Did you know? - Chabad Lubavitch of Athens Greece

7 things you didn't know about Purim and Esther's fast

Thursday, February 25, 2021 - 3:29 PM

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1. The reading of the Meguila takes about 30 minutes. But the story of the Meguila happened over a much longer period. The events of the Meguila took place over the 14 years of Achashverosh’ reign. On the 3^rd year of his reign, he killed his first wife Vashti. One the 7^th year, Esther became Queen. Haman issued the decree to kill all the Jews during the 12^th year, and the victory of the Jews happened during the 13^th year. During the 14th and last year of Achashverosh’ reign, the Jews celebrated Purim for the first time.

2. From the moment Haman cast the lots (to decide when the most auspicious day is to kill the Jews), until he was hung, only 3 days passed (from the 13 to the 16^th of the month of Nisan).

3. Achashverosh never canceled the decree to kill the Jews. The only thing he did was to give them permission to defend themselves (which means that before that, they could not even do that). So, we understand that during the (almost) entire year, the Jews were in danger of extermination.

4. The Talmud mentions that Haman, beside the order to exterminate the Jews on a physical level, also forbid them to to keep the Mitzvot and especially the following 4: Torah study, Holidays, Tefilin and Brit Mila.

5. The 13 of Adar was a day of war. All the Jews fought for their lives. On a day of war, we usually fast and pray to G-d for the victory. But those who was fighting did not fast, for they needed their strength for the battle. Only Esther, who was not in the palace and was not in danger, fasted. The fast day we have on the day before Purim is a reminder of this fast and of the war, and since only Esther fasted, the fast is called with her name: Taanit Ester.

6. We celebrate Purim on the day that the Jews rested from the war, not on the day they won the war.

7. In the entire Meguila, the name of G-d does not appear even one time! Why? A simple explanation is that when the Persians would copy the Meguila when it was written, they would write instead of G-d’s name the name of their idols.

Shabbat Shalom and Purim Sameach!

Arie from the Yeshiva

What is Shabbat Zachor, the Shabbat of the Remembrance?

Thursday, February 18, 2021 - 1:42 PM

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This Shabbat, we will read in synagogues (where they are open), in addition to the Parasha of the week Teruma, Parashat Zachor, the Reading of the Remembrance. What is this about? It is the double commandments of G-d to us to remember what Amalek did to us (positive commandment) and not to forget it (negative commandment) as well as the Mitzva to erase his name from the world.

What did Amalek do, to cause such hate? He was the first one to go to war with the Jewish people when they left Egypt. Then, the whole world was afraid to fight the Jewish people. They had heard about the great miracles that G-d did for the People of Israel (the 10 Plagues and the Splitting of the Sea) and they feared G-d. But Amalek came to fight the Jewish people.

The Talmud tells us a parable: It is like a bath filled with boiling water, where everyone is afraid to go in. Suddenly, someone jumps inside. Sure, he will get burnt, but the water will not seem that boiling anymore to the others now that someone got inside. In this way, Amalek “opened the road” for others, showing that there is a possibility to fight with the Jews.

We always read the Parasha Zachor on the Shabbat before Purim. Why? Because Haman, was an Amalekite, and before Purim, when we celebrate our victory against him, we remember the Mitzvah that is connected to him.

There is a deeper message in this Mitzvah. Amalek symbolizes the “cold” which also exists in the soul level. When we want to do a good action, we may think that maybe it is not needed, maybe it is not that important, maybe it will not help and there is no point in doing it etc. But even when we are decided to do this action, we may think that it is not necessary to do it with enthusiasm, we can do the action without our heart as long as we do it with our body etc. in other words, simply do the action.

Yet, we need to remember that the “cold”, that is the inaction or the “cold” action, come from Amalek. Like the water, which in cold temperatures, freezes and does not continue its flow. But we need to erase Amalek, we must not allow him to “cool” us up. We need to do the Mitzvot at all times, and we need to do them with all the enthusiasm and the warmth of our souls.

Shabbat Shalom,

Arie from the Yeshiva

What is Shabbat Shekalim?

Thursday, February 11, 2021 - 9:20 AM

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This Shabbat is very special. In the synagogues (wherever they are allowed to open), we will read portions from three Sefer Torah (this happens only one or twice a year). Usually, we take out one Sefer Torah, from which we read the Portion of the Week. This Shabbat, which is Rosh Chodesh, we will also read the Portion of the New Month from a second Sefer Torah.

But this Shabbat, we will add a third Sefer Torah, because it is Shabbat Shekalim. What is it about?

There were two kinds of Offerings (Sacrifices) in the Temple: Individual Offerings, which an individual could (or had the obligation) to bring, and Communal Offerings, i.e the offering a one animal on behalf of the entire Jewish people. How were the communal offerings arranged? Every year, each Jew had to give a small monetary amount (in Hebrew, Machatzit Hashekel, Half a Shekel), and this money served to the purchase of all the animals for the Communal Offerings of the year. Thus, all the Jews were part of each offering.

The funds had to be gathered until the 1st of the month of Nisan, when the annual cycle of offerings started, according to G-d’s commandment. This is why, at the beginning of the previous month Adar, there were proclamations in every city not to forget to bring the Shekalim, so that in the month of Nisan, sacrifices would continue.

As a remembrance, on the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh Adar (or, when Rosh Chodesh falls on Shabbat like this year, on the day of Rosh Chodesh), we read the Torah portion speaking about this commandment.

What is the significance of the Mitzvah of the Half-Shekel? Why was this lengthy procedure needed? The sum given by everyone was very small. Would it not have been simpler to have the offerings sponsored by a few donors?

In the Communal Offerings, everyone had to participate, and all in an identical manner. The wealthiest person gave the exact same sum as the poorest one. In these sacrifices, no one was a separate individual, but they were all equal, part of a united people, without separations.

This is something that we can do even now, when we do not have the Temple. Understand that the other Jew is equal to us and be united.

Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov,

Arie from the Yeshiva