Parshat Ki Tisa/Purim & current events: In this past weeks parasha were told that we will give a 1/2shekel as a donation. Asks Rav Mugrabi based on the mefarshim - why did we have to give ½, wouldn't it have been easier if we just gave a whole coin?! Rav Alshich answers beautifullysaying it is because Hashem wanted us to learn that a Jew can never reach wholeness when he stands alone, only when he joins with his fellow Jew is he completed, whether it be a simpler Jew or a richer one than you, we are only whole &complete when we are together. Only together can we form the whole coin.
In the Yerushalmi there's a pasuk which is explained as follows- “When there is unity among Israel even if we serve idols we will defeat our enemies, but as soon as we lose basic respect for each other, speak slander of one another and have baseless hatred among our people we will not win, rather we will fall before them”. We need to fear more the disputes within our own nation than the disputes between ourselves and other nations.
When Haman speaks about our people he says, “There is a nation scattered and divided among the nations”. In response to the terrible decree Esther tells Mordechai “go and assemble the Jewish people”, she unites them as one, with one united goal and a united means to achieve it. They all needed each other in order to be saved from the terrible decree. The above idea of the ½ shekel is then beautifully connected to purim, the chag which is so much about uniting our people. We spend purim giving food baskets and charity to the poor, to bring us all together in happiness.
There is a beautiful story told about a father on his deathbed. He calls his sons and gives each one a special vase, and then tells them each to break it. He then gave them one bundled vase to break, but they could not. Explained the father, when you are alone, separate from one another, even you are special and great people, alone, anyone can break you. The smaller vases also break into many more small pieces make it harder for it to ever be put back together. But when you are together bundled and united nothing can break you.
In gemara Yevamot it says “a person who loves his neighbors and brings them close then when they call Hashem will listen”. Over 100 missiles came down on Israel this Shabbat, leaving 1 seriously injured and 7 others slightly injured. Israel is facing some intensely scary times right now. Whether you are in America, England, Italy, Switzerland, north Israel, south Israel or central Israel, we are united and everything that happens to just one of our people happens to us all. We are all in danger. The missiles may be physically hitting only a few cities in Israel but in reality we are all being hit, because Iran wants us all dead, not just the people being hit.
We all need each other, especially right now, to get us through this time and merit greater times of peace and good news. So please in spirit of purim and in light of all the terrible news in Israel please do something for your fellow Jews, reach out to someone in some way, anything you can think of in order to bring us closer together, anything you do can make the greatest difference. It says in the Gemara “saving one life is like saving the world”. So you don’t need to think big, you don’t need to reach millions, but by doing one small act for someone else you may be saving the entire world.
In Shema it says “ and we will never give up and we will never fail because in you G-D we trust”. Trust in Him, pray, trust in the difference you can make, stay strong, don’t give up and never lose hope and G-D willing we will merit to see the end of all the violence and the coming of Mashiach, a time of peace and good news for all of Am Yisrael.
Have a beautiful, inspiring and meaningful day.
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