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| The Nation of Israel at Sinai |
Active in this organization are Chasidim from Satmar, Ger, and Lubavitch;
Yeshivaleit from Telshe, and Skokie (HTC); members of the various Kollelim… All were represented that evening – Charedim and
Chasidim; Modern Orthodox Jews and Yekkes (Jews of German heritage).
We all more than just get along with each other. We often
work together in common cause as is the case in the Chevra Kadisha. And we all treated Rabbi Tendler with the
respect due a Talmid Chacham and Zaken of his stature.
It may be self serving to say this but no matter how much Chicago has grown as an observant community, I believe there is a sense of Achdus here that is uncommon in other cities with as large an Orthodox population.
It may be self serving to say this but no matter how much Chicago has grown as an observant community, I believe there is a sense of Achdus here that is uncommon in other cities with as large an Orthodox population.
Rabbi Tendler’s message was about Am Yisroel. Haman chose
the month of Adar to exterminate the Jewish people because he believed it to be
an unlucky month for us. Unlucky because that is when our great leader, Moshe
Rabbenu died. But he miscalculated. He didn’t realize that this was also the
month that Moshe Yahrzeit was also his birthday.
So what’s so great about the fact the he was born on the
same day that he died? After all it does not alleviate the loss felt by
the mourners to know that the deceased was born on the same date in history
many years ago. The answer is that in Moshe’s case it was under his leadership that the
Bnei Yisroel (children of Israel) became Am Yisroel – the nation of
Israel. Haman could kill individual Jews
but he could never kill the nation of Israel… as that was God’s promise to us
when he made us a nation.
Because of God’s promise - one cannot understate the importance
of being a people; a nation – and not just a religion. Nationhood requires Achdus –
the kind I have just described about the very special community in which I
live. It is with this in mind, that I present a similar themed D’var Torah by
Netanel Gertner. It follows in its entirety.
Two of the mitzvos particular to Purim are Mishaloach Manos,
and Matanos L’Evyonim – giving gifts to people, and distributing charity
freely. The Sfas Emes explains that the function of these mitzvos as they
relate to Purim is that they increase unity and brotherhood.
Unity is the anathema of Amalek, who Haman was descended of.
His complaint to Achashverosh:
יֶשְׁנוֹ
עַם אֶחָד מְפֻזָּר וּמְפֹרָד
בֵּין הָעַמִּים בְּכֹל מְדִינוֹת מַלְכוּתֶךָ
וְדָתֵיהֶם שֹׁנוֹת מִכָּל עָם
– There is one nation, scattered and dispersed among all the regions of your
kingdom, and they are different from everyone else. (3:8)
Even in exile, Jews must maintain identity, and resist
assimilation. Haman points out their refusal to integrate, they remain עַם אֶחָד – one nation; this in spite of how the Purim
story begins with the Jews attending Achashverosh’s party celebrating their own
downfall with the parading of the sacked Temple’s artifacts. The Jews lost
their identity and it paved the way for Haman’s nefarious plans to destroy them
all – the moment they let their guard down.
The resolution came at the hand of Mordechai and Esther. She
tells him to unite the people and impress on them the severity of their
futures:
כְּנוֹס
אֶת כָּל הַיְּהוּדִים הַנִּמְצְאִים
בְּשׁוּשָׁן וְצוּמוּ עָלַי וְאַל תֹּאכְלוּ
וְאַל תִּשְׁתּוּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים לַיְלָה וָיוֹם
– Gather all the Jews in Shushan. Fast for me; don’t eat or drink for three
days and nights. (4:16)
The threat is faced when they gather once more, when the
Megila tells us that וְעָמֹד
עַל נַפְשָׁם – it does not say ועמדו in the plural, that they
stood for their lives, but in the singular. Their national identity had
discovered. The Jewish nation had united and defended itself from attack.
It is famously expounded in Chazal that Purim also
celebrates קימו מה שקיבלו כבר
– the Jews had no choice to accept the Torah at Sinai, but after Purim they
accepted the Torah afresh, voluntarily. A prerequisite to the Torah is unity; ויחן שם נגד
ההר – The nation camped
by the mountain, in the singular – not ויחנו
– like one man with one heart. The Sfas Emes teaches that וְעָמֹד עַל נַפְשָׁם
is directly parallel to ויחן
שם נגד ההר.
Unity is fortified with acts of ואהבת לרעך
כמוך – loving ones fellow
as oneself. If people identify with the nation, they have a very direct
connection to the Torah and Sinai. It is quite reasonable to suggest that due
to this, it is taught that זה
כלל גדול בתורה.
The Gemara says that Mordechai is identified as an איש יהודי. It asks that he was not from Yehuda, but
from Binyamin, and answers that we do not read it יהודי, but יחידי
– from the root אחד. He
brought unity and identity back to Jews who had lost it, cementing their faith,
culminating in a new acceptance of the Torah. All mitzvos of the day will
reflect unity and friendship to some degree.
about the author
Netanel Gertner learns in Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim and has posted here before. He studied at Hasmonian in London and describes his Hashkafos as moderate
Charedi influenced by Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch and Rav Joseph B.
Soloveitchik. He also posts Divrei Torah on his own website.
