The time has come again for us to delve into the mysteries and secrets of Purim and Adar and Haman and Achashveirosh and Esther and Mordechai and Zeresh and Vayezasa and the snake. Snake? Some say that Bigsan and Seresh took poison from a snake in their attempt to do away with Achashveirosh. Pretty courageous fellows, they were, no? Well, however they wanted to accomplish their nefarious deed, they didn’t…

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United we stand, in the Mishkan and on Shabbos

ויקהל משה את כל עדת בני ישראל ויאמר אליהם אלה הדברים אשר צוה ה' לעשות אותם, Moshe assembled the entire Assembly of the Children of Israel and said to them: These are things that HaShem commanded, to do them. (Shemos 35:1)

In this week’s…

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A friend of mine wondered who the author of Shoshanas Yaakov was. I don’t know the answer to that, but I can tell you that he was someone great. He writes להודיע שכל קויך לא יבשו, to make known that all who hope in You will not be ashamed. The word קויך equals in gematria the word כנוס, and Esther told Mordechai לך כנוס את כל היהודים, go and gather all the Jews. Furthermore, the word כנוס equals in gematria the words צום, ממון, קול, fasting, money, and voice, which correspond to תשובה תפילה…

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Adar is the month of happiness. The Gemara states משנכנס אדר מרבים בשמחה, when one enters Adar, we increase in happiness. Why does the Gemara state that when one, an individual, enters Adar, we all increase in happiness? The answer to this question is the essence of the Purim miracle. Mordechai instructed Esther to beseech Achashveirosh to rescind Haman’s decree of annihilating the Jews. Esther responded with the words לך כנוס את כל היהודים, go and gather all the Jews. The key to our…

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Toras Purim and the rest of the

Jewish Calendar 5769

Prepared by Rabbi Binyomin Adler

Bimei neuray ushetusai, uvimos shikrusai viholilusai, ad shetomru bisifsoseichem dai, viaz ani aaneh eschem kigmulaschem hatovah alai, sheain ritzoni ela lichtov machshevosai, vilo machshevosai machshivoseichem, vihaikar lihashiv machasheves Haman Ben Hamdasa HaAgagi, ubazeh heicheili lichtov es kol tokef Haman bichol yimos hashanah:





Here we are again, ready to celebrate Purim… Continue