Behind the Mask

This Wednesday Night-Thursday, Jews worldwide will be celebrating the joyous, awesome holiday of Purim. What makes Purim so special, and what's it's underlying theme that we can learn from & take into our lives 2,400 years after these amazing events unfolded?

One unique aspect of "Megillat Esther" (The scroll of Purim) is that it is the only book of the 24 books of Tanach - which has NO mention of G-d, not even once! The events unfold throughout the megillah quite naturally. Sure, everything works out amazingly for the Jewish people & at every turn our arch-nemesis Haman is thwarted. But hey, we had Esther as our queen to pull strings, not to mention the influential Mordechai. Maybe it was just a case of being at the right place, at the right time?

The theme of Purim is exactly that: Our lives seem to flow naturally, without outside influence. G-d doesn't openly display his influence to us; at least not very often.
His "name" isn't mentioned. Throughout the good & bad times, it is up to us to recognize the puppeteer pulling the strings, the conductor behind the orchestra.
Megillah is etymologically connected to the word "Megaleh" - to reveal, while the Talmud states that Esther's name is connected to "Hester" - hidden. The theme of Purim is that our mission is in working to reveal He who is hidden - orchestrating the world's events and our lives.

How come there is a custom of dressing up on Purim, hiding one's face? Why do we eat hamantaschen which consist of a sweet filling hidden inside a cookie? When one wears a mask, that person hides. But if someone recognizes him and calls his name, he has no need to wear the mask anymore - the game's up! G-d's face - his presence - is hidden behind the mask of the world. It is up to us to recognize the world as merely a well fitted costume, each nuance chosen for a specific reason. And even in the bad times, events that we don't & often can't understand in our limited worldview - those too have a sweet reason behind them, like the hamantaschen, whose inner sweetness isn't always apparent from the outside.

May we all celebrate the happiest of holidays this year with the knowledge that our own lives are a megillah scroll - every event directed by G-d to produce a fantastic story. Learn about & find a synagogue near you here: PURIM

Shabbat Shalom!

It's Time to Smile!

B"H

"When the month of Adar enters, one must increase in joy." (Talmud - Taanit 29a)


The 12th & last month of the Hebrew calendar is upon us. And that means: it's time to rejoice! Halfway through the month we celebrate the joyous of all holidays - Purim (which will be discussed at length in upcoming emails). In 1991, Saddam Hussein was defeated officially on - you guessed it - Purim day. Mass murderer & Jew hater Josef Stalin, suddenly passed on the 1st day of Adar, in 1953. An auspicious month for sure, but let's take a look at the words of the above phrase from the Talmud: "When the month of Adar enters, one must increase in joy." Why not simply say, "one must be joyful?" To increase implies that one is already joyful, and merely needs to increase it. It comes out from this that the Torah expects us to be joyful at all times!

But how is that possible? True, the 2nd verse in Psalm 100 of King David's Tehillim states: "Ivdu et Hashem B'simcha - serve G-d in joy." And the Code of Jewish law does begin with: "Serve G-d always." So if one must serve G-d in joy, and serve him in every aspect of our lives, 1+1 = 2: we must be joyful at all times, right? Well, between you and I, it ain't always so easy.

Sure, as a kid I was pretty happy. Laughed a lot - not a care in the world. But now the weight of the world is on my shoulders! Health, bills, pressure, relationships - there's a lot to worry about! But perhaps what is needed is to work on a change of perspective. From our narrow viewpoints, we view the world as owing us everything. If something is lacking in my life, it isn't fair. But what's the truth of the matter? Do I really deserve anything? The Torah's point of view takes an opposite approach: Everything I have is merely a gift of kindness from above. And therefore I don't need more, or demand more.

It seems simple enough, but imagine if we awoke everyday and lived like this? The shirt I have, the food I eat, the health I have - is all a gift. Anything and everything, is all from pure kindness. And when one labors at attaining this deeper perspective on life, he or she can also come to appreciate the fragility and lackluster quality of the material. Spirituality, good deeds, Torah wisdom - that's everlasting, for it lives on the spiritual realms which is permanent. Physical attainments ultimately fade away and don't last, so why be so sad when you can't attain them?

May each and every one of us have everything that we need, physically & materially. As the Lubavitcher Rebbe often said: "Our generation's tests should not be in the realm of poverty." We have other struggles. But this perspective mentioned above is still a worthwhile one to repeat in our minds. Ultimately, our sadness at its root stems from a deeper place: Confusion, which comes from a lack of revelation. G-d is hidden; his plan behind our lives and this world not overtly apparent. Confusion leads to a morose feeling. Purim, and the month of Adar, shows G-d's light in the darkness of exile, how even when he hides, it is apparent that He is running the world. G-d's name isn't mentioned even once in Megillat Esther that we read on Purim, but it is completely apparent that he is running the show. May we work to see his fingerprints on creation and in our lives, and how all that we have - is really just a gift - from him to you and I. Imagine if, when you see a friend on Purim wearing a costume mask, you call that person's name, seeing behind his hiding. Then there's no point in hiding anymore. May that time come soon, speedily in our days!

Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh tov!

-Daniel

Hamantaschen - The Inner Sweetness

When Jewish holidays come around, my taste buds start tingling.
True, matzoh doesn't really rock my boat too much, but Latkas, Jelly doughnuts, Challoh and wine, and the smorgasbord of other delicious kosher treats, all play a big role in feeling the holiday spirit.
As one man astutely observed, most Jewish holidays can be defined as: "They tried to kill us; we won, let's eat!"

But let's take a deeper look at the foods we eat at special occasions.
On Chanukah, I wrote about the inner meaning of donuts and latkas.
But as Purim arrives this Sat. Night/Sunday, let's take a look at what makes hamentaschen so special.

The story of Purim is incredibly unique. G-d Saves the Jewish People from annihilation (nothing new here), but does it in a way that seems natural. The Jewish Queen pulls some connections with the king, a few things go our way, and boom - the Jewish people are saved. It seems SO natural in fact, that the Purim story is the only one in the entire 24 books of the Bible, where G-d's name is not mentioned even once!

But the lessons of Purim are everlasting. G-d's "Name," His open Revelation to us in the world, is slim to none. He's Hidden. Like a puppet-master behind the scenes, guiding the show. From Middle East upheavals to tsunamis, G-d Guides the world without openly Saying "I'm Here." On Purim, G-d Made His Being a bit more apparent; more easily deduced from the events that unfolded.
It was just too much of a coincidence!

In our lives too, G-d Is intimately involved, but Hidden. Behind every event, even the painful ones, G-d Is Behind it. And if G-d Is Behind it, then the inner truth of the event is pure goodness. As the prophet Jeremiah said: 'Evil does not descend from Above.' Even when it isn't apparent. And that is the lesson of the hamantaschen:
A triangular cookie with a sweet filling on the inside, the hamentaschen symbolize the essence of the Purim story, and our lives: As tough or unsavory as an event may seem, there is a sweet inner reason behind it.

G-d Hides to Give us free-choice to choose to recognize His Role in our lives, or not. Like the Purim masks we wear, G-d Uses the world and "nature" as a mask to Hide His Doing. But as we listen to "Megillat Esther" Being read on Purim, let's remember the Kabbalistic interpretation: "Megaleh Ha'hester" - To Reveal that which is Hidden. Through recognizing the One behind the Mask, in our lives and the world's events at large, may we merit to see G-d Presence in actuality, and the sweetness behind all of history's events.

Have a happy Purim!

-Daniel
To see more on Purim, check out: Purim

Take off the Mask

B"H

I hope this e-mail finds you in good spirits!

We have just entered the Hebrew month of Adar, a month which the Talmud says about it: "Mishenichnas Adar Marbim B'simcha" - "When Adar begins, increase in joy."

Joy is not reactionary, as many of us think, but proactive. We often think:That new thing I'm waiting to get will make me happy. But the truth is, we have to work internally on our joy. Each of us has the ability to think about that which we can be happy about. And we're actually obligated to do so! "Serve G-d in joy" - Psalm 100.

Our Jewish Belief is that G-d Controls & Causes all that happens to us. Therefore there is a reason and plan for everything

that occurs in our lives. And at any moment, we can be shown to see this plan revealed in an openly good way to our naked eyes.

If we pray and put our trust in G-d - all that seemed bad, can prove to all along have been for the good.

This is the story of Purim.

~~~~~~~~~~

If you don't know the Purim story (click: Purim), here's what happened in short: In 4th century BCE, the Persian King Ahasuerus, who practically ruled the entire world at the time, was convinced by his evil advisor Haman to issue a decree against all the Jews to be destroyed. After the Jewish people heard about this, they turned inward and decided to return to G-d. They cried out to Him, pleading to reawaken their relationship. The King's Jewish queen, Esther, was then able to successfully change the King's mind, and he issued a new decree for the Jews to defend themselves. The Jews throughout the lands subsequently won a short war, a victory which we celebrate the day of - ever since...

~~~~~~~~~~

Haman was going to the royal feast with the King & Queen. The edict with the King's seal against his enemy Mordechai and the rest

of the hated Jewish People was soon to be carried out. Gallows, 50 feet high had been erected, awaiting Mordechai's public hanging.

All seemed pretty bleak for the avg. Jew on the street.

But the Jewish People had one last secret weapon...

G-d.

The same G-d Whose Name isn't mentioned ONCE in the entire Purim story. How strange?

But that's the whole point.

G-d's Name Isn't mentioned in our lives either.

He's Hidden. Discreet. Moving behind the scenes.

But He's Running the whole show.

At the royal feast, Haman was accused by a Jewish girl who somehow ended up Queen before he even dreamed of his evil plan.

The edict was torn up. Haman was hung on the very same gallows he had originally erected for his enemy.

Evil was shown for what it truly was, and good triumphed for all to see.

"For the Jews there was light, joy, gladness,

and honor." (Megillat Esther 8:16)

And all the while, G-d Hid in the background,

His Name not mentioned even once.

And after it was all said & done, everything seemed to have gone

back to normal.

But it's apparent to us every year when we re-read the story of Purim, that G-d Peaked out from behind the curtain

of "nature," telling His People and the world:

"Don't worry. Don't forget, I'm Behind it all."

Why do you think there's such an emphasis on eating hamantaschen

on Purim, a cookie which hides the sweetness inside of it?

Or why everywhere dresses up in costumes, which hides the real

person behind it?

It's because the events of Purim signify to us that G-d Is Behind all of the events in our lives, and there is a sweet

reason behind each & every thing. This is why we celebrate

(and say l'chaim on reality impairing liquids) on Purim,

to remember that the facade of this independent,

physical world is just a mask with a certain Reality Hiding behind it.

At this time of year, let's celebrate this knowledge that everything

happens for a reason - a good reason.

Q: And what happens when everyone at the party realizes who

the person is behind the costume and mask?

A: He removes them. Because there's no purpose anymore in hiding!

The story of Purim is being written today in the events of our lives -

that each event needed to be to help reach to the final,

sweet outcome.

May we all work on realizing G-d's Presence in our own lives -

even while He Hides behind the mask of nature.

And once we do this - may it bring Him to Remove His then

useless mask -

with the coming of Moshiach & the Final Redemption

speedily in our days!

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

S. Diego, CA