English translation — פורים

A.

It is told in Midrash¹,

that after Haman's letters with the decree upon Jews were sealed "and they gave into the hand of Haman",

Haman with "all the members of his group" went joyfully and they met Mordechai.

Mordechai

(then)

saw "three children who were coming from the schoolhouse"²,

he ran after them.

And Haman with his group went after them in order to hear what Mordechai would ask them.

"When Mordechai reached the children he asked one of them: Recite for me your verse³,

He said to him: Do not fear sudden terror and the destruction of the wicked when it comes⁴.

The second opened and said: I read today and with this verse I stopped from the schoolhouse⁵

Take counsel and it will be thwarted; speak a word and it will not stand, for God is with us⁶.

The third opened and said: And until old age I am He, and until gray hair I will bear; I have made and I will carry, and I will bear and I will deliver"⁷.

When Mordechai heard their answers

(from the verses)

"He laughed and was very happy, a great joy. Haman said to him: What is this joy that you rejoiced at the words of these children?

He said: Over good tidings that they told me, that I should not fear the evil counsel that you advised

against us,

immediately the wicked Haman became angry and said: I will not first send my hand except against these children."

The simple reason why Mordechai rejoiced upon hearing the verses from the children — is because he saw in this a prophecy⁸

that he had nothing to fear from Haman's decree.

And as we find in many places in the Talmud⁹

the concept of "a verse, your verse for me,"

that — the verse that a child said is a kind of prophecy¹⁰

(and the like)

from above¹¹.

This, however, is seemingly insufficient in our case,

because according to this — if this is the essential content of the story — what relevance is there in telling the details,

that he met them coming from school and that there were three children who said three verses¹²?

Although other details of the story — such as that he encountered the children

(not — went to seek them)

and also that more than one child said verses with a content of good news etc. — emphasize more the lesson and prophecy — this, however, is not present in the detail of "they were coming from school",

and — that he met

(specifically)

<b>three </b>children¹³.

B.

All matters in the Torah are indeed with utmost precision,

D.

E.

That also the order and the details of the expressions in this narrative are precise and relevant to the matter.

One must understand:

a)

The order in which the children said the three verses¹⁴

(Fear not,

Take counsel together,

And even to old age)

is not according to their order as they stand in Tanakh: the verses "Take counsel together" and "And even to old age" stand in the book of Isaiah which is in the order of the books before Proverbs¹⁵,

where the verse "Fear not" stands

(Simply, the order of study of the children in the school — according to the order of the books: Torah,

Prophets,

Writings)¹⁶

; and it is also not in an order from later to earlier — because then they would have needed to say the later verse in Isaiah "And even to old age" before "Take counsel together".

b)

Regarding the first child, it is told in the Midrash that he immediately without

Without any introduction, he said the verse,

But by the second child it says: "The second opened and said <b>I read today and on this verse I stood</b> from school"¹⁷.

— That he had learned other verses that day¹⁸,

But by this verse he remained standing.

It is not understood: Did the first child then learn that day in cheder only the verse "Do not fear" and nothing more?

Since Mordechai accepted this as a prophecy¹⁹,

Why does he say the wording "upon the good tidings that they told me",

And not "that they prophesied good for me" and the like²⁰?

3)

3.

Also required is an explanation:

As it is told in the Midrash,

the aforementioned time of the event was right after the letters of the decree were sealed,

and already then Mordechai had a great joy from the good news,

that there is nothing to fear from Haman's evil counsel — if so,

why was <b>afterwards</b> the entire storm of "And he put on sackcloth and ashes, etc. and he cried out a great and bitter cry"²¹,

and the multitude of details

What Mordechai did and instructed Esther to do

(as recounted in the Megillah)²²?

From all this it is understood,

that Mordechai did not accept the “Your statutes are my songs” from the schoolchildren as an actual prophecy²³.

It is difficult to understand,

on the other hand,

why “he laughed and was very joyful”?

4.

The point of the explanation in this — and with an introduction,

that the decree was "to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, from youth to elder, children and women"²⁴,

And regarding the reason for the decree it is — a)

as is related in the Megillah,

and b)

according to the Midrashim of Chazal.

In the Megillah²⁵

it is told that this began from that which "all²⁶

the king's servants etc. bow and prostrate themselves to Haman etc. and Mordechai would not bow nor prostrate himself ..

And Haman was filled with wrath.

And it was contemptible in his eyes to lay hand on Mordechai alone, for they had told him of Mordechai's people.

And Haman sought to destroy all the Jews etc. the people of Mordechai."

D.

E.

That when Haman investigated and inquired why Mordechai does not bow to him and he discovered that this is not due to Mordechai's qualities as an individual — being among the heads of the Sanhedrin and the leader of the Jews etc.

— only "tell him about the people of Mordechai",

"who is a Jew"²⁷,

that this is because being a Jew he believes only in the Most High,

and denies all idolatry,

every thing that holds itself as a reality — this aroused great anger in Haman,

"and Haman was filled with wrath".

And since that "Mordechai would not bow nor prostrate himself" is because "he is a Jew",

so "it was contemptible in his eyes to lay hands on Mordechai alone" — since the reason that Mordechai does not bow is the point of Judaism which exists in all Jews²⁸

"from youth to old man, infants and women",

it means therefore that not only Mordechai,

but the entire "people of Mordechai" does not recognize his reality and certainly — not to bow to him²⁹,

— he sought a way "to destroy all the Jews".

5.

But how is it that Haman could bring such a decree upon Jews?

Our Sages of blessed memory³⁰

explain that the reason

(spiritual)

was "because they bowed to the idol"³¹

— since among Jews there was such an action and movement

(even if only outwardly³²,

without heart and mind at all³³)

which

is the opposite of the point of Judaism³⁴

and touches their essential connection with the Most High — this consequently brought the decree of destruction, may it not be said,

because the entire existence and endurance of Jews is their connection with the Most High³⁵.

And this was Mordechai's concern,

until that "he donned sackcloth and ashes etc. and cried a great and bitter cry."

Because "Mordechai knew all that was done"&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt;

— he knew the cause that brought the decree — was his concern: perhaps by them the "bow down to the idol" was a matter of idolatry, heaven forbid&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt;

; and even if the "bow down" was only l'fanim,

but externally,

it shows, however, that the point of Judaism and faith is by them not revealed; if it would have been by them revealed,

it would have effected "that they could not touch even his garments, which are thought, speech and deed of faith in the One God,"

and by them

it would have been "to give his life even if only to do some action alone against faith in the One God, such as bowing to an idol even though he does not believe in it &lt;b&gt;at all in his heart&lt;/b&gt;"&lt;sup&gt;38&lt;/sup&gt;.

Because from the aspect of the desire and will of a Jew to be attached with the Above,

"she fears and is frightened by nature from touching the edge of impurity&lt;sup&gt;39&lt;/sup&gt;

of idolatry, heaven forbid, which is against faith in the One God even in its external garments, which are speech or deed without faith in the heart at all"&lt;sup&gt;38&lt;/sup&gt;.

Therefore Mordechai knew,

that the way to nullify the decree is by arousing among Jews the point of Judaism that it should come out openly,

that the trait of the nation of Mordechai that "he will not bow down nor prostrate himself" should permeate all the garments of the soul of thought, speech, and deed up to martyrdom for the sanctification of God's name in actual practice.

And when Mordechai heard from the schoolchildren "who were coming from the school" the verses which express the faith and trust in the Most High,

he knew that Jews would withstand the trial and would be ready for martyrdom — "he laughed and was very joyful",

because there is nothing to fear from the "evil counsel that he counseled against us" — and as follows.

And at the time that he heard the "good tidings" it was then "and Mordechai tore his garments and donned sackcloth and ashes and went out into the midst of the city and cried a great and bitter cry ..

And in every province and province etc. great mourning

for the Jews and fasting and weeping and wailing" in order to arouse and bring out <b>openly</b> the point of Judaism and the readiness for mesiras nefesh⁴⁰

in practice.

6.

The difference in the content of the three verses:

The verse "Do not fear sudden terror and the devastation of the wicked when it <b>comes</b>" speaks about a revealed fear and trouble,

and about this it says "Do not fear" — without any explanation.

In the verse "Take counsel and it will be thwarted, speak a word and it will not stand" it does not speak about an actual trouble,

but about a "counsel" and a "word" to bring a trouble — and it does not only say that they will be nullified,

but also an explanation and reason — "for G-d is with us".

In the third verse "And until old age I am He, and until hoary hair I will bear, I have made and I will carry, and I will bear and I will deliver" it speaks not at all about a trouble,

neither revealed nor in preparation,

but about "old age" and "hoary hair",

which are <b>natural</b> changes in the creation that the Almighty created,

and it does not only say that "I am He" and "and I will bear",

but also that "I <b>have made</b> and I <b>will carry</b>".

In the content of the matters in spirituality, the three verses show three movements and levels in the manner of faith and trust in the Most High,

which brings out the mesirut nefesh of a Jew for the Most High:

"Do not fear sudden terror and the destruction of the wicked when it comes" — from the aspect of faith and trust in the Most High,

it is although that according to nature, a person is overcome by a

Fear at a sudden arrival of fright and "the ruin of the wicked",

is however by a &lt;b&gt;believer&lt;/b&gt;,

by a Jew,

there is no fear — and he does not need any explanation or reason for it.

&lt;b&gt;By his nature&lt;/b&gt; his feeling is &lt;b&gt;in the manner of&lt;/b&gt; our Sages, may their memory be for blessing&lt;sup&gt;41&lt;/sup&gt;

— everything that the Merciful One does, He does for good.

A stronger manner of faith that "Take counsel &lt;b&gt;and it will be thwarted&lt;/b&gt; speak a word &lt;b&gt;and it will not stand&lt;/b&gt;" — not only does he have no fear,

rather by him it is certain that "it will be thwarted" and "it will not stand",

and the explanation and rational reason —

(by them it is certain)

"for God is with us".

Above this is the deposit that "and until old age I am He, and until hoary hair I will bear" — also the statutes and matters of nature,

which the Most High established in creation,

have no dominion over a Jew and he is not affected by them — and for this an additional explanation is required: not only that "&lt;b&gt;with us &lt;/b&gt;is G-d",

but that "I made",

and consequently "I will carry and I will bear and I will deliver".

7.

These are also three levels one above the other in the education in the school of the young children of the house of their teacher:

By the <b>first</b> child,

an infant <b>at the beginning of</b> his education,

this is in a manner of "verse ..

your verses": more than this he has not yet learned; but even before he is capable of understanding with his intellect,

there must be by him in simplicity,

decided,

that "<b>Do not fear</b> sudden terror and the destruction of the wicked when it comes."

When the child becomes older and has already learned more — "I <b>called</b>

Today "and in this verse I stood" — he already read by himself

(learned),

he belongs to his own understanding,

one teaches him a deeper deposit,

a higher level in faith and trust,

with certainty: "Take counsel together and it will be thwarted, speak a word and it will not stand" and also the explanation — "for G-d is with us".

And the third type of child,

who is more advanced⁴²

grown in intellect and knowledge,

him one teaches and implants also the deposit that a Jew is not affected even by the limitations and laws of nature that the Most High created,

with the entire explanation that is in the verse.

8.

When Mordechai heard the verses from the children at the time "when they were <b>coming from school</b>" — their education is in such a way that not only while <b>in</b> "school" does one awaken in them and teach them faith and [the thirteen principles of faith]

("Fear not, etc.")

and that it should be stored away by them also in intellect and emotion,

rather they take all that with them also when they are "<b>coming from school</b>",

coming to their homes — "he laughed and was joyful with great joy".

From the verses of the young children he saw,

that among Jews is <b>the entire</b> point of Judaism,

among <b>all</b> Jews; and consequently even those among whom it is not yet revealed,

these young children will awaken it in them and reveal it, coming from school to their homes.

This is also the precise wording of Mordechai,

that his joy is from the

"<b>Good tidings that they announced to me</b> that I shall not fear from the evil counsel that you counseled against us" — the very words themselves of the children are the "good tidings that they announced to me",

that among Jews is entirely⁴³

(and will be entirely)

the point of Judaism and the faith in the coming of Moshiach and the redemption which nullifies the decree of Haman — "that I shall not fear etc."

And this is also why "immediately the anger of the wicked Haman burned and he said, 'I will not lay my hand first except on these children'" — in the children he saw the continuation and moreover the cause of the "he would not bow nor prostrate himself" before him,

and before any idol.

9.

Based on the above, an additional explanation comes in the words of our Sages, may their memory be for a blessing⁴⁴

known about "the Jews fulfilled and accepted"⁴⁵

— "they fulfilled what they had already accepted",

and that on Purim the "great protest against the Torah" was nullified,

because "they again accepted it in the days of Achashverosh"

(and as Chassidus⁴⁶

explains the verse⁴⁷

"And the Jews accepted what they had begun to do",

that at the Giving of the Torah there was only the beginning — "they had begun to do" — because then the self-sacrifice of Israel for accepting the Torah

(that which they placed "we will do" before "we will hear")

came from the side of Above

("He coerced them [like a mountain] like a cask"⁴⁴)

; but in the days of Purim it was "and the Jews accepted",

a complete acceptance,

through the self-sacrifice of all Israel

by themselves,

therefore then was the completion and perfection of the acceptance of the Torah)

That just as in the time of "they began to do",

at the giving of the Torah,

it was specifically in the merit of the responsibility of the children — "our children are guarantors for us"⁴⁸

— then the Almighty gave the Torah to the Jewish people,

Similarly it was in the time of "and the Jews accepted" in the days of Achashverosh,

that the complete acceptance was brought about from the side of the "responsibility" of the children — through the young children of the study hall⁴⁹

the aforementioned and including the twenty-two thousand children whom Mordechai gathered together,

taught with them,

implanted in them faith in the sages and the giving of the Torah openly and practically as our sages relate at length⁵⁰.

And just as the action of Purim regarding the Giving of the Torah is

(as above)

consisted in this,

that at the Giving of the Torah the self-sacrifice of Jews was primarily &lt;b&gt;in potential&lt;/b&gt;,

due to their soul and from above,

and on Purim they stood in a movement of self-sacrifice &lt;b&gt;in actuality&lt;/b&gt;,

also regarding their body and from below —

so it is also regarding “our children they have mixed among us”,

that on Purim this was not only in potential and due to the saying of the Patriarchs,

but this expressed itself in actuality regarding the children themselves as above,

and moreover: they effected this also regarding the Patriarchs.

And from this aspect, specifically then was the "and the Jews accepted",

the complete acceptance.

Yud.

From this we have the instruction for all generations,

and especially in this generation of the heels of Mashiach,

when we are still "servants of Achashverosh"⁵¹

When one wants to know the situation

(and the future)

of the Jewish people,

one must see what is happening with the children,

also

(and primarily)

when <b>they come </b>

(they <b>come</b>)

<b>from school</b>.

In clear words it means: the education must be

(as above)

that from their earliest childhood years,

even before they are capable of understanding an intellectual matter,

one must educate them and instill in them the principle that they should fear no one,

but only the Almighty Himself.

And as the father of the Baal Shem Tov,

R. Eliezer,

commanded the Baal Shem Tov when he was five years old⁵²

: You should fear no one and no thing in the world,

only G‑d alone.

And when they grow older and are capable of understanding,

they are also taught the second concept,

to understand that “Take counsel and it will be foiled, etc., for G-d is with us”,

and then the third concept,

as above in detail.

So that this should be absorbed by them properly,

it should become “<b>your verses</b>”,

it is not sufficient to learn only the verses in the Written Torah,

rather one must teach them and explain the points at least of the

Explanations in the Oral Torah in general and in Chassidus in particular⁵³

And when the Jewish children take and live with the content of the verses also going out beyond the school and bring it with them into their homes,

then just as this was in those days,

so will this be in this time⁵⁴,

that this will ensure the existence and continuation of Torah in Israel and there will be nothing to fear from any thing in the world,

for "From the mouth⁵⁵

of infants and sucklings You have established strength etc. to still the enemy and the avenger",

And it is fulfilled the "And he shall turn the heart of fathers to children — through children",

when "Behold, I send you Elijah the prophet"⁵⁶,

"He will say to children with love and will: go and speak to your fathers to hold to the ways of the place"⁵⁷,

and there comes the great and awesome day of the Lord⁵⁶,

connecting redemption to redemption⁵⁸

— the day of the true and complete redemption through our righteous Mashiach,

very soon.

(From the sicha of Purim 5726)