As \u201cPeople of the Book,\u201d all historical events are contained within. Two pivotal experiences, Purim and our current\u00a0galus<\/i>, are highly pertinent now. Purim has an unexpected lesson and our current\u00a0galus<\/i>\u00a0is pinpointed with exactitude by a great Tanna. Both of these events, as well as all of our\u00a0galus<\/i>\u00a0experiences, are forecasted in the Torah with five words that appear by Avraham\u2019s\u00a0Brit<\/i>\u00a0with G-d, at the\u00a0Brit Bein HaBetarim<\/i>.<\/p>\n
The Purpose of Purim<\/b><\/p>\n
Purim is fascinating in that it’s bringing\u00a0tikkun<\/i>\u00a0in an area that one wouldn’t expect. As Rabbi Kessin explains, it’s the realization that man-made law is precarious and immoral, needing a Divine hand to actualize justice.<\/p>\n
At Har Sinai, we accepted laws affecting us and G-d. However, we didn’t see the need to have any godly intervention in laws regulating society.<\/p>\n
Purim is symbolic of societal laws gone awry. By just examining the letters that Haman sent out to kill the Jews, we see no logic.<\/p>\n
There were many nations who were separated from the Persian government, with their own practices, not just the Jews. Yet Haman justifies the eradication of the Jewish nation based on their separateness, and the king who should symbolize some logic in enacting laws, freely goes along.<\/p>\n
Therefore, the Jews reaccept this aspect of the Torah on Purim, as the Gemara (Shabbos<\/i>\u00a088a) says, they were\u00a0kiymu v\u2019kiblu<\/i>. And from then on, it is recognized that laws of society need the Almighty’s direction.<\/p>\n
Today, we witness a lack of Divine justice in secular law, as many are simply illogical. But that’s not our code.<\/p>\n
Investigating the Current Galus<\/b><\/p>\n
There are different midrashim that speak to the name of our current\u00a0galus<\/i>, a common one being that it’s\u00a0galus<\/i>\u00a0Edom that has been extended into the realm of Yishmael.<\/p>\n
However, I’d like to focus on a\u00a0Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer<\/i>\u00a0(28:9) that pinpoints the nature of our times with a matching word in the Torah. The different time frames of our\u00a0galus<\/i>\u00a0are enunciated in a specific verse mentioned by the\u00a0Brit Bein HaBetarim<\/i>.<\/p>\n
At the conclusion of this intense pact sealed between G-d and Avraham, the verse (Genesis 15:12) says, \u201cNow the sun was ready to set, and a deep sleep fell upon Avraham, and behold, a fright, a great darkness was falling upon him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The last five words in this verse are written as \u201c\u2026Eimah chasheichah gedolah nofeles alav.\u201d Unlike other midrashim that understand the last two words, nofeles alav<\/i>, to be referring to Edom, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer<\/i>\u00a0says\u00a0alav<\/i> refers to a new and fifth galus<\/i>, that of Yishmael.<\/p>\n
As a\u00a0darshan<\/i>, Rabbi Eliezer was a master, but here the simple wording itself is what Yishmael is:\u00a0alav<\/i>, overbearing and in your physical space.<\/p>\n
This is the exact description of Yishmael elsewhere (Genesis 16:12), as a \u201cpereh adam – wild donkey.\u201d The Maharil Diskin (1818-1898) explains that in written and spoken Hebrew the noun comes first, followed by the adjective, such as\u00a0bayit yafe<\/i>, a nice house – the noun is first. Here the noun is\u00a0pera adam,<\/i>\u00a0defining Yishmael as an actual wild donkey, barbaric in nature, that happens to be human.<\/p>\n
However, Yishmael earned a stake in Eretz Yisrael<\/i>\u00a0as a reward for performing\u00a0Bris Milah<\/i>. However, that\u00a0Bris Milah<\/i>\u00a0was semi-flawed. It was still\u00a0pera<\/i>, exposed (see\u00a0Zohar<\/i>\u00a0in parsha\u00a0Lech Lecha<\/i>), as they didn’t fold all of the foreskin back, which gives him less standing.<\/p>\n
Possible Responses<\/b><\/p>\n
Shulchan Aruch<\/i>\u00a0(O.C. 8:5 based on the Gemara\u00a0Moed Katan<\/i>\u00a024A) says that if one doesn’t wrap his\u00a0tallis<\/i>\u00a0around his head in the same all-inclusive manner as Yishmael, then he has not fulfilled his obligation. We see that a core feature of Yishmael is that they excel in prayer. This explains his name –\u00a0Yishma-Kel<\/i>, G-d listens. G-d hears their\u00a0tefillah<\/i>. But it also means that G-d listens to our screams based on what Yishmael causes us. In this regard, they seem to be using up their merits. Countering their\u00a0tefillah<\/i>\u00a0is a strategy that Yaakov used, as he told his sons that he defeated Shechem through\u00a0tzaluti<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0ba\u2019uti<\/i>, earnest supplication (Genesis 48:22, Onkelos\u2019s translation of the physical bow and arrow to mean\u00a0tefillah<\/i>).<\/p>\n
Perhaps another approach is to echo the same words that Haman said about us. He saw us as a nation united and apart from other nations, and that’s where our strength lies. Bilam’s blessing that praised\u00a0our modesty lives on eternally and gives us extra blessings. Yishmael, these days, is very keen on picking up on division in the Jewish people and often uses it as a barometer to decide whether to attack. An undivided Jewish nation loses potency, both spiritually and physically. Our unity can counteract this.<\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/b><\/p>\n
Purim teaches the ever-important lesson that we need G-d to shape the laws of society. Leaving man to his whims ends with illogical results, guided by man\u2019s evil ways. We learned this firsthand on Purim when a monarchy wanted to destroy us based on a poor legal theory.<\/p>\n
When we jump to today\u2019s time, we\u2019re fighting an enemy who is not even called human in the Torah. But the more they push the envelope and increase their brutality, the closer they come to extinction. Though Avraham gave them a blessing, the Gemara (Eruvin\u00a0<\/i>19a) also says that Avraham stands at the gates of\u00a0Gehinnom<\/i>\u00a0and saves any Jew that has a proper\u00a0Brit Milah<\/i>, excluding\u00a0reshaim<\/i>, evildoers. This shows an important principle. Avraham, though in the Jewish realm, is looking for\u00a0Brit Milah\u2019s<\/i>\u00a0that are done in the right way. Yishmael never completed his\u00a0Brit Milah<\/i>, and this will not stand well for him as his claim to the land begins to diminish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As \u201cPeople of the Book,\u201d all historical events are contained within. Two pivotal experiences, Purim and our current\u00a0galus, are highly pertinent now. Purim has an unexpected lesson and our current\u00a0galus\u00a0is pinpointed with exactitude by a great Tanna. Both of these events, as well as all of our\u00a0galus\u00a0experiences, are forecasted in the Torah with five words […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133844,"featured_media":57358,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[348],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-purim"],"yoast_head":"\n