Search Results for: Esther

Limuday Moshe – Megillas Esther by Rabbi Moshe Harris (Fresh and Hot Off the Press)

From the author’s email:

Dear reader/ friend.

שהחיינו וקיימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה
After an incredible amount of hard work, boruch Hashem I have been zoche to bring out a Sefer on Megillas Esther, including nearly 200 Divrei Torah, offering peshotim, pirushim and lessons in mussar, on most pasukim in the Megillah. 
 
If one goes through the Sefer properly, I have no doubt that he will have a deeper appreciation for the Megillah, the Yom Tov of Purim in general. And hopefully a changed life altogether.
It is designed to be suitable for men, women and children of all ages.
Please find the Megillah attached below. Please pass on to everyone and anyone you think will gain from it.
Hard Copies Are Now Available to Be Picked Up From:
 
Eretz Yisroel: Family Harris, Ido Hanavi, 4, Dira 9 (Third floor), Family Harris, RBS, Gimmel Eched.
And from Thursday and on from Family Sanger, 28 Ohaliov, Knisa 2, Dira 6 (Second Floor), Yerusholayim.
Manchester: 37 Legh Street, Salford.
Gateshead: 265 Coatsworth Road.
Regular pick up locations: Iy’H a few copies will be available in the regular pickup locations (In EY), however, not as many as I normally put out, so make sure not to miss out.
Unfortunately, I am still trying to raise a significant amount of money to help cover the printing costs. To  donate please visit:  https://thechesedfund.com/limudaymoshe/megillas-esther   Thank You
Wishing you and your family a Freilichen Purim
R’ Moshe Harris

Boodism in Megillas Esther?

I read a wacky theory saying “Krishna” yemach shemo is the first advisor for Achashverosh.
Esther 1:14:
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ לַחֲכָמִים יֹדְעֵי הָעִתִּים כִּי כֵן דְּבַר הַמֶּלֶךְ לִפְנֵי כָּל יֹדְעֵי דָּת וָדִין. וְהַקָּרֹב אֵלָיו כַּרְשְׁנָא שֵׁתָר אַדְמָתָא תַרְשִׁישׁ מֶרֶס מַרְסְנָא מְמוּכָן שִׁבְעַת שָׂרֵי פָּרַס וּמָדַי רֹאֵי פְּנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ הַיּשְׁבִים רִאשֹׁנָה בַּמַּלְכוּת.  כְּדָת מַה לַּעֲשׂוֹת…
What do I know?
But even if true, this would not make Judaism syncretistic.
Rabbi Hirsch says the reason for mentioning historical figures in the Torah (like Chanoch\Hermes) is to debunk their Avoda Zara origin stories (like Euhemerus).

re: Censored Selichos for Taanis Esther

Eliyahu Levin (from Erev Shabbos):

בסליחות לתענית אסתר,  בפזמון במתי מספר בבית לפני האחרון בחלק מהסידורים: השיבנו למנוחתך כי ידך לא תקצר. במקור: בְּאַפְּךָ קוּמָה עַל הַצּוֹרֵר הַצָּר.

ובבית האחרון: לוחצינו ישלימו אתנו(!) ועוונותינו תשליך במצולה. גם מי שלא מבין בנושא יבין שאסור לומר כן, ועדיף לא לומר כלום מלומר את זה.

במקור: לוֹחֲצֵינוּהַמְעַד וּמַלְּאֵם חַלְחָלָה.

Yehoshua Shalet writes:

In response to this article, you’ll be pleased to know that the practice of our synagogues (minhag old Ashkenaz/Frankfurt) is to sing the original, uncensored version

Sincerely Joshua Shalet of Kehal Adath Yeshurun, Beitar Illith

Who Claims Esther Hamalka Was Mordechai’s Niece?

Check out the recently posted article by Rabbi Klein: “Avunculate Marriage In the Bible” for a surprising answer:

The Talmud (TB Megillah 13a) relates that Mordecai not only raised the orphaned Esther, but he also married her. Furthermore, some sources, including Josephus in Antiquities (Book XI, Ch. 6), Targum Rishon (to Est. 7:6),[9] and the Vulgate (Est. 2:7) explain that Esther was Mordecai’s niece. Ibn Ezra (to Est. 8:1) and Maimonides (there)[10] also repeat that claim. Together, these two ideas indicate that Mordecai married his niece. Nonetheless, this understanding is simply mistaken as the Bible quite explicitly states that she was his first cousin, not his niece: And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter… (Est. 2:7) and Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai… (Est. 2:15).

[9] Although, see Targum Rishon earlier (to Esther 2:7 and 2:15) who explicitly writes that Esther was the daughter of Mordecai’s uncle, making them first-cousins, not niece and uncle.

[10] Y. Rivlin (ed.), Pirush Megillat Esther L’Rambam (Jerusalem, 1952) pg. 60.

Read more here.

Is Every ‘Melech’ in Megillas Esther Hakadosh Baruch Hu?

No, of course not. This doesn’t fit with half the pesukim in any discernible way. Chassidim separate the words, so when it says “King Achashverosh” made a feast for those living in Shushan, it means Avashverosh plus Hashem. Except this adds nothing, because Hashem does everything, anyhow, so you might as well take all words to mean Hashem.

As usual, people rely on a half-quote from a preacher.

Here’s the original Chazal, Esther Rabba 3:10:

אשר למלך אחשורוש, ר’ יודן ור’ לוי בשם ר’ יוחנן כל מקום שנאמר במגלה זו “למלך אחשורוש” במלך אחשורוש הכתוב מדבר וכל מקום שנאמר “למלך” סתם משמש קדש וחול.
In other words, not “Melech” or “Molech” or “Hamelech”, but only “Lamelech”, and even there, only when not accompanied by the specifier “Achashverosh”. And even then, it’s only a maybe; maybe Kodesh, maybe Chol.
Now we’ve narrowed down the list considerably, let’s see where it can or cannot mean “Kodesh”:
ויודע הדבר למרדכי ויגד לאסתר המלכה ותאמר אסתר למלך בשם מרדכי.
Probably not.
ויאמרו נערי המלך משרתיו יבקשו למלך נערות בתולות טובות מראה.
Definitely not.
ותאמר לו זרש אשתו וכל אהביו יעשו עץ גבה חמשים אמה ובבקר אמר למלך ויתלו את מרדכי עליו ובא עם המלך אל המשתה שמח…
ויאמר המלך מי בחצר והמן בא לחצר בית המלך החיצונה לאמר למלך לתלות את מרדכי על העץ אשר הכין.
Haman praying to Hashem, maybe?
וכל שרי המדינות והאחשדרפנים והפחות ועשי המלאכה אשר למלך מנשאים את היהודים כי נפל פחד מרדכי עליהם.
Maybe.
That’s it.
I figured I’d better say this now, so you still have time to prepare something else – unless you want to say Purim Torah.