Purim, Yehudim and Simchah
The exile to Bavel after the first Beis Hamiqdash was attributed to many things; one of the less intuitive (and therefore more discussed) reasons given was that they didn't make a berakhah before learning Torah. What was so terrible? This period had problems with idolatry, with oppression of the poor and weak, and the destruvtion is being blamed on people who were even learning Torah?!
In one way this makes sense. If even the righteous weren't up to standard, who would the rest of the generation look up to? Who would motivate their change? But only up to a point; it still doesn't seem like a destruction-worthy flaw, even in the leadership.
The megillah is the first book to refer to us as Yehudim, Yidden, Jews. Even Mordechai, an "ish yemini", from the tribe of Binyamin, is called a Yehudi. This new usage of the word was because the Jewish people now included only survivors of the Kingdom of Yehudah (Judea).
The name "Yehudah" is significant. It comes from Leah's words upon naming her son, "This time I will thank -- odeh -- Hashem." It is no coincidence that shaped history to give us this name. We are a people of thanking. The first words out of our lips every morning are "Modeh ani lefanekha" thanking Hashem for allowing us to wake up. Rav Saadia Gaon (Emunos veDei'os 3:1) and the Chovos haLvavos (sec 2, intro.) hold that the driving force behind mitzvos is the recognition of the good Hashem bestows upon us.
In one way this makes sense. If even the righteous weren't up to standard, who would the rest of the generation look up to? Who would motivate their change? But only up to a point; it still doesn't seem like a destruction-worthy flaw, even in the leadership.
The megillah is the first book to refer to us as Yehudim, Yidden, Jews. Even Mordechai, an "ish yemini", from the tribe of Binyamin, is called a Yehudi. This new usage of the word was because the Jewish people now included only survivors of the Kingdom of Yehudah (Judea).
The name "Yehudah" is significant. It comes from Leah's words upon naming her son, "This time I will thank -- odeh -- Hashem." It is no coincidence that shaped history to give us this name. We are a people of thanking. The first words out of our lips every morning are "Modeh ani lefanekha" thanking Hashem for allowing us to wake up. Rav Saadia Gaon (Emunos veDei'os 3:1) and the Chovos haLvavos (sec 2, intro.) hold that the driving force behind mitzvos is the recognition of the good Hashem bestows upon us.
"When Adar enters, we increase our simchah." What is "simchah"? Rav Dovid Lifshitz would have us hang a banner in the beis medrash that followed that quote with two more. "Ein simchah elah Torah -- there is no [true] simchah except that of Torah." "Vekhol hamarbeh harei zeh meshubach -- and whoever does more, he is praiseworthy."
There are three stories (Sanhedrin 101a) in which Rabbi Aqiva seems to laugh at an inappropriate time. First, when he, Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya and Rabbi Yehoshua were walking on the road, and they heard the revelry and idolatry of the Roman army loud enough to be heard from a distance from 120 mil. They mourned -- Jerusalem is in tatters, and the Romans thrive? And Rabbi Aqiva laughed -- if this is the good Hashem gives the idolater, how much more awaits the righteous! Second, when they saw a fox leaving the place of the Holy of Holies, the other rabbis cried -- isn't this the place about which the Torah says "and the stranger who enters shall die" and foxes play there? And Rabbi Aqiva laughed -- this is the fulfillment of the prophecy, which means that the prophecies of redemption shall too come to pass. When Rabbi Eliezer became ill, they went to visit him. The other rabbis were pained -- we see a veritable Torah scroll in agony, can we not share it? And Rabbi Aqiva laughed -- now I see that my rebbe is receiving his punishment in this world, and his reward still awaits him in the World-to-Come.
R' Saadia Gaon observed that laughter is the reaction people have to a sudden realization of an underlying truth. And so, when R' Akiva suddenly saw the deeper truth, he laughed. R' Saadia adds that "simchah" is the kind of happiness associated with laughter.
"When Adar enters, we increase our simchah." Purim is the story of G-d working behind the scenes, through natural forces, to redeem the Jews. That's the time when one feels simchah, insight into the deeper truth.
There are three stories (Sanhedrin 101a) in which Rabbi Aqiva seems to laugh at an inappropriate time. First, when he, Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya and Rabbi Yehoshua were walking on the road, and they heard the revelry and idolatry of the Roman army loud enough to be heard from a distance from 120 mil. They mourned -- Jerusalem is in tatters, and the Romans thrive? And Rabbi Aqiva laughed -- if this is the good Hashem gives the idolater, how much more awaits the righteous! Second, when they saw a fox leaving the place of the Holy of Holies, the other rabbis cried -- isn't this the place about which the Torah says "and the stranger who enters shall die" and foxes play there? And Rabbi Aqiva laughed -- this is the fulfillment of the prophecy, which means that the prophecies of redemption shall too come to pass. When Rabbi Eliezer became ill, they went to visit him. The other rabbis were pained -- we see a veritable Torah scroll in agony, can we not share it? And Rabbi Aqiva laughed -- now I see that my rebbe is receiving his punishment in this world, and his reward still awaits him in the World-to-Come.
R' Saadia Gaon observed that laughter is the reaction people have to a sudden realization of an underlying truth. And so, when R' Akiva suddenly saw the deeper truth, he laughed. R' Saadia adds that "simchah" is the kind of happiness associated with laughter.
"When Adar enters, we increase our simchah." Purim is the story of G-d working behind the scenes, through natural forces, to redeem the Jews. That's the time when one feels simchah, insight into the deeper truth.
And that's the time one feels hoda'ah, thankfulness. It's only through that inner truth that one sees the greatness in G-d allowing us to wake up, rather than taking it for granted. If you don't even think about the marvel of having air to breate, you can't thank G-d for giving us air! That's why it's at Purim that we're first called "Yehudim".
Toward the end of the exile to Bavel we have the story of Purim. At this point, Megillas Esther tells us "laYhudim haysa orah visimchah visason viykar -- for the Jews there was light, happiness, joy and preciousness." Rabbi Yehudah (Megillah 13b) explains that orah (light) refers to Torah, simchah (happiness) is Yom Tov, sason (joy) is beris milah, and yeqar (preciousness) is tefillin.
(Without the other four terms to provide contrast and specificity to the words "Torah" and "simchah", they take on broader meaaning. Torah would include holidays, milah and tefillin -- were we not given the Torah we wouldn't have had any of them. And simchah would mean positive attitude in general, including light, joy and preciousness. "There is no simchah but Torah" is speaking in that broader sense.)
So why didn't the megillah simply say "for the Jews there was Torah, holidays, milah and tefillin. Why the code words?
In the first beis hamiqdash we had Torah, but it was not or to us. This is why the berakhah was not made. We observed the laws of Yom Tov, but found no simcha in it. We kept milah and wore tefillin, but with no joy or sense of preciousness. This basic misdirection, that halakhah was fulfilled as a duty, not a love, was what made the leadership unable to direct the masses.
With Purim, with the simcha of seeing the deeper truth, Torah took on a deeper life. We experienced the message of the berakhah, "Who chose us from among the nations and gave us His Torah" thereby correcting the flaw that lead to the exile, and started the process of redemption.
"LaYhudim haysa orah visimchah visason viykar, kein tihyeh lanu" -- so may it be for us!
Toward the end of the exile to Bavel we have the story of Purim. At this point, Megillas Esther tells us "laYhudim haysa orah visimchah visason viykar -- for the Jews there was light, happiness, joy and preciousness." Rabbi Yehudah (Megillah 13b) explains that orah (light) refers to Torah, simchah (happiness) is Yom Tov, sason (joy) is beris milah, and yeqar (preciousness) is tefillin.
(Without the other four terms to provide contrast and specificity to the words "Torah" and "simchah", they take on broader meaaning. Torah would include holidays, milah and tefillin -- were we not given the Torah we wouldn't have had any of them. And simchah would mean positive attitude in general, including light, joy and preciousness. "There is no simchah but Torah" is speaking in that broader sense.)
So why didn't the megillah simply say "for the Jews there was Torah, holidays, milah and tefillin. Why the code words?
In the first beis hamiqdash we had Torah, but it was not or to us. This is why the berakhah was not made. We observed the laws of Yom Tov, but found no simcha in it. We kept milah and wore tefillin, but with no joy or sense of preciousness. This basic misdirection, that halakhah was fulfilled as a duty, not a love, was what made the leadership unable to direct the masses.
With Purim, with the simcha of seeing the deeper truth, Torah took on a deeper life. We experienced the message of the berakhah, "Who chose us from among the nations and gave us His Torah" thereby correcting the flaw that lead to the exile, and started the process of redemption.
"LaYhudim haysa orah visimchah visason viykar, kein tihyeh lanu" -- so may it be for us!
posted by micha @ 3/24/2005 01:01:00 PM
