THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM

THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF Conservative JudaismCOMPACT OF CONSERVATIVE JEWISH COMMITMENT

ADAR SHENI 5765

Jews enlightening Jews. Jews mentoring other Jews.

Jews spiritually enhancing their own lives.

COMPACT's mission is to aid in Jewish self-growth

which affirms the covenant of the Torah's commandments,

a brit mitzvah, within each Jew.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. DvarTorah: Sacred Laughter Rabbi Daniel Pressman

2. Why Adar II Rabbi Moshe Re'em

3. Get Psyched for Purim

4. Remember What Amalek Did To You Rabbi Jos Faur

5. The Miracle of Purim

6. The Greatest Nosh of All Rabbi Simcha Prombaum

7. Self? Or Self! Pardes Project

8. The Secret of Purim Noise Rabbi Simcha Prombaum

9. The Link Between Purim and Pesach Rabbi Susan Grossman

DVAR TORAH

SACRED LAUGHTERRabbi Daniel Pressman, Congregation Beth David, Saratoga, California

Purim is coming, the holy day of Jewish humor. One dominant theory about the Book of Esther is that it is, in the words of Bible scholar Adele Berlin, "a comedy, a book meant to be funny, to provoke laughter." She goes on to say that it has elements of burlesque (vulgarization of lofty material) and farce -- "the style associated with burlesque, farce, and other types of low comedy uses exaggeration, caricature, ludicrous situations, practical jokes, coincidences, improbabilities, and verbal humor."

Some of the farcical elements in Esther are: the way "a major policy decision, the annihilation of the Jews, is made casually; but a small domestic incident, Vashti's nonappearance at a party, becomes a crisis of state, with all the bureaucratic trappings that can be mustered;" Ahasuerus' comic misunderstanding of why Haman is on Esther's couch (in chapter 7); and Haman's vain assumption that he is the person the King wishes to honor. The farcical nature of the book also explains its lack of realism. For example, how is it possible that people could know that Mordecai was a Jew, but not know about Esther? Ultimately, the comedy is in service of the festival itself. The book sends out a threat to the Jews so that the Jewish audience can watch with glee and laugh with relief as it is overcome It confirms the belief that the power at work in the universe favors life and favors the success of the Jews."

Humor is a part of our Jewish identity, found even in our sacred books. It has been a powerful strategy for coping with powerlessness and the venom of our enemies. The joke from the Nazi era shows how Jews used humor to point out the absurdity of our enemies' thinking.

The Nazi said to the Jew, "The Jews are responsible for all Germany's problems."

"Yes," said the Jew, "the Jews and the bicycle riders."

"Why the bicycle riders?" said the Nazi, puzzled.

"Why the Jews?" said the Jew.

It has also been a way to make fun of ourselves so that piety doesn't become self-righteousness. The Talmud passage is a great example of that.TALMUD

If a fledgling bird is found within 50 cubits of a man's property, it belongs to the owner of the property. If it is found outside the limits of 50 cubits, it belongs to the person who finds it. Rabbi Jeremiah asked the question: "If one foot of the fledgling bird is within the limit of 50 cubits, and one foot is outside it, what is the law?" It was for this question that Rabbi Jeremiah was thrown out of the house of study.

(Bava Batra 23b)

We can all use a good laugh, so please be sure to join in the Purim festivities. With the world as it is today, we can all use a good laugh at the expense of our enemies.

WHY ADAR II?

Rabbi Moshe Re'em, Temple Beth El, Allentown, PAWhy are there two months of Adar this year in the Jewish calendar? The Jewish calendar follows the lunar year, which is approximately 354 1/3 days in length. The solar year is roughly 365 days long. The discrepancy of 11 days explains why the Jewish holidays fall earlier in the solar calendar some years. However, the addition of a second month of Adar accounts for Jewish holidays falling later in the solar calendar. Why do we add a second Adar?

There actually is some discussion as to whether we should add an additional month of Adar or an additional month of Nissan. Since the Bible explicitly (Lev. 23:5) states that Nisan (the biblical Aviv) is to be the first month of the year, it was decided that Adar, the last month in the year, would be doubled. Why do we need to add an additional month every two or three years?

Were we not to adjust the lunar calendar to the solar calendar, Pesach would be celebrated eleven days earlier each year. Eventually, it would fall in winter, then in autumn and summer. Since Pesach must take place in the spring (see Deut. 16:1) and Shavuot must occur in the time of the early harvest (and Sukkot during the fall harvest), we add an additional month every two or three years to keep the holidays in the their proper season.

During a leap year, if a Yahrzeit date falls in the month of Adar it is customary to observe the Yahrzeit during Adar I, on the principle that "one must not pass by precepts." However, if the death itself occurred in either of the two months of Adar, the Yahrzeit in a leap year is observed on the exact same date in which the death occurred.

Finally, during a leap year, Purim is always observed during the second month of Adar. The reason for this is that the Talmud states that since both Purim and Pesach celebrate the deliverance of Israel from its oppressors, they should occur close to one another.

OR LA-YEHUDIM Adar Sheni 5765

(A Light To Our Fellow Jews In The (Joyous) Month Of Adar Sheni)

GET PSYCHED FOR PURIM!

The Eternal Purim

Purim originated out of a sense of gratitude for the deliverance of the Jews of Persia from annihilation some 2300 years ago. The festival persisted throughout these many centuries because there was something in its theme and message that corresponded to the mood and condition of Jews in every age.

To be sure, as long as villains and bigots strut across the stage of history, the observance of Purim is not only stimulating, but also essential. It gives us the kind of historic perspective and the kind of morale we need. But let us assume that we succeed in establishing a stable peace, and that anti-Semitism fades into an unpleasant memory of the past. Would there then be a need for Purim?

As if in answer to such a question, there is a tradition in the Palestinian Talmud to this effect:

"Even when all the contents of the Prophets and later writings shall have been forgotten, the Book of Esther will still be remembered and, accordingly, Purim will still be celebrated."

Apparently there must be something of universal and everlasting value in the story of Esther which goes far beyond the confines of a people or the limits of an era.

In order to appreciate the meaning of the Purim tradition, we must place emphasis upon the marvelous sequence of events in the story of Mordecai and Esther. Everyone who reads this narrative in the original must surely be impressed by the masterful arrangement of incidents as they form a complete unity and make possible the perfect climax: "And they lived happily thereafter." The feasts of the royal household, the eviction of Vashti, the selection of Esther, the servants' plot against the King, the sleeplessness of Ahasuerus, Haman's aggressive jealousy and pride -- all these are interwoven into a pattern which spells first tragedy, and then salvation.

The Purim chronicle is indeed among the great religious masterpieces of all time. The very unfolding of its drama has Divinity written all over it not in the form of supernatural intervention, but in the ordinary, normal course of events. Here we find portrayed those invisible, intangible elements in the life of man and society that make of this universe a law-abiding, moral order, in which evil is submerged and the good is at last triumphant.

There are two schools of thought in the world with regards to what constitutes true literature. Some critics, following the spirit of the ancient Greek drama, maintain that only tragedy is realistic the kind of story wherein the hero dies in the end. The Jew challenges that view of realism. Any complete narrative that ends in fatalistic tragedy must be fiction. In a world where there is God, righteousness ultimately prevails.

From one point of view, the story of Purim does sound like fantastic fiction. Plots and minor plots, hero and villain, foreshadowing and suspense all these manipulated, like a jigsaw puzzle, into a resounding, joyous finale. "You can't fool me!" says the cynic. "Things don't happen that way. That's a Cinderella story!" To which the Jew replies: "You don't know your history. According to your rules, I as a Jew should have been dead and forgotten a long time ago. Armies, governments, tyrants immeasurable more powerful than I have tried to blot me out. Yet here I am. Explain my existence, if you can, and perhaps then you'll discover that the story of Purim is not as fantastic as you think it is."

Somehow, history does not work out like a Greek tragedy. It works out more like the Book of Esther. In that sense, at least, the book is eternal and Purim will never be forgotten.

1. ACT AS A JEW TO IMPROVE THE WORLDREMEMBER WHAT AMALEK DID UNTO YOU

By Rabbi Jos Faur

A fundamental dimension of Israel is its collective memory. It is on this basis that political judgements are to be made. When national memory is discarded or fails to elicit a response, Israel ceases to function as an autonomous political entity, and national disasters follow. The role of Jewish national memory is particularly evident regarding the Amalekites, Israel's political archenemy. The Amalekites are the earliest terrorists on record. They were the first to attack the Jewish people while en route from Egypt. What made their attack singular was the fact that (a) it was unprovoked, since Israel was passing through the desert, and not through their territory; (b) the attack was sudden, against unsuspecting travelers; and (c) it was carried out against the "weak and infirm", who could not defend themselves, rather than against the army (Deut. 25:17-18).

The Torah does not specify the particulars of this episode. Rather, the details were entrusted to the national memory of Israel. Jews are commanded to "remember" what Amalek did (Deut. 25:17) and to "erase the remembrance of Amalek" (Deut. 25:19; Ex. 17:14). This war must be carried on from generation to generation (Ex. 17:16). Usually, this commandment is understood in ethnic terms. But such an interpretation is unacceptable on both legal and linguistic grounds. As Maimonides pointed out (Sefer ha-Mizvot, Shoresh 3), one of the stipulations required to include a Scriptural assignment as a commandment (mitzvah) is that, at least in theory, it may be fulfilled in perpetuity. Thus, the sacramental sacrifices which, while not able to be practiced today, can be fulfilled when the Temple is rebuilt. Now, were the assignment to erase Amalek properly executed, and all Amalek destroyed, it could never be fulfilled again. How then can the destruction of Amalek be counted as a commandment of the Torah? To resolve the problem, Maimonides argues that if there would be a remnant of Amalek alive, then there would be an obligation to fulfill this commandment (positive commandment #187). This point escapes me. Since the commandment is to "erase" in the sense of total extermination such a contingency would be possible only if the commandment is not fulfilled. However, once it is properly fulfilled, Maimonides would have to agree that it cannot be fulfilled again and thus it cannot be a commandment. The same applies to the problem concerning the commandment to destroy the so-called seven Canaanite nations: how can it be classified as a commandment, given that once it is properly fulfilled, it too cannot be fulfilled again?

The solution becomes clear once we move from the realm of the ethnic to that of the political. The rabbis have established the principle that since King Sennacherib invaded the Near East, and exiled the people of the area, the native populations living in those areas can no longer be identified with the original local populations mentioned in the Scripture. Therefore we must conclude that the obligation to destroy Amalek is no longer applicable to the people of those regions. Maimonides made a quantum jump from family to political law. He assumed that just as in the case of marriage, "peoplehood" is defined in ethnic terms and is not applicable in the post-Sennacherib period, thus permitting certain marriages to take place. The same applies to the realm of the political (see Melakhim 5:4), so that we no longer have the obligation to destroy the seven Canaanite nations. In spite of Maimonides' position, an analysis of the sources clearly shows that the rabbis applied the above-mentioned principal only to marriage that is, family law but not to the seven nations or Amalek, which concerns the security of the people of Israel and pertains to political law. The commandment to destroy Amalek remains in effect, even after Sennacherib. How is this possible?

The solution to this problem is that "Amalek" is not merely a matter of genealogy. R. Isaac Abulafia (1824-1910) came to such a conclusion. The thrust of his argument is that Scripture has commanded us to erase the "remembrance" (zekher) of Amalek that is, the particular pattern of behavior that this people had introduced in the world. R. Abulafia concluded: "From the preceding, we have learned that any people who had acquired for themselves an ill name, because of their behavior, are designated by the Jewish as Amalekites, even in our own days when all the people are mixed with everybody else and there cannot possibly be an "ethnic" Amalekite. They fall under this category. At any rate, since they are designated as Amalekites (by the Jews) and through them the name of Amalek is perpetuated, the Lord commanded to eradicate them and execute on them (the commandment) "You shall erase the name of Amalek".

Translated into our terminology, this means that the fulfillment of this commandment involves the collective memory of Israel. It becomes an imperative that the national memory of Israel identifies a particular action with the atrocities peculiar to Amalek. It means that anybody bearing the "remembrance" of that people, becomes the object of the Scriptural commandment of "erasing the remembrance of Amalek" regardless of nationality or ethnic background. There is a linguistic argument confirming this point: Scripture explicitly referred to the "remembrance" (zekher) never to the "seed" (zera) of Amalek. According to R. Abulafia, Haman was regarded as an "Amalekite" because of his behavior, not because of his genealogy. It was on the basis that the Jews of his time applied to him the appellation Agagite. This point is implicit in the rabbinic tradition ascertaining that Haman's descendants taught Torah to the Jewish people (Gittin 57b). If the rabbis had defined "Amalek" on the basis of genealogy, they should have put them to death, rather than give them teaching positions.

There are some interesting implications worth pondering about when seeking to fulfill the obligation to "remember" what Amalek has done to each of us (lekha). There may be many legitimate interpretations of this obligation, but clearly "ethnic cleansing" is not one of them.

Rabbi Jos Faur taught for many years at the Jewish Theological Seminary. (This article originally appeared in "Rabbinics Today", February 1994, Vol. 2, #5.)

2. LIVE THE JEWISH CALENDAR

The Miracle OF PURIM

Of the forty-eight men and seven women who prophesied in Israel, none added to or detracted from any of the mitzvot in the Torah. The sole exception was the reading of the Megillah. The story of how the good triumphed over the forces of evil is recounted in the reading of Megillat Esther on Purim.

When the wicked Haman of the seed of Amalek sought to annihilate the Jewish people, the Jews realized that they had only one weapon, but it was a formidable one their Torah.

Through his egotistical pride and hatred for Mordechai the Jew, Haman gave the order in the name of King Ahashuerus, to destroy every Jew -- both young and old and women and children. Throughout one hundred and twenty seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia, the order was received to exterminate them on one day -- on the thirteenth of Adar.

The Jewish people prayed and fasted for three days in order to rectify the three types of wrongs they may have committed by their actions, speech and thought. And in the end their prayers were answered. The evil are elevated to show how great their fall and this was the case with the wicked Haman. From being second only to the king, he was hung in total disgrace as were all his sons on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordechai.

The Shabbat before Purim is known as Shabbat Zachor, and the portion "Remember What Amalek Did Unto To You", is read.

The day before Purim is called the Fast of Esther, as we fast in memory of the three-day fast of our ancestors. The fast is broken after the Megillah reading. When the Megillah is read on Saturday night after Shabbat and Sunday morning, the fast is held on the preceding Thursday.

Both men and women are obligated to hear the Megillah reading. The minhag is to stand for the berachot of the Megillah reading at night, including the blessing of She-hechyanu. It is the custom for the children (and adults) to dress up in special costumes and wear masks.

On Purim, everyone is obligated to give two gifts to at least two poor people. During the day both men and women must send mishloah manot two types of food to one friend. There is no need to send to all one's acquaintances.

It is the tradition among Ashkenazim to eat "Oznai Haman" (lit. Haman's ear [Hamantashen in Yiddish]) on Purim. It is a mitzvah to have a festive meal at which one eats and drinks well. It must be eaten during the day

When Purim falls on erev Shabbat, one should follow the community's minhag. The custom in the Midrash is to ensure that the meal is finished sufficiently early to enable us to eat the Shabbat meals with a good appetite and ensure the reading of Kabbalat Shabbat at the correct time with a minyan.

The miracle of Purim is the last miracle to be mentioned in the books of the Tanakh. It is appropriate on this day to refrain from work and to dress up.

"Like those days whereon the Jews had rest from their enemies and the month was changed unto them from sorrow to joy and from mourning into a feast day; to make them days of entertainment and joy and sending portions one to the other and gifts for the needy". (Esther ch. 9, v. 22)

3. EATING AS A JEWThe Greatest Nosh of AllPurim is the holiday on which everyone young or old, great or small is supposed to let his or her hair down. Through the ages, our revered scholars would lampoon their own teachings through a device called "Purim Torah." In the joyful spirit of the holiday, here is a fabricated Talmudic discussion which attempts to solve the age-old dilemma: which is better, the Hanukkah latke or the Purim hamantasch?

The following Talmud text from the long-lost tractate of NOSH was recently found in the boiler room of a synagogue.

MISHNAH: "Which is the better, the LATKE of Hanukkah, or the HAMANTASCH of Purim? The School of Shammai says, "The latke is a better treat. For eight days, its enjoyment is felt, whereas the hamentasch is enjoyed for two days alone." The School of Hillel says, "The hamantasch is the superior treat, because the story of Purim is found within the canon of the Hebrew Tanakh, but the Maccabee miracle is not. Rabbi Judah the Prince says, "We have learned in the Book of Ecclesiastes (3:1), 'Everything has its season, and there is a time for everything under the heaven.' Thus Hanukkah has its latke and Purim has its hamantasch. Judge each leniently and according to its own merit because each is but a second-rate treat compared to the treat awaiting us in the World to Come! The ultimate treat will only be revealed to us in the days of the Messiah, may he come speedily in our day. Until then, a nosh is but a nosh."

GEMARAH: Reb Finkel of Tiberias said, "Surely the identity of the ultimate nosh is already known to us, for have we not learned in the Book of Esther, 'The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor'? (8:16) 'Light' refers to the lightness of the Krispy Kreme doughnut, 'gladness and joy' to the sweetness of its glaze." Rav Popeye objects: "But is the Krispy Kreme a kosher treat? Reb Hymie of Hebron, in the name of his brother-in-law, Rabbi Menahem the Mensch, brought proof from the same source. For it says in Esther (8:5), " and the thing is kosher before the king" Since the word "kosher" appears but once in all the Scripture in the Book of Esther and in the same chapter as Reb Finkel's proof text, we accept the Krispy Kreme doughnut as kosher. Although he must accept the kashrut of the Krispy Kreme doughnut, Reb Pupik seeks to disqualify the Krispy Kreme as the ultimate treat awaiting us in the World to Come: "How can one use the text of Purim, which is loyal to the hamantasch, to prove the superiority of the Krispy Kreme which does not have a commemorative holiday to its name!?"

Rabbi Simon says, "The Krispy Kreme remains superior to both the Hanukkah nosh and the Purim nosh, for the holy Shabbat concludes its Havadalah service with a reference to Krispy Kreme each and every week. For we read, "The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor so may it be for us."

Having proved conclusively the superiority of the Krispy Kreme nosh through its connection to Shabbat, the GEMARA now asks, "What is the significance of the additional words, 'so may it be for us?'" Rabbi Felafel of Pumpernickel concludes, "Just as Krispy Kremes were enjoyed by our forebears in Temple times, so may it be for us. May we who languish in exile merit a Krispy Kreme store of our very own!"

Rabbi Simcha Prombaum, Congregation Sons of Israel, LaCrosse, Wisconsin

4. LEARNING AS A JEWSELF? OR SELF!How Would You Respond

1. Your sister comes to you with the long awaited good news. She has just been approved for a scholarship to attend one of the best law schools in the country. As you congratulate her, however, you realize that rather than being ecstatic, your sister seems troubled. She explains, with tears in her eyes, that the scholarship has just put the nail in the coffin of her life-long dream. Secretly, she yearns to be an artist.

2. Your friend is deeply troubled. The friend has led an honorable life with a reputation for integrity, honesty and commitment. In fact, your friend is regarded as a model that is looked up to by others. He has reached a point of life where he is being invited to undertake leadership roles. Deep inside, he is convinced that his capacities are consumed by merely maintaining the integrity and spiritual growth of his own family, yet the needs of the community are just so great!

3. While your passion has always been Jewish education, you realized early on that teaching would not provide a sufficient income for your family. You therefore embarked on a lucrative career in finance, rising through the ranks to become the chief financial officer of a large corporation. However, you are increasingly frustrated. Attempts to satisfy your inner self by teaching youth groups on weekends have been insufficient, and your discomfort is rising. While you recognize that the burdens of your children's tuition and a mortgage do not afford you the latitude to abandon the world of commerce, you despair as you see your life passing by.

Points for Study

1. And then Mordechai said to Esther; who knows? Maybe it was for this very moment that you have become the queen.

Book of Esther 4; 14

2. You can not teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.Galileo

3. Just as there are no two faces that are exactly similar, so too there are no two natures that are exactly the same.

Talmud Brachot 58

4. It is the basic obligation of every Jew to clarify and decide what is his purpose in this world.

RAMCHAL, Mesilos Yeshorim, chap. 1

5. God commanded Moses to exalt the status of every member of the Jewish Nation to explain to them their individual potential and how to achieve greatness.

Ramban Bamidbar 1;3

It is as if the Creator Himself met with every single Jew and empowered him or her as an individual as if He told them, "Besides for being part of the community, you as a person are an entity onto yourself."

Rav Yerucham Levovitz of Mir, Chaver HaMamarim 58

Every Jew has at least one aspect that raises him or her above every other person. In this area, that person is considered a ruler over all of Israel. There is no such thing as a Jew that doesn't have a crown that only he can wear.Reb Tzadok HaKohen; Pri Tzadik Shkalim, 4

On the other hand

6. They (Korach and his company) gathered together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them; "why to you exalt yourselves over the congregation of God?" (Bamidbar 24;3) Korach's claim (from his point of view) was true, there is no justification for exalting oneself above others. Just as Moses was destined and singled out to receive the Torah, so too is every Jew singled out and destined for a particular task. No one is more exalted than his brother. Just as even one missing letter in a Torah invalidates the entire scroll, and just as every limb in the human body has its irreplaceable purpose, the contribution of every single Jew is vital to the entire people of Israel.Reb Tzadok HaKohen, Tzidkas Hatzadik 231

7. Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. That simple, that difficult.Warren Bennis

8. Rabbi Jose the son of Rabbi Chanina, once told of two miracles. The first was the miracle of the manna. When God provided the Israelites with manna in the desert, said Rabbi Jose, the manna assumed whatever shape and taste each individual desired: to infants it seemed like mother's milk; to the young it was succulent; and to the old it was reviving. On a grander scale, continued Rabbi Jose, was the miracle of God's word. When God revealed Himself to the children of Israel in the desert, each individual standing at the base of Mount Sinai heard God's word as a personal and unique address. A public message to a people was also a private message to each person. All who stood expectantly at the foot of that arid mountain understood the meaning of revelation in accordance with their own striving, their own capacities, and their own heart.P'sikta D'Rav Kahana 12; 259. There were those that went off the path of the Torah because they rebelled against a method of learning which ran counter to their unique individual nature.

Rav A.Y. Kook, Orot HaTorah pg. 4310. Do not attempt to do a thing unless you are sure of yourself; but do not relinquish it simply because someone else is not sure of you.Stuart E. White

11. Sometimes it is the very fault of the leader which allows him and his people to connect. If the righteous man would be perfect, there would be no way for the people to connect with him. It is for this reason that the Talmud tells us that a leader must always have a skeleton in his closet (lit. a sack of reptiles hanging behind him) so that he can always have a way to connect with his people.

Toldos Yaacov Yosef; K'doshim

12. A father is obligated with respect to his son to circumcise him, to redeem him if he is first-born, to teach him Torah, to take a wife for him and to teach him a craft. Rabbi Yehudah says: anyone who does not teach his son a craft it is as if the father has taught him banditry.

Talmud Kidushin 29a

YET13. It is not only the tribe of Levi (whose members are absolved of all worldly responsibility in order to devote their lives to the service of God), but any Jew from any walk of life who is inspired and driven to dedicate himself to stand before God and serve Him and he therefore throws from his shoulders the yoke of mundane pursuits, he is sanctified as the holy of holiest God will provide for him just as is a Kohen and a Levi

Maimonidies, Laws of Shmita 13; 13

BE AWAKE TO YOUR CALLMost thinking people reach a point where they feel there must be another dimension in life. The chase for the soul, the innate knowledge that there must be more to life and most of all the feeling that we each have a purpose brings one to the doorstep of the most important decision we will ever have to make in life.

Investigating our tachlit, our purpose in life, is no easy task. By 40 years of age, anyone who has uncovered this individual purpose for his or her existence is well ahead of the game. The Mesilos Yeshorim begins with the charge, "It is the basic obligation of every Jew to clarify and decide what is his purpose in this world." The story is told of one of the great masters of mussar who decided to study the Mesilos Yeshorim, but every time he picked up the book, he couldn't get past this first sentence, the most important question we may ever ask ourselves. Why did God put me on this world? What is my particular task? In what way am I totally indispensable? Let's talk tachlit.

Rav Tzadok HaCohen, in Tzidkas Hatzadik, teaches a very fundamental principle. He says that at some point in every person's life, God grants a vision, perhaps a form of prophecy. In this vision one sees a picture of oneself, of what he or she could look like, of oneself as the greatest individual one can become. In kabbalistic language, this is referred to isarusa d'leyla an awakening from above. It is not a result of personal toil but rather a gift from the heavens, a job description, a wake-up call from headquarters.

After having this dream, says Rav Tzadok, most people withdraw into the present and forget what they have seen. They throw away a gift from God, who has just shown them what they could become in life, their raison d'tre.

The Talmud states that when the people of Israel stood before the split Red Sea, every single Jew received a prophecy. "A simple handmaiden saw what one of the greatest prophets, Ezekiel, didn't see." More than three million Ezekiels. What did they see? What did God tell them? Where are their books of prophecy? What became of all the handmaidens?

The answer is that their prophecies were not about the future or about Messianic times. Their vision was of themselves. Each Jew was shown an image of what he or she could become, of his or her unique contributions to the world. When the freed slaves crossed the Sea, it wasn't to get to the other side, it was to become "a holy people and a nation of priests" (Exodus 19:6). It became their charge, as it is ours, to work tirelessly to meet that goal.

Rav Tzadok warns that a person should not strive for aspirations that are not one's own. They will only serve as a diversion from the true task of life.

One of the most moving stories of the Torah occurred immediately before the death of Jacob. He gathered all his children around him and told them to listen while he blessed them and told them what would happen to them at the end of days (Gen. 49:1). The Hebrew word, yekara, which is usually translated as "happen," is peculiarly spelled here with a final aleph instead of a final heh. This letter changes the meaning of the word, to "call." Jacob told his children, "Gather as one and I will tell you what will be calling to you at the end of days."

Jacob was teaching his sons, and all of Israel, a fundamental principle. There will come a time in your life when you will hear a calling. When you hear it, it may seem unrealistic or nave, but don't turn away. Grab it. It is yours to attain. If you turn around and go back to sleep, it will disappear. A life is a terrible thing to waste.

Consider the Purim miracle. The Jews in Persia were in serious trouble. A Hitler named Haman was on the loose. King Achashverosh was inaccessible. Miracle of miracles, our very own Queen Esther was perfectly positioned in the royal court. Mordechai approached Esther and charged her with the responsibility of saving her people. Esther hesitated and Mordechai said, "Who knows? Maybe it is for this very reason that you have become the queen." (Esther 4:14)

Who knows? Who doesn't know? It's obvious to all who read the story why Esther was so positioned. When God split the sea for the Jewish people, did any Jew say, "Maybe it's for me to walk through? Who knows?"

But Esther didn't know, and Mordechai wasn't sure. More frightening, however, is the rest of Mordechai's statement: "And if you don't seize the opportunity at this time, the Jews will be saved by some other means, but you and your family will be lost" (Esther 4:14). Esther had a chance to stand up and be counted. She understood. She acted and she saved her people.

According to the Talmud, Moses once became so close to God that he asked, "Please let me see Your face" (Ex.33:18). God said no. His refusal was not strictly theological. God said to Moses, "I revealed Myself to you once at the burning bush. There you hid your face, you didn't want to see me. Now I am hiding My face. When I wanted, you didn't want: now you want and I don't want" (Brachot 7a). Once in the history of mankind was this opportunity offered, but Moses said no. When Moses was ready, it was too late. The Jewish people lost an historic opportunity. We too must make our contribution or it will be forever lost.

This concept is similarly emphasized in Psalm 42:2. King David said, "like a ram moans at the bank of the fast water, so does my heart moan for you, God." The commentaries explain that when there is a periodic cloudburst in the desert, the rains come down quick and strong; but due to the heat of the sand, the water does not soak in. Instead, the water flows in a deluge to the low spots in the desert. These spots are called fast waters, afikim. The desert ram knows where to find these spots, and when it rains, the ram runs with all its might to catch the water before it evaporates in the desert heat. If the ram arrives too late, the ram lets out a moan heard for miles around. Said King David, "So does my heart moan for you, God."

May we all be privileged to fulfill our task in this world, to be awake for the call and to drink from the waters of Eden in this world and the next.

(Based on a lecture given by Rabbi Yaacov Haber, Director, Department of Education, Orthodox Union, to the Women's group of Kollel Beth HaTalmud Yehuda Fishman Institute, Melbourne, Australia.)

5. PERPETUATING JEWISH LIFETHE SECRET OF PURIM IS THE NOISE

A rabbi once suggested that if a Jew were to celebrate but two holidays a year, those holidays should be Simchat Torah and Purim. If you're not inclined to celebrate anything else, at least do the "fun stuff." Purim is just around the corner on the 14th of Adar II. Adar is the Jewish month in which we are told to be wholly joyful. Before we proceed to the merriment however, let us consider the serious, easily overlooked, dimension of Purim.

The central mitzvah of the holiday of Purim is the reading of Megillat Esther. In synagogues the world over, "groggers" and other noisemakers will be heard drowning out the name of Haman, son of Hamdatha, the Aggagite, enemy of the Jews.

The commandment to read the Megillah is one of several rabbinical decrees with the force of Biblical law, but the drowning out of Haman's name during the reading may very well have its roots in one of the 613 commandments found in the Five Books of Moses. According to biblical genealogy, Haman is descended from Amalek, the eternal, genocidal enemy of Israel (see Exodus 17 and Deuteronomy 25). In Deuteronomy 25:19 we are commanded "you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!" By making noise on Purim, we are symbolically blotting out Haman's remembrance.

Our verse in Deuteronomy is easy to misinterpret. A congregant suggested that it was no longer "PC" to make a joyful noise during chapter nine of the Megillah. Why? In this chapter, the Jews of Persia get their self-defensive comeuppance against Haman and his followers as they inflict heavy casualties on the "enemy". It was suggested that Jews should not be vengeful. Vengeance leads to revenge and reprisal. The cycle of killing never ends.

To anyone who might feel this way, here are several suggestions. Attend a Passover Seder and consider the cup of wine we diminish in memory of Egyptian suffering during the Ten Plagues. As Austin Powers might say, "Vengeance isn't our bag, baby!" An eye for an eye is never to be taken literally. . It is not Jewish to encourage vengeful behavior.

Instead of vengeance, Deuteronomy 25:19 is a warning against complacency in the face of evil. Evil (like a diamond) is forever. Evil, like Amalek, starts by dehumanizing innocent people. It is an evil that starts with easy picking: women, children and elderly people. The verse is teaching us not to allow the name of Amalek (to be understood as his genocidal influence) to gain popularity and legitimacy on the street. The verse ends with a reminder that it is human nature to want to forget evil, to hope it will all just go away, and to hope that the inevitable victim of the world's indifference will be someone other than me.

It is politically incorrect to say anything bad about Jews in public in Germany, but there is no state-mandated Holocaust education requirement in Germany! How ironic. There are school children in Germany today who do not know who Hitler was! Germany has yet to deal with its 20th century "Haman" to the satisfaction of Deuteronomy 25:19. It looks like Germany is dealing with its past; but clearly, many in Germany prefer to forget the past. And if you forget, the evil eventually reasserts itself.

"People ask how Jews can continue to live in the house of the butcher?" It is a good question. To the amazement of world Jewry, neo-Nazis, and anti-Zionist religious fanatics, Jews continue to live in Germany. Why? The answer is Deuteronomy 25:19. It is a community with mission and a voice. The message of the contemporary Jewish community in Germany is resounding, "We are still here." Haman-Amalekites come and go. Haman-Amaletites try to destroy God mandated morality and conscience in society, but ultimately fail. Germany's Jewish community is a reminder that Haman-Amalekites must not be permitted to succeed.

The noisemakers in the synagogue allow for having fun and making noise to "defeat" evil a first lesson in the process of moral education. But if the noise remains in the synagogue alone, if the uplifted voice of morality and justice is not taken to the street, its significance will be lost. Deuteronomy 25:19 is a call to be noisy, to be the conscience of society, to ensure that no person or group ever becomes the hated, persecuted "other".

Policing Amalekite influences and being the conscience of society where Biblically mandated justice rightfully belongs to everyone is not a popular job, but it has to be done. Silence is assent. Robert Solomon from Safam once wrote in his song, "We are leaving Mother Russia. My friends we know what silence brings: another Hitler waiting in the wings."

And not just in Germany. And not "somewhere else". The force called "Amalek" is everywhere. All it takes is for seemingly unrelated historic events to emerge and combine. Few understand this as well as the Jewish community does. 2400 years may separate Haman and Hitler, but the message is essentially the same

"There is a certain people, scattered and dispersed among the other peoples in all the provinces of you realm, whose laws are different from those of any other people and who do not obey the king's laws; and it is not in your Majesty's interest to tolerate them. If it please your Majesty, let an edict be drawn for their destruction" (Esther 2:8-9)

The Purim noisemaker is not a call for vengeance against anyone. Rather, the noisemaker says, "I am still here." And while I am, I have a job to do. I must make my life a blessing by protecting the defenseless "stranger" as the Torah demands.

Rabbi Simcha Prombaum, Congregation Sons of Abraham, LaCrosse, Wisconsin

6. BUILDING A BRIDGE TO ISRAELTHE LINK BETWEEN PURIM AND PESACH: A Connection of Two Redemptions

Rabbi Susan Grossman, Beth Shalom Congregation, Columbia, Maryland

Purim and Pesach represent two of the paradigmatic redemptions of the Jewish people. On both the Jews were saved. Yet, in many ways, these two redemptions are very different.

Purim is marked by a wild sense of joy and relief at the physical salvation of the Jewish people and their triumph over baseless hatred. Purim celebrates, in a Mardi Gras atmosphere, that life is not what it appears to be. Esther, demur queen of the land, turns out to be a politically savvy leader and a Jew. The gallows Haman intended for Mordecai is Haman's own end.

The insecurities of living as a minority people in a strange land (the Diaspora) are all too often very real. They are terrifying on one hand, yet ethereal on the other. So we drink so much wine on Purim we cannot tell the difference between the name of cursed Haman or blessed Mordecai. We eat of sweets and rich cakes and sit down in all calm and luxury to a meal (seudah which requires bread, lechem). In all this, God's name is not mentioned, but remains hidden behind the scenes. The physicality of existence is stressed. The redemption of Purim is physical as well. What happens after Purim? We go on with our lives and prepare to party again next year.

Pesach, on the other hand, is a very different type of redemption. It is true that here too we Jews found ourselves oppressed in a foreign land. We faced eventual physical destruction through Pharaoh's order to kill all the male children.

Yet the celebration of this redemption is so different from that of Purim. Pesach is a joyful holiday. But on Pesach we do not experience the unbridled joy of Purim. Pesach is celebrated through the very structured joy of the Seder. Though we drink four cups of wine, we are not supposed to get drunk. Indeed, through the joy there is, literally, a taste of bitterness and sadness. We re-experience our ancestor's oppression through the eating of the bitter herbs, the dipping in salt water (representing our tears) and especially in the flat matzah which we call the bread of affliction. Without leaven, matzah is not puffed up. Unlike on Purim, where everything is dressed up, on Pesach, matzah is exactly what it seems: flour and water. Pesach is just such a holiday, telling it like it is the good and the bad. Though God is hidden in the Purim story, behind the deeds of human actors, God is made manifest in the Pesach Haggadah, for without the leaven we can see to those things which really matter.

Here we come to the ultimate difference between Purim and Pesach. Purim leaves us unchanged. Sure the Jews were saved, were thrilled to be safe, for a while, until the next Jew-hater arose against us. But the Jews of Purim, and we ourselves, have stayed in our places. Physically the Jews of Persia long ago remained in Shushan and through the Persian Empire, just as have Jews in the Diaspora throughout history, enjoying a breathing space between oppressions.

We are doomed to repeat the cycle of Purim over and over again. Maybe that is why it is so crazily festive with abandon, to let off steam over the fear and insecurity bred by the Diaspora life.

Pesach however leaves us changed forever. The Jews of the Exodus are called dor hamidbar, the generation of the wilderness, for they left their oppression and became their own nation. Their children founded their own country in the Promised Land, the land we celebrate and support and where some of us will make aliyah Israel.

But that is not all. On Purim, it is easy to let God play behind the scenes, for Purim is a holiday of physical redemption. Pesach, though, is not just a holiday of physical redemption. It is a holiday of spiritual redemption as well. The end of the Pesach holiday is not celebrated until fifty days later on Shavuot, called in the Torah the atzeret, the cap or closure to Pesach. This is for good reason, for on Shavuot, according to tradition, God gave Israel the Torah, the mitzvot, the constitution by which we Jews could be spiritually free of the servitude to others' laws and moral values by having a constitution of our own to guide us in developing the moral and cultural profile of our people.

We need both Purim and Pesach as holidays in the year to remind us of this. We need Purim for its sense of joyful abandon. It serves as a necessary release from the daily pressures of living in difficult times.

Yet we especially need Pesach and its matzah for our own redemption. First we need it to make it possible to identify our oppression. Then, we need to be able to move beyond it, to change into a free people holding by our own laws and values.

This may be what the Rabbis hinted at in linking the two redemptions of Purim and Pesach: that we, as individuals and as a people, are called upon to grow and change as we move from a concern over our physical security to an additional concern with our spiritual well-being as well.

(This Dvar Torah originally was shared by the RA Homiletic Services 5753).

Pesach links us eternally to Israel, to the hope of redemption in the Land of Israel. It's not too late to arrange to be in Israel this Pesach. Hotels, seder(s), touring, visiting the Fuchsberg Center in Jerusalem, davening in Masorti/Conservative synagogues and living the historical return to Eretz Yisrael can be yours. Just do it!

TIME TO GO

This is the 40th COMPACT, Adar Sheni 5765. Enrich your life as a Jew. Transformation is a step- by-step process of learning and questioning, of doing and inquiring, of participating and asking.

Rabbi Jerome M. Epstein, the USCJ Executive Vice President, welcomes your comments about COMPACT (epstein@uscj.org)

Rabbi Moshe Edelman, the USCJ Director of Congregational Programming, prepares and edits COMPACT (edelman@uscj.org).

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