Community Magazine March 2016

20 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE though he slept some two hours less than the former. It’s only 9am, but he’s already had an accomplished day. He spoke with his Creator, and increased his knowledge of Torah. He experiences the joy of growth, of productivity, of having accomplished something worthwhile, while the other is just getting started as he trudges along to the office. This is true of children, as well. A child who receives everything he wants without effort will not be happy. He will experience a temporary rush of excitement each time he is given a new gift, but this feeling quickly fades. The happy child is one who is given age-appropriate challenges and tasks, who is encouraged to take on projects, work hard, and accomplish, so he can experience true joy – the joy of growth and achievement. At least according to one opinion, this is why Adar is a time of special joy. Commenting on the Gemara’s ruling that we increase our joy when Adar comes, Rashi explains that the beginning of Adar marks the onset of the season of Purim and Pesach. From the perspective of our society, we might have thought that the flurry of mitzvah activity during this season should trigger feelings of dread and angst. With all the preparations for, and special mitzvot of, Purim and Pesach, there’s a lot going on during this period, and a lot for us to do and take care of. There’s a great deal of work entailed. This is a time for hard work. And this is precisely why it’s a time for joy. True joy comes from hard work and achievement, and this is the period on the Jewish calendar when we have lots of mitzvot to tend to and a lot to accomplish. Therefore, this is a time of joy. Clearly, then, the joy of Purim is not the “joy” of intoxication. It is the joy of growth and achievement through the performance of mitzvot . Escapism and the Illusion of Joy The essential purpose of Adar is to lead us away from illusionary joy, so we can experience genuine joy. The scholars of Kabbalah teach us that the divine Name of Havayah – spelled yod , then heh , followed by vav and heh – can be configured in 12 different ways by rearranging the letters, and each configuration corresponds to one of the 12 months. The configuration that corresponds to the month of Adar is heh , heh , yod , vav . The rabbis teach that this configuration is alluded to in the Torah, specifically, in Yaakov’s deathbed blessing to his fourth son, Yehudah (Beresheet 49:11). Prophetically foreseeing the exceptional quality of the vines in Yehuda’s territory in the Land of Israel, Yaakov proclaims, “ Oseri lagefen iroh velasorekah beni atono ” – people will be able to tie their animals to grapevines. Most grapevines are flimsy, and so nobody would ever think to restrain their animals by tying them to a vine. But the region of Judea would produce uniquely sturdy vines, which would produce especially high quality wine, and animals could be tied to these vines. For the suits that travel. Special rates to Europe, Hong Kong, & Tel Aviv At HCTNY , we know the journey is as important as the handshake. That’s why we take care of every detail so that you can stay focus on securing every deal. Find out how you can pay with your amex points! Dedicated in memory of the pure neshamot of the Sassoon children