This weekly women&#39;s class was presented on Tuesday&nbsp;Parshas Ki Sisa, Purim Katan, 14 Adar I, 5782, February 15, 2022, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY.

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mordechai

hillel

shamai

megilah

queen esther

beis hillel & beis shamai

You Can't Fix Me If You Don't Feel Me; the Two World Views of Shamai & Hillel

Women's Purim Katan Class

The Debate Between Mordechai & Esther: Do We Include All Jews?

This zoom lecture, arranged by The&nbsp;Arch&nbsp;and The&nbsp;Base, was presented for the South African Jewish community on Wednesday, 5 Adar, 5781, February 17, 2021, followed by Q and A.

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divine providence

happiness

mendel futerfas

south africa

mission

The Words of Mordechai That Cut Through Esther's Fear

Lecture for South Africa Community

Even in the Worst Darkness, G-d is Calling Out To You

This weekly women&#39;s class will be&nbsp;presented on Tuesday, Parshas Tetzaveh, 11 Adar, 5781, February 23, 2021, live from Rabbi YY Jacobson&#39;s home in Monsey, NY.

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Why Is Hashem’s Name Absent From the Megillah?

Purim Baal HaTanya Maamar

What We Do for Love

An excerpt of Rabbi YY&#39;s Women&#39;s Class about Purim, for the full class: https://www.theyeshiva.net/jewish/6261

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Queen Esther

Did Esther Die a Content Woman?

The Farmer

A Texas farmer was touring England. He happened to meet an English farmer and asked him, "What size farm do you have?"

The Englishman proudly announced, "Thirty-five acres!"

"Thirty-five acres?" the Texan scoffed. "Why I can get in my truck at 8:00 AM and start driving and at noon, I am still on my farm. I can eat lunch and start driving again and at 5:00 PM I am still on my farm.

"Ah, yes," the Englishman nodded in understanding. "I had a truck like that once."

The Party

In the opening of the story of the book of Esther, the Persian Emperor, King Achashverosh, throws a massive feast to celebrate his consolidation of power on the Persian throne. It is a lavish, completely over-the-top party, a drunken, decadent bacchanal that lasts for a full 180 days.

And then, when the 180 days are over, he throws yet another feast, lasting seven days. The celebrations continue for 187 days, non-stop!

It seems strange. Although the only aspect of the party of any obvious relevance to the plot of the Purim story is that the King has his wife killed for not entertaining his drunken guests, the Megillah provides us with verse after verse of vivid description of the party itself.

We learn of the setting of the party, the guests, the vessels and utensils used, and the materials and fabrics used to dress up the banquet:

There were hangings of white, fine cotton, and turquoise wool, held with cords of fine linen and purple wool, upon silver rods and marble pillars; the couches of gold and silver were on a pavement of variegated marble.

And they gave them to drink in golden vessels, and the vessels differed from one another, and royal wine was plentiful according to the bounty of the king.<a onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref1')" id="_edn1" href="javascript: void(0);" name="_ftnref1">[1]</a>

Why does the book of Esther feel the need to familiarize us with all the opulence of Achashverosh’s banquet? Do I really have to know how many fabrics were used at the feast and what was their type? Do I really have to know the types of goblets used? How does that help me understand the story?

Rarely do the Torah and the Tanach give vivid descriptions of events unless it is important to grasp the story. The Torah is not a classic history novel; it is, as its name indicates, a book of lessons and teachings. It wants us to learn something. Why on earth would the king’s notorious decadence be relevant to us?

In a Purim address, on Purim 5733, March 18, 1973, the Lubavitcher Rebbe suggested one beautiful explanation.

All In

The message of the Megillah is a simple one, though in a way surprising. When King Achashverosh throws a party, he knows he must go all in. Not for him was a mere hundred-day feast, or goblets from silver instead of gold. He makes a serious party and throws everything he has at his disposal at the party.

This king will not settle for mediocrity or even normal standards of a feast. He will not just get away with doing a fine job. If he can do it over the top, he will have it just that way! If he can drink for 187 days, so be it. If he can give his people a memory of a lifetime, this is what he will do. No less.

Now, as the Talmud states,<a onclick="ty.scrollTo('_ednref2')" id="_edn2" href="javascript: void(0);" name="_ftnref2">[2]</a> this king was a fool. He wasted his money and creativity on a foolish endeavor. Achashverosh’s motives in throwing his bash were far from holy. But the Torah is telling us the story, the Rebbe suggested, to teach us an invaluable lesson.

Even this paranoid, foolish king understood that in life you got to give it all you got! You ought not to live a life of “quiet desperation.” Do not settle for smallness. You got to suck the marrow out of life. Carpe Diem! Life calls on us to live it to the fullest.

If even the Persian dictator understood this, how much more do we—G-d’s people—need to understand this! Do not settle for smallness. Give life all you got. Utilize every potential, every resource, every opportunity, every faculty, and every talent. Do not squander a moment, and do not squander any aspect of your soul.

Show up to life and to love with every fiber of your being. Hold nothing back. Dance to the end of love. Celebrate to the heavens. Flex all your spiritual, physical, and emotional muscles—let your infinite light radiate and inspire every person you encounter.

Don’t be stingy with your love and passion. Be who G-d meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.

If someone is blessed with the ability to write, continued the Rebbe, then he or she must find a way to use that to change the world for the better. If you can raise 18 million dollars a year for Jewish education, do not be content with 17 million. Do not let fear or too much logic stifle you. Aim for the top. Do not make your target close and easy just to avoid fear and shame.

If you can build and spread goodness, kindness, truth, morality, Yiddishkeit, holiness, in yet a bigger and more effective way -- don't be satisfied with small measures.&nbsp;The days of an impersonal, restrictive Judaism must remain behind us. The Torah wants our youths, and each of us, to develop wings—wings that will propel them upward to reach their maximum potential and change the world!

There Are Three Types of People: Those Who Make Things Happen, Those Who Watch Things Happen, and Those Who Wonder What Happened. The Megilah teaches us: Make things happen and think big.

As hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine are hiding for their lives, or have fled and need to begin their lives anew from scratch, each of us must think big, and more importantly, act big. Our time in history does not allow for petty thinking, petty behavior, or small-minded ambitions. We want to go out of our comfort zones and change the&nbsp;world.

___________________

<a onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn1')" id="_ednref1" href="javascript: void(0);" name="_ftn1">[1]</a> Megilas Esther 1:6, 7.

<a onclick="ty.scrollTo('_edn2')" id="_ednref2" href="javascript: void(0);" name="_ftn2">[2]</a> Megillah 11a.

In the opening of the story of the book of Esther, the Persian Emperor, King Achashverosh, throws a grand party to celebrate his consolidation of power. It is a lavish, completely over-the-top feast, a drunken, decadent bacchanal that lasts for a full 187 days.

But although the only aspect of the party of any obvious relevance to the plot of the Purim story is that the King has his wife killed for not entertaining his drunken guests, the Megillah provides us with verse after verse of vivid description of the party itself.

Rarely does the Tanach give vivid descriptions of events unless they are important to understand the story. The Torah is not a historical novel; it is, as its name indicates, a book of lessons and teachings. It wants us to learn something. Why on earth would the king&rsquo;s notorious decadence be relevant to us?

In a Purim address, on Purim 1973, the Lubavitcher Rebbe suggested an answer to this question that was, at the time, radically novel. It reframes our perspective about the type of person Judaism tried to develop.

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achashverosh

feast

Start the Party: Learning From an Uncouth Dictator How to Celebrate Life

Purim Essay  

Be Who G-d Meant You to Be and You Will Set the World on Fire

Henry Kissinger may have been the world&rsquo;s most famous Jewish diplomat, but he certainly was not the first.&nbsp;The Purim Megillah, named for Queen Esther, paints a picture of a smart, resourceful, courageous woman of faith. But a close reading of the story, and a proper analysis of her actions in the story also reveal her to be a masterful tactician and diplomat that even Kissinger would be blown away by.

The simple question is the purpose of Esther&rsquo;s two banquets. What was the point of the first? And why wasn&rsquo;t one enough? Why couldn&rsquo;t she have asked what she needed the first time?&nbsp;These questions are answered in the Megillah by the change of a single word.

According to the Maharil, the main Purim miracle took place when Achashverosh had trouble falling asleep, yet his insomnia seem to have had no really influence on the Purim story. What actually happened that night? Why could he king not fall asleep?

The class&nbsp;examines the relationship between Joseph Stalin and the ruthless Lavrentiy Beria, and uses it as a parallel for that of Achashverosh and Haman. Understanding this relationship and an in-depth analysis of Achashverosh will help expose the brilliant maneuvering of Queen Esther and the purpose of her two banquets.

This class was presented on Sunday morning, 10 Adar, 5775, March 1, 2015, at Beis Medrash Ohr Chaim, Monsey, NY.

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22_yyj purim- english source sheet.pdf

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purim

haman

indecisiveness

stalin

insecurity

beria

paranoia

achasverosh

Reading the Megilah from a Psychological Perspective

Achashverosh & Haman in Therapy: The Psychological Brilliance of Esther

This women&#39;s class was presented on Tuesday Parshas Vayikra, 5&nbsp;Adar II, 5779, March 12, 2019, at the Ohr Chaim Shul, Monsey, NY&nbsp;

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sins

transforming sins

free choice

ad delo yada

Approaching the King Through Sin...

Women's Purim Class

The Day Haman and Mordechai Become Equals

Thic class was presented on Sunday, Rosh Chodesh Adar 5777, Feb. 26, 2017, at Ohr Chaim, Monsey, NY.

How did Mordechai persuade Esther to sacrifice her life? At first blush, the rationale he offers seems to digress from strong to weak. Mordechai&rsquo;s argument consists of three points. We would expect the third point to offer the greatest motivation for her to go into the king. Yet his third point seems weak relative to the former two points.

At this incredibly dramatic, fateful point in the Purim story, Mordechai seems to waver. &ldquo;Who knows?&rdquo; he says. Mi Yodea? Maybe this is the reason you became queen, but maybe not. These aren&rsquo;t really the words you&rsquo;d want to hear before marching off into the jaws of death. It isn&rsquo;t quite Patrick Henry&rsquo;s &ldquo;Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.&rdquo; Couldn&rsquo;t Mordechai have come up with anything a little more rousing?

Do you see a pattern in your life? Do you recognize a rhythm? Can you perceive a plan, a plot, a story line? Can you answer what is the ultimate mission of your life? Why did your soul descend on earth? What are you meant to accomplish? Should you even try to answer the question? If you had a chance to ask G-d this question, what do you think He would answer you?

Was Esther a tragic figure? At the end of the story, the Jews are saved, but she remains stuck in the palace, married to a drunk, spineless tyrant. How did Esther see her live? How should we see ours?

This class is based on an address (a Sicha) by the Lubavitcher Rebbe presented on Purim 5722-1962. It explores a medieval dispute over the rationale behind Mitzvos, and understanding G-d&rsquo;s motives for creating the world. With these ideas, we unlock the meaning of a key exchange between Mordechai and Esther, and thereby discover a new approach to understanding and making peace with the story of our lives. We gain insight into the reason this holiday is called Purim, representing the casting of lots, where there is a mitzvah to drink till &ldquo;you do not know,&rdquo; why we cast lots on Yom Kippur on two twin goats ending up in opposite places, and why the Prophet Elijah cast lots on two bulls to send one to the idols and one to G-d.

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22_ac_monsey_5777_mi_yodah.b894.pdf

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yom kippur

goats

goral

sense

At the End of the Story, Is Esther a Tragic Figure?

Can You Make Sense of Your Life? How Mordechai Transformed Esther

This women&#39;s class was presented on Tuesday Parshas Tzav, 12&nbsp;Adar II, 5779, March 19, 2019 at the Ohr Chaim Shul, Monsey, NY&nbsp;

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taanis esther

taanit esther

A Brilliant insight by the Lubavitcher Rebbe on "Esther's Fast"

The Secret Life of Queen Esther

This women&#39;s Purim class was presented&nbsp;on Tuesday, 5 Adar, 5778,&nbsp;February 20, 2018, at Ohr Chaim, Monsey, NY. The class explores the opening and final verse of the Megilah, and the details of the feast the Persian King Achashverosh arranged for his people.

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achashveirosh

maximizing potential

What King Achasverosh Can Teach You

You Got to Know How to Throw a Party

In one of the most bizarre Talmudic stories (Megilah 7b), two of the greatest Talmudic sages feast on Purim together. They are inebriated and one of them slaughters his friend. The next day he brings him back to life. The following year he invites his colleague for another Purim meal.

This fascinating class, based on an address by&nbsp;the Lubavitcher Rebbe, re-invents the meaning of the story and applies it to our daily struggle to link heaven and earth. As the wine of Torah flowed like water, the soul left Its container.

This class is based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 31 Purim.

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22_ac final purim shuir march 6 2016 monsey rabah reb zeira.pdf

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wine

rabah

modzitz

reb zeira

purim feast

intoxication

In One of the Strangest Talmudic Stories, One Sage Slaughters His Colleague During Their Purim Drinking

Purim Class

Murder At a Purim Feast?!

When studying the Tanach we must be sensitive to nuance. The obvious question is why does the verse state that Mordechai was &ldquo;accepted by most of his brethren&quot; rather than just saying that he was &ldquo;accepted by his brethren.&rdquo; The Torah is obviously trying to make a point. Not everyone liked Mordechai. But why? After all, he was the man who together with Esther was responsible for the rescue of the entire nation.

The Talmud presents a fascinating interpretation. Mordechai was the preeminent Torah scholar of his generation&mdash;he was the leader of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court. With the dramatic unfolding events of Purim, this brilliant scholar became entangled in politics. After Haman&rsquo;s plot was foiled, he was appointed Prime Minister of the Persian Empire. Most Jews adored Mordechai&mdash;but not all of them. But why not?&nbsp;

The class explores a fascinating story about the Rogatchover Gaon, Rabbi Yosef Rozen (1858-1936), who refused to become a member in a committee on behalf of Russian Jewry, based on an argument between the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud. It turns out, that Mordechai was a &ldquo;Jerusalem Talmud&rdquo; Jew.

The class is based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 16 Purim.

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22_ac adar purim 5776 monsey .pdf

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rogatchover gaon

Why Did Mordechai Remain in Politics? Why Did the Rogatchover Refuse to Become an Activist?

The Debate Between Mordechai and His Colleagues

This Yiddish/English address was presented, Sunday, March 6, 2016, 26 Adar I 5776, at the dinner for Yaldei in Montreal.

Yiddish/English Address: No Child Left Behind

Speech at the Yaldei Dinner in Montreal for Children with Special Needs

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