~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~
Parshas Tetzaveh
Pur Sight
By: Daniel Listhaus
וְנָתַתָּ אֶל חשֶׁן הַמִּשְׁפָּט אֶת הָאוּרִים וְאֶת הַתֻּמִּים וְהָיוּ עַל לֵב אַהֲרֹן בְּבֹאוֹ לִפְנֵי ה' וְנָשָׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת מִשְׁפַּט בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל לִבּוֹ לִפְנֵי ה' תָּמִיד
“Into the Choshen of Judgment shall you place the Urim and the Tumim, and they shall be on Aharon's heart when he comes before Hashem; and Aharon's shall bear the judgment of the Children of Yisroel on his heart before Hashem, constantly.”
-Tetzaveh 28:30
Rashi1 explains that the Urim V'tumim was in fact a script of Hashem's Explicit Name, which was placed inside the folds of the Choshen. The Choshen was the special breastplate that the Kohen Gadol alone would wear securely on top of his Eiphod (apron). The Gemara2 describes that on the face of the Choshen were twelve precious stones with words on them aligned in four rows of three and when the Kohen Gadol would consult the Urim V'tumim, it would light up certain letters on the Choshen with an answer. The Urim V'tumim, reflecting a direct message from Hashem Himself, is also referred to as the K'reisi U'pleisi – alluding to the fact that its message was clear and perfect.3
Despite the incredible potential of the Urim V'tumim to communicate Hashem's ratzon (will), there were times in our history when the Kohen Gadol has misread the message. For example, the Gemara4 states that there are many halachos (laws) regarding tefillah (davening) that we learn from the story of Channah davening in the Beis Hamikdash for a son. The passukim5 in Navi describe that while Channah was davening only her lips moved but her voice could not be heard. Eili, who was the Kohen Gadol at the time, witnessed this and asked the Urim V'tumim if Channah was drunk and needed to be removed from the Mishkan. After all she was certainly acting like a drunkard moving her lips randomly without speaking. With no surprise, the Urim V'tumim returned with a message containing the letters shin, kaf, reish, and hey. Which Eili read simply as “שכרה” - meaning that she was indeed drunk. However, in reality the Urim V'tumim was trying to communicate “כשרה” - that she was “kosher”, so to speak. Eili was so sure, though, that he was seeing a drunken woman that he failed to consider the other possibilities that the Urim V'tumim may have been trying to communicate.
This is something that we do all the time. We often push our viewpoints and perceptions into scenarios or others' thoughts and intentions, and allow what is really uncertain to become factual in our own eyes. Like Eili, we permit the maybe's in our heads to become definitely's and become closed minded to the bigger picture.
After Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim, it was clear to the world that Hashem was, is, and always will be the only borei (Creator) and manhig (Controller) of the world. However, right after Kriyas Yam Suf (splitting of the Red Sea) – the pinnacle of Hashem's miracles for us – Amalek came and attacked us. At a time of perfect clarity in the world, Amalek challenged B'nei Yisroel and forced a sliver of doubt into the rest of the world. After all, if it was possible to attack the B'nei Yisroel then maybe what they understood to be reality was in fact not. This is the core of Amalek – doubt.6 Amalek lives to bring doubt into the world and challenge the belief of Hashem's day to day involvement in even the most mundane matters.
This idea that Amalek represents is so false and is exactly the opposite of everything we as Jews stand for. This is the reason why each year we are commanded to recall the event that occurred when we were leaving Mitzrayim and Amalek attacked us, as well as remember that it is our duty to wipe out every remnant of Amalek.
It is of course no coincidence that we read Parshas Zachor immediately before Purim, nor is it a coincidence that the arch-enemy of the Jews during the Purim story was Haman, who was a direct descendent of Amalek.
The Megillah7 tells us that the Holiday is called Purim because of the “pur” (lottery). The pur being referred to is the one mentioned earlier in the Megillah,8 which Haman made in order to determine a day on which to kill Mordechai and wipe out the Jewish people. It is hard to imagine the discussion that took place when Mordechai and Esther were thinking of a name for the Holiday. One would think that they would have named it “Day of Miracle” or “Opposite Day” - something to capture the eternal lesson of Purim. The role of the lottery in the Purim story is so small and seemingly unimportant. Why name the Holiday Purim because of the pur? Additionally, why do we not recite Hallel on Purim? Certainly a day which was sealed by the king as a day designated to kill all the Jews but turned out to be one which the king gave us permission to wipe out our enemies, deserves the highest of singing praised to Hashem. So why is Hallel not recited?
In order to answer these questions, we must ask ourselves what the purpose is of reading the Megillah on Puirm. Such a big deal is made over hearing every single word from beginning to end. Why is it that this obligation was instituted – something which we do not have to the same degree on any other Holiday?
The Megillah9 tells us that Esther commanded the order of events to be written down into the Megillah for it to be commemorated each year. The Gemara10 asks why is it that we do not recite Hallel on Purim? Rav Nachman answers that the reading of the Megillah itself is the Hallel. The point of the Megillah is to reflect on the whole story of Purim and realize that there is no such thing as coincidence. As Rashi11 points out – the fact that Achashveirosh happened to have made a party using the keilim (vessels) of the Beis HaMikdash, that Vashti ended up being killed, and that Esther ended up queen while Mordechai irritated Haman to the point that Haman had the gallows prepared. All these events seemed normal and a logical series of causes and effects which fate had decided. However, upon looking back and stringing together the whole story, it becomes evident that the events were really very much organized and were running on track with the plan Hashem had in mind the whole time. Haman, representing Amalek, tried to prove to the world that there is no Hashem and that everything that happens is in the hands of man or merely a coincidence like a pur. The Megillah, however, is our Hallel that we recite because it is megaleh (reveals) the big picture and declares that there is no such thing as coincidence, rather everything that happens is a part of Hashem's intricate plan for each individual.
Perhaps this is the reason that Purim was given its name – to remember each year the difference between our mentality and that of Amalek. Amalek tries to put doubt in everyone's minds and convince people that there is no intelligent Being running the world, but rather everything that happens is just mere coincidence. This is what they did when we left Mitzrayim and this is the perspective that Haman tried to push through during the time of the Purim. Our job, however, is to counter this belief and spend the time noticing how Hashem interacts with each and every one of us on a personal level with a hashgacha p'ratis and guides, changes, and causes events to occur in order that we are each delivered the perfect scenario which is meant for us.
There is no doubt that even now we are constantly being challenged with the mentality of Amalek. There could be asteroids hitting earth which were somehow unnoticed by all the satellites, there could be snowstorms where it is usually hot, there could be earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and droughts, and yet it is easy to write off each event as a mere coincidence or sensible effect of some cause. However, by doing so we fall into the trap of Amalek where we allow the constant attack of maybe's become the definitely's in our minds, and in turn we fail to be the proper receivers of the true message that Hashem is trying to communicate to us.
Our challenge is to walk away from Purim with this recognition and to spend the time realizing that we each have our own Megillah. The random sequence of events which often seem coincidental – the places we happen to find ourselves in, the people we accidentally meet, and the situations we by chance end up in – are all part of our own Purim story. It is our job to zoom out and realize with a clarity the hashgacha p'ratis that Hashem provides each of us.
May Hashem help us fight against the doubt of Amalek so that we could read His messages clearly and recognize His role as borei and manhig.
1Shemos 28:30
2Yoma 73b
3Berachos 4a
4Berachos 31a-31b
5See Shmuel Aleph 1:13-14 Channah was the wife of Elkana and after being childless for many years she went to the Mishkan to daven for a son who she would be willing to give over completely to work in the Mishkan. Hashem answered her tefillah and she became the proud mother of Shmuel HaNavi.
6It is also pointed out that the gematriya (numerical value) of Amalek is 240, which is the same as the numerical value of Safek, which means doubt.
7Esther 9:26
8Esther 3:7
9Esther 9:29, 0:32
10Megillah 14a
11Esther 9:26
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