Jenna Ashkenazie

Not sure if you heard about the newest Boys High School in the community… YKT!

 Six years ago, Rabbi Eliezer Zeytouneh recognized that “Hashem graces everyone with qualities, and sometimes they don’t realize it.” He had a vision. “Every boy has a path to success!” Thus he used his 20 years of experience working with our community’s youth, tirelessly working to epitomize each student’s potential, to turn that vision into a reality.

Thus began the creation of Yeshivat Kinyan Torah High School, an all-boys high school in Brooklyn that offers much more than the standard regent curriculum.

Excellent Programs

Boys who enroll in this yeshiva are exposed to an excellent secular and Judaic studies curriculum. Special programs are in place to help students reach their full potential. These programs include real estate classes (with an opportunity to graduate as a fully-licensed real estate agent), finance classes, handiwork courses, food sector classes, even photography classes. They also offer opportunities to work in the realm of religion, such as Hazanut,Safrut, and Hashgacha. There are also Advanced Placement (AP) courses starting from the eleventh grade that students can take to earn college credits.

 “Our yeshiva is a perfect fit for any student. We will make a program for any student regardless of academic status,” Rabbi Zeytouneh explains. “The teachers and staff are there to help the students with whatever they need throughout their high school career.”

Something for Everyone

The yeshiva offers something for everyone. A hesed club is in place for all who are interested. The Yeshiva takes their students on spirited trips as well. Rabbi Loume Shalam brings his extensive camp experience to make sure the boys can unwind in a socially healthy manner! The students have gone Skirmishing, Snowtubing, to Florida, the Poconos, Go Karting, and more. Understanding the mindset of today’s teenager, Rabbi Zeytouneh hired a spirited staff of Rebbeim. This staff includes Rabbi Moshe Cohen, Rabbi Rephael Ashkenazi, Rabbi Shmully Semah, Rabbi Bension Marcus, Rabbi Rahamim Harary, Rabbi Yonatan Swid, and Dr. Simcha Cohen.

As the school continues to grow, the incredible staff is working towards making more connections within the community, in order to give the students more opportunities to explore different fields, and to create connections with people in those fields. There is even a leadership development project. Students have taken classes in public speaking, have been on the radio, and have been on the forefront of volunteerism at our community organizations!

Tours are available for all potential students and their parents. The yeshiva is confident that once they see the yeshiva, both parents and students will come away believing that this is the school that will help get students to where they aspire to go in life.    

Graduates Meet Success

Two classes have graduated so far. Some graduates have gone to study for a year in Israel or even two. Others have found success in fields such as property management, car leasing, retail, finance, and more. Many more graduates are currently enrolled in college, some having earned scholarships! Yeshivat Kinyan Torah is a school that will not only educate your sons, but will prepare them for life as well. It provides an excellent environment for students to grow and to prepare for success. Prior students still have excellent relationships with Rabbi Zeytouneh, proving that this is more than just a school, it is a pathway to success, where the faculty truly cares about their students.

YTK is now accepting registration for the 2025-26 school year. Spaces are limited and spots are filling up fast, so be sure to register before it is too late! For more information, please contact the school at 718-759-6635 or Office@yeshivatkinyantorah.org.You can also follow the school @yktpta on Instagram for more information.

Dave Gordon

In his second term, Donald Trump reportedly signed more executive orders on his first day in office than any other president in U.S. history. It was the harbinger of things to come, as he rapidly followed through on his campaign promises of promoting law and order, fighting anti-Semitism, increasing government efficiency, ridding the country of woke policies, and more. His first few weeks of office included scores of new executive directives that many believe will steer the country to safety, security, and sovereignty.

In terms of security and related issues, Mexico and Canada border patrols have increased, and both countries have also pledged to shore up their own patrols. The president seeks detention and deportation of anyone in the U.S. illegally.

Trump has also made it harder for those who cross the border specifically to have a child in the U.S. Children born to these parents are pejoratively called “anchor babies,” implying that the child’s birth is intended to help the parents and other family members gain legal residency or avoid deportation.

A Trump order redefines birthright citizenship under the 14^th Amendment, which grants citizenship to all persons born on U.S. soil. Trump asserts that a child born in the U.S. is not a citizen if either parent does not have legal immigration status or is in the country legally but only temporarily.

Anti-Semitism 

Within ten days of taking office, Trump signed a pledge to deport non-citizen college students, and others who took part in pro-Hamas protests.

Trump’s Executive Order 13899, signed during his first term in 2019, was designed to prevent anti-Semitism by making it easier to use laws that prohibit institutional discrimination against people based on race, color, or national origin to punish discrimination against Jews. Expanding on this, Trump promised immediate action by the Justice Department to prosecute “terroristic threats, arson, vandalism, and violence against American Jews,” and marshal federal resources to combat what it called “the explosion of anti-Semitism on our campuses and streets” since the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. It also calls for the cancelling of student visas of Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, and deportation on non-citizens who are pro-jihadist protesters.

The executive order mandates that within 60 days, heads of agencies and departments must submit to the White House their recommendations on all potential criminal and civil legal measures that could be employed to combat anti-Semitism. Additionally, it calls for a comprehensive review and analysis of legal cases involving alleged civil rights violations related to pro-Palestinian demonstrations at K-12 schools, colleges, and universities. This review could potentially result in actions to remove non-citizen students and staff members.

Trump noted in the memorandum that after the October 7 terror attacks “pro-Hamas aliens and left-wing radicals began a campaign of intimidation, vandalism, and violence on the campuses and streets of America. Celebrating Hamas’ mass rape, kidnapping, and murder, they physically blocked Jewish Americans from attending college classes, obstructed synagogues and assaulted worshippers, and vandalized American monuments and statues.”

Trump added that the Biden Administration “turned a blind eye to this coordinated assault on public order; it simply refused to protect the civil rights of Jewish Americans, especially students.” Trump also cited the December 2024 U.S. House of Representatives Staff Report on anti-Semitism, which said “the failure of our federal government departments and agencies is astounding.”

“I will issue clear orders to my Attorney General,” Trump continued, “to aggressively prosecute terroristic threats, arson, vandalism, and violence against American Jews.”

Support of Israel

Trump has shown strong and steadfast support for Israel.

Within 15 days of swearing in, Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House. (President Biden did so after1,283 days.)

This meeting symbolically showed that the two nations were closer than ever, especially seeing that Netanyahu was the first foreign dignitary to visit after the inauguration.

In his first term, Trump made great strides to bolster ties with Israel. He opened the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem (recognizing it as Israel’s capital), he recognized the Golan Heights as Israeli territory, closed the PLO office in Washington, cut $500 million to the Palestinian Authority, reduced UNWRA funding (the UN Relief and Works Agency – supposedly dedicated to relief work, but actually has been a haven for supporting terror against Israel), spearheaded the Abraham Accords, and said that Israelis living in Judea and Samaria were not violating international law. In his second term, Trump continued his unwavering support of Israel.

Trump withdrew from the United Nations Human Rights Council (that was notoriously anti-Israel), completely defunded UNWRA, lifted sanctions on Israelis in Judea and Samaria, and supported a bill to officially call the area of the “West Bank,” Judea and Samaria. By early February Trump had already released weapons that were blocked by the Biden administration, citing the reason: “Because they bought them.”

In one of his last acts of office in 2021, Trump designated Yemen’s Houthis as a terrorist organization, which was quickly reversed by Biden, and then reinstated by Trump in his second term.

Energy and Oil

Trump has been a strong proponent of domestic oil and gas drilling, and within a short time he ordered agency heads to revoke, rescind, or revise regulations that restrict oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He also lifted bans on oil and gas exploration in parts of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

Trump is against relying on foreign oil, even from Canada. Trump asserts that Alaska’s vast wilderness areas hold immense potential for oil and gas development that could significantly benefit both the state and the nation as a whole. Trump believes there are compelling economic and energy dependence reasons to support expanded drilling in Alaska’s wildlife areas, despite strong criticism from environmental groups.

Although the U.S. has made significant strides in reducing its reliance on foreign oil, it still imports a considerable amount of petroleum products. By tapping into Alaska’s vast reserves, estimated at 7.7 to 11.8 billion barrels of oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge alone, the U.S. could further reduce its dependence on foreign sources.

The geopolitical implications of increased domestic oil production are significant. As Alaska’s Senator Lisa Murkowski noted, “Even after just a few years, we are already beginning to see the significant shifts brought on by our growing oil production.” Expanded drilling in Alaska could strengthen America’s position in global energy markets and provide leverage in international relations.

Proponents note that proposed drilling areas represent only a small percentage of Alaska’s total wilderness. For instance, the area under consideration for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is 1.5 million acres out of the refuge’s total 19.6 million acres.

In concrete terms, Trump signed an executive order revoking the Biden Administration’s ban on new offshore oil and gas development along most of the country’s coastlines, despite the outcry of environmentalists. Trump also revoked Biden’s action that prevented oil and gas drilling in 2.8 million acres in the Arctic Ocean. Moreover, Trump directed the Secretary of Energy to restart reviews of applications for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects, lifting a freeze imposed by the Biden administration.

Paris Climate Agreement

President Trump swiftly withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement (also called the Paris Accords or Paris Climate Accords), an international treaty on climate change, adopted by 196 parties at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in December 2015, which took force in November 2016. The new order blocks transfer of U.S. funds previously obligated to the International Climate Finance Plan.

The Paris Agreement, while a landmark global effort to address climate change, has several significant flaws that some say hinder its effectiveness. One of the most significant weaknesses of the Paris Agreement is its reliance on voluntary compliance. Countries can set their own targets and policies without binding implementation. There are no penalties for countries that fail to meet their targets.

The Paris Agreement places a higher burden on more highly developed nations. Developed nations are expected to contribute more financial resources to help less developed nations and are expected to make larger emissions reductions. Some argue that the agreement’s goals rely heavily on speculative science, and an overreliance on computational models that may or may not reflect actual future outcomes. Others strongly disagree.

DOGE

Trump took swift action against what he felt was misspending, overspending, and waste, when he installed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under the direction of Elon Musk. On February 11th, Musk announced that DOGE had uncovered “billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud, and abuse.”

Some examples include: a $36,000 contract for DEI-related (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) workshops at the Department of Homeland Security, a $1 million contract supporting the “Gender X Initiative” at the Social Security Administration, a $1 million contract for a diversity communications campaign for agricultural professionals at the Department of Agriculture, a $375,000 contract for DEI and onboarding services at the U.S. Forest Service, a $30,000 contract for a Central America Gender Assessment Consultant at the U.S. Forest Service, a $230,000 contract for Brazil forest and gender consultant services at the Department of Agriculture, and a $4 million contract for DEI consultation services and training in the Jobs Corps program at the Department of Labor.

Reporters estimate that the elimination of 85 contracts related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) at more than a dozen federal agencies, will cut government spending by approximately $1 billion. In addition, 12 underutilized leases were cancelled, saving approximately $3 million and the termination of 22 leases, saves $44.6 million. Another $1 billion was saved by rescinding government over-hiring. And still another $45 million was saved by elimination of scholarships to students in Burma.

DOGE has targeted the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for cuts, with Musk claiming the agency is “incredibly politically partisan” and a “radical-left political psy op.”  Some 99 percent of the 12,000 jobs at USAID have now been cut, saving a reported $40 billion.

Some of the USAID money had been spent on farming equipment for the Taliban, $1.5 million to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities,| and $70,000 for a DEI musical in Ireland, $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia, $32,000 for a transgender comic book in Peru, $2.5 million for electric vehicles in Vietnam, $6 million to fund tourism in Egypt, millions that were directed to the Wuhan lab in China (that allegedly leaked COVID-19), and hundreds of thousands of dollars that made its way to fighters affiliated with al-Qaeda-in Syria.

Gender Identification

There will be no more “they/them” or “zhir/zim” or thirty-six genders promoted by the federal government. Trump has required that the U.S. government recognize only two genders, male and female, on passports, visas, Global Entry cards, all other forms and documents, and in all programs and communications.

Trump also forbade federal money, including grants, from being used to promote gender ideology and he directed the attorney general and Homeland Security secretary to “ensure that males are not detained in women’s prisons or housed in women’s detention centers.”

President Trump signed an executive order on February 5, 2025 that aims to ban men from participating in women’s and girls’ sports. The executive order, titled, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” directs federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, to interpret Title IX as prohibiting transgender girls and women from competing in female sports categories. The order threatens to withdraw federal funding from schools and institutions that allow men to participate in women’s sports. (While executive orders are significant, they are not laws passed by Congress. They can be challenged in court and may be overturned by future administrations. Already, there are legal challenges being mounted against this order.)

President Trump’s first month in office during his second term has been marked by a flurry of executive orders and policy changes that have set a clear direction for his administration. These actions have touched on a wide range of issues, from immigration and energy policy to government efficiency and social issues.

Conclusion

Community members, while interested in all aspects of American life, are especially thankful to President Trump for his strong stand to support Israel and to abolish anti-Semitism, especially on college campuses. Trump famously declared that if the hostages held by Hamas were not all released by noon February 15^th, “all hell will break loose.” Hamas declared it was breaking its agreement, but backtracked, certainly due to Trump’s threat, and delivered three hostages on the 15^th.

QUESTION:

Dear Rabbi Ali,

I’ve been married for 19 years and my marriage has been anything but good. My spouse has caused much heartache and refuses to change. We’ve been arguing about this for so long and I don’t believe he will ever change. I have never spoken to anyone about this and I don’t know where to turn. Do you have any advice for me?

R’ Ali’s Response:

As I mention often, anyone who feels that their marriage is not in a great place should not rely on a response in a short email. Although I try to offer a new perspective for you and the readers, I  mainly offer food for thought, which is in no way, shape, or form a substitute for professional assistance.

I would like to address a few points that you mention that are relevant in many marriages and are not exclusive to those who are struggling.

First is something that I often see when counseling people. Couples wait far too long before they reach out for help. There are a number of reasons for this. The simple reason is that people are embarrassed to let others know that they are struggling. Although this is normal, there’s truly nothing to be embarrassed about. We call our rabbi for assistance with our children, business, or even struggles that we have personally, but with marriage we tend to hold back. People do not reach out for help also be because marriage is a private relationship and we’d rather not let people into our private lives. There are professionals who specialize in this area and keep everything totally confidential, so there is no need to refrain from getting help.

Another reason for waiting to seek help is that we feel maybe things will just work out, or “I’ll figure this one out.” This is also a huge mistake. If you are getting stuck with the same issues over and over again, most likely things will not “just work themselves out.” I’ve spoken to many people who were stuck with the same issue for five to fifty-five years. All they needed was a third party to point out where they were going wrong and to give a few simple tips to get things in order. Just as an example,a woman once called me up in distress and explained to me how overwhelmed she is and how her husband doesn’t help out at all. She drives five kids to school every day and picks them up. Of course, she has asked him to help out and he said he would but never did. I simply advised her to discuss with him the drop off and pickup and what works with her schedule and his. They made simple arrangements. I advised her to let her husband do his job, which most likely entailed letting him oversleep and drive the kids to school late for a day or two. After a week, she had things in order and he offered more help on top of what he was already doing. This is just an example of a couple in distress who needed a few tips to get things in order.

One more reason people refrain from seeking help is plain old stubbornness. Many people will realize that their relationship is not in such a good place, however more times than not, they believe that their spouse is causing all of the problems. They will say things such as, “I don’t need help, you do, go fix yourself.” Or, “Why am I going to couples counseling if I’m not the problem?” Although I do believe that one person can contribute to a bigger percentage of the problems, both spouses are contributing to some part of a relationship issue. This might be a hard pill to swallow but it’s true. Even if you feel as though your spouse is contributing to most of the problems in the relationship (which would need a third party to determine that) you are still part of this relationship and are responsible to do your best to make it work. You may not be at fault, but once you sign up for a marriage you are responsible to make it work. It’s reckless to sit back and wait for your spouse to change or get help. Be proactive, for yourself, your spouse, and your family.

“Misheh-misheh-misheh-misheh-misheh-misheh-misheh-misheh-miiiiishenichnas Adar…”

This familiar jingle begins ringing in our heads already on the first day of the month of Adar, and continues doing so through the celebration of Purim two weeks later (and for some, even beyond…).  The words come from the Gemara (Ta’anit 29a), and instruct that “When Adar enters, we increase our joy.”  Although the festive holiday of Purim is still nearly two weeks away, already on the first of this month, from the moment when Adar arrives, we are told to increase our joy, to be festive and to celebrate.

This “introductory” period of festivity is unique to Purim.  No other holiday requires us to begin feeling joyous before the holiday begins.  True, before Rosh Hashanah, we prepare for a month by reciting special Selihot prayers and making an effort to improve ourselves, but this is done so we are free of sin when we stand trial before Gd on Rosh Hashanah.  There is no mitzvah to begin feeling joyous two weeks before Hanukah, before Pesach, or before Shavuot.  What is unique about Purim that necessitates two weeks of “getting in the mood” by rejoicing?

The IDF’s Pre-Purim Megillah Reading

The source for this concept – beginning the Purim festivities already before Purim – can be found already in Megillat Ester.

Toward the end of the Megillah (9:22), we read of the establishment of the holiday of Purim, and the Megillah mentions that these two days (the 14^th of Adar is most locations, and the 15^th in walled cities) are celebrated during “the month that was transformed for them from anguish to joy, andfrom mourning to a holiday.”  Curiously, the Megillah speaks of the entire month of Adar as having been “transformed” from anguish to festivity. 

This strikes us as odd, because, seemingly, there was only one day – the 14^th of Adar – that was “transformed.”  Haman drew lots to determine the day on which he would annihilate the Jews, and the date chosen was the 14^th of Adar.  This day turned out to be a day of festive celebration, as the day before, the Jews successfully waged war against those in the Persian Empire who set out to exterminate them in accordance with Haman’s edict.  Thus, there was just one day that was “transformed” from calamity to festivity as a result of the Purim miracle – the 14^th of Adar.  Why, then, does the Megillah describe the entire month of Adar as having undergone a transformation?

Even more fascinatingly, this point finds expression in practical halachah.  There is a view that if a person knows ahead of time, before Purim, that he will be unable to read the Megillah or hear it read on Purim day, then he should do so before Purim, as early as the first of Adar.  As the Megillah speaks of the entire month of Adar in the context of the Purim celebration, we can infer that in some sense, the time for celebration begins already with the onset of this month.  Accordingly, one who will, due to circumstances beyond his control, have no possibility of reading or hearing the Megillah on Purim should ensure to read or hear the Megillah before Purim.

Lest one think this discussion is purely hypothetical, such a ruling was given as practical halachah last year, in Adar, 5784 (2024), to our beloved IDF soldiers who were on active duty in Gaza.  Certain units knew ahead of time – or had reason to anticipate – that they would be participating in military operations on Purim, and would thus be unable to read or hear the Megillah on that day.  A number of rabbis instructed them to read the Megillah prior to Purim, following the view discussed above.

This only reinforces our question: What significance is there to the month of Adar?  If the day chosen by Haman for the Jews’ extermination turned into a day of celebration, why is the entire month of Adar affected?

Dividing the Months

The answer is rooted in a deep Kabbalistic concept.  As with all teachings of Kabbalah, the profundity of this concept lies well beyond our grasp, but was can at least understand it on its most basic level.

The Kabbalists taught that Yaakov Avinu and his twin brother, Esav, made an arrangement whereby they divided the twelve months of the year.  Yaakov took for himself the months of Nissan, Iyar and Sivan – months on which we celebrate Pesach, Pesach Sheni (the 14^th of Iyar), and Shavuot.  Esav then took to his side the next three months – Tammuz, Av, and Elul, which have no holidays.  (In fact, Tammuz and Av mark periods of mourning for the destruction of the Bet Hamikdash.  As for Elul, the Kabbalists teach that Yaakov insisted on seizing this month from Esav’s grasp, as otherwise we, his descendants, would be unable to properly prepare for Rosh Hashanah.  Needless to say, this lies beyond the scope of our discussion here.)  The months of Tishreh, Marheshvan, and Kislev – which include Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simhat Torah, and Hanukah – belong to Yaakov, whereas the next three months – Tevet, Shevat, and Adar – are under Esav’s control.  It thus turns out that six months belong to Yaakov, to the force of sanctity, whereas the other six are under the control of Esav, the forces of impurity.

With this in mind, we easily understand why the Megillah speaks of the “transformation” of the month of Adar.

This month is included in the domain of Esav, Haman’s evil ancestor.  As such, Haman’s edict should have succeeded.  The lots fell on an inauspicious time for the Jewish People, a month which was under the power of Esav, when Am Yisrael was thus vulnerable to Haman’s efforts to destroy it.  In order to rescue His beloved nation, Gd needed to do more than just foil Haman’s scheme.  He first needed to transform the month of Adar, to transfer it, as it will, to Yaakov’s domain.  Gd essentially upended the spiritual makeup of all of creation, shaking the very foundations of the universe so that Adar would no longer be under Esav’s control.

This is why “mishenichnas Adar marbim besimhah” – we begin our joy and festivity already at the beginning of Adar.  The Purim miracle began with Adar’s transformation from a time cut out for disaster to a time of immense spiritual potential.  Before Mordechai’s call to Ester to intervene, before she approached the king unannounced at the risk of death, before the banquet with Haman – the first step was changing the essential nature of the month of Adar, from a month of danger to a month of greatness.

The Backfiring of Haman’s Plot

Among the questions raised about the Purim story is why Haman decided to allocate just a single day for the extermination of the Jews.  Why did he not do what his ideological successor – Hitler, ym”sh – did many centuries later, and devise a program of extermination that would be carried out over the course of an extended period?  Would this not be far easier?  What advantage was there to planning the annihilation for a single day?

One of the commentators offered a creative answer – one which sheds new light on our discussion.  Haman knew Jewish history, and realized that his plan could backfire.  He knew about the miraculous survival of Am Yisrael, and so he himself had some doubts about the prospects of his plot’s success.  And, Haman knew that if his plan backfired, the period that had been designated for the Jews’ annihilation would be celebrated as a holiday.  He therefore designated just a single day – so that in the event that his plan failed, the Jews would not have more than one day to celebrate!

Remarkably, even this aspect of Haman’s nefarious plot backfired sensationally.  He did not take into account the transformation of Adar from a month of tragedy into a month of festivity, such that his edict not only gave us the joyous day of Purim, but an entire month of joy and celebration!

We are Never “Stuck”

The theme of transformation, which features so prominently in the Purim story, can be truly “transformative”for each and every one of us.  When we understand how far Hashem went to protect His beloved nation, changing the order of the cosmos, upending the fundamental nature of an entire month of the Jewish year, we are reminded that anything in our lives – and, collectively, anything affecting the Jewish Nation as a whole – can be transformed.  If Adar can be transformed from a month of calamity to a month of immense joy, then any situation we ever find ourselves in can similarly be transformed.We are never “stuck.”  There is no problem that has no solution.  The fact that we see no solution is owed to our human limitations.  Gd, however, is unlimited, and is thus able to solve any problem in ways that we could never imagine.

When Beneh Yisrael were trapped against the sea, they never imagined that the water would split and then fall back on the Egyptians.  When they found themselves without food, they never imagined nourishing food falling from the sky each morning.  When Haman decreed the Jews’ annihilation, they never imagined that days later he would be hanging from the gallows, and Mordechai would be serving his position as second to the king.

No matter what we are struggling with, and no matter what difficult challenges we jointly face as a nation, either in Israel or here in the Diaspora, we must believe that Hashem has an infinite number of ways to help.  We of course must do whatever we can – just as Ester was called upon to approach King Ahashverosh – but with complete faith in Hashem’s unlimited capabilities.

May the merit of our faith and hope bring the transformation of all our sorrow to joy, all our struggles to triumph, and all our anguish to festivity, and the arrival of our final redemption, speedily, and in our times, amen.

Purim is a time when what is normally hidden away gets revealed, and we put aside our external facades for a bit. What is the underlying lesson of this holiday, and why do we celebrate it every year?

Rabbi Yehuda Beyda

Jews don’t have holidays.

That is to say, we don’t simply commemorate historical events with vacations and parties. Jewish history is filled with events both tragic and wonderful, and with very few exceptions, they are hardly even remembered today. Though our calendar is replete with days that are anchored in events from ancient times, none of those are simply commemorative. On Pesah, for instance, we do not merely memorialize the Exodus from Egypt, rather we reaffirm our unique identity as Hashem’s Firstborn. On Shavuotwe rededicate ourselves to the study and upholding of the Torah. And so, it is with every one of our holy days.

An Unusual Holiday

This pattern seems to break when it comes to Purim. We read the Megillah, where we find a long story of hashgaha (Divine intervention) and nes nistar (hidden miracles). A terrible danger was averted in a miraculous fashion, and the nation was saved. We truly have a reason to celebrate. But why celebrate every year? There were other times when the entire nation was in existential danger. Though the very Heavens opened, and the angels’ song wiped away our enemies, we do not commemorate the destruction of Sanheriv’s armies, for example. What was unique about the miracle of Purim that deserved a permanent entry into the Jewish calendar?

Turnabout Is Fair Play

Perhaps the most unique aspect of the miracle of Purim was the large number of reversals that occurred. Being taken by force to live with a non-Jew was a personal tragedy for Esther the tzadeket that turned into a national salvation. Haman’s oversized ego caused him to build the oversized gallows. His ego was partly to blame for his getting strung up on those same gallows. The appointment of Mordechai the Torah Sage to adjudicate Persian disputes at the king’s gate turned into an opportunity for him to uncover Bigtan and Teresh’s assassination plot. And there were many other such instances of “v’nahafoch hu,” complete turnabouts, culminating in the greatest reversal of them all – Haman’s mobilization of the anti-Semitic army gave rise to its own annihilation. The story of the Megillah is woven throughout with the “v’nahafoch hu” theme.

Let us examine this a bit more. The Gemara (Megillah 12a) gives two reasons that we deserved Haman’s decree of annihilation. The first was in the days of Nebuchadnezzar. The king erected a gigantic statue of himself and declared that all his subjects must pay him homage by coming and bowing to his image. The vast majority of Jews in that time decided to obey the king’s decree rather than provoke his anger. They felt it was better to just try to blend in. By doing so, Hashem’s anger was provoked, instead.

The second event that brought down Heavenly judgment was recorded at the start of the Megillah. King Ahashverosh threw a lavish 180-day party, with all of Shushan invited. The Jews of the city, not wanting to be left out, came and enjoyed – against the express warnings of Mordechai. Hashem saw us feasting while the king (erroneously) celebrated the end to Jewish hopes and decreed that we be wiped out.

The common thread between these two events is that we chose to go along with the Gentiles, to blend in and be good citizens. We just wanted to get along with our new neighbors and show the government that we will not be any trouble. And that is exactly what nearly brought calamity.

The Purpose of Galut

Hashem tells us through the words of the prophet (Yehezkel 20: 32-33), “This that you imagine, that you will (now that the Bet Hamikdash was destroyed) become like one of the other nations, will not be. Rather I will rule over you with power and with fury.” After we were exiled from our land, many among us believed that it meant the end of the Jewish Nation as the unique ambassadors of Hashem in this world. We felt that it was time to fade into the background and become a nation like all the others. So, we bowed to the idol. We attended the party. We became just one more nation. Hashem, however, would not tolerate that.

The Midrash(Esther Rabbah 6:7) states, “Hashem said to the Jews: you wept that you were orphans with no father (Eicha 5:3), therefore the one whom I will choose to deliver you [Esther] will have no parents.” The choice of an orphan to be the one to bring deliverance was specifically meant as a rebuke to our statement that “we have no Father.” Even when cast out of our land, our Temple in ruins, we always have our Father in Heaven. The purpose of Galut was not to cast us away, but to teach us this lesson precisely.

Our identity as Hashem’s personal representatives is not tied to any place or time. We do not need to be in Hashem’s house in order to spread awareness of His existence. We can be at the opposite end of the world, deep in the Persian Empire, and still live lives of holiness. When we tried to blend in, Hashem sent us the decree of Haman, which singled out every Jew and targeted him for destruction. Hashem was ruling over us with power and fury, as promised.

Message Received

Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz explains in Manot Halevi (Esther 8:17) that the rejoicing of the Jews when hearing word of their deliverance was tied to their mourning that occurred earlier in the story. Earlier (4:3) it states that “there was great mourning for the Jews,” and at the end it says “happiness and rejoicing for the Jews.” The evil decree was targeted at Jews. As such, we could have “renounced our citizenship” completely and given up our Jewish identity. It might have saved us from annihilation. Instead, we mourned as Jews. We took to heart the message that Hashem sent us and doubled down on our Jewish identity. Then we merited the salvation, and were privileged to rejoice again in our Jewishness.

By highlighting our Jewishness rather than hiding it, we achieved complete teshuva for the previous errors of trying to blend in. We got the message that our job is far from over, and we rededicated ourselves to keeping the Torah even without the Temple. That was how we merited the miracle of v’nahafoch hu – the roles reversed and the persecuted were able to rule over their oppressors (Esther 9:1).

The Lasting Impact

Now we see the unique lasting power of Purim. We are not merely celebrating a miraculous deliverance. Purim does not just commemorate a national victory. Purim was a turning point in our history – just like the events marked by all the other holidays. During the Purim story was when we fully realized the unique mission of the Jewish Nation. Even dispersed among the nations, we do not lose our national identity or our national mission. It is our job to hold our heads high and to proudly show our Jewishness. We do not pay homage to the frivolities of the other nations, and we do not join in their empty celebrations. We follow a different Leader, and it is our job to light the way for others.

May we all be zoche to carry out our mission with clarity and with pride, and to live a life as true emissaries of Hashem. In that merit, we will be able to return to our Land and to our home.

Rabbi Zamir Cohen

The throne of King Xerxes (Ahashverosh, or Ahasuerus) was in a city referred to by the Megillah as Shushan, situated in what is today western Iranand known in Farsi by the name Shush, and in English, Susa.

Shushan and “Shushan the Capital”

The Megillah’s references to this city can be more clearly understood in light of archeological findings. The Megillah sometimes speaks of the city simply as “Shushan,” and in other instances, as “Shushan habirah – Shushan the capital.” In Tanach and rabbinic writings, the word “birah” means a high place, a fortress or a palace. (Over the years, this word came to mean “capital city,” the seat of government.) In the Megillah, the expression “Shushan habirah” indicates the area where the king’s palace was located, as noted by the Ibn Ezra (Esther 1:2): “in Shushan habirah – where the palace was.” Today, we would call this area the “Shushan palace,” or the “Shushan fortress.”

Hebrew language expert Abba Ben-David explains:

Shushan had two parts: the city and the fortress. The king’s palace and the surrounding compound was called “Shushan the fortress,” and the rest of the city was called “Shushan the city.” Mordechai would come and go from the city to the royal compound, and from the royal compound to the city. The city was separate from the royal compound.

Shushan the fortress contained the royal palaces, the primary and secondary harems, government buildings, and more. The expression “Shushan habirah” also teaches us that the king’s palace was situated on a high plateau. Indeed, Ahasuerus’ palace in ancient Shushan was built on a high and wide plateau which is still in existence today. The sages in the Talmud (Megillah 15a)tell us that there was an arkuma d’maya (river, or canal) around the Shushan fortress. This detail, too, was discovered in contemporary archeological excavations, as Professor Elia Samuele Artom (1887-1965) explains: “Based on excavations made in the area of ancient Shushan, a river separated the city from the fortress, and the king’s palace was in a high place in the royal compound.”

According to an accepted tradition described by Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela in his book, the grave of the prophet Daniel is in Shushan, in a special edifice that is known even today.

The Splendor of the King’s Palace

The Megillah also presents a detailed description of the king’s palace. These details have been uncovered in archaeological excavations and described by scholars in the field: 

The author of the Megillah was thoroughly acquainted with the Shushan fortress and all the sections of the royal compound, such as the outer courtyard, the inner courtyard, the royal palace, and the pavilion that stood on columns and was open to the inner courtyard, as excavations conducted here by the French rediscovered. (Encyclopedia Hebraica, vol. 5, p. 101)

The Megillah (Esther 1:6) devotes special attention to the king’s orchard, describing the grandeur of the garden grounds: “There were spreads of white, fine cotton, and blue, embroidered with cords of linen and purple on silver rods and marble columns; couches of gold and silver on a pavement of green, white, shell, and onyx marble.” The Persian king surrounded himself with fancy furniture, fine fabrics, and expensive utensils.

This description corresponds to the Greek historian Herodotus’ description of the luxuries with which Ahasuerus surrounded himself. As scholars have noted (Peneh Olam HaMikra, p. 184):

The description in Megilat Ester of silver rods, gold and silver couches, and a large variety of utensils displayed at Ahasuerus’ banquet, fits the description by Herodotus of the numerous silver and gold vessels left behind by the Persians when they fled from the Greeks during the time of Xerxes: “They spread throughout the camp and found tents decorated with gold and silver, beds coated with gold and silver, gold cups and goblets and other drinking vessels.” Herodotus goes on to say that Xerxes’ own home utensils fell into the hands the Greek commander, and they included utensils, beds and tables of gold and silver, just as is described in the Megillah.

The Banquet Without Coercion

“And the drinking was according to law, with no coercion” (Esther 1:8). This means that the king enacted a law that no person would be forced or pressured to drink.

A contemporary person reads this verse and wonders: Is it necessary to legislate a special law against forcing someone to drink wine?

The Midrash explains that before this great banquet, in which King Ahasuerus sought to reach out to the citizens of his kingdom, the king repealed an ancient royal practice that had been such an integral feature of the palace banquets that the king felt compelled to enact a new law to abolish it.

According to the conventional protocol, at the beginning of the banquet, a giant golden cup filled with strong, unprocessed wine was brought to enhance the merriment of the ministers and courtiers. The chief butler was authorized by law to choose several guests from among the kingdom’s dignitaries, and force them to drink a full glass. The goal was to intoxicate these guests and get them to act mindlessly at the banquet, so everyone else would laugh at them and make them the butt of their jokes. The unfortunate individual who was chosen could not refuse, and he had to drink the entire glass even if he would become sick or even die as a result.

In the words of the Midrash (Midrash Esther, 1; Yalkut Shimoni, Esther, 1048):

This was a custom in Persia: They had a huge cup that held 30 shmatziyot [a Persian volume measurement], which was called a pitka. Each person had to drink from it even if he would die or lose his sanity as a result. The one who was the chief butler would be made rich by the attending Persian dignitaries, who would hint to him [not to face them with the large cup during the banquet] and give him several dinars of gold so he would not offer them the drink. Ahasuerus did not bring this cup to his banquet, and said instead that whoever wants to drink can drink.

The meaning of the words in the Megillah, “And the drinking was according to law, with no coercion” is that the drinking was in accordance with the new law, such that no one was coerced to drink.

Archeological excavations conducted in the Achaemenid Empire palaces have unearthed huge gold goblets in strange shapes, and everyone who saw them wondered, what kind of person drinks from such a giant wine goblet? And even if there was a strange person who would do this, he certainly would not be a prominent figure – so why would it be made from gold? It appears that these goblets were used for the cruel practice of Persian kings in their parties, with the exception of this one banquet hosted by Ahasuerus, as our sages report.

The Greek writer Aristophanes, who lived sometime after the end of the Persian era, describes the Persian banquets as follows: “They would force the guests to drink unprocessed, sweet wine from gold cups.” He does not specify the huge size of the gold cups which have recently been unearthed and can be seen by our very eyes. Most likely, as many years had passed since the downfall Persian kingdom, he was not aware of this detail.