Post date: Feb 20, 2015 4:5:31 AM
Gut Chodesh!
Tonight we begin a new season. Pesach cleaning? Not for most people. Anyway, doing so more than 30 days before Pesach is a Bracha livatala, and could be considered Nikui (cleaning) Yeshana (old) (like a Succah Yeshana) since it’s too early to be considered Lishma. (What? Already with the Narishkeit?) Back to the thought at hand. We’re starting a new season tonight. A season of Simcha! The Gemara (Ta’anis 29a) teaches us Mishenichnas Adar Marbim b’simcha, that when Adar is ushered in we increase our happiness. The first Mishnah in Rosh Hashanah teaches us that there are four “New Years” during the year. Tishrei is the universal new year (because that’s when everything was created), and Nissan is the Jewish new year in some regards (as the Pasuk in Shemos 12:2 states “this month will be the first of all months”). The Sfas Emes teaches us that before Tishrei we have a month of preparation as we repent our misdeeds. We are in a state of doing Teshuva miyir’ah (repentance out of fear). Before Nissan our month of preparation is Adar. We are in a state of doing Teshuva mei’ahava (repentance out of love). We observe the laws within the month of Adar with such joy leading us from whatever level we were on to a level of Teshuva mei’ahava, which is closely related to the Simcha that we experience in this month. This otherworldly Simcha that increases with the onset of Adar hopefully increases the love that we have for Hashem, and helps bridge the gap so that we can reach Teshuva mei’ahava during this special season.
I hope that these Vorts bring an element of Simcha to you, and that you share them with your friends and family. You can do so daily, or stock pile them to share during your Purim Seudah. If others want to join the list, simply email me at PurimVorts@gmail.com. Check out my website (http://sites.google.com/site/mishkinj/) for an archive of all Vorts (Purim and Chanukah related) that I’ve sent out over the last few years, as well as links to a bunch of Purim related websites, and information about the Sefarim that I’ve obtained most of my content from.
I wish everyone a Freilechen Purim!
Josh
[Purim Vorts] Self appointed
Hamoleich meiHodu v’ad Kush
Who ruled from Hodu to Kush
(1:1)
Chazal in the Gemara (Megilah) note that Achashveirosh did not descend from royal lineage. Rather he usurped the position and proclaimed himself to be the monarch of Persia. Had he been given control of the empire legitimately, the Pasuk would have used a more passive phrase like “Vayehi bimei hamelech Achashveirosh” (and it was in the days of the king Achashveirosh), followed by “shemalach” (who ruled) instead of “hamoleich” (who ruled). The form of the word “hamoleich” actually means “who caused himself to rule,” which the Gemara understood to mean that Achashveirosh essentially crowned himself the king.