Light and Gladness

"The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honour."
(Esther 8:16)Adar 14, 5769/March 10, 2009
Purim

More precious than gold: Simchah - joy - happiness! The sublime pleasure of being alive, the transporting loftiness of recognizing G-d's presence in the world, the inescapable satisfaction of performing His will. With family, with friends, with loved ones we feel it; after completing a difficult but worthy task, rising above our own limitations, assisting a stranger, helping the less fortunate, it fills our being.

The Scroll of Esther marks a time of trouble for the Jewish nation. Our enemies in the corridors of power are conspiring to destroy us, scheming, planning, intriguing to rid the earth for once and for all of this pesky nation whose every breath is a testimony to the presence of G-d in the world. We look for salvation but none is to be found. G-d's face is hidden from us. His name has become silent. Yet we are commanded to increase our simchah precisely in this season, to become effusively and ebulliently joyful on this day of Purim. Why?

The simchah that we feel, the joy that we express IS the testimony that G-d is in the world, that His face is not truly hidden! The sublime pleasure of being alive, the transporting loftiness of recognizing G-d's presence in the world, the inescapable satisfaction of performing His will - this "simchah consciousness" reflects and projects G-d's name every where we are. Simchah, whose source is in man's attachment to G-d, is the very weapon which shatters Amalek's poison message that there is no G-d in the world. Through simchah we defeat Amalek, and through simchah we shall build the Holy Temple, speedily in our days!

Please help yourselves to this week's video Torah teachings and Purim delicacies:

Bat Melech with Rabbanit Rena Richman: "Scroll of Esther, Part IV: The fourth and dramatic concluding chapter of Rena's fascinating exploration of the historical and spiritual background to the events which take place in the Scroll of Esther, and the integral part played by Esther in the salvation of the people of Israel and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple." Click here to view.

ALSO...

The triumphant rebroadcast of Rabbi Richman's 5768 (2008) Purim Special Light to the Nations video teaching, in which the Rabbi lets down his hair, and everything seems a little upside-down: Why is Purim the only normal day of the year? How does the Purim feast transport us to the sublime spiritual level of the world to come? How does the celebration of Purim, replete with food, drink and merriment lead to true joy and make tangible the words of Zachariah: “In that day shall the L-rd be One and his name one.” The Rabbi has the answers to all these questions, and much, much more… Click here to view.

PLUS...

Light to the Nations with Rabbi Chaim Richman: "Spiritual Latitudes: Maimonides’ Laws of the Chosen House, chapter 7: The Holy Temple is always present in our minds and our hearts wherever we may be, and we conduct ourselves accordingly expressing our constant reverence throughout all our actions." Click here to view.

AND..

This week's new Light to the Nations teaching: "Building the Temple Today: Maimonides' Laws of the Chosen House, chapter 7: All of the vessels to be used in the Holy Temple are considered to be part and parcel of the Holy Temple itself. Therefore, creating any vessel for use in the Divine service is considered to be an aspect of building the Holy Temple." Click here to view.

And don't forget...

This Shabbat we read parashat Ki Tisa, and also the special reading of Parah - the red heifer. The sin of the golden calf, which takes place in Ki Tisa, is the sin of man attempting to hold G-d in his hand, to be able to comprehend and rationally explain G-d, to be able to point to G-d's infiniteness and say, “Ahh - there it is!” - as if that were humanly possible.


Parah Adumah, considered to be the “antidote” to the golden calf, is testimony to the unknowable and ungraspable reality of G-d. Click here to view Rabbi Richman's short teaching on parashat Ki Tisa (Exodus 30:11-34:35).

Last but not least, our vintage Purim chestnuts...

Megillat Ester: Behind the ScenesPurim in Maps: Yesterday & Today

Purim Sameach from the walled city of Jerusalem,
Yitzchak Reuven
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
www.templeinstitute.org