of what the UN and the EU will say?

As the Torah states, "What nation is so great that they have such righteous rules and laws?" (Devarim 4). G-D set us apart through His Torah and Mitzvot, thus highlighting our moral superiority over all the nations. Would we ever consider hiding our Torah so as not to arouse jealousy among the nations? What then was the debate between Esther and the Sages?

We can understand the Sages’ response according to their time. When they lived, new books were still being added to TANACH, and Esther was asking that her scroll, as well, should be included in the Bible. It is very interesting that in the Dead Sea Scrolls all of the Books of TANACH are there, except the Scroll of Esther. Our Sages had their own yard stick for what should or should not be included in TANACH.

As the Talmud in Megilla 14 states, "May prophets arose in Israel, twice as many as the number of Jews who left Egypt. Yet, only prophecies needed for all future generations were included in TANACH, and those not needed were excluded." The debate between Esther and the Sages was - Is or Is not Megillat Esther relevant to all future generations?

According to the Sages, the Purim story could not be classified as "needed for future generations", because until Haman, there was no precedent for genocide. Thus, the Purim story seemed to be a one-time event such that no one could ever imagine it recurring.

It is true that the Jewish People had known persecutions and suffering, for example Pharaoh in Egypt, who decreed, "Every boy who was born must be cast into the Nile" (Shemot 1). Then there was Amalek who terrorized Israel in the desert, Nebuchadnezzar who destroyed the Holy Temple, and all the other enemies of Israel.

Yet, such an "insane" decree as Haman's, "to destroy and exterminate all Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day" (Esther 3), the Jews of Esther's day had never known such a decree of genocide. The Sages, based on their past experience, viewed this genocidal plot as an insane one-time event that would never repeat itself. Therefore, they held that the Bible should not include Megillat Esther. For the Sages, it was a prophecy irrelevant for future generations of Israel.

However, Esther was one of the 7 prophetesses who prophesied to Israel (Talmud Megilla 14). Prophecy is not based on past historical events. Prophecy looks to the future, transcending the limits of time and place.

Esther, with her prophecy, looked into the future of the Jewish People, and knew that the Purim story would NOT be a one-time event. Rather, Haman's evil plot would tragically repeat itself many times throughout the bitter and sad history of the Jewish People.

Through her prophecy, Esther knew that a long and harsh exile awaited us among the nations, an exile whose end could not be seen on the horizon. It was an exile in which the Jews would face terror, persecutions, unimaginable suffering, and the Holocaust.

We would see ourselves as drowning in an endless sea of sorrow and persecution, and in desperate need of a life-raft.

Such a life-raft is Megillat Esther, for it teaches us that even when Israel reaches a situation of the Holocaust, even then we should not despair because the Jewish Nation is eternal. The greatest proof of this truth is that just 3 years after the Holocaust, the amazing State of Israel arose like a Phoenix out of the Ashes of Auschwitz.

Throughout Jewish History, there never was a prophecy so vital for all generations as Megillat Esther, to inspire us with hope for a better and brighter future.