PurimBurst 2009 / 5569Sarah Yehudit Schneider Esther inspired affection in the eyes of all who saw her… (Megillat Esther 2:15) What was the secret of Esther’s extraordinary (even supernatural) grace.[1] It wasn’t her sense of fashion, for she did not primp even before her big night with the king.[2] And it wasn’t her physical features, as captivating as they were,[3] for outer beauty, though compelling, always has detractors—it inevitably, also, arouses envy. Not so for Esthe

PurimBurst 2010 / 5770Inspiried by R. Tsadok HaKohen, Likutei Amarim, essay 5Sarah Yehudit Schneider One is obligated to drink on Purim until you don’t know the difference between cursing Haman and blessing Mordekhai (Shulchan Aruch 695:2). The Ari explains the tikun that happens through this peculiar mitzvah: In every fallen person or sinful moment there is a sliver of God that enables that opposer-of-good to exist for there is only one source of life, and that is HaShem, th

PurimBurst, 2011/ תשע”אby Sarah Yehudit Schneider1 The descendents of Haman study Torah in Benei Brak, and R. Shmuel bar Shilat is [is the most illustrious] among them.2 (TB San. 96b [Ein Yakov, Para. 163]) מִבְּנֵי בָּנָיו שֶׁל הָמָן לָמְדוּ תּוֹרָה בִּבְנֵי בְּרַק ומנו רב שמואל בּר שילת: Everyone knows that we are built from shattered vessels, as the Torah hints in its second verse which describes the fallen state of reality before it was refurbished in the six creation day

Purim Burst 2012 / 5772Sarah Yehudit Schneider HaShem said to Israel: “When the Temple was destroyed you cried out, ‘We are orphans. Our father has abandoned us…’ (Lam. 5:3). As sure as you live, the redeemer that will deliver you from your Persian tormentor shall also have no father or mother.” And so the Megilla records that Esther was an orphan, “she had no father or mother.” (Midrash Rabbah – Esther 6:7)When Esther heard about the genocidal decree pronounced by the king s

PurimBurst 2014 Sarah Yehudit Schneider (1) Remember [1]….(2) to blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens [2]….(3) Do not forget! [2] Who is this Amalek that three of our 613 mitzvot revolve around him? And how do we “remember to eliminate the memory of something while also never forgetting it?” Isn’t that self-contradictory? The Torah accords Amalek the mysterious distinction as “First of the nations…” [ראשית גוים עמלק…][4]. The midrash explains that this i

In those days, when Mordekhai sat by the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, Guardians of the Saf (Threshold), were angry, and sought to lay hand on king Ahasuerus. Mordekhai caught wind of the plot and shared it with Esther the queen, and Esther warned the king in Mordekhai’s name. Inquiries were made, the conspiracy was verified, and the two [men] were hanged on a tree. The incident was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the king’s presence. [

Purim, 5777 / 2017Sarah Yehudit Schneider Based on the teachings of R. Tsadok HaKohen[1] “To the Jews there was light—אורה…” (the feminine form of the word indicating the Oral Torah, as opposed to אור, which is masculine and refers to Scripture itself). [Esther 8:16] “It came to pass, on the third day, that Esther donned malchut…[Esther 5:1].She wrapped herself in ruach hakodesh (holy spirit)…[Rashi, there]. [On Purim] it all turns upside down… [Esther 9:1]. On Purim we final

Purim 2018 Sarah Yehudit Schneider The Talmud asks: “Why did the Jews of that generation deserve extermination? Because they derived pleasure [נהנו] from the feast of that wicked one [Achashverosh].” [TB Megila 12a]The Talmud doesn’t say “because they ate” – this the Jews could justify by claiming they were subject to royal decree and would risk their lives by refusing to attend the feast. Rather their sin was that they enjoyed the banquet and partook of it with gusto. [Pirc

Purim 2018 / 5778 Sarah Yehudit Schneider The Talmud asks: “Why did the Jews of that generation deserve extermination? Because they derived pleasure [נהנו] from the feast of that wicked one [Achashverosh].” [TB Megila 12a]The Talmud doesn’t say “because they ate” – this the Jews could justify by claiming they were subject to royal decree and would risk their lives by refusing to attend the feast. Rather their sin was that they enjoyed the banquet and partook of it with gust

Purim 2019 / 5779 Sarah Yehudit Schneider Based on R. Y Safrin of Komara’s Commentary on Esther called Ketem Ofier (4:1 – 5:4) Mordecai charges Esther to go before the king, and plead for her people….[Esther warns that] “Anyone entering the king’s sanctum uninvited incurs death unless the king extends his golden scepter and grants them life.” Esther confides that she has not been called by the king for thirty days [implying that she’s likely to receive an invite soon] …Morde

Purim Teachings Through the Years (1988 – Present).

Purim 2020 / 5780 Sarah Yehudit Schneider וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ יְי ﭏהִים מִגַּן-עֵדֶן…וַיַּשְׁכֵּן מִקֶּדֶם לְגַן-עֵדֶן אֶת-הַכְּרֻבִים וְאֵת לַהַט הַחֶרֶב הַמִּתְהַפֶּכֶת לִשְׁמֹר אֶת-דֶּרֶךְ עֵץ הַחַיִּיםGod banished [Adam] from the Garden of Eden…and stationed cherubim (angelic sentries) east of Eden, including a revolving, flaming sword to guard the path of the Tree of Life. [Gen 3:23-24] וַיְהִי | בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי וַתִּלְבַּשׁ אֶסְתֵּר מַלְכוּת וַתַּעֲמֹד בַּחֲצַר בֵּי

…and why is he mentioned along with the big shots of the story? Charvonah is a seemingly insignificant character in the Purim story. He is one of the king’s attendants who appears at the beginning with those who convey the kings fateful summons to Vashti and then again at Haman’s demise. It is here, in this second mention, that he delivers his single line: וַיֹּאמֶר חַרְבוֹנָה אֶחָד מִן-הַסָּרִיסִים לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ גַּם הִנֵּה-הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר-עָשָֹה הָמָן לְמָרְדֳּכַי אֲשֶׁ

This is a teaching about prayer as conveyed by the Komarna Rebbe (R. Yitzchak Eisik Safrin, 1806 – 1874). It is only tangentially related to Purim, though it does appear in his commentary on Megillat Esther. Furthermore, since Purim is a most propitious time for prayer, it is an appropriate teaching for the occasion. But mostly, it is a subject I wanted to broach, and this concurrence of commentary and prayer focus provides an opportunity to do so. The focus of the Komarna’s

Said Haman to Achashverosh: “Let these [Jewish] people be destroyed…” The King removed his signet ring, gave it to Haman and replied: “Do with them as you see fit.” …A decree went out to destroy, slay and exterminate all Jews, young and old, women and children on a single day, the 13th of Adar and to plunder their possessions…[1] Shortly after Hamen’s demise (in the month of Sivan), Esther begged the King to annul Haman’s genocidal plot that was still scheduled to occur in se

Everyone’s invited to the33rd ANNUAL DANCE AND LEARN CATERED SEUDA AND PURIM PARTY FOR WOMENthat begins on Monday, March 25th at 3:30 PM and then pauses between 6 PM and 8 PM for the powerful and transformative featured event, thePURIM HIGH COUNCIL PRAYER AND MEDITATION GATHERING FOR WOMEN,that will (hopefully) also be on Zoom and will begin at:6:00 PM Israel time | 12:00 noon EDT | 9:00 AM PDT | 4:00 PM UKBe there, or be square!

ar It’s clear (as we’ve seen) that rectified decision-making is a skill we must cultivate to find our way through the post-Edenic world of “good and evil” where everything is shades of gray. Success requires a low-grade prophesy called, ruach hakodesh. Yet as we’ll soon see, that requires a rectified will, which requires a pure heart, which requires equanimity, which requires an immunity to flattery and insult, which requires a mastery of our innate tendencies toward narcissi

AN INVITATION…To Women Far and Wideto Participate in a Ground-Breaking, Soul-Awakening Event:The 34th Annual “Purim High Council Prayer and Meditation Happening for Women”(that will also be available via Zoom) In this part of the world we are preparing for Sarah Yehudit’s 34th annual open-house Shushan-Purim-Dance-and-Learn-Seuda-for-Women featuring the Purim-High-Council-Prayer-and-Meditation-Ceremony. However, this Holy Purim Assembly has grown over the years until I was re

A REAL LIFE, DIVINELY CHOREOGRAPHED,נהפוך הוא רַעֲוָא דְּרַעֲוִין ♦ Through a miraculous turn of events, HaShem and his angelic agents, have let it be known that the Purim High Council Prayer and Meditation Happening for Women must go on in full array, with ample space to gather and shine. Unbelievable!!! An angel appeared on my doorstep, … my whatsapp portal to be exact, and asked what I was up to and offered to help. (That itself was a miracle of no small stature). After

BACKGROUND This High Council Women’s Prayer & Meditation Happening on Purim has evolved over a period of about 30 years. It has gone through countless changes and paradigm shifts. The only thing that remains from its early years is the intention behind it: The goal of harnessing the powerful lights available on Purim, that were unlocked by Esther (a woman), and to direct them toward good, healing and mashiach now. The people that have been advisors, actors and enactors over