It was the mid-1970s. At that time I was 19 years old and like every other religious boy from Jerusalem—long coat, long peyos, a fuzz of a beard. My brothers and I went to Eitz Chaim Yeshiva. I was a good student, and it wasn’t long before people began to suggest marriage proposals to my parents.
After a few months, I set out for New York to meet someone. Soon we got engaged and a summer wedding was planned. My parents wanted us to live in Jerusalem. Her parents wanted New York. They finally said, “Let the young couple decide.”
But we couldn’t decide. Arguments broke out and by Passover the engagement was broken. I was devastated. My family was devastated, too. My parents insisted that I return to Israel, but I couldn’t face returning alone. And so I stayed in America.
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Amalek is etymologically related to Melika which means to decapitate. The spiritual internal Amalek attacks us through a form of spiritual decapitation the way to combat this attack and emerge spiritually victorious is to…..
Now, the concept of “transformation” during this month means that the entire month is propitious for transforming those untoward events into a form of “joy and Yom Tov” that is palpably revealed to us.
Merkos On Campus will be distributing free Mishloach Manos to students on all Victorian Campuses. Please don’t miss out.
This has an effect on the people, jarring them out of their self-concern and their involvement in their petty private affairs and pointing their attention to their national mission.
At times it seems that we are being pushed and pulled by accidental forces. Things happen to us that seem haphazard and random, there seems to by no system in place, no direction to this cold and harsh universe.
Our Sages explain that on Purim, we too have the right to “put out our hand” to G-d and ask Him for our needs, even more than on any other day.
I know Purim is supposed to be a happy holiday, but when I look at myself and my life I see no good reason to be happy. On the contrary, I have plenty of reasons to be miserable. Am I supposed to be able just switch on happiness at will?
And then, disaster struck. Achashverosh, the Persian king, having done away with his wife, Vashti for disobeying him, sought a new queen. He demanded every attractive female in the empire be brought before him so he could select a suitably beautiful woman to be his wife.
The Megillah relates how the wicked Haman rose to power and planned to destroy all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, that lived in all the lands of King Ahasuerus. It also tells how things turned out eventually
A former friend who had a grudge against him had falsely accused him of absconding from Rumania with government funds, and although he now lived in Russia, they were pursuing their claim against him in a local court. Mendel was in serious trouble and not at all sure of how to exonerate himself.
Purim is the festival that commemorates the breathtaking victory over the murderous designs of Haman. It is observed on the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month of Adar…
Bear in mind that when a businessman makes an accounting, he does not consider each item individually, but makes a total accounting of the inventory as a whole. And so too regarding the “balance sheet” of events in your life.
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The Talmud states that in the era of Redemption, all festivals will be nullified except Purim. What does this mean? In the present era, the festivals represent G-dly revelations that transcend ordinary (G-dly) revelation, hence they stand out. In the Redemption, by contrast, G-dly revelation will be ongoing and the festivals will not be considered unique. They will be celebrated but the spiritual nature of the days will not stand out. This is not true regarding Purim. For Purim came about through the self-sacrifice of the Jews. Despite the challenges of exile, they reaffirmed their commitment to their Jewish heritage. Therefore they were rewarded with a festival whose light will continue to shine even in the era of Redemption.
Merkos would like to acknowledge
the generous support of:
Mr. Henry Malecki
… that if but one of them were to be blocked, or one of them were to be opened, it would be impossible to exist even for a short while …
In loving memory of
Chava Gittel bas R’Aryeh Leib A’H
Devoted Wife of
the late R’ Shmuel Hacohen OB’M
Beloved Mother of
R’ Yaakov Aryeh Hacohen Shey’
Adored Grandmother of
Yitzchok, Menachem, Mushkie, Shterny, Chaya, Shmuelli, Sheina, Zalman and Nechama Shey’
Merkos megillah readings will be at 118 Hotham Street E. S. Kilda on Purim night (Wednesday 7th March 2012) and on Purim day (Thursday 8 March 2012) for exact times please call 0403 185 896
Purim is the festival that commemorates the breathtaking victory over the murderous designs of Haman. It is observed on the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month of Adar…
When this boy asked about reincarnation, he was not asking about some abstract theological concept. He wanted to know if this lifetime is all there is, or there is more. The possibility of reincarnation changes the way we look at life. We were here before, and so some of the events that happen to us now may be leftovers from a previous life.
It was nearing Rosh Hashana. After three years of hard labor in the fields, the man prepared for his triumphant return home. He approached his employer: “I have worked well for you these years and now I wish to go home. Please give me my wages so that I may return to my family.”
But to his surprise, the rich man replied, “I’m sorry, but I have no money now and I can’t pay you.”
When the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, first called for the near-annual study of Rabbi Moses Maimonides’ foundational 12th century legal code known as the Mishneh Torah, he stressed the unity achieved by the entire Jewish People studying the same subject in Torah at the same time.
The Megillah relates how the wicked Haman rose to power and planned to destroy all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, that lived in all the lands of King Ahasuerus. It also tells how things turned out eventually
The Talmud cautions against naming children after evil individuals. “May the name of the wicked rot!” our Sages said. Why then would a portion of our holy Torah bear the name of such an evil person as Balak?
