Shalom Everyone, HAPPY PURIM!!! I'm writing this message on PURIM. The megillah tells us that on Purim we have "light and joy, and celebration, and honour."
But what happens if we're not feeling that joy and happiness? The megillah teaches us an amazing 'secret' of Purim: V'Na'ha'foch Hu - ונהפוך הוא - everything switched!
In the Purim story, all of the bad things that were being planned were not only stopped, but reversed completely. The people who were looking to hurt the Jews were ultimately the ones who came to be hurt. We "rested from our enemies, our sadness turned to joy, and our mourning became a holiday" (Esther 9:22).
On Purim and because of Purim, we remember that HaShem is taking care of us and wants us to always try our best, no matter what is happening.
That's how it has felt in shul over the last week. Our Purim carnival last Sunday had over 100 people, in person, celebrating, dancing, and having a great time. The Megillah reading last night in shul also had well over 100 people, with so many families and kids in costume. It was AMAZING to see all the joy and excitement of being back together with our Beth Emeth community.
I'm looking forward to so many more ways to be together in the weeks and months ahead and hope to see you there! SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE PROGRAMMING AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION!
Parshat Tzav - Burning Fire
The Parshah this week contains an interesting direction. The Cohanim are directed by HaShem to clean out the ashes from under the Mizbe'ach (the altar), every evening. However, even as they clean out the ashes, they are supposed to make sure that the fire that was under the altar NEVER went out. That fire was called "Esh Tamid" - a constantly burning fire.
Being close to the Esh Tamid was considered such an honour that the Cohanim would fight about who got to clean up the ashes. They were "on fire" to make sure the mizbe'ach stayed on fire.
We can learn some great lessons for ourselves:
First, cleaning up from ourselves and others should not be considered a chore, but a great honour. We are making sure that everyone else can benefit from our work, and as we take care of each other, we bring more goodness and Godliness into the world.
Second, we should never ever let our own "fires" go out. Our fires are the things that make us excited and that make us feel more comfortable and at home in the world. Sometimes, because of school or work or chores, that inner "fire" can get smaller and even fade into a tiny spark. BUT, just like the Cohanim in the parshah, we must never let that spark go out, and we should always find ways to make sure that spark burns brightly! Discussion Questions:
1. When you get into a fight about "who goes first", are you fighting to be the first one who gives or the first one who gets?
2. How does giving also feel like getting? Do you think getting can also feel like giving? Why?
3. What is your favorite thing to do? If you couldn't do that for a very long time, what is a way to make sure that your "fire" never goes out?
Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Synagogue 100 Elder Street Toronto, ON M3H 5G7
