Videos: The Rebbe's Purim Drashos 5772

I hope everyone had a freilichen and productive Purim. Once again, Purim in Milwaukee was gevaldig! The Rebbe feered a short tish immediately after the Megilah at night at which he introduced a new nigun l'kavod Purim. During the day, after everyone's individual seudos, the chevra all gathered together at the home of Rav Benzion where the Rebbe feered a L'chaim Tish and said Torah twice. At the conclusion of the tish, everyone met up again at shul for nearly an hour of dancing before the Rosh Kollel led Maariv in his classic, "Vizhnitzer" nusach.

Click READ MORE for the videos of the Rebbe saying Torah, courtesy of Tzuriel Kastel.

Video: T'Kah B'Shofar in Chaim Berlin

Rav Yitzchak Hutner, ztz"l, on Purim

 The Rebbe's T'kah B'shofar, as sung in Yeshivas Chaim Berlin on Purim 5772:

White Noise and Purim

Written by the Rebbe, Rav Michel Twerski, shlit"a, for Purim 5751 (1991)

(from Turning Pages, 64-65)

White noise. Remember white noise? It's the specially crafted "noise" modem technology concocted to blot out the many undesirable sounds and noises which surround us constantly. Ostensibly, if one wishes to escape the cacophony of whirs, buzzes, clanks and rings of contemporary life, one invokes an electrical "sound box" to release a comforting stream of static noise (white noise) which, by focusing the attention of the listener exclusively to this soothing sound, blocks reception to all other noises extraneous to itself.

Purim: Revealing the Hiddeness

Among the many peculiarities of Purim, one that definitely deserves mention, is the mitzvah to read the Megilah. The reason we read the Megilah is to broadcast and publicize the miracle of Hashem’s intervention in the Purim story. Yet, throughout the entire Megilah, G-d’s Name is mentioned all but never. We seem to be caught somewhere between revealing and concealing...

Purim: Too Drunk to Know the Difference

Written by the Rebbe, Rav Michel Twerski, shlit"a  for Purim 1989

(from Turning Pages, pg 62-63)

Most everyone looks forward to the Purim holiday with eagerness and excitement, because after all is said and done, it is in practice a pleasant and enjoyable event. Nonetheless, the day does, in theory, raise an eyebrow of puzzlement about the range and character of its obligations and mitzvos. Let's review them briefly: 1) the reading of the Megillah, evening and morning; 2) the festive Seudos Purim (the meals); 3) the sending of "Mishloach Manos" to friends (food gifts); 4) the giving of charity to  "Evyonim" (poverty stricken people); and 5) drinking intoxicating beverages to the point where one cannot distinguish between the meaning of "blessed is Mordechai" and that of "cursed is Haman. Although it's not entirely clear how the first four of these hang together, as an integral unit, the last of the five responsibilities confounds us completely. Getting drunk? A Jew? So drunk that we can't differentiate between Mordechai and Haman? As the pundits all put it these days - Gimme a break!

Video: Purim 5771

Awesome video of the Rebbe saying Torah at the Trink Seudah. A tremendous yasher koach to Reb Tzuriel Kastel for filming and posting the video.

You can try downloading it by clicking here (mp4, 288 MB).

Purim: We Will Not Kneel, Not Now, Not Ever

When the Megila speaks about Mordechai's refusal to bow down to Haman, the pasuk says, "ומרדכי לא יכרע ולא ישתחוה". While this could be understood  as "Mordechai would not bow", the literal translation is "and Mordechai will not kneel and he will not bow".

The implication is that there is something about Haman and Amalek that is so antithetical to the Jew that Mordechai absolutely could not kneel. In his not kneeling, Mordechai gave the message that Haman is so evil and so foreign to the Jewish mindset and experience that we will not kneel and we will not bow. Not now and not ever. He didn't bow with such defiance and conviction that it was clear to all that he could not and would not at any point in time.

When Haman saw this total and absolute determination-and he recognized it to be forever unfaltering-that's when he knew he would have to destroy Klal Yisroel, that there was no way to "convert" them.
Adar is a time of to renew. It is a time to renew convictions and reaffirm our undying and unwavering allegiance to Hashem and the mission he has charged us with.

On Shabbos Zachor and Purim, when we remember to forget Amalek, let us do so with every fiber of our being and let there be no room for anyone, including ourselves, to misunderstand our intentions. We will not give in to the yetzer hara. We will not kneel to Haman. We will not bow to any other than Hashem.

The Propitiousness of Purim

HaRav Shloime Twerski of Denver, ztz"l, on Purim.

From the sefer Pele Yoetz (free translation):

"During the Purim seudah, Reb Motele said L'Chayim in his holy manner and then said the following:

Today, on Purim, there are three hashpaos:

1) The tefilah of each and every member of Klal Yisroel, even if davened by themselves, will come before the King of Kings and his request will be fulfilled.

2) On the average, our lips are moving and we are not so present to the davening. On Purim one is able to connect his thoughts with his speech during davening and learning.

3) Even one who is caught, chas v'shalom, in thoughts of heresy and transgression, today he can be aroused to repentance and he will return from his wicked thoughts and ways."

Look it up to see how he reads these three things into the Megilla (9:25).

In another maamer in Pele Yoetz, Reb Motele says:

"Today is the time to accept the yoke of Heaven and the oneness of Hashem upon ourselves, to serve Him completely through self-negation and the extirpation of personal interests, to fulfill only the will of Hashem. [This can occur] through the revelation of the central point of the neshama, the "pintele yid". From today on, we can accept on ourselves to serve the One G-d in all our actions and affairs."

These are just a sampling of the awesome power of Purim!

Reb Motele on Purim

A little about the Rebbe Reb Motele on Purim...

I remember hearing on numerous occasions that the chassidim used to file by the Rebbe Reb Motele and each one would pour a little of what they were drinking into a large, sliver negel vasser cup that was placed before the Rebbe. It didn't matter if they poured in beer or vodka, wine or whiskey. When the "cup" was full, the Rebbe would drink the whole thing and begin saying Torah.

Rosh Chodesh Adar II משנכנס אדר מרבים בשמחה

We had an extra month of Adar this year to prepare for Purim.

We are already half way through שלושים יום קודם החג.

Better late than never.

So here is a recording of the Rebbe's Layehudim, sung at the Purim Seudah in 5768 (2008) to get us started.

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