Post date: Mar 08, 2019 4:28:48 AM
Happy Rosh Chodesh Adar II,
If you haven’t already started getting ready for Purim, let’s go! We’re only two weeks from the official beginning of the Pesach cleaning season. Oops! We’re supposed to be happy in Adar. I shouldn’t have said that. ;-)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this year’s installment of Purim Vorts. I’m pulling them in from a number of Sefarim, so hopefully there’s something for everyone. Most of my Divrei Torah is quite serious, though no less enjoyable. But I do enjoy a good Shtikkel Purim Torah—heavy on the shtick! So if you have something, please share it with me.
Enjoy!
Josh
[Purim Vorts] The Jews’ participation in the banquet directly resulted in Haman’s decree
L’chol ha’am ha’nimtzi’im b’Shushan habirah…bachatzar ginas bisan hamelech
For all of the nation who were found in Shushan the capital…in the court garden of the king’s palace
(1:5)
The Gemara (Megilah 12a) tells us that the Jews’ participation in Achashveirosh’s party, which was a celebration of the destruction of Yerushalayim, directly resulted in the decrees of terror from Haman and his ten evil sons. The Rokeach tells us that our Pasuk hints at this in the following manner:
1) When the Pasuk describes the participants of Achashveirosh’s feast, it says, “L’chol ha’am ha’nimtzi’im b’Shushan habirah.” The word “Ha’am” means “the nation,” which is a specific reference to the Jewish people who are called THE holy nation of Hashem. The Pasuk could have easily said “for everyone who was found in…” but it said “the nation,” clearly an attempt at distinguishing a specific group of people.
2) The Sofei Teivos (ending letters) of the words “ha’nimtzi’iM b’ShushaN habiraH” when rearranged spell “Haman,” clarifying for us who was the mastermind behind the evil decree that resulted.
3) Then the Pasuk tells us that the party was held “bachatzar ginas bisan hamelech.” The word “Bachatzar” can be split into two parts. The first part is the letters Beis and Ches, which have a Gematria (numerical value) of 10 (2+8), unmistakably a reference to Hamans ten sons. The second part of the word are the letters Tzadi and Reish which means “terror.” Haman is described (in 7:6) as “Ish tzar v’oyeiv” (a man who is a terror and an enemy). Being the good father that he was, Haman made sure to instill his sons with his evil characteristics in order to carry on their family’s Mesorah of anti-Semitic terror.
Taking all of this into consideration, we see that since the Jewish nation participated in Achashveirosh’s party, which was held in the court garden of the palace, the decree of terror of the evil Haman and his ten sons was an appropriate way to exact punishment.
[Inside Purim, p. 270]