Post date: Mar 17, 2014 3:5:40 AM
Although we now escort out Purim as we welcome in Shushan Purim, I hope that the taste from Purim doesn't leave us too quickly. Hopefully we all gained something from the holiday, and we can use that as a source of re-energizing ourselves as we work hard over the next 4 weeks in preparation for Pesach. I enjoyed sharing these wonderful words of Torah with you, and I hope that you were able to benefit from them. Although I didn't wish a farewell after the conclusion of the Chanukah season, I also enjoyed sending those Vorts aswell, and, though I make no promises, I hope that I'm able to resume sending those again next Chanukah season. I wish everyone a Freilechen Shushan Purim, and a Chag Kasher v'Sameach!
Josh
“Tiluhu”
Hang him
(7:9)
In Parshas Shemos (3:14), Hashem famously tells Moshe “Eheyeh asher eheyeh” (I Shall Be as I Shall Be). Rashi explains that Hashem was telling Moshe that He would be with Bnei Yisrael and He would redeem them from this difficult situation of slavery in Egypt. Rashi further explains that the word “Eheyeh” is doubled to indicate that He is not only doing so now, but that He will do the same in the future. Commentators explain that this expression is one of trusting in Hashem fulfilling His word.
If you multiply the Gematriah of the first word “Eheyeh” (Alef [1] + Heih [5] , Yud [10], Heih [5]) by the second word “Eheyeh” (21 x 21) the result is 441, which is the same as the Gematriah of the word Emes (truth) (Alef [1] + Mem [40] + Suf [400]) which is an allusion to Hashem being true to his word. Likewise, R. Zvi Fleisher points out that Hashem saves Klal Yisrael from Haman at this point in the Megilah as indicated by the word “Tiluhuh” which has the same Gematriah (Saf [400] + Lamed [30] + Heih [5] + Vav [6]) as Emes!
[Zvi Fleisher @ shemayisrael.com]
“Ushe’ar haYehudim”
The rest of the Jews
(9:16)
The Megilah describes how the Jews in Shushan defended themselves against their attackers, and the next Pasuk tells us about the Jews throughout Achashveirosh’s empire also defending themselves and that they were quite successful.
The Sefas Emes tells us that the merit that the Jews had to be saved was their willingness to negate themselves to their leader, Mordechai. When our Pasuk says “Ushe’ar haYehudim,” it doesn’t just mean “the remaining Jews,” but rather those who considered themselves to be Shirayim (remnants) compared to Mordechai.
[Days of Joy, p.263]