Rayanot

  Purim means lots. The holiday is named for the lots which Haman drew when choosing the date upon which to implement his plan for annihilating the Jews. The choice of name though seems strange. The lots that Haman drew are but a trivial and insignificant detail in the story. There doesn't seem to be anything consequential about them. The story would remain very much the same even had Haman picked a date through some other means. Why then is the holiday named Purim and why the fuss over Haman's lots? I would like to suggest the following very simple and rational explanation. The lots, more than anything, demonstrate the hubris of Haman and the extreme position of dominance he was in. When planning a war, any commander would give much thought to choosing the best time for attack. They would no doubt be strategic about figuring out when their enemy would be at their weakest and most vulnerable. One would've expected the same of Haman. Surely he would choose his date wise...

To thoroughly describe the impact the Rebbe had on the world and my life in particular, would be all but impossible, nevertheless as we honor the Rebbe today on his birthday, we should at least attempt to pay tribute. One of the greatest contributions the Rebbe gave us, I believe, was the way in which he taught us to think and approach life. It is with this in mind that I present the following tribute to the Rebbe; highlighting ten of the key attitudes and perspectives he taught me to live by: You are capable of infinitely more than you think. Attempt the impossible and it will become possible. The Rebbe. #happybirthdayrebbe — Sholom Kesselman (@sholomkesselman) April 19, 2016 There is nothing you can ever do to make G-d stop loving you. He's not letting go; why should you. The Rebbe. #happybirthdayrebbe — Sholom Kesselman (@sholomkesselman) April 19, 2016 Touch one person and see the chain reaction as they touch the next. Affect one individual-change the world. ...

Passover marks the birth of the Jewish nation.  Since then, we Jews are a singular united entity; not just a collection of individuals. The purpose of the exodus was the receiving of the torah at Mount Sinai and it is this relationship with G-d and the Torah which binds as together as a nation. The focus of Passover therefore ought to be on Jewish unity; and its Mitzvoth and traditions should be of the kinds that emphasize our commonalities and oneness. However when we analyze some of the core Passover traditions we find the opposite to be true. We seem to highlight the individual with his uniqueness and differences, rather than the unity and oneness of our nation. Firstly: the korban pesach. One of the essential biblical mitzvoth of Passover is the paschal sacrifice. Every single individual had to participate in this sacrifice and personally eat from its meat. By nature it was not a communal sacrifice (offered on behalf of the entire nation) as were most of the sacrific...

http://m.chabad.org/holidays/purim/article_cdo/aid/2515587/jewish/Making-Sense-of-the-Madness.htm Purim  is a day of extreme joy, easily one of the most joyous days in the Jewish calendar. But it’s not just the joy that is extreme; everything on Purim seems to take on an exaggerated form. The four major observances of Purim are: reading the  Megillah (Scroll of  Esther ), giving gifts to the poor, sending edible treats to our friends, and feasting. In essence, these are things we do on every Jewish holiday--we read the portions of scripture that deal with that holiday, we give charity before the holiday to help the poor with their holiday expenses, and we eat festive meals. What is unique on Purim is the way we amplify and dramatize these  mitzvahs . What is it about Purim that makes everything so dramatic? On any other  yom tov ,  we read the Torah  once during the day. On Purim we read the Megillah twice: once at night and once again during t...

In our Parsha, G-d showed himself to Moshe at the burning bush and chose him to be the leader of the Jewish people. He would be the one to galvanize and inspire them with the message of redemption and he would be the one to confront Pharaoh demanding that he free the Jews from their slavery. But G-d’s choosing of Moshe as the leader is puzzling. Ahron (Moshe’s older brother) seemed to be a much better and more natural choice for many reasons. 1.        He was the older of the two and in Jewish law this would’ve given him the “rights” (so to speak) to the “throne”. 2.         Ahron was already considered the leader of the Jews. On the verse: “ but he (Moshe) said, "I beseech You, O Lord, send now [Your message] with whom You would send ", Rashi comments: “ With whom You are accustomed to sending, and this is Aaron. ” It is evident from here that up to this point Ahron had been acting as G-d’s messenger; why not j...

My chassidus applied essay entry: http://meaningfullife.com/contest/2015/$19_When_Failure_Is_Really_Success_by_Sholom_Kesselman.php We all fail every now and then. We fall victim to impulses like temptation and pride and we make poor choices that we know are wrong. With time, these failures add up and we find ourselves “shlepping” them along throughout life, like heavy baggage weighing down on our consciousnesses. In the case of many, this leads to feelings of unhealthy guilt or even depression and wreaks havoc on their relationships. If only – we find ourselves wishing – we could just turn back the clock and get a second chance at whatever it was we messed up with. How does one free himself of this baggage? How do we stay positive, happy and undeterred without allowing our failures and setbacks to drag us down? Chassidus not only provides a solution but actually offers a radical and daring perspective here. Not only are these failures not our worst enemy; they’re actual...