The fish are saying: "The voice of G-d is upon the waters, the G-d of glory thunders;
G-d is upon many waters." (Psalms 29:3)
Rabbi Dosa
the son of Hurkinas would say:
Morning sleep, noontime wine, children's talk and sitting at the meeting places
of the ignorant, drive a person from the world.
Tiferet shebeNetzach (beauty and balance within the context of victory and
endurance)
In the twenty-fourth week, the fish in Perek Shirah sing that the voice of Hashem hovers above the waters - the G-d
of glory thunders - Hashem is above
many waters. (Psalm 29:3) This is
the week of Purim, when we remember that Hashem
is with us during all our trials and tribulations, even if sometimes in a
hidden way.
In Purim, we celebrate the great salvation experienced
in the times of the Persian exile, when the evil Haman, with the initial
support of the King, Achashverosh, sought to exterminate the entire Jewish
people. Through the efforts of Mordechai and Esther, the decree against the
Jewish people is miraculously annulled, and instead Haman, his sons, and the
enemies of the Jews are the ones killed.
The Zohar states that Yom Kippur (also called Yom haKippurim) is a day that is “KePurim,” like Purim, meaning that Purim
is even higher than Yom Kippur. If on Yom Kippur we are on the level of angels,
then on Purim we must be at a level that is even higher than angels, on the
level of tzadikim. As mentioned in
the previous week, fish symbolize tzadikim.
Furthermore, on Purim, in an attempt to become closer
to G-d, we drink “many waters.” We try to reach a level of ad deloyadah, of not knowing the difference between "blessed
be Mordechai" and "cursed be Haman." We have an experience that
in many ways is similar to that of the four rabbis that entered the Pardes. When describing this experience,
Rabbi Akiva stated, "When you reach the stones of pure marble, do not say:
'Water, water.'" On Purim, we realize that there are no divisions or
separations on-high, all is One, and there is no difference between the effects
of what we perceive as good and what we perceive as evil. When a person reaches
these levels, the desire to cleave to Hashem
is so strong that it is like great waves pulling us out of this world. The
voice of Hashem thunders, like at
Mount Sinai, and we want to nullify ourselves completely (ratzo). In order to survive this experience, we must do like Rabbi
Akiva, who “entered in peace and returned in peace.” We must understand that
ultimately Hashem’s desire is that we
return and make a dwelling place for him within
this world (shov).[1]
The song of the fish states that the voice of Hashem, and Hashem Himself, are above the waters. However, the fish are not
above the waters, but actually inside them. In order to perceive G-d fully, the
fish also need emissaries. The role of shlichut
(being an emissary) is very prominent in the Purim story. Not only is Esther an
emissary of Mordechai and vice-versa, but also the communications between
Mordechai and Esther were often done through shluchim. It is therefore no coincidence that on Purim we give each
other mishloach manot (from the word sheliach), preferably through a third
person.
The term "many waters" is also in the Song
of Songs, when King Solomon writes that many waters cannot extinguish the love
[for G-d].[2]
The "many waters" are a reference to the difficulties and turbulences
involved in making a living, which however great, cannot extinguish the love of
a Jew for G-d.[3]
The Hebrew word for fish is dag. Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh explains that fish represent the tikkun (rectification) of worry (da'agah), especially in relation to
earning a livelihood. The Torah relates that at the time of Nehemiah, certain
Jews desecrated the Sabbath by selling fish in the market of Jerusalem. These
men did not trust in G-d in earning a living. The fish (dag) then became a source of excessive concern (da'ag).
Fish are constantly aware of their dependence on
water, given that water is more tangible than air. Similarly, they are
constantly aware of the Source of their existence, Hashem.
The number twenty-four is related to the twenty-four
presents of the kohanim, of the tribe
of Levi. In addition, the priesthood was later divided into twenty-four
watches. The letters caf and dalet spell kad, which means jar, or pitcher. There is the famous kad found during Chanukah, which contained pure oil with the seal of the high
priest, the Kohen Gadol. This oil
lasted eight days instead of one. Even the great impurity and turbulences that
took place during the Hellenistic period did not extinguish the love of the
Jewish people for Hashem. The Jews
emerged from the struggle with the Greeks even purer than before and with
redoubled faith.
In addition to Chanukah,
the connection between Purim and the role of kohanim is also quite strong. Esther has to fast and enter the
King’s chamber in order to ask for the life of her people, very much the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur. The Mishnah states that the Kohen Gadol was called a sheliach Hashem, an emissary of G-d,
although he also served like an emissary of the Jewish people. Esther also
played this role, of being at the same time an emissary of the Jewish people,
but also G-d’s emissary in order to save His people. The kohen is also referred to as malach
Hashem, a messenger, literally an “angel” of G-d.
Purim gives emphasis to two different types of
relationship and duality. Mordechai, of the tribe of Benjamin, of King Shaul,
and Haman, a descendant of Amalek, are polar opposites. Esther and Mordechai
complement each other for the good, while Haman and King Achashverosh
complemented each other for evil.
In the Pirkei Avot
saying for this week, Rabbi Dosa the son of Harkinas teaches that late sleep in
the morning, wine at midday, the chatter of children, and sitting in the
meeting places of the ignorant, all take a person out of this world.
Interestingly, these acts are all encouraged on Purim! On Purim, there are two
ways to reach a level of ad deloyada:
sleeping or drinking during the day. Moreover, the Purim story highlights the
importance of the words spoken by children studying Torah, the very source for
the redemption. Additionally, on Purim we emphasize our unity and do not
distinguish between rich and poor, be it material wealth or Torah knowledge. We
distribute mishloach manot, give
gifts to the poor, and all sit together to partake in the Purim feast. All
these actions take us out of this world of illusion (olam, world, comes from the word he'elem, hidden) and bring us to higher levels of reality and
connection to G-d.
This week, the combination of sefirot is tiferet
shebenetzach, beauty and balance within redemption, persistence and
determination. These qualities are very much linked to Esther and Mordechai and
to Purim in general. The lesson we draw from the fish is that material concerns
must not take away from our trust and faith in Hashem. Nothing should be a hindrance to our direct relationship
with Him.
[1] Attaining
Sagacity, Eliyahu Touger, available
at http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/attaining-sagacity/10.htm
[2] Chapter 8:7
[3] Ma’amar “Mayim Rabbim” of the
Alter Rebbe
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