For those who have heard the Megillah many times, the story is less than climactic. Yet Rebbetzin Braunstein makes the Purim story come alive by pointing to deeper layers between the words. Hear details of Esther's family history and a few finer distinctions of Hashem's involvement in what at first glance seems to be a simple tale of political backstabbing.
Rabbi Feiner identifies seemingly unrelated Jewish symbols in the Purim story that help us spot the guiding hand of Hashem. Aspects he elaborates on include the sense of smell, the Zodiacal sign of Pisces, the image of Purim as a bed, and other concepts that indicate how, despite all we have going against us, we miraculously continue to survive.
Rabbi Gogek traces the historical thread of Amalek from the beginning of man to the time Haman raised his diabolical head in the Purim story. What is the power of this dangerous nation, and what mighty character trait did Mordechai used to toss him to the gallows.
The Jews, during the Persian exile, seemed to be strong and pious. However, the deeper inner relationship between us and Hashem after the Churban was dead. Mrs Juravel reveals the ultimate lesson of the day and how a similar spiritual turn-about in your life is more of a possibility than you think.
The story of Esther’s triumphant success in saving her nation from complete annihilation came saddled with her own fierce personal struggle. This woman’s ability to see her place in God’s ultimate plan, and her decision to rise to the occasion despite her terrible personal sacrifice holds an important lesson for each of us.
How can people prepare themselves for Purim before the festive day arrives? Rabbi Orlowek offers solid tips from several noteworthy Torah scholars who instruct us how to strengthen our bond with God on Purim day in very meaningful ways.
The story of Esther̢s success in saving her nation from annihilation came with a fierce personal struggle. Her ability to picture her destiny in God̢s ultimate plan, and her courageous will to fill that gap despite the terrible personal sacrifice holds important lessons we can all benefit from.
Purim celebrates the essence of a Jew. Haman succeeded in sanctifying our entire people once again, much as Hitler did, by attempting to erase His immense love by countering it with a parallel measure of hate.
Why do we increase our joy in Adar? According to Chazal, why is there no limit to wine consumption on Purim? And what does all that wine accomplish anyway? In this fast-paced, multi-faceted talk, Rabbi Wagensberg goes through many questions on Purim, in general, and the megillah, in particular, to bring out numerous pearls about this wacky holiday.
If drinking excessively is frowned upon in general, why should getting drunk on Purim be any different? Also, the commandment to remember Amalek is very confusing - are we supposed to destroy his memory, or always keep it alive? Was it our fault that this archenemy came into existence in the first place? In this penetrating talk, Rabbi Wagensberg brings up all the questions surrounding the concept of the nemesis of the Jew. This talk is a winner.