L’ilui Nishmas R’ Avraham Menashe ben Yosef Meir HaLevi, zt’l

Sometimes a story can be more potent than anything else. This story is the perfect way to walk out of Purim into Pesach!

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On the surface, at least, getting drunk on Purim is not only part of the simcha of the day but certainly enhances it as well. What would the day look like if we all remained sober?

However, it doesn't take much thought to realize that drinking to the point of "Ad d'lo Yada" seems to contradict the entire intention of the Torah! Living a life of Avodas Hashem requires us to be fully mindful and maximize the cognitive powers that The Ribono Shel Olam has endowed us with.

If so, how could Chazal give us a mitzvas hayom to reach a state where we are literally wasted?

When we probe deeper into this mitzvah, aside from answering this question we will gain valuable insight into a unique opportunity that Purim offers unavailable to us the rest of the year!

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What could be more simple than being b'simcha on Purim? After all, it's a day filled with opportunities to be happy. Whether it's the excitement of hearing the Megillah, delivering m'shloach manos, getting drunk at the seudah, or all of the above, it's so easy!

And yet, an entirely different story emerges when we look at the Rambam. The true simcha of Purim revolves around matanos l'evyonim! Why? That we want to share and help the less fortunate is certainly understandable. Why should they be left out? But to put the mitzvah of helping those in need at the center of our "freilichen Purim" doesn't make much sense! Or does it?

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The phrase "Naaseh v"Nishma" is perhaps the most famous utterance in Jewish History. While merely two words they speak volumes about who we are, our purpose, and destiny in life.

And while simultaneously so simple and yet so profound, when we delve into their actual meaning, we may be surprised to find something that we didn't expect. And who are our teachers? None other than the melachim themselves!

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We are accustomed to labeling events or occurrences in our lives as either good or bad. Depending on our experience or perception, whether we had pain or pleasure, gain or loss, these are clearcut categories that we use to describe what happened to us.

But from Chazal we see that this is not only superficial but incorrect. Understandably we absorb what happens in our lives through personal experience. How could we do it any differently? But, perhaps it's time to lift ourselves above our individual experiences and see things for what they are.  

And on this journey, Yisro, Moshe Rabbeinu's father-in-law can be our rebbe!

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When we think about Amalek, what generally comes to mind is the mitzvah to obliterate their name. After all, by being the first nation to blatantly defy Hashem, they opened the door to the long and bloody history of Hashem's people's unspeakable pain, torture, and indignities at the hands of the nations of the world. And what about the unimaginable Chillul Hashem as a result?

But to destroy Amalek we first need to understand the core problem that brought about Amalek in the first place. It is only then that we can finally rid ourselves and the entire world of the problem once and for all. When we look deeply into this, we find something that is not only surprising but is as relevant today as it was over 3000 years ago! 

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The Ramban explains that Yitzias Mitzraim, not Brias HaOlam, is the foundation of our Emunah. Why? Because at the core of our Emunah is absorbing the experience of Hashem's Nisim and His unbridled love for us. 

This is why failing to bring the Korban Pesach carries such a stringent punishment.  Even generations later, Jews must continue to disconnect from the experience of living in Mitzraim and the impact that it imprinted on our souls.

It is for this reason that Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of the calculation as to when to bring the Korban Pesach and Yom Tov, is so essential. There is even a presumption that the Torah should have begun with this mitzvah!

However, when we think deeper into it, the aforementioned reason no longer seems sufficient. There are so many other mitzvahs such as Shabbos, Limud haTorah, Ahavas Hashem, and the list goes on, that would seem to merit the unique distinction of beginning the Torah instead of the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh. 

To answer this question, perhaps we need to find out what Rosh Chodesh is really about. And when we do that, we may be surprised to discover a completely different way to understand this mitzvah, and a fundamental truth that is at the center of every Jew's life!

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As we embark upon these Parshios, we have the opportunity to delve once again into Yitzias Mitzraim. How much do we have to be grateful for that unlike our ancestors, we aren't living a life of slavery but of freedom?

But if that freedom is so wonderful, why did 80% of the Jews in Eygpt opt out and instead prefer to remain in bondage? Were these people crazy? The answer is no. The Medrash tells us that these Jews were anything but crazy. They had very good reason to remain behind despite the suffering. 

In fact, to understand why only 80% chose to remain and not more, we need to clarify and deepen our understanding of what freedom is really all about and thereby grasp the fullness of Yitizias Mitzraim!

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After the Jewish People were denied straw to make the bricks for the Egyptian storehouses, their impossible situation became even more difficult. A distraught Moshe Rabbeinu came to Hashem and asked, "Why are you doing such a bad thing to your people?" And because of this question, Chazal tell us that Moshe Rabbeinu was denied entry into Eretz Yisroel. 

But how could Moshe Rabbeinu the only man in history who spoke directly with Hashem, the one upon whom Hashem is the biggest "maamin" ask such a question? It makes no sense!

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The Torah speaks extensively of the necessity and supreme value of forgiveness. 
If so, how can we understand Yosef HaTzaddik's response to his brothers in this week's sedra? They were frightened after their father's death, that he would take advantage of this propitious moment to take his long-awaited, highly-justified revenge. And he hardly seemed to assuage their fears. Yet when we deeply probe Yosef's response, we discover how compassionate he was and something essential about ourselves.  

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