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Purim is coming up! In yeshiva (as I’m sure it was the case in Merkaz HaRav), already on rosh chodesh adar you could feel purim coming in. I remember how after tfillat Arvit on rosh chodesh adar, there was a second of silence in the whole beit midrash before one of my friends started singing: “Mishenichnas Adar Marbim Besimcha”. The whole beit midrash then start dancing in what became the opening ceremony of the preparations for purim.

However, before we get to Purim, we need to get to Shabbat Zachor. This is not “stam”, as you will see.

Shabbat Zachor is the Shabbat in which we fulfill the obligation of remembering what Amalek did to us. In Judaism, when we remember, we do not just have an intellectual experience. Those teachings are relevant to today. Therefore, in order to really remember Amalek, I thought it would be appropriate to take a deeper look into the nature of Amalek and especially, to find out when they are most strong and how to defend ourselves against them.

In the Tanach, Amalek has attacked us twice: Once on our way out of Egypt and once in the story of Purim. In the past generations, Amalek has also attacked us. The GRA said on a certain gemara that Amalek was now resting in Germany. At the time he wrote this, there was no reason think of Nazi Germany. We sadly saw that the Gra was right. Our most recent enemies, the Palestinian terrorists, while not genetically amalek, use the same techniques as amalek by attacking civilians, the same way Amalek attached us by the back when we left Egypt. As an Law School Student I can tell you it is shocking how Amalekites really fit the definition of the first ever Terrorists. Therefore, we will analyze all 3 encounters our people have had with Amalek in order to better understand when Amalek attacks us and what we can do to stop them today.

When we went out of Egypt, we had just started our way to Erets Israel. Am Israel was for the first time, as a nation, moving towards erets Israel. As soon as we start making our way to Erets Israel, Amalek rises and tried to stop us. As the passouk says:
‘זכור את אשר עשה לך עמלק בדרך’ . Remember what amalek did to you : “on the way”
Amalek is the movement which tries to stop us from reaching our national purpose of being one nation on it’s land. What is our response to this? Well, in this specific war, our response was not complete as Gd told Moses that only once we are back on the land of Israel, we will go to war with Amalek to destroy them. Only when we are on our land, as a complete nation, will we be able to fight amalek. As long as we are outside our land, our national light is still dimmed and therefore we do not have the strength needed to fight Amalek.

In the story of Purim, the same thing happened. Ha’hrazat Koresh, the declaration of Cyrus, gives the Jewish Nation to right to their Ancestral Homeland and the right to build the holy temple:
“In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, upon the conclusion of the Lord’s prophecy, by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord aroused the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, and he issued a proclamation throughout his kingdom – and in writing as well, saying, “Thus said Cyrus the King of Persia, ‘All the kingdoms of the earth has the Lord, God of heaven, given to me and He has commanded me to build him a Temple in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of His entire people - may his God be with him - and let him go to Jerusalem which is in Judah and build the Temple of the Lord…” (Ezra 1:3)
Then Haman rises and tries to destroy us. As soon as Am Israel gets the right to go back to Erets Israel, to be a nation again, to have its temple rebuilt, Amalek comes up and tries to stop us. What is our response then? Esther tells us: “Lech, Knos et Kol Hayehudim”, go and bring together all the Jews. When we are together, when we act as a united nation, then our national light can take away the darkness of Amalek.

In our generation, in a stunningly similar turn of events, Amalek rose after Hatsharat Balfour, the Balfour Declaration, was declared and gave Jews the right to go back to the land of Israel and start the first steps of national independence. As soon as Amalek hears about National Independence, they rise. Some people will make you think the Nazis just wanted to kick the Jews out of Germany, but plans were found for concentration camps in the Land of Israel! Their fight was against the very existence of a nation called the Jewish Nation.
Today, a new enemy with the same techniques as Amalek is attacking us. Palestinian Terrorism is trying to dim the light of Jewish Nationalism. They are trying to make us leave our land. They are trying to stop us from moving forward, slowly slowly, in the rebuilding of our temple. Our answer can only be one answer: “Lech Knos et Kol Hayhudim”. We need to unite, come together, forget our differences and be united by the sole fact that we are all part of the Jewish Nation. Rav Kook taught that there was a soul called “Nishmat Haklal” or “Nishmat Ha-ouma”, the soul of the nation of Am Israel, which, while being its own soul, also formed part of the soul of every Jew. He then explained that when looking at other Jews, we have 2 choices: We can either concentrate on the 99% in common that we have (since this Nishmat Haklal is so valuable) or concentrate on the 1% difference (our actual actions, decisions and opinions). The right answer is to realize look at every other Jew with love, realize we are all one body, and unite on that principle. Through this national unity, the darkness of Amalek cannot penetrate. This is the answer: Together, we can move forward towards the ultimate goal of our personal, national and universal redemption.

I decided to explore the big Jewish Communities of North America during my last spring break here in Chutz Laaretz. So I first went to Kehillat Kodesh Toronto, and I am now in Kehillat Kodesh New York (in YU) She-Hakehilot Tibanu Vetikonenu Vetaali Le-Eretz Hakodesh Bimhera Beyamenu.

As soon as I arrived in New York, I remembered a Dvar Torah I heard 3 years ago from my Rebbe, Rav Mordechai Elon Shli”ta. The Gemara in Hullin asks the question: “Esther – Where is it from (in the Torah)?” Which passuk in the Torah hints Esther in the Torah?

The Gemara answers with this passouk: “Va-Anochi, Haster Astir Et Panai” – And I will conceal and conceal my face. Rebbe Nachman of Breslev explains this passuk in a very powerful way. He explains the repetition of the words “conceal” by explaining that the passouk speaks of a state in which the concealment of God, itself, will be concealed – “She-Hahester, Yustar”. Everyone knows that Purim is a time of Hester Panim, of Concealment. This is why there is no mention of God’s name in the Megillah. The same way people ask “Where was God in the Holocaust?”, people asked where was God in the Purim Story! Rabbi Nachman explains that there is a deeper way to read the Meguilla – in truth, the whole story revolves around the fact that the Jews did not even realize the concealment was existent! They did not realize that they were living in a spiritually and nationally challenging time.

The story of Purim starts with the story of the big meal Achashverosh organized for his kingdom. The commentaries explain that this was not just any royal feast – it was celebration of the Jewish Nation’s presence in exile. Yirmiyahu had predicted that the exile would last 70 years but according to Achashverosh’s calculations (which were erroneous), the time had elapsed and this was proof that the Jewish Nation would forever stay in exile under his control. He took out the keilim (utensils) from the Beit Hamikdash, which are described in detail in the Meguila, and celebrate the everlasting existence of Jewish communities under his control. He was sure there would be no gueoula!

The food in the Mishte was Glatt Kosher! The meat was Halak! They had all the different hashgachot there. The problem with the Mishte was its meaning: It celebrated the success of the Jews under the Persian Empire in a way which undermined the arrival of the redemption. Don’t get me wrong, success is good, as long as you continuously redirect yourself towards Eretz Israel and our Redemption, as long as you are still able to choose Redemption over success.

In that time period, the concealment was concealed. They had Shtark yeshivot. YU was stronger than it ever was! Thousands of people went on Shana Baaretz and then came back to Persia. All the Big Talmidei Chachamim were living there. No one was left in Eretz Israel except for the low-lifes who were the scum of our communities. The choice between being in a rough impolite Israeli community or a civilized educated Persian community was strikingly similar to the one we have now. And most people forgot that all of this fluff in Persia was really just a concealment for the AMAZING light which radiates from Eretz Israel constantly and from the amazing light which will come with the Gueoula.

Of course, today is no different. I try usually not to be so direct on this blog. But Jews have everything in New York! There is now often a Jewish Presidential Candidate in America (Bloomberg might be running this year!). The yeshivot are huge! There is nothing like YU in Israel! Many Talmidei Chachamim live here! What are we missing?

What are we missing?? Ooo Waa… We are missing a lot. The problem is that the things we are missing are concealed deeply and only one who dedicates himself to digging them out will get the light out. It’s easy to forget most of Tanach is Irrelevant in Chutz Laaretz (Jewish Political Theory only applies in Israel). It’s easy to forget that so many mitzvoth cannot be accomplished over there! It’s easy to forget that our Judaism is not about being Shtark, but about bringing the redemption, rebuilding our nation on its land and becoming and Ohr Lagoyim. It’s easy to go every day to learn torah and forget what truly matters, because we are stuck studying the details of halacha and forget to put time aside for the study of Machshava which are the true guiding principles of our lives. It’s easy for the concealment to become concealed.

Unfortunately, I truly feel this is what is happening here in New York. And unfortunately, I do not think Am Israel can be redeemed unless All of Am Israel participates in this redemption and so until America grows a sense of vision which can look through the concealment, our redemption will continue to evolve slowly, step by step. I feel that as soon as we can look past this concealment we will be able to bring about this long awaited redemption.

I felt a big Hilouk (distinction) between the communities of Toronto and New York. Of course, I have not spent enough time or studied the community enough to make an authoritative analysis. I might just have hanged out with different people. Yet, I did feel a distinction. In Toronto, I saw a lot of successful Jews, who were happy in Toronto, but who knew they were not home. They had no illusion about that! They knew they were living in a place where God’s presence is concealed. The concealment was not concealed to them. Although many did not plan on making aliyah, they were honest enough to explain that their reason for not making it is because it is hard. Ideally, they would live in Israel.

In New York, I feel I am surrounded with a community who feels like they are not missing anything. They have everything here for them and do not realize how much they need Eretz Israel. As I described before, I truly feel God’s concealment is in itself concealed from them. It is a true tragedy!

The Meguilla last perek starts with a really odd passouk: “King Achashverosh levied a tax upon the mainland and the islands of the sea.” What does this have to do with anything? Why do we need this information? Why is it relevant?

Rav Mordechai Elon Shli”ta explained once this is really a tragic ending to the Meguilla. People do not realize but the ending is Tragic. After all of this story in which the true goal was to remove the concealment, the Jews stayed in Persia. They stayed under the rule of Ahashverosh. They still had their Big Yeshivot, they big talmidei chachamim, their big successful lives – but they were still the slaves of Achashverosh. This is one of the reasons why we do not say Hallel on Purim – “Ki Akatei Avdei Ahashverosh – They were still the slaves of Ahashverosh”. I heard in the name of Rav Aviner that the reason why we drink so much on Purim is to forget this horrible tragic ending, this ending where on the outside “Layehudim Hayeta Ora VeSimcha” but inside “Akatei Avdei Ahashverosh”.

As we move forward towards our third and final redemption, we are at a position which is incredibly similar to the one of our ancestors. Jerusalem has started to be rebuilt, but there is something stopping the process. The Hester is Mustar for the Jews of Chutz Laaretz, their concealment is concealed. The Kuzari writes:
“Indeed you have found my point of great shame, King of Kuzar. It is the sin which kept the divine promise with regard to the second Temple, “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion” (Zech. ii. 10), from being fulfilled. Divine Providence was ready to restore everything as it had been at first, if they had all willingly consented to return. But only a part was ready to do so, whilst the majority, including the important leaders, remained in Babylon, preferring dependence and slavery, and unwilling to leave their houses and their affairs…Divine Providence only gives man as much as he is prepared to receive; if his receptive capacity be small, he obtains little, and much if it be great. Were we prepared to meet the God of our forefathers with a pure mind, we should find the same salvation as our fathers did in Egypt.” (Kuzari 2:24)

Since this final redemption needs to be the final one, we all need to unite and look through the concealment, rebuilt our nation and move towards rebuilding our land with more than just checks. Since this redemption needs to come from us, the people, and not from God, he will stay completely concealed, and will even let his concealment be concealed until we learn to look passed it and through it. As we have gotten so close in the past 60 years to bringing history to its amazing climax, it is now time for us to look deeper and past the concealment. Hopefully, soon, we will stop being the slaves of Ahashverosh. Hopefully, soon, we will all unite towards this amazing project of rebuilding our holy nation as a Mamlehet Kohanim Vegoy Kadosh on our holy land. This is what our Judaism is all about.