Purim - A special time to ask G-d for our needs.

When G-d tells us to do something, He accepts upon Himself the same obligations. Hence, since Jews are commanded to wear tefilin, G-d, too, "dons" tefillin. Understandably though, His tefillin are slightly different. Whereas our tefillin speak of our love for G-d and our responsibility to obey His commands, G-d's tefillin speak of His love for the Jewish people.

This reciprocal relationship is expressed in the upcoming holiday of Purim. On Purim, we have the mitzva of giving charity to every single who extends his/her hand for help.

Our Sages explain, that on Purim, we, too, have the right to "put out our hand" to G-d and ask Him for our needs. As we are commanded by G-d to fulfill the needs of others when they extend their hands on Purim, G-d will also fulfill our needs when we do the same.

How do we put out our hand to G-d? Through prayer.

The Baal Shem Tov taught that on Purim one should rise early to pray and ask G-d for everything that he needs. And not only for oneself, but for others as well, for Purim-like Yom Kippur-is an especially auspicious time for our prayers.

Thus, amidst the rejoicing, merrymaking, charity-giving, gifts of food sending, Megila-hearing etc, it is a truly opportune time to spend some minutes in heartfelt prayer to G-d, putting out our hands for all of our own personal needs, and for the needs of our family and friends. And, at the same time, for the global need - the revelation of Moshiach and the final Redemption.

Purim - Find G-d when he is concealed.

On the surface, the Purim story is not the typical background to a Jewish festival. Seas don't split, oil does not burn longer than it should and water does not turn into blood. In this story, the Divine hand is not obvious. G‑d is quite hidden in the story. In fact, His name is not even explicitly mentioned even once in the Book of Esther. Add all this up, and it could all be misinterpreted as a successful diplomatic mission. One has to work hard to uncover and see the miraculous chain of events that brought about the salvation.

And this is precisely the power of Purim—to discover G‑d even when He is concealed. The message of Purim is that we possess the power to gain clarity even when there is confusion, to see light even when it is dark and become inspired even when there are no out-of-the-ordinary events.

It is much easier to be motivated and inspired by an open miracle or Divine revelation that makes the truth completely obvious. But when we have to work it out ourselves it reflects greater commitment and is more valuable and permanent.

On other festivals, we celebrate with spiritual service. The shofar on Rosh hashana, the Yom Kippur prayers and the Passover seder are all inspiring, uplifting, meaningful experiences. On Purim, there is little spirituality; rather, we celebrate in more physical ways. On Purim we can connect to our soul and to G‑d in a less obvious environment. We share food with each other, say l'chaim and eat a festive meal. On Purim, we do not need to leave our mundane world to be to be uplifted—we are inspired and committed even when eating hamantaschen.

L'chaim!

Happiness Breaks Boundaries

The festival of Purim is the happiest day in the Jewish calendar. One of the traditions of the day is dressing up and wearing masks. What's the connection between happiness and wearing masks?

Our sages tell us that "Happiness breaks boundaries."

The happiness achieved for self pleasure, like wild parties where there is little purpose or focus, only breaks the boundaries of self discipline and self respect. That is not true happiness.

True happiness is one with purpose and meaning. Not merely external pleasure but rather the celebration of meaningful milestones, spiritual growth or major accomplishments. This happiness is a true and lasting one.

The boundaries that are broken when we have this true happiness are the boundaries and barriers that separate us one from another. When we experience true happiness, it allows us to develop a different perspective on ourselves and other people. We stop judging others by their external behavior-the things they say or do-and we begin to appreciate their inner soul. We begin to understand that the annoying personality traits that separate us are only superficial masks that conceal the true them. Beneath the mask there is a pristine soul that makes him/her a special human being. The energy of our happiness allows us to break through that mask and see what is beneath.

On Purim, we dress up as a reminder that our outward appearance and behavior is a mask, a cover up. And so the celebration of Purim gives us the ability to look behind one's mask and discover the real person.

BE HAPPY!

"Put a smile on your face. Be happy!"

Especially now that we are in the month of Adar, when we are told that the standard "Serve G-d with joy" is not enough for this month, we must intensify our joy.

But what are we to do when sometimes it's just too hard, sometimes we just don't feel we really have much to smile about??

The Tzemach Tzedek (the third Lubavitcher Rebbe) suggested to one of his followers who was having a hard time attaining a sufficient level of joy, to act as if he has a full and joyous heart, to show joyous mannerisms even if that is not how he really feels at the moment. And ultimately, he will feel this way in actuality.

In other words, "fake it, till you make it".

In a similar vein, a follower came to the Alter Rebbe (the first Lubavitcher Rebbe) asking how he could help his fellow Jew who pretended to be pious, but was actually quite a sinner.

The Alter Rebbe said to him: "The Mishna says that a person who pretends to be a pauper but is not will ultimately become a pauper. So, too, this man who pretends to be pious but is not should ultimately become pious!"

As we see here, the initial step to being happy is to pretend we are happy even if we are not. Eventually, the play-acting will no longer be acting but actual.

Judaism teaches "Receive all people happily" and "Receive them with a cheerful countenance." Even if we aren't inwardly, genuinely happy to see someone, at least we should greet them with a cheerful countenance, an external expression of joy.

As a great sage taught us, "Even if your heart does not rejoice when someone visits you, you can pretend to be cheerful when he arrives."

So, be happy! It's Adar! And if you don't feel happy, fake it until you do!

Moshiach - result of our good doing..

Although Moshiach will bring about great changes in the world, these changes will all take place as a result of changes in us. G-d created the world-and all the challenges within-because He desired our work.

Moshiach is a direct and “natural” outcome of our efforts. Through changing ourselves we will be more refined, our understanding will be truer, and our actions more effective. It is these informed actions that will bring all of the changes of Moshiach.
In other words, Moshiach is not like a prize awarded after completing some task but rather, the natural consequence of our deeds.

Moshiach is not something separate from who we are—it is our inner self.
Moshiach is not something separate from the world—it is its inner core.
Therefore, there can be no true opposition to Moshiach. Displayed resistance comes only from lack of knowledge and understanding or the fear of the unknown.

Hence, we must learn as much as we can about Moshiach, and seek to truly understand the whole concept. Anything that is met with resistance—either internally or externally—is merely a sign of an improper understanding. The Rebbe recommends that if we are not comfortable explaining Moshiach to others then we should begin by understanding it better ourselves. By its very nature, it is something that every person must understand and come to appreciate personally.

Do you have any unresolved questions about Moshiach? Challenge yourself to research those topics.

R'Zushe Annipoli's daughter's wedding gown.

The daughter of Rabbi Zusia of Anipoli was engaged. As poor as he was, Reb Zusia and his wife scraped together enough money for a seamstress to sew a beautiful gown for the bride-to-be. After a month, the gown was ready and Reb Zusia's wife went with her bundle of rubles to the home of the seamstress to retrieve the finished gown.

She came home empty-handed. "Where is the gown??" asked both the Rebbe and his daughter, almost in unison.

"Well," said his wife, "When I came to pick up the gown, I saw tears in the eyes of the seamstress. I asked her why she was crying and she told me that her daughter, too, was getting married. Then she looked at the beautiful gown that she had sewn for me and sighed, "If only we could afford such beautiful material for a gown."

"At that moment" concluded Reb Zusia's wife, "I decided to let the seamstress have our gown as a gift."

Reb Zusia was delighted. The mitzvah of helping a poor bride was dear to him and he longed for the opportunity to fulfill it. But he had one more question for his wife. "Did you pay her for the work she did for us?"

"Pay her?" asked the wife, astonished, "I gave her the gown!!"

"I'm sorry," said the Rebbe. "You told me the gown was a gift. We still owe her for the weeks of work she spent for us."

The Rebbetzin agreed and returned to compensate the seamstress for her dedicated labor...for the gown she was given as a gift.

Now that's greatness.

Parshat Shkolim - Tzedoko - Charity

When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, each Jew contributed an annual half-shekel to the Temple coffers. In commemoration, the Torah reading this Shabbat is supplemented with the verses that relate G-d's commandment regarding the giving of this half-shekel.

We, too, give a commemorative half shekel to charity—on the Fast of Esther.

The first step to achieve personal redemption is via charity. Kindness, charity and selflessness are vital ingredients in a person's quest for spirituality, but why would charity be the starting point?

Our life's-blood goes into every penny we earn. When we take part of this and give it away to charity, we are demonstrating that we are willing to give our very essence to G-d. This thereby brings meaning and significance into our entire work week.

Our sages say that "Charity is equal to all other mitzvot combined"! Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (the Alter Rebbe) explains that whereas every mitzvah is designed to introduce holiness into a specific part of our being, the charity has the ability to sanctify our entire being. It elevates the entire labor which netted the earnings, and the entire individual who toiled – physically and/or mentally – for this livelihood.

In order to start the process of redemption, it is first necessary to take the major step of infusing the whole day with an aura of holiness. Only then can we successfully confront all the struggles and tribulations which we will certainly encounter on this challenging yet rewarding journey. Charity has the ability to suffuse the most mundane business meeting with holy purpose.

Additionally, let us bear in mind that one never loses by giving charity. In the words of the prophet Malachi (3:10): "Bring all the tithes into the treasury so that there may be nourishment in My House. Test Me, if you will, with this, says the L-rd of Hosts, [see] if I will not open for you the windows of the heavens and pour down for you blessing until there be no room to suffice for it."

Not a bad deal, eh?

Bitochon - Trust G-d!

Do you trust that G-d is taking care of you? Do you truly believe that He is watching over you, planning out your life in the way that is best for you, even if this involves challenges and struggles? If yes, then you have no need to worry about the future, no need to stress about what is coming next. You can feel safe, like a baby in his mother's arms.

This doesn't mean, however, that you mustn't plan for the future; it's just that you don't need to worry about it.

You wonder, how could it be that all these bumps in our lives are actually for our good??

To explain, think of a beautifully woven tapestry.
On the back, it looks like a mess with knots and clumps. But on the front, there may be a masterpiece - a magnificent picture. That's what our lives are like. To us, it often seems a mess - with stops and starts and all sorts of knots. But to G-d, Who sees the true masterpiece of our lives, all of these little bits make up the complete picture, the perfect picture. When our lives are done, and we are in our final "home"-right next to G-d-then we will be able to look back and see the whys and wherefores of our lives. We will then understand the purpose and reason for all our difficult challenges. No longer will we question the tough times we faced, and why we had to go through them. In fact, we will be grateful for the things that made us who we were. They were the knots that allowed us to weave our final masterpiece.

We must keep this in mind and hold onto our faith and trust that there is a magnificent picture and an Artist Who is designing it all. Only a fool would look at the back of the tapestry and question the purpose of all that mess. Let's not be a fool. No point in worrying about the future. With this faith, you can live in the now, and trust that G-d, your Higher Power, is guiding you and watching you -- every step of the way.

Story - Love your fellow as yourself!

“Love your fellow as yourself.”

Rabbi Yisroel of Rizhin illustrated this with the following story:

Once there were two friends whose souls were intertwined with a great love. They lived very far from one other. One of them was falsely accused of a crime, convicted and sentenced to death. A proclamation was made that everyone in the land must attend this criminal's execution.

When his friend came to the execution, he recognized him. He cried out loudly, “Leave that man alone! It is I who committed the crime.”

The execution was stopped. The matter was brought before the king, who summoned both men and asked them the truth of the matter. Only one of them could have committed the crime, so why is the other one willing to die in vain?

The friend of the condemned man answered the king, “I know that my friend did not commit any crime. I know his character. He couldn't have done it. And so this is nothing but a miscarriage of justice. My life depends on my friend's life. It is better that I die and not see his death. In fact, if I have received such a punishment as having to see my friend's death, I must myself be deserving of death.”

And the other man replied in a similar fashion.

When the king saw the great love between these two men, he let them both free. And he requested of them, “You are such great friends that I would like you to take me into your circle of friendship, with that same amount of love. And I will be the same kind of friend to you.”

When we reach the level of “you shall love your fellow as yourself,” Hashem desires to rest His presence amongst us, so that we will also love Him, and that He will be our faithful Friend.

Vayakhel....EVERY Jew needed...

In this week's Torah portion of Vayakhel, we read that both men and women participated in the construction and preparations of the materials for the Mishkan (the portable Sanctuary). Yet two individuals were singled out: Beztalel, from the tribe of Yehuda, and Oholiav, from the tribe of Dan.

In many ways, the tribe of Yehuda was considered leader of all the tribes. The kings from the dynasty of King David were descendants of Yehuda and Moshiach, too, will be a descendant of Yehuda. When the Jews wandered in the desert for forty years, the tribe of Yehuda always traveled first. Spiritually, they were on a high level.

The tribe of Dan, on the other hand, was the very last tribe to travel in the desert. They were considered to be on the lowest spiritual level of all the tribes.

These two individuals represent two very opposite extremes of our people. By choosing them, the Torah teaches us that all Jews, regardless of their level of knowledge or observance, have an equal share in G-d's sanctuary.
In fact, even if all the Jews from the tribe of Yehudah had built the sanctuary themselves, G-d would not have rested His holiness there. G-d would say: if you want Me to dwell in your midst, I need every single Jew, including those who may be on the lowest spiritual level, to be involved and present.

For this reason, this Torah portion starts with the verse of, "Moshe gathered the entire congregation of the Children of Israel". Only after gathering all the people together-regardless their place on the spiritual spectrum- did Moshe speak to them.

Battles are won with JOY.....

When Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch ("Tzemach Tzeddek," 1789-1866) was in Petersburg to attend the Rabbinical Convention of 1843, he received a special permit from the Russian Minister of War to address the Jewish soldiers serving at the military installation in nearby Kronstadt.

This was in the days of the infamous "Cantonists" decree, when, by order of Czar Nikolai I, six- and seven-year-old Jewish children were conscripted into the Russian Army for a period of twenty-five years and indoctrinated into Christianity, G-d save us. The fact that the Rebbe was granted permission to address the Jewish soldiers at Kronstadt was nothing less than a miracle, since the primary purpose of their conscription was to tear them away from their faith.

When the Rebbe arrived, he was greeted by the waiting soldiers, who said to him: "Rebbe! We've been toiling all morning to prepare for your coming, polishing our buttons in your honor. Now it's your turn to work hard: polish our souls, which have been dulled and coarsened by our many years of disconnection from Jewish life."

Following his address, in which he encouraged their heroic efforts to cling to their faith, the Rebbe said: "You polished your buttons with sand and water. The soul, too, is polished with sand and water: [The sand are] the holy letters of Tehillim (Psalms) recited with a generous infusion of tears."

One of the soldiers spoke up: "But Rebbe, battles are won with joy, not tears."

"So speaks a soldier!" said the Rebbe, with obvious satisfaction. "Yes, you're right. A soldier enters the fray of battle to the tune of a joyous march, not with tears. It is by the power of his joy that he is victorious even in the most dangerous and challenging endeavors."

Moshiach - Let's do Good!

The Torah and prophets speak about "The End of Days" as a time of peace and harmony.
Finally, this era is just around the corner.

There are two things that can be said about this world we live in. Either, it's a hotchpotch of objects and events going nowhere in particular. Or, there's a plan. A method buried somewhere in all the madness, a goal towards which all this is headed.

For thousands of years, Judaism proceeded to convince the rest of the world that the Creator has a plan, and that life has purpose. That all this is leading somewhere-and somewhere good.

Moshiach is a leader who will redeem mankind from meaninglessness, and teach the purpose of life to the universe.

When the Lubavitcher Rebbe was asked if he had a message for the world, the Rebbe said, as he did on numerous other occasions: "Moshiach is ready to come now, we all must only do something additional in the realm of goodness and kindness… if we do a little more Moshiach will come immediately".

'Goodness' is like water collecting in a cup—drop by drop, deed by deed. When the cup is full, it overflows. When we fill this world with enough good, G-d sends Moshiach. G-d gave us the Torah as a tool to do good and G-d is waiting for our move. Let’s work together to bring Moshiach, now.
Let’s do good!