Rabbi Frand on Parshas Tetzaveh
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi
Yissocher Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion:
Tape # 88, Parshas Zachor; other Purim Issues. Good Shabbos!
The Greatest Accolade Given To Mordechai
The last verse in the Megilla reads, "For Mordechai, the Yehudi, was
viceroy to King Ahashuerus; he was a great man among the Jews, and
found favor with the multitude of his brothers (ratzui l'rov echav);
he sought the good of his people and spoke with peace to all his
posterity (v'dover shalom l'chol zar'oh)." [Esther 10:3]
The Ibn Ezra makes two very interesting comments on this verse. The
Ibn Ezra says on the phrase "he found favor with the multitude
(literally the majority) of his brothers" that a person can not find
favor with everyone, because of jealousy. It is impossible to be
completely popular.
Then the Ibn Ezra comments on the buildup of praises in the verse.
The concluding and seemingly greatest praise is that "he spoke with
peace to all his posterity". The Ibn Ezra comments that this means
that he was on good terms with all his children and grandchildren.
This seems anti-climactic. Is this the greatest thing we can find to
say about Mordechai HaYehudi? The Ibn Ezra says this is indeed a
great praise.
Think of all the children and grandchildren that Mordechai had. Did
each one turn out exactly like Mordechai would have wanted? If
Mordechai would have wanted all his children and grandchildren to
learn in Kollel, do we expect that that is the way it would have
worked out? Or if he wanted them all not to learn in Kollel, do we
expect that that is the way it would turn out? Maybe there would be a
black sheep in the family that did learn in Kollel, or maybe there
would be a black sheep that did not!
And yet, Mordechai spoke in peace to all descendants. He was able to
maintain a peaceful relationship with all his children and all his
grandchildren. This, the Ibn Ezra tells us, is a great thing. Because
of the natural fear that children have towards parents, it is not
always true that there is a loving relationship between parents and
children. Therefore if Mordechai could maintain such a relationship,
this is indeed the highest accolade that the Torah can offer him.
I think this is a great ethical lesson to us. We try to raise
children and we have certain ideals and standards of how we would
like our children to be. It doesn't always turn out like that. But we
should always strive to maintain a relationship where we can, at
least, speak peacefully with all our offspring.
One Who Gladdens Hearts on Purim is Compared to G-d
The Ramba"m in the Laws of Yom Tov [6:18] speaks about the nature of
the mitzvah of Simchas Yom Tov [Rejoicing on Festivals]. There he
says "when he eats and drinks, he has to feed the stranger, the
orphan, and widow together with the other poor and unfortunate
people. However, he who locks the gates of his courtyard and sits
down to feast with his wife and children but does not provide food
for the poor and embittered of spirit -- such is not the rejoicing of
mitzvah; it is the rejoicing of one's own stomach!"
In the Laws of Megilla also, the Ramba"m speaks of the mitzvah of
rejoicing on Purim. There he writes [2:17] "It is preferable for a
person to be excessive when it comes to the mitzvah of giving gifts
to the poor rather than to be excessive when it comes to feasting and
sending food portions to friends because there is no greater or more
glorious rejoicing than to gladden the hearts of the poor, the
orphans, the widows, and the strangers, for one who gladdens the
hearts of these unfortunate individuals can be compared to the
Shechina (G-d's Divine Presence) as it is written [Yeshaya 57:15] 'to
revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the
crushed'".
If we would speculate when there is a greater mitzvah to gladden the
hearts of the widows and orphans -- on Yom Tov or on Purim -- we
would logically assume that on Yom Tov there would be a bigger
mitzvah. Yom Tov, after all, is a Biblical command. Purim is
Rabbinic in origin. Yet the Ramba"m goes out of his way and says
something that he very rarely says in the entire Mishneh Torah ---
"that one who gladdens the hearts of these can be compared to the
Shechina"! The Ramba"m does not use such language in connection with
the laws of Yom Tov.
What is the Ramba"m telling us over here by saying that a person who
makes the less fortunate happy on Purim is comparable to G-d?
The Medrash in Esther says on the verse "to know what is this (mah
zeh) and about what is this (v'al mah zeh)" [Esther 4:5] that when
Esther queried Mordechai she was alluding to something. She said,
"What's happening? What have we done? Never in Jewish history has
there been such a decree as Haman has issued. Have they perhaps
denied the verse 'This is my G-d' (zeh Keyli) or perhaps they denied
the Ten Commandments about which it is written 'from this way and
that way (m'zeh u-mi'zeh) were they written?"
Esther wanted to know what was happening.
The Medrash then says that Mordechai responded by explaining that the
reason the Jews were suffering was a result of the grandson of
'Karahu'. Who is 'Karahu'? 'Karahu' refers to Amalek about which it
is stated "Who happened to you (asher Korecha) on the road" [Devorim
25:18]. Our Sages tell us that Amalek represents the antithesis of
Belief in this world. Amalek denies the existence of a Creator of the
world.
When Mordechai told Esther that the Jews are suffering because of
'Karahu', he was saying that the Jews were suffering because of a
terrible, terrible, lack of Emunah (belief). This is a lack of belief
that even in our own times we don't see. What do I mean? We have non-
believing Jews today -- are they greater 'believers' than the Jews in
the time of Mordechai and Esther?
I mean as follows: The Talmud says that the reason the Jews were
deserving of destruction, was that "they enjoyed the banquet of that
evil one" [Megilla 12a]. What was so bad about partaking in the
banquet of Ahashuerus?
Was it Treife [non-kosher]? G-d forbid! "The drinking was according
to the law, nothing was forced" [Esther 1:8]. It was Glatt
[unquestionably kosher]. It was Cholov Yisroel [supervised milk]. It
was Yashan [Bread made from permitted grain]. It had all the Hidurim
[done in best possible way]. So what was the sin? The sin was that
the Jews attended a Feast by the Goyim at which the Goyim took out
the Vessels of Service (Klei Sharays) of the Beis HaMikdash and the
Jews sat there and kept on feasting!
On this block, in this city, across the country - there are Jews that
have very little relationship, unfortunately, with Judaism. But if
they would go to even a non-Kosher meal and the hosts would take out
vessels and say, "These are the utensils of the Holy Temple", which
Jew would not react? Which Jew would not get up and yell, "These are
my utensils! These are the vessels of our Beis HaMikdash!"?
The fact that the Jews in Shushan could sit there through a meal and
use those vessels was a terrible sin!
What was wrong with them? What was wrong with those Jews was that
they were 'hopeless Jews'. They were Jews who had lost all hope. They
had counted the 70 years of the Exile, and knew that the Exile was
supposed to be over and yet the Redemption had not yet come. Those
were Jews who had seen the building of the Second Beis HaMikdash
stopped in its tracks. Those were Jews who had come to the conclusion
that there would be no Redemption. Those were Jews who said,
"Moshiach is not going to come". Those were hopeless Jews.
The difference between those Jews and the Jews of our day is that
today, as non-observant as a Jew may be, he is at least a believer in
Redemption, and he knows that there is hope.
That is what the story of Purim restored. There was a decree. The
Jews were motivated to do Teshuva [repent] and the Ribbono shel Olam
(Master of the World) came back and breathed life into this dead body
of the Jewish people and gave them hope. That is what happened on
Purim. G-d took His breath of Life and restored hope to a forlorn
nation.
Rav Hutner said that as we all know, there is a mitzvah to emulate
G-d. If on Purim, G-d brought the dead back to life, if He took
hopeless and downtrodden Jews and gave them hope, it becomes our
mitzvah on Purim to do the same thing. Therefore the Ramba"m says
that on Purim there is no greater mitzvah than to gladden the hearts
of the unfortunate and downtrodden. The essence of the day is to give
hope, meaning, and comfort to broken-spirited people... because
that's what G-d did. Therefore, a person who does this will be
comparable to G-d.
Personalities & Sources:
Rav Avraham Ibn Ezra -- (1089-1164) Composed classic commentary on
entire Tanach famous for its grammatical and
linguistic analysis. Born in Toledo, Spain.
Ramba"m -- Rav Moshe ben Maimon (1135-1204); One of Judaism's leading
Torah authorities and philosophers. Codified all of Jewish
law in his Mishneh Torah.
Rav Yitzchok Hutner -- (1907-1980) Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta R. Chaim
Berlin, New York; Author of Pachad Yitzchok,
his collected discourses.
Glossary
Simchas Yom Tov -- Rejoicing on Festivals
Treife -- literally 'torn'; an animal in which certain body parts
are torn is non-kosher.
Glatt -- literally 'smooth'; unquestionably kosher, because of
no lung adhesions which may indicate a possible 'tear'
Cholov Yisroel -- Milk in which a Jew supervised the milking (to
ensure that it was milk from a Kosher animal)
Yashan -- literally 'old'; refers to grain from the prior year's
crop; 'new' grain which first grows after the 16th of
Nissan (the date of the Omer offering) is forbidden until
that date on the following year.
Hidurim -- literally 'beautification'; refers to performance of
commands in the most optimal way.
Teshuva -- repentance
Ribbono shel Olam -- Master of the World
This week's write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi
Yissochar Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah
portion #88 The corresponding halachic portion for this tape is:
Parshas Zachor and Other Purim Issues. The other halachic portions for
Parsha Trumah from the Commuter Chavrusah Series are:
Also Available: Mesorah / Artscroll has published a collection
of Rabbi Frand's essays. The book is entitled:
