Purim is Here! Everything you need

B’H

The holy days of Purim are here! Harav Arush stresses that all 3 days of Purim have special holiness and the ability to bring down special salvations – the Fast of Esther, Purim, and Shushan Purim. The very best thing is to do 6 hours of hitbodedut on all 3 days, and especially the Fast (all fasts are days for teshuva and he holds that on every single one a person should do 6 hours, and this one is certainly no exception) and whichever Purim you do not celebrate ie you more time without running around fulfilling all the other mitzvot of Purim.

Now, let’s get into the details of what to do and remember on Purim itself – whichever one you celebrate. First off, it is absolutely ussur to drink at night! Rabbi Arush said “One who drinks at night breaks the entire Torah, and it is forbidden. He drinks out of his lust and his idol worship.” The evening of Purim should be very simple – after Megillah, a simple, quick meal and then off to sleep for a few hours. Then wake up at midnight and recite Tikkun Chatzot and go out to the field to do hitbodedut until Netz/Shachris. Remember that you must go to the field happy! Praising Hashem and singing – not crying!!!

Hearing the Megillah – every single word of the Megillah is emuna. After Moshiach comes all the texts will be cancelled except this Megillah. Even more than the Torah itself, every single word is emuna!

Now we come to the Feast itself. First of all, the mitzvah is only to drink WINE. That is why it is called “The Feast of Wine” in Hebrew. Absolutely no other alcohol can be consumed! In fact, Rebbe Nachman warned very much about alcohol for the entire year, and it is a Breslev custom to drink wine only at Purim because Rebbe Nachman commanded us not to!!! (and some drink wine for the 4 cups on Pesach).

Secondly, Rabbi Arush asked – Is it possible that of all days, on Purim Hashem wants a person to lose his seichel, his mind/intellect? Most certainly not! The point of the wine is to receive daat – holy knowledge. You cannot get that if you have lost your seichel getting drunk! Therefore, you must say the special prayer (I have it attached here in Hebrew, and in English which is a rough translation and slightly different since every year Rabbi Arush changes the wording slightly) before every single cup. And if you notice that you are losing your moach, your mind, your hold on yourself – stop drinking! Tikkun habrit – rectification of the brit – is tied to Tikkun Hadaat – you cannot risk losing your daat! What you ARE supposed to be receiving, as I said, is daat. The daat to know that everything is for the very best and to say thank you. The daat to know that suffering is good. The daat to say Cursed is Mordechai – sadness is not the path to teshuva! (RT adds here – see my previous emails if you have not yet already for explanation of this) No sackcloth! And the daat to say Blessed is Haman – even the most evil have no free will, and it was through him that the Jewish people were saved and came closer to Hashem! So everything is good!!!

Finally, I also attached the Shabbat lesson from Rabbi Arush which also summarizes all these concepts from last week’s lesson.
FREILECHEN PURIM – it should be filled with meaning and salvations!
*Side note – this advice is all for men. Us women, we have to adjust accordingly. Chassidim hold that it is always forbidden for women to drink, because for women the moach/mind is tied up with tzniut, so drinking always lets a woman become loose, which she can never let herself do c”v. So Purim is definitely no exception, especially when sadly there are a lot of honestly drunk men out there. Nor is a woman expected to be able to do 6 hours each day, especially with her husband not around to help, nor is she generally going to be waking up at midnight. But for sure at least a solid hour of hitbodedut every day, and as much as possible in general are certainly in order.
**Side note number two – Harav Arush again stressed that fireworks and the like are strictly forbidden, especially since they scare people. In previous years he has gone into some length about the terrible suffering awaiting someone in Gehinnom who scared people. It is very important to make sure that one’s children are not involved in this very serious sin.

Return again to who you are...and Purim

This lesson is a blowout, incredible lesson. Count on Hashem because Hashem is with you! And connect yourself to who you are, truly, inside. Also some incredible advice on humility and coming to the land of Israel. A must watch!!!

http://emunahchannel.com/return-again-to-who-you-really-are/

And for Purim…
Rabbi Arush brings some amazing insights from the Klausenberger Rebbe about the dispute between Mordechai and Esther, after they discovered the evil plot by Haman to kill the Jews.

Mordechai went through the streets wearing sackcloth and ashes, crying bitterly. Esther sent him clothes - what he didn't have clothes? Saying - you cannot come before the King wearing sackcloth! What she was saying was this: I was raised in your house and you, Mordechai, taught me that when things... get difficult, you go put on your best Shabbos clothes and dance and thank Hashem. You know that you cannot come before the King - Hashem - except with joy. If you are not able to come before Hashem, how will the decree ever get overturned?

Mordechai answered that although she was right, the people needed to know that they needed to do teshuva - hence, he was trying to awaken them to the seriousness of their plight in order that they should return to Hashem.

Her response was that this was still not the way! By getting people depressed and upset, they are only going to be connecting to the Klipah of Haman and Amalek more, through crying and complaining. Every smile wipes away Amalek - so crying makes Amalek even more powerful. Even more, being sad is in and of itself a sin, since it means that you don't accept Hashem's will. You are only adding sins to Klal Yisrael, in a supposed attempt to do teshuva! How can this ever work? Teshuva through more power to Amalek and sinning through sadness? The people know to do teshuva already. Tell people instead - Do teshuva! Strengthen your emuna in! Hashem is waiting for our prayers! But don't be sad!
Mordechai did not agree, and cursed Esther if she did not go before Achashverosh. Now, she was afraid, because the conditional curse of a tzaddik stands no matter what - hence she told the people to fast "alai" - on me. Not on the decree, but on Esther herself, since Mordechai had cursed her!

The Klausenberger Rebbe added, that if Mordechai had agreed with Esther and they had been only happy and thanking Hashem, they wouldn't have just killed Haman and his sons - they would have totally wiped away Amalek! But in the end Mordechai recognized that Esther was right, and hence the Megillah is called Megillat Esther - not Mordechai.

Purim is Coming! Special learning for Purim

Countdown to Purim! Harav Arush spoke about Purim on Wednesday both to the Yeshiva and in his weekly class. There were some amazing thoughts and important pointers - over the next week I will G-d willing be emailing even daily with important tidbits from Harav Arush on this holiday, which is the most important holiday according to Harav Arush - even Yom Kippur is "yom" the day "k-Purim" like Purim, a day we get close to the holiness of Purim. Over the 3 days of Purim (the fast of Esther, Purim and Shushan Purim) a person can bring down incredible salvations. Even more, Purim sets the calendar for the entire year - everything begins with Purim. Rebbeinu also explains that a kosher Pesach depends on a proper Purim.

Let's begin with the basics - who is Amalek?

Rabbi Arush chuckled - he said in order to know how to erase Amalek, we first have to know who and what he is! So we must speak about him!
Klipat Haman-Amalek - the dark side force of Haman and Amalek (Haman was Amalek, and the most notable one, but this influence began before him and continues today) - is the force of denial of Hashem (kefirah).... Interestingly, the most bold manifestation of this is denying the good - that is how closely tied denying the good is to heresy. Everything that comes to a person comes to him from Hashem - this is a basic tenet of emuna. So if a person denies the good done to him by the messenger of Hashem (the flesh and blood person doing him the good, for instance) then if a person denies the messenger, they certainly also deny the one who sent him!

The famous example Rabbi Arush brings is that Haman had 10 sons, and incredible wealth and power. Everyone bowed down to him in the streets! Yet the fact that one little Jew, Mordechai, would not bow to him - he says "it is all like nothing in my eyes." This is the greatest denial of good possible and the quintessential example of denying the good and letting the "dark spot" in your life overwhelm all the good in it, to the point where you feel like the dark spot is everything and the good is like nothing - when really, if you could see clearly all the good being done for you and properly appreciate it, you would feel the exact opposite!
So the war against Amalek is the war of emuna, against kefirah (heresy). This is also the war of every person, at every moment - to strengthen themselves in the emuna to see Hashem, appreciate the good, and know Hashem is doing everything for the best - or to deny that G-d forbid, and question Hashem instead - "What's going on here? What does Hashem want from me? Why is this happening?"
Don't forget to start praying NOW already for a meaningful and inspiring Purim!

Happy Zot Chanukah! Chabura Tonight

B'H

As the sun fades along with the light of Chanukah, I wanted to share with you a small piece of daat that I spoke to Hashem about today during my hitbodedut. It isn’t from Harav Arush exactly, but based on things I have heard from him, as well as from Rabbi Nosson Maimon and Rabbi Michel Twerski of Milwaukee on this subject.

REMINDER: CHABURA MEETS TONIGHT! 8PM

Next week – back to usual Tuesday night 8:15PM

Zot Chanukah is a funny day. It gets me every year. Besides the few hours that the Chanukiah actually burns with the flames of all 8 candles lit, most of the day – the holiest, strongest day of Chanukah – it sits quiet and silent. It’s still Chanukah, but where is the light? I struggle to remember that it is still Chanukah, even – with no presents to look forward to, no candle lighting tonight, no more doughnuts and no more dreidle and gelt.

I was talking to Hashem about this today and suddenly it hit me – the light that burns in the Chanukah candles is the ohr ein sof  - the unending light of Creation. Using it you can see from one end of the world to the other. Really, this day of Zot Chanukah it burns the brightest because it is the connection between the first 7 days when it burned in physicality and the rest of the year, when it burns in spirituality only. And how can we access it the rest of the year?

IN THE TORAH. The Torah is also the ohr ein sof – using the Torah it is possible to see all of Creation, to know everything, if only one knows how to mine the Torah for that information. I believe it was the Chazon Ish (correct me if I'm wrong) who developed a new method of brain surgery in order to help someone who came to him and the doctors didn’t know how to operate on his brain tumor – and the Chazon Ish based on the Torah gave that doctor exact instructions on how to do the surgery an alternate, safer way. Many such stories abound in fact. Rabbi Lazer Brody loves reminding people that you can learn all of geometry through the laws of Sukkah in the Gemara, including pi and others. It is possible to know everything through the Torah.

This comes with an important aside. We must recognize the principle importance of the Torah!!! I hear from people all the time, and even used to believe myself, in Torah that is “added to by the wisdom of the world around us” and the like. Why, we should be worldly Jews, right? NO!!! That is what Chanukah is all about. It gets me every year that as a child in public school I learned all about Greek culture etc. etc. And that “beautiful democratic” society we were taught to love and admire – THAT society is exactly the society that is against the Jews, against Judaism, who we fought and won in the Chanukah story, whose victory over that same society we celebrate every year. That society that tried to make us deny the Torah and forbid us from keeping from some of its most important commandments, including Rosh Chodesh, Shabbos and brit milah.

And that’s is what Chanukah comes to remind us about, year after year. Sure the wisdom of the non-Jews, Greek philosophy and everything else, looks great. It’s all diamonds – looks nice and shiny but on the inside it is empty - really it is DARKNESS. Compared to the light of the Torah, which is the Truth of Hashem Himself and contains in it that same ohr ein sof that burns in the Chanukah candles, the supposed wisdom of the non-Jews is utter darkness and confusions, borne out of their own lusts and desires and their desire to fulfill them, and hold by a philosophy that enables them to do that. That is why every single nation refused to accept the Torah – each nation wanted their lust and desire, their sin, and didn’t want to keep a Torah that told them to change. It is also the primary reason why accepting the Torah upon ourselves is so difficult according to Rebbe Nachman as he explains in Likutei Moharan – the Torah tells us to curb some lust or desire we have (for instance, our innate desire to please and act like the goyim around us!) and we don’t want to listen, we don’t want to be challenged to change, we don’t want to give up that forbidden thing. So we deny the Torah, or change the Torah (really they are the same thing) in order to keep our lusts and desires.

Even more, Chanukah is all about belief in the tzaddik. We aren’t celebrating all the people who were Hellenists and acted like Greeks. We celebrate “Matityahu Kohen Gadol and his sons” – the tzaddik of the generation – who recognized that in order for Judaism to survive, he had to stand against Greek culture and its subversions. And Hashem helped him. And Purim too – everything was in the merit of Mordechai, the tzaddik of that generation. So BOTH of the holidays of “exile” are celebrations of the Tzaddik of the generation, and the Jews who followed him.

So what about us in this generation?! We can survive without following the tzaddik? To celebrate Chanukah and Purim IS to recognize that the only way to make it through exile is to follow everything they say, even if they say fight the mighty Greek empire! Fight the mighty Persian empire! Don’t go to the feast of the non-Jews, even if it’s 100% glatt kosher! So whose side do we want to be on today? Whose side do you think Jews of the future are going to celebrate – those who followed the tzaddik and had true emunat tzaddikim (belief in the true tzaddikim), or those who didn’t?!

Don’t worry that it’s dark outside now and Chanukah is over. We still have the light of the Torah, and the light of the true Tzaddikim, lighting up the way for us – IF ONLY WE CONNECT TO THEM, BELIEVE IN THEM, AND FOLLOW THEM NO MATTER WHAT – even and especially when that means leaving behind the ways, dress, jobs, lands, and opinions of the non-Jews.