Rosh Chodesh Adar – Simcha!

How do we know that we are supposed to be happier in the month of Adar compared to other months of the year?

There is a actually a Halacha in Shulchan Aruch to decrease our joy שמחה during the month of Av. However, there is not Halacha law, in Shulchan Aruch, telling us to be happy.

שו”ע או”ח תקנא:א

משנכנס אב ממעטין בשמחה…

When the month of Av starts, we decrease joy [Simcah]…[because the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed and other major calamities in this month]. (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim, 551:1)

We have a source to decrease our joy. However, where is the source for Jews to increase our joy during the month of Adar?

This concept is written in the Talmud Bavli in the name of Rav Shmuel bar Shilas.

תלמוד בבלי תענית, דף כט עמוד ב

משנכנס אב ממעטין בשמחה כו’ אמר רב יהודה בריה דרב שמואל בר שילת משמיה דרב: כשם שמשנכנס אב ממעטין בשמחה, כך משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה.

When the month of Av begins, we decrease joy etc. Rav Yehuda the son of Rav Shmuel bar Shilas in the Name of Rav states: Just as when the month of Av begins we decrease joy, so too when the month of Adar begins we increase joy [Simcha]. (Talmud Bavli, Taanis, 29b)

The source of this Torah teaching is from a Rav Yehuda the son of Rav Shmuel bar Shilas who learned this from Rav.

Who was Rav Shmuel bar Shilas?

There is another statement in the Talmud that the descendants of Evil Haman (from the Purim story), taught Torah in Bnei Brak, Eretz Yisrael! What better revenge on the evil Haman, who wanted to destroy Judaism and the Jewish people, than to have some of his descendants become Jews and disseminate our Torah.

תלמוד בבלי, סנהדרין דף צו עמוד ב

…מבני בניו של המן למדו תורה בבני ברק.

…from the sons of Haman, are teachers of Torah in Bnei Brak [Eretz Yisrael]. (Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 96b)

This now begs the question. Who were the actual sons of Haman who taught Torah in Bnei Brak? This question was asked and answered by the Ein Yakov (Rav Yakov ben Shlomo ibn Habib, from Zamora Spain 1460-1516).

עין יעקב סנהדרין פרק יא: קסג

…מבני בניו של המן למדו תורה בבני ברק. ומנו? רב שמואל בר שילת! [שילת זה שם אימו בגלל שאבא היה גוי, בן המן].

….from the sons of Haman, are teachers of Torah in Bnei Brak. And who is it? Rav Shmuel bar Shilas! [Shilas was his mother’s name, because his father was a non-Jewish descent of a son from Haman]. (Ein Yakov, Sanhedrin Chapter 11: 173)

It comes out in the end that we learn increase our Simcha/Joy in the month of Adar from Haman’s own family. This is a real turnaround of events that we commemorate on the 14^th of Adar with the holiday of Purim. The month of Adar had the potential to be another month of sadness for the Jewish Nation, instead it turned into a great celebration over our enemies in Persia.

אסתר ט:א

וּבִשְׁנֵים֩ עָשָׂ֨ר חֹ֜דֶשׁ הוּא חֹ֣דֶשׁ אֲדָ֗ר בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁ֨ה עָשָׂ֥ר יוֹם֙ בּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִגִּ֧יעַ דְּבַר הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ וְדָת֖וֹ לְהֵעָשׂ֑וֹת בַּיּ֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֨ר שִׂבְּר֜וּ אֹיְבֵ֤י הַיְּהוּדִים֙ לִשְׁל֣וֹט בָּהֶ֔ם וְנַהֲפ֣וֹךְ ה֔וּא אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשְׁלְט֧וּ הַיְּהוּדִ֛ים הֵ֖מָּה בְּשֹׂנְאֵיהֶֽם׃

Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s commandment and his decree drew near to be put into execution, on the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over those who hated them;) (Esther 9:1)

This phrase “it was turned to the contrary” from the Hebrew ונהפוך הוא . It is one of the most popular songs that we sing on Purim. What is its deeper meaning?

It is known that Haman was from Agag, a family descended from the Evil Amalek. The goal of Amalek is to destroy the Jewish people. Not unlike the current leaders of Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah.

The Torah teaches us that Amalek Hashem swears by His throne that there be war and animosity on His part against Amalek (Rashi).

שמות יז:טז פרשת בשלח

וַיֹּאמֶר, כִּי יָד עַל כֵּס יָהּ, מִלְחָמָה לַה’, בַּעֲמָלֵק מִדֹּר, דֹּר.

And he [Moshe] said, For there is a hand on the throne of Hashem,     G-d maintains a war against Amalek, from generation to generation. (Shemos 17:16)

What is the meaning of the abbreviated spelling כס for throne with a missing letter aleph, א and it does not say כסא? Also, the Divine name of Hashem is divided in half, it is missing the letter vav heh, וה.

Rashi explains, that we learn from this that Hashem swore that His name is not whole, nor is  His throne whole until the name of Amalek will be completely eradicated. In Sefer Yirmiyahu, the Navi prophesies about the future era when we will multiply and be fruitful in the land of Eretz Yisrael; then we will have the complete spelling of Hashem’s name.

ירמיהו ג:יד, יז,יח

שׁ֣וּבוּ בָנִ֚ים שֽׁוֹבָבִים֙ נְאֻם ה’ כִּ֥י אָֽנֹכִ֖י בָּעַ֣לְתִּי בָכֶ֑ם וְלָֽקַחְתִּ֨י אֶתְכֶ֜ם אֶחָ֣ד מֵעִ֗יר וּשְׁנַ֙יִם֙ מִמִּשְׁפָּחָ֔ה וְהֵֽבֵאתִ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם צִיּֽוֹן: …בָּעֵת הַהִיא, יִקְרְאוּ לִירוּשָׁלִַם כִּסֵּא יְה-וה, וְנִקְווּ אֵלֶיהָ כָל הַגּוֹיִם לְשֵׁם יְה-וָה, לִירוּשָׁלִָם; וְלֹא יֵלְכוּ עוֹד אַחֲרֵי, שְׁרִרוּת לִבָּם הָרָע. בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֔מָּה יֵֽלְכ֥וּ בֵית יְהוּדָ֖ה עַל בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְיָבֹ֚אוּ יַחְדָּו֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ צָפ֔וֹן עַל הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִנְחַ֖לְתִּי אֶת אֲבוֹתֵיכֶֽם:

Return, backsliding children, says the Lord, for I possessed you, and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion… At that time, they will call Yerushalayim “The Throne of Hashem“, and all nations shall gather to it in the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem, and they shall no longer follow the idea of their evil heart. In those days, the house of Yehuda will go with the house of Yisrael, and they will come together from the north land to the land that I caused your forefathers to inherit. (Yermiyahu 3: 14, 17-18)

We only have the power and potential to destroy Amalek when we are living in Eretz Yisrael. It is only here that we can complete the Throne of Hashem with the letter aleph; it is only here in Eretz Yisrael that we can bring down the vav-heh and complete G-d’s Holy name.

תהילים קלב:יג

            כִּי בָחַר ה’ בְּצִיּוֹן; אִוָּהּ, לְמוֹשָׁב לוֹ.

For G-d has chosen Zion [Eretz Yisrael], He has desired it, for His habitation (Tehilim 132:13)

This is a deeper understanding of the Simcha of וְנַהֲפ֣וֹךְ ה֔וּא, turning around the letters הו-א to the letters of א-וה! In this manner we complete the throne and name of Hashem.

בָּעֵת הַהִיא, יִקְרְאוּ לִירוּשָׁלִַם כִּסֵּא יְה-וה

At that time, they will call Yerushalayim “The Throne of Hashem“