12
Feb 2018
By Rav Mordechai Gifter, zt”l Translated by Rabbi Israel Schneider, shlit”a In explanation of the dictum (Megillah 7b): It is incumbent upon a person to cheer himself on Purim until he cannot tell the difference between “Accursed be Haman” and “Blessed be Mordechai”, some authorities say that these two phrases have the same numerical value (502). The intent of this equivalence Is that one may recognize the Divine not only from the blessedness of Mordechai, and the great miracle which that symbolizes, but also from the cursedness of Haman, i.e.,......
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11
Feb 2018
Based on a Shiur Daas delivered by the Rosh Yeshiva HaRav Mordechai Gifter, zt”l In the liturgical thanksgiving which we recite on Chanukah, it states: “When the wicked Greek kingdom rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget your Torah and compel them to stray from the statutes of your will.” Ordinarily, the word חק, “statute,” connotes a specific type of commandment whose reason is unknown. The usage of this term here indicates that in all the commandments of the Torah, even those which seem logical and readily understandable, there......
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