Shavuot 2008 / 5768
The Torah’s revelation was the most profound manifestation of God that has ever transpired on the planet. Its impact continues to impel their generations to be seekers and servants of God and is certain to do so until the end of time.
The Book of Esther is a Map of Feminine Development
Based on the teachings of R. Isaac Luria as presented in Kabbalistic Writings on the Nature of Masculine and Feminine.
Anger Drives the Plot
Every moment is a story, and every story has a motor that propels its forward motion. In the Book of Esther, rage drives each stage of the plot.
A Time for Silence, A Time for Speech
Since the genocidal decree would not take effect for close to a year, it did not justify a life-threatening exploit. Yet Mordekhai insisted that Esther go now, unbidden.
I Am the First, I Am the Last
The Book of Esther is an historical narrative, that occurred between the years 367 – 357 BCE. Yet there are moments in time that are nearly transparent.
Torah of Souls
PurimBurst 2003. Then the King conferred with His sages, experts in reading the times, for such was the King’s practice, to consult with the masters of law and judgment…
Mesirut Nefesh and Oral Torah
Mordekhai replied, “If you persist in keeping silent at this time relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from some other place while you and your father’s house will perish.”
How to Identify the Crown Princess
PurimBurst 2001 / 5761. And the king loved Esther more than all the other women… so that he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen…
The Cosmic Seven Millenia Wine Party
PurimBurst 2000/5760. And it was in the days of Achashverosh… when the king sought to display the richness of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty, that he hosted a seven day long wine party.…
Knowing that You Don’t Know
PurimBurst 1999/5659. A burning issue is how to uncompromisingly devote oneself to truth, and yet share space with those who adamantly assert a conflicting truth, and even a false one.
Manna and Haman
Each life’s journey is filled with crossroads that rarely have signs to mark G‑d’s way. Each person must find the G‑d–serving truth that applies to this unique circumstance and this moment in time.
Haman as Archetype of Narcissism
PurimBurst 1997 / 5757 In our generation the war with Amalek is an inner war, and Haman’s is the voice of our narcissism.
Amalek At The Crossroads
PurimBurst 1996/5756. Whenever Israel is about to access a new revelation of Torah, Amalek comes to sabotage the event. His murderous intentions always terrify, and always backfire.
The Service of Purim IS Lots
Why is this holiday called Purim? Why is it called after the lots cast by Haman to determine how best to kill the Jews.
The Blessings and the Curse
There is a real place that exists right now, on an inner plane, in the mind’s eye of the Creator, where Israel is a righteous nation, and every Jew a perfect tsadik.
Haman and the Tree of Knowledge
Every “thing” and moment, both ancient and modern, has its source in the Torah. The sages ask, “What is Haman’s root in Scripture?”
What Went Wrong With Haman’s Lots
PurimBurst 1992. Lots (purim) are our primary means of accessing pure Divine influence, of evoking guidance untainted by personal attachments and preconceptions.
The Megilla of You and Me
PurimBurst 1991. The miracle of Purim is different. HaShem revealed that nature itself is nothing but an instrument for His conscious and compelling desire to bestow good.
The Power of Vision
PurimBurst 1989. The question of WHAT TO BE ON PURIM is not just for children! It is the secret of conscious determination–the power of vision to define reality.
A Nation of Tsadikim
PurimBurst 1988. “Mordechai left the King’s presence clad in royal apparel . . . and the city of Shushan was cheerful and glad.”