Rabbis' Blog

On Purim we celebrated Jewish survival in exile. In ancient Persia the Jewish nation lived in peace and prospered within Persian society. Suddenly all chaos broke loose. Throughout the years of relative calm, Haman the Amalekite had been working behind the scenes against our ancestors. Securing himself the position of viceroy and absolute influence over the king, he successfully legislated (probably) the first state sponsored genocide of an entire people. Esther as queen or Mordechai’s high position at the royal court was not sufficient to prevent the decree from being signed and sealed.

As the Megillah recounts, Mordechai and Esther understood that salvation will not depend on standard political maneuvers. It was up to the nation to unite and awaken to the reality that only through selfless commitment to G-d and His Torah will there be chance for survival. And awaken they did. They gathered en masse in prayer and repentance and they inspired each other to greater commitment to mitzvah observance. Only after this national awakening did Esther attempt to plead her case to the king.

Queen Esther was confident that her people would not disappoint her. She knew that even those that had chosen to assimilate to the local culture and to reject Judaism still retained a spark of Jewish pride. One needed to fan the spark and it would become a burning flame of Jewish identity and commitment.

In parshat Tzav we continue to study the laws of the Temple service. The focus of the Temple service is the korbanot (sacrifices) offered on the Altar.  G-d cautioned the kohanim (priests) to ensure that the fire on the Altar should constantly burn.

Every aspect of the Temple is a reflection of ourselves. Our heart is the Altar and the fire is the passion for Judaism we all have. At times it may be on low flame, but it is always there. It is our responsibility to ensure that this flame be eternal and increasingly grow by feeding it with Torah study and mitzvah observance.

Yesterday, on Purim, I witnessed scores of Jews celebrating joyously by hearing the Megillah, sharing Mishloach Manot with friends, generously donating to the poor and enjoying a Purim feast as a community. The flame of Judaism is alive and well in El Paso. May the joy of Purim be felt throughout the entire year.

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of making a quick trip to New York City to celebrate the wedding of a nephew. The wedding was a joyous affair and I wish the young couple abundant blessing in their new marriage.

On the return flight I noticed an interesting phenomenon. After reaching the cruising altitude I imagined that we were in a similar situation as Noah’s Ark: Every conceivable species lived aboard the specially constructed ship for a full year in relative harmony. Our flight had 100 travelers of every conceivable type flouting 35,000 feet above the ground for a few hours and everyone seemed to get along. Perhaps an example of true harmony.

However, walking down the aisle I observed something very different. Fairly recently, American Airlines domestic flights started to provide private screens throughout the cabin allowing each passenger to choose his or her entertainment preference. As I scanned the cabin I realized that everyone was engrossed in their own world. Although the atmosphere was peaceful, these hours of join travel did not necessarily result in real bonding between the fellow travelers.

The holiday of Purim expresses the idea of true unity. Haman accused the Jewish nation of being “scattered among the nations” not only geographically, but more importantly, disconnected from each other and from G-d and His Torah. This argument persuaded Achashveirosh that the time was ripe to annihilate our people despite the fact that the Jews had flourished socially and economically in the ancient Persian Kingdom.

The Jewish reaction to the terrible decree was to unite in repentance and prayer. They all tuned in to the same channel. Their shared identity was expressed in the uniformity of their passion and sacrifice for Torah and Mitzvot. Every Jew was proud to be a member of the tribe and played the part.

It was in this merit that the tables were turned and the Jews once again prevailed over their enemies giving birth to the holiday of Purim. Appropriately, we celebrate Purim with the mitzvah of Mishloach Manot – sharing gifts of food with friends – to express the true unity that we experienced then and that we are empowered to perpetuate today as well.

As Purim is celebrated around the globe, we must be mindful that knowing we are on the same boat is not sufficient; we must be tuned in to the same channel. Jewish unity does not mean merely tolerating and respecting each other – it necessitates active involvement in joint celebration. This Purim we will unite in observing the unique Purim mitzvoth that Mordechai and Esther requested of us and this unity will continue throughout the year.

I invite you to join us for the Megilla Reading and Purim Bash on Wednesday, March 23 at 7:30pm and to the “Purim in Persia” festive dinner on March 24 at 6:00pm. I look forward to celebrating together.

Best wishes for a Good Shabbos and a Happy Purim!

Rabbi Yisrael Greenberg

On Purim – March 23-24 – be sure to observe the four unique mitzvoth of the day.

1.      Listen to the Purim story read from a kosher Megillah on March 23 in the evening and throughout the day of March 24.

2.      Give charity to at least two poor families, or to organizations that will properly distribute the money during the day of March 24.

3.      Share gifts of food with a friend during the day of March 24.

4.      Partake in a festive feast during the day of March 24.

For more information about the Purim story, lessons, observances, recipes and more, I invite you to visit www.chabadelpaso.com/purim

A child wished to have a brand new bike but his father was not financially capable of providing him with it. One morning the boy runs to his father beaming. “Dad, last night I dreamt that I was riding a brand new bike that you bought for me!” “Very well, my child,” he replies. “Continue to dream and enjoy your new bike”.

In life we have a wish list and a list of accomplishments. Our wish list contains many grand and noble plans for what we would like to accomplish – that have yet to be realized.

This week’s parsha consists of a summary of the construction of the Tabernacle in the Sinai Dessert. It enumerates the contributions by the nation, the meticulous work of the artisans and the beautiful results of the talented tailors. This all seems to be repetitive since the details of the construction were already recorded in previous sections of the Torah. Such repetition is uncharacteristic for the Torah that may articulate scores of laws in a single line.

The Rebbe explains, previously the Torah recorded G-d’s instructions to Moses how to build the Tabernacle. Then it was all a theory and a dream, but will the people actually come forward and participate in erecting an edifice for G-d?

Now that the work was complete the Torah celebrates this accomplishment by once again recording every last detail. They joyously followed the instructions to the tee, G-d’s will had been realized and His presence dwelled, not only within the camp but in the hearts of all the participants. Mission accomplished!

Today, in the absence of the Holy Temple each and every community designates a mini Holy Temple – the synagogue. Just as in the Sinai Dessert G-d dwelled within the hearts of all the participants, when we participate in the construction of a beautiful home for G-d, His presence will dwell in our hearts as well. When building our private home we are mindful to ensure that it should be adequately spacious for the entire family and guests as well. The same applies to G-d’s home. It is crucial that we provide a proper venue to enhance the abilities of our community to expand and blossom. Let us join together in making the new Chabad Lubavitch Center for Jewish Life a reality!

On Shabbat, as we complete the second book of the Torah we will announce “Chazak Chazak Venit’chazeik! – Be strong! Be strong! And let us strengthen each other!” The realization of this dream will be a community effort.