Rav Moshe Weinberger - Shalosh Seudos Drasha - Parashas Tetzaveh 5752

Below is a write-up of Rav Weinberger's Shalosh Seudos drasha from this Shabbos, Parshas Tetzaveh.  You can see past write-ups of Rav Weinberger's Shalosh Sheudos Torahs here and get thousands of his shiurim in mp3 format at ravmosheweinberger.com.

 

Rav Moshe Weinberger

Shalosh Seudos Drasha Parashas Tetzaveh 5752

The Shevet M'Yehuda: preparing for celebrating with holiness

(Original text of the Shevet M'Yehudah (Parshas Tetzaveh p.140) is in regular font. Rav Weinberger’s comments are in italics)

This is Torah from the Shevet M'Yehuda, the Rebbe Reb Avromeleh Eiger, the son of Reb Leibele Eiger.

״וגם חרבונה זכור לטוב״ ("and also Charbonah will be remebered for good" from a Piyut sung on Purim). We need to understand the meaning of this. If it goes according to the opinion in חז״ל (Esther Rabbah 10:9) that Charbonah is Eliyahu Hanavi, why do we need to say that he is remembered for good? He is always remembered for good  (זכור לטוב)!  If it goes according to the opinion in the gemarah (Megilah 16a) that Charbonah was also a Rasha, why is he remembered for good?

[He now discusses what חז״ל brings down in the Tikuney Zohar and other places about the deep connection between Purim and Yom Kippur (יום כפורים: a day "like Purim").]

We must explain this according to what we've said before, about Purim being connected as one to Yom Hakippurim. We know from the writings of my Holy father (Reb Leibele Eiger) that this is due to Yom Hakippurim being the day that we received the Second Luchos, while on Purim we accepted the Torah again out of love due to the miracle (Shabbos 88a, see Rashi there). On both of them, the original receiving of the Torah on Shavuos is re-awakened.  It's known from חז״ל (Pesachim 68b) that everyone agrees that both on Shavuos and on Purim it's a Mitzvah to celebrate with a feast.

The Torah was received in different ways on three separate dates. On Shavuos we received the First Luchos, on Yom Kippur we received the Second Luchos, and there was a renewed acceptance of the Torah on Purim ״והדר קבלוה בימי אחשורוש״.

We know from the Sefer Toras Emes (Yisro) the reason Hashem chose to give the Torah in a place named חורב.

חריבות is an emptying of the Neshama of anything extraneous, leaving it empty and desolate to be able to receive the Torah. That's why the Troah had to be given in the wilderness. The Torah can only truly resonate within the minds and hearts of the "נפשות חריבות" of this world. Those who empty themselves of any attachment to physicality, the "Desolate Souls".

One's soul needs to be dry and empty from the "moisture" of physical pleasures. It should also be חרוב (empty and desolate) in ones own eyes. This is so even on the day of the giving of the Torah, where we are required to feast with food and wine.

In this sense the First Luchos did not have a complete permanence. As it says (Shemos 32:6) ״וישב העם לאכול ושתו וכו׳״ (and the people sat down to eat and drink). The Tikkun for this is on Yom Hakippurim where there is no eating or drinking, and all Yisroel are empty and dry of all physical pleasures, and their hearts are broken from their Teshuva during the עשרת ימי תשובה. Then a new set of Luchos was given that endures forever.

On Yom Kippur by fasting and refraining from other physical pleasures we rectify the חטא העגל that involved the indulgence in our Taavos.

However it was His Holy Will that the Jewish soul should also be a place of Torah when it's filled with goodness, in eating and drinking that is done in קדושה and טהרה with firmness and strength. This was accomplished with the miracle of Purim, when from the אהבה for this miracle they accepted the Torah again in the days of Achashverosh. Thus we can understand that the Mitzvos of the day are performed through feasting and joy, by increasing our eating and drinking that is one with the חריבות of our souls on Yom Hakippurim. From the power of this  חריבות הנפש on Yom Hakippurim we merit receiving the Second Luchos just as we did the First ones in חורב. The symbol of the place of Torah in the נפש חריבה, as it's stated in his holy writings.

Yom Kippur is the time of emptying ourselves out of all physical desires so that we can prepare to be able, on Purim, to use our eating and drinking in the service of Hashem, instead of giving into our physical Taavos.  

Even regarding the holiday of Atzeres regarding the issue we are required to feast ״בעינן נמי לכם״, on Purim when the accepted again the Torah out of אהבת הנס, the letters of חרב turned around and became רחב (expansion, abundance) as its written in Toras Emes. Thus we engage in eating and drinking with greater abundance then at any other time in the year. However the main thing at the time of התרחבות (abundance) and expansion of our eating and drinking, is not to forget but to remember "for good" the true goals and intentions of physical life. To connect as one to the חריבות and dryness from the physical pleasures, and the חריבות of oneself, that is the holiness of Yom Hakippurim. Only through this we merit the Second Luchos just like we did the First ones in the place called חרב.

In order for Purim to be Purim, we require the preparation of Yom Kippur. Otherwise our celebrating in eating and drinking, instead of becoming a form of Avodas Hashem, will turn into just Taavos and drunkenness.

This is the ending of the Piyut that was designated for the simcha of Purim ״וגם חרבונה זכור לטוב״. That is the word חרבונה includes in it the חריבות and the התרחבות together to be remembered for good. This is the main thing, that both be well joined together as one. Then it will all be for good, with a complete goodness, Amen.