Our Story is History

Parshas Tetzaveh

Purim

Posted on February 22, 2013 (5773) By Rabbi Label Lam | Series: Dvar Torah| Level: Beginner

And the remaining Yehudim (Jews) that were in the province of the king they congregated and stood up for their life… (Megilas Esther 9:16)

 

What was the secret of the miraculous turnabout for the Jews in the Purim story? The answer is real simple and not simple at all!

 

The Zohar says, “Israel and Torah and The Holy One blessed is He are one!” It sounds unfathomably deep and it probably is but there is a practical value in knowing this hard to understand fact.

 

Even Haman was able to identify a certain weakness and vulnerability of the Jewish People. He declared in his appeal to Achashveirosh, “There is a singular nation distributed and spread amongst the nations.” He recognized the lack of unity curiously of a singular nation.

 

There was also a diminished appreciation of the importance of Torah, as evidenced by their rejection of Mordechai’s advice not to go to the grand party of Achashveivosh.

 

To top it off HASHEM’s face was hidden! Ouch! It doesn’t get worse! When the Jewish People are alienated from each other, they are distant from Torah, and they are simultaneously withdrawn from HASHEM. That’s the three fold problem! How is it resolved?

 

A remarkable story circulated around Eretz Yisrael a number of years ago. Even if it is not confirmed as true, it still conveys a deep and relevant message that may help explain why we are made more vulnerable to an enemy attack when our business practices are less than honest.

 

It was during the time of when a young soldier whose last name was Wachsman was captured. His parents took an immediate and active role in rallying the entire nation to pray and light extra candles.

 

There were huge prayer rallies lead by the parents at the Western Wall and there was a profound sense of unity and common purpose that crossed all kinds of ideological lines and stated philosophies of life.

 

The end of the story, however, is less pleasant. The young man, on whose behalf these forces were set in motion, was brutally murdered and the momentary solidarity faded as fast.

Around that same time a young man who had been in a coma awoke shortly afterward and asked to be brought to a certain luminary personality in our generation. He told the elder Rabbi that he had been visited in a dream by an elderly woman and was told to deliver a specific message. The Rabbi displayed a picture of his deceased wife and asked if that was the woman. He confirmed that it was.

 

She had asked him to relay the following: That the unity at the time of the incident of that young soldier’s capture and the events that followed was so profound that Moshiach could have come at that very moment, if it had not been for the sin of theft and ill-gotten gains in the marketplace.

 

At the conclusion of the Megila it states that the Jews “gathered together and stood up for their lives…” The Sefas Emes notes that the word for standing “Amad” is singular- not plural similar to when the Nation of Israel camped by Mt. Sinai with a singular expression. There Rashi says, “Like one man with one heart!” The unity was powerful and real.

 

Afterwards, in the Megila, there was also a re-reception of Torah, and although still hidden HASHEM’s inclusion in every detail of our lives was revealed.

 

All three alienations were dissolved in one swift movement of unified purpose. The cure could easily come from a rededication to Torah learning or taking the time think very deeply about the reality of HASHEM’s involvement in our lives and how our story is History!

 

DvarTorah, Copyright © 2007 by Rabbi Label Lam and Torah.org.

 

King of Hearts

Parshas Tetzaveh

Posted on February 25, 2026 (5786) By Rabbi Naftali Reich | Series: Legacy | Level: Beginner

 

This week’s Torah portion is devoted primarily to describing in intricate detail the special vestments worn by the kohanim and kohen godol when performing their service in the Bais Hamikdash, and the manner in which these garments were to be crafted.

 

Of these, the most magnificent was the choshen, the breastplate worn by the kohain godol. On its surface were attached 12 precious stones with the name of a tribe engraved on each one.

 

Within the choshen lay the urim v’tumim, the slip of parchment upon which Hashem’s name was inscribed. This name gave the choshen its sublime power through which the individual letters of the tribal names would light up (signified by the word “urim” meaning light).

 

When the illuminated letters were properly aligned, they provided the answers to questions of national import posed by the kohen gadol to Hashem. Various letters of the breastplate would become luminescent, allowing the high priest to unite them into words, in order to read Hashem’s response (signified by the word “tumim,” completeness or wholeness).

 

This miraculous Divine form of communication remained with the Jewish people until King Yehoash hid the urim v’tumim at the time of the First Temple’s destruction, to ensure that it would not fall into enemy hands.

 

Our sages point out that Aharon Hakohen merited to wear this wondrous vestment as reward for a particularly noble deed. When Moshe was chosen as the redeemer of the Jewish people, he was worried that his older brother, Aharon, would feel a tinge of jealousy at his being passed over for this exalted role. Hashem testified to him (Shemos 4:15) that, on the contrary, Aharon rejoiced in his heart at his brother’s appointment to greatness.

 

It was due to this noble and selfless joy at his brother’s lofty position, says the Midrash, that Aharon merited to become the bearer of the choshen.

 

We cannot fail to marvel at Aharon who exhibited such amazing selflessness towards his younger brother. But why was he rewarded specifically with being able to wear the choshen?

 

Couldn’t Hashem have alternatively showered him with wealth or longevity as a reward?

 

The manner in which Hashem communicated his message to His people through the choshen provides us with a fascinating clue as to why this particular reward was most appropriate.

 

Whenever Hashem responded to a question from the kohain godol, the answer was conveyed through the choshen’s illuminated letters. But the response had to be deciphered by aligning the glowing letters in a particular sequence, so that the words they formed would correctly determine Hashem’s precise answer. It required a great measure of temimus, pure faith and wholeness of heart, to correctly interpret the Divine communication.

 

On various occasions we read in the Talmud that the message of the choshen was misread and misinterpreted, often with dire consequences. To correctly decipher the code required a rare degree of pure-heartedness and objectivity. By expunging every trace of ego and demonstrating that he was capable of rejoicing in his brother’s good fortune, Aharon attained this degree of selflessness.

 

Aharon’s quintessence reflected his loving embrace of his fellow Jews. Because he saw each Jew as a beloved brother, he excelled in uniting others, in fostering peace and harmony between people. Untainted by envy or self-aggrandizement, he knew how to draw forth the best in others and how to build on these strengths.

 

Aharon perceived no evil in anyone for he truly saw the inner light that ennobled every Jew. He was thus capable of using the illuminated letters of the urim v’tumim, and interpreting them as Hashem desired.

 

In our own lives we, too, can strive to attain a degree of Aharon’s noble trait of being able to rejoice in another’s good fortune and to discern their special virtues. By emphasizing the inherent goodness of our family members, our neighbors and co-workers, we too will merit the skill of interpreting life’s message appropriately and communicating directly with our Divine source.

 

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos,

Rabbi Naftali Reich Text Copyright © 2013 by Rabbi Naftali Reich and Torah.org.