Hidden Hand of Hashem

         The Purim story is one of the most hidden miracles in Jewish history. In the entire Megila of Esther there is no name of G-d written there. However, there is a hint when it says "Melech" "King" twice the sentence is referring to Hashem and when it says King once it is referring to King Achashverosh. The story of Purim teaches us many lessons that we can apply to our life. In the beginning of the story, king Achashverosh makes a party for everyone in Shushan and the Jews were invited as well. The Jews felt it would be disrespectful if they wouldn't go to his party and told Mordechai that if we don't go there will be anti semitsm between the people and us so we must go in order to keep peace. However, it only made things worse.
         * First lesson we learn in the Megila is that we should  not care what other people will think of us. Our job is to serve Hashem with a full heart and do as He wishes. No ones opinion should matter to us but Hashems. During the party, Achashverosh was very drunk and calls his first wife, Vashti to come to his party wearing only the royal crown. Just as Vashti was about to come out she got blemishes all over her body and refused to come. Haman instigated to Achashverosh that he should kill Vashti so that they show the woman of Shushan that if you don't respect your husband then off with your head like the queen. Achashverosh wakes up the next morning realizing that he doesn't have a wife so decides to make a beauty contest and he takes Esther has his wife. Esther didn't reveal who she was and where she was from. Queen Esther was put in the Palace of King Achashverosh in order to save the Jewish nation. Queen Esther did not want to approach Achashverosh to tell him that Haman wants to annihilate the Jewish nation which she belongs to because she was not called by the king and whoever isn't called by the king and enters his room is put to death. The only way that she agreed to go to the king was she told Mordechai (her uncle) to fast and do teshuva for three days with the Jewish nation and in their merit she will be saved when entering Achashveroshs' room without permission. After three days of praying to Hashem and doing Teshuva,  Queen Esther went to Achashverosh and low and behold he listened to her...she invited Haman and him to her feast then Mordechai is rewarded by saving the king from Bigtan and Tereshs plan by being dressed in royal clothing and being ridden on the royal horse and one of the kings adviser i.e Haman will carry him through town and proclaim "this is what shall be done to the man who the king wishes to honor". Right after this Haman attended the second feast that Queen Esther made for him and the king and the Queen revealed to the King that Haman wants to kill her and her people. The king ordered that Haman should be hung. Queen Esther adds a decree that the Jews can protect themselves on the 13th of Adar.

         *Second lesson we can learn from the purim story is that we should be real with ourselves. Tap into your soul. Don't be afraid to show your true colors. We should be able to express our self with no shame. We need to take our mask off and show Hashem that we want to be a true eved Hashem- servant of G-d.

       *Third lesson that we learn from the Purim story is that when we do bad we give power to the goyim however, once we do teshuva and continue to get closer to Hashem and strengthen our relationship with Him the decree flips just like in the Purim story. When the Jews were sinning we gave power to Haman once we did Teshuva it flipped to Mordechai the Jew.

     One must remember that this month is a very powerful month where we can flip decrees from bad to good and share good news with one another. Besrat Hashem we should all see the redemption soon.
Chag Sameach =)

Laws of Purim

There are 4 Mitzvot done on Purim:

1. Hearing Megila 2X (once at night and once during the day)

   - one must make sure to hear every word otherwise it is not valid.

2. Mishteh (MEAL)

  -It is a Mitzvah to have a meal on Purim day to dine with meat and wine. 

3.Matanot Laevyonim (Gifts to the poor)

- one is required to give at least one gift to two poor people on Purim. The gift should be enough to buy bread. The gifts to the poor are done during Purim day.

4. Mishloach Manot (Gifts to one another)

- one must send two items of food to at least one person on Purim day.

It is best to send it to someone who you are not in good terms with in order to make peace between one another.

Parshat Pekudei

Hashem instructed Moshe  to build the mishkan in a certain way, each part of the Mishkan was built according to Hashem. Moshe built the mishkan and took it a part for seven days only on the 8th day did Moshe let the Mishkan stand. This seems strange, why would Moshe put himself through so much trouble? Everytime Moshe went through the process of erecting and dismantling, he invested us with the strength to rebuild ourselves to learn from our failures and reinvent ourselves so that we might reach our spiritual potential. Moshe Rabbenu taught us a very important lesson that failures can be converted into growth and weaknesses can be transformed into strengths, and that's what life's challenges are all about. Our Torah is a perfect instruction manual which addresses every detail in our lives, and we follow it. Building the Mishkan within ourselves assures our Jewish survival and fulfillment.

Shabbat shalom! 

Look Within Yourself..Is Gd Within Me?

                                   

This is the only time that the phrase ויקהל משה, Moses assembles, appears in the entire Torah. Why is this?

The sin of the Golden Calf divided the Children of Israel, blaming one another and blaming Aaron but never blaming themselves. Moses therefore sought to unite the Children of Israel here by assembling and connecting them with each other thorough G-ds commands. He again asks the children of Israel to bring an offering to G-d. Among the offerings are: gold, silver, copper, blue, purple and dark red wool, fine twined linen, goats hair, seal-skins, acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oils and onyx stones for the ephod or breastplate. Every man and woman of the Children of Israel whose heart stirred them to give, dedicated their offering to G-d and the construction of the Tabernacle.

It's very easy to blame others for our actions instead of taking responsibility for our actions. In life we don't realize how we put the fault on the other person because it just comes out naturally. We need to fix that instead of blaming others do the opposite and thank them even if it may be the smallest thing they did show your appreciation. This month is Adar Alef we have an extra month to be in happiness. This month is also a time where we flip our negative traits and become better people. We work on ourselves to become stronger and positive people who serve Hashem with their heart and body. May this Shabbat be uplifting and turn your frown upside down.

Shabbat shalom :)

Let's try to bring Hashems shchina into our life and flip something bad to the good!

Parshat Ki Tisa

                                          

פרשת כי תשא

Exodus: (30:11-34:35)

Parashat Ki Tisa contains a collection of several Mitzvot regarding the Mishkan. However, the main issue of the Parasha is the sin of the Golden Calf and the smashing of the Tablets of the Ten Commandments. This episode will forever remain as a blotch in the Children of Israels biography.

The Parasha opens with the mandatory contribution of half a shekel of silver as an offering to G-d. Moses is ordered to collect the coins from every man, twenty years and above at the time of the nation. G-d tells Moses,

העשיר לא ירבה והדל לא ימעיט ממחצית השקל לתת את תרומת

The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel when giving this offering to G-d (30:15).

G-d also instructs Moses how to make the כיור, a copper wash basin that Aaron and his sons would use to wash their hands and feet prior to their service in the Tabernacle and that was placed between the tent of meeting and the altar.

In this Parasha, the children of Israel are also commanded again to keep the Shabbat. G-d orders Moses to tell the people-

...את שבתותי תשמרו כי אות היא ביני וביניכם לדרתיכם...

...You must preserve my Sabbaths, because it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations... (31:13).

When Moses did not return as expected from Mount Sinai, the Children of Israel were confused. Rashi explains that the satan or the adversary came to the Children of Israel and showed them images of darkness, gloom and confusion, implying to them that Moses had probably died on the mountain and the world therefore had been thrown into disorder.

The children of Israel then gather upon Aaron and said Arise, make us gods that will lead us, for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what happened to him (32:1). Aaron collects gold from the Children of Israel and the Golden Calf is created. The children of Israel declare,

These, Israel are your gods, that brought you up from the land of Egypt (32:4).

G-d tells Moses:

לך רד כי שחת עמך אשר העלית מארץ מצרים

Go down for your people have become corrupt, those whom you brought up out the land of Egypt (32:7).

G-d proposes to destroy the Children of Israel, who He refers to them as the stiff-necked people (32:9).

Moses pleads with G-d, asking,

למה יאמרו מצרים לאמר ברעה הוציאם להרוג אותם בהרים ולכלתם מעל פני האדמה

Why should Egypt be able to say, He brought them out with evil intent, to slay them in the mountain, and consume them from the face of the earth? (32:12)

G-d repents of the evil that He said He would do to His people and Moses descends the mountain. When Moses descends from the mountain, he carries the two tablets of the testimony, engraved with the Ten Commandments that were the work and writing of G-d. However, when Moses sees the Golden Calf and the Children of Israel dancing,

ויחר אף משה וישלך מידו את הלוחות וישבר אותם תחת ההר

Moses anger blazed and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain (32:19).

Moses then burns the Calf, grinds it to a powder, sprinkles it onto the water and makes the Children of Israel drink it. Moses stands at the gate of the camp and proclaims, Whoever is on G-ds side, let him come to me! (32: 26). 

Moses returns to G-d and says that the Children of Israel have committed a great sin, but they should still be forgiven. Moses tells G-d that-

ועתה אם תשא חטאתם ואם לא מחני מספרך

And now if you do not forgive them, erase me out from your book that you have written (32:32).

Moses carves out a new set of stone tablets just like the first ones and once again ascends up the mountain. G-d then descends on the mountain and proclaims to Moses the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. Moses once more pleads with G-d, asking G-d to Pardon our iniquity and our sin (34:9). G-d accepts Moses plea and forms a covenant with the people, saying that He will perform before them marvels that have never been performed in all the earth, nor in any nation. After another forty days on the mountain, Moses descends with the two new tablets of the testimony and with a radiance emanating from his face.

What can we work on this Shabbat?

1. Our faith in G-d

2. Learning laws of Shabbat properly

3. Work on our ego- lowering ourselves 

4. Giving charity

5. Being more careful to wash hands prior to prayer, eating bread and when one awakens in the morning. Look up laws for washing hands to learn more!

Have an amazing and uplifting Shabbat!

Parshat Tetzaveh- "Enlighten Your Home"

"ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל ויקחו אליך שמן זית זך כתית למאור להעלות נר תמיד"
"And you command the children of Israel to take for themselves pure olive oil and to light the candle".
The word תצוה Tetzave literally means you shall command. However, the word can also be read as a derivative of Tzivta צוותא, meaning together or united. G-d tells Moses to unite with the Children of Israel. Thus every Jewish person in every generation carries a spark from Moses. (אור החיים : Ohr ha-Chaim)בעל הטורים (Baal ha-Turim) brings a very interesting approach to the word Tetzaveh. He explains that the numerical value of the word Tezaveh תצוה is 501 and is equal to that of the word Nashim Tziva (spelled in hebrew) which means command the women. From here the Baal Haturim derives the womens obligation to light the Shabbat candles weekly.
Aahron Hacohen was commanded to clean the menorah in the Mishkan. Why does Aahron the Cohen Gadol recieve such a dirty job? To show us that even the job that seems so low and dirty is the most holiest thing because you are serving Hashem. 

So too, a woman is the Cohen in her home which is the mini Beit Hamikdash and she hasd to make sure that nothing impure enters her home and also to remember that even though she feels she is doing a lowly thing in the home- washing dishes, changing diappers, etc. remember that you are doing the most holiest thing because you are serving Hashem to your fullest. Just like Aahron, the Cohen Gadol was cleaning and preparing the Menorah to be relit looks like a lowly job but in reality it is the biggest and most important task in the Mishkan without him they wouldn't be able to relight the Menorah,

Shabbat Shalom 

By:Esther Shamayev
































































































































































































































tzaveh תצוה. He explains that the numerical value (gematriya) of the word Tetzavehbתצוה is 501 and is equal to that of the word נשים צוה or Commanded the Women. From here the Baal ha-Turim derives womens obligation to light weekly Shabbat candles.

Parshat Terums- Hashem Is With Us

As our Parsha opens, Hashem tells Moshe, "If you think I was close to Bnei Yisroel at Matan (the giving of the) Torah, pitch me a tent, 'cause I'm dwelling among Bnei Yisroel from now on." Here's what Hashem has in mind: While the Jews travel through the desert, living in temporary dwellings, Hashem, too, will travel the same way, dwelling in a temporary, travelling Mishkan, which will be packed up every time the Jews move on to a different camping ground. When the Jews are settled in Eretz Yisroel and build permanent homes, they will build a permanent dwelling for Hashem's Shechina (divine presence), the Bait Hamikdosh.
Moshe is up at the summit of Har (Mt.) Sinai. He doesn't know it, but all heck is about to break loose down below. There's major sinning sneaking up on the desert Sinai. Sinning that could destroy the bond between Hashem and Bnei Yisroel. Hashem knows He has to strengthen the bond now, before it is too late! The Mishkan is the solution. Hashem tells Moshe all about this travelling Holy Temple that keeps Hashem's Shechina right smack in the middle of the Bnei Yisroel. With the Shechina resting among the people, no nation will be able to say that Hashem abandoned Bnei Yisroel after their terrible sin. In this weeks parsha it also describes how each item apart of the Mishkan was made.    Nowadays, we don't have a Mishkan orBeit Hamikdash however, we have our homes our Beit Hamikdash Me'at. A woman is the Cohen Gadol and needs to make sure nothing impure enters the home so Hashems presence can dwell amongst us. Anything that is holy belongs in our homes. May each and everyone of us take out the garbage from within our homes and within ourselves so Hashems shchina may dwell amongst us.Amen!

By: Esther Shamayev

Shabbat shalom! :)