בְּאוֹר־פְּנֵי־מֶ֥לֶךְ חַיִּ֑ים וּ֝רְצוֹנ֗וֹ כְּעָ֣ב מַלְקֽוֹשׁ׃
Dalam terang wajah raja ada kehidupan, dan perkenanannya bagaikan awan yang membawa hujan akhir.
Kedushat Levi
This idea has been hinted at when the Talmud in Taanit 29 stated that משנכנס אדר מרבים בשמחה, normally translated as: “once the month of Adar has begun we experience an additional measure of joy in our lives.” The word אדר, is a short form of the word: אדרת, “cloak,” or mantle, a garment that envelops the wearer, a garment that the prophet Elijah is reported as having worn regularly. (Compare Kings I 19,19, Kings II 2,8, Kings I 19,13) The Talmud means that prior to the beginning of this month when the Jews tried to look at G’d, they were consumed by awe, as G’d had not draped sufficient protective “clothing” around His essence to enable those who worship Him to entertain feelings other than awe and fear.
One of the supports for such an interpretation is presumably the fact that all the miracles G’d performed for the Jewish people during that time, in the lifetime of Mordechai and Esther, were covert rather than overt miracles, i.e. G’d practiced הסתר פנים, a benevolent type of “hiding” His face, so that His creatures would not have to experience too much fear when turning to Him. The miracles performed at that time were in contrast to those performed when G’d split the sea at the time of the Exodus, using supernatural phenomena in doing so. In the Purim episode, not a single supernatural element was part of the chain of events that resulted in the salvation of the Jewish people. [It seems clear to this editor that the author chose this approach to his exegesis as this portion is read annually around the time of Purim. Ed.]
An additional reason may be that around this time, nature that had denuded itself and presented itself to us as awesome during the winter months, once again bedecks itself with foliage, arousing new hope and joy in the hearts of the people who have just experienced a harsh winter.
Quoting Genesis 49,11 where Yaakov blesses his son Yehudah, and zeroing in on the words: עירה ולשרקה, the author sees in the apparently extraneous letters ה at the end of the word עירה and שרקה, a mystical meaning based on the concept of צירוף אותיות, the ability to divine the deeper meaning of why certain letters have been combined, [an art that according to our sages enabled Betzalel, the master-builder of the Tabernacle to carry out his task, Ed]. The use of the two letters ה where they do not appear to be needed, is an allusion to the abundance of G’d’s largesse for His creatures in the universe, whereas the letters י and ו allude to looking at the overwhelming brilliance of light experienced when looking at the Creator. These four letters, of course, are the letters forming the tetragram of the holy name of G’d, י-ה-ו-ה. The system has been explained further by Shaar Hayichud vehaemunah in the writings of Tanya, (Rabbi Shneer Zalman of Ladii).
[Many of my readers are familiar with a mystical poem appearing before the recital of לכה דודי commencing with the line אנא בכח, where we find the respective first letters of each line printed separately at the end of that line. This is one of the best known examples of the system of צירוף אותיות having found its way into prayer books even of the Ashkenazi (Charedi) community which normally refrains from including passages that the average worshipper cannot understand. The reader may also be interested to know that this is the reason why in most Ashkenazi communities the entire portion of the Friday night service known as kabbalat Shabbat, and commencing either with the saying of לכו נרננה or the preparatory saying individually of the entire scroll of Song of Songs, was for hundreds of years resisted; even when and where accepted, the chazan recites it on the platform from which the Torah is read, to remind the congregation that this was not part of the original Friday night service, Ed.]
One of the supports for such an interpretation is presumably the fact that all the miracles G’d performed for the Jewish people during that time, in the lifetime of Mordechai and Esther, were covert rather than overt miracles, i.e. G’d practiced הסתר פנים, a benevolent type of “hiding” His face, so that His creatures would not have to experience too much fear when turning to Him. The miracles performed at that time were in contrast to those performed when G’d split the sea at the time of the Exodus, using supernatural phenomena in doing so. In the Purim episode, not a single supernatural element was part of the chain of events that resulted in the salvation of the Jewish people. [It seems clear to this editor that the author chose this approach to his exegesis as this portion is read annually around the time of Purim. Ed.]
An additional reason may be that around this time, nature that had denuded itself and presented itself to us as awesome during the winter months, once again bedecks itself with foliage, arousing new hope and joy in the hearts of the people who have just experienced a harsh winter.
Quoting Genesis 49,11 where Yaakov blesses his son Yehudah, and zeroing in on the words: עירה ולשרקה, the author sees in the apparently extraneous letters ה at the end of the word עירה and שרקה, a mystical meaning based on the concept of צירוף אותיות, the ability to divine the deeper meaning of why certain letters have been combined, [an art that according to our sages enabled Betzalel, the master-builder of the Tabernacle to carry out his task, Ed]. The use of the two letters ה where they do not appear to be needed, is an allusion to the abundance of G’d’s largesse for His creatures in the universe, whereas the letters י and ו allude to looking at the overwhelming brilliance of light experienced when looking at the Creator. These four letters, of course, are the letters forming the tetragram of the holy name of G’d, י-ה-ו-ה. The system has been explained further by Shaar Hayichud vehaemunah in the writings of Tanya, (Rabbi Shneer Zalman of Ladii).
[Many of my readers are familiar with a mystical poem appearing before the recital of לכה דודי commencing with the line אנא בכח, where we find the respective first letters of each line printed separately at the end of that line. This is one of the best known examples of the system of צירוף אותיות having found its way into prayer books even of the Ashkenazi (Charedi) community which normally refrains from including passages that the average worshipper cannot understand. The reader may also be interested to know that this is the reason why in most Ashkenazi communities the entire portion of the Friday night service known as kabbalat Shabbat, and commencing either with the saying of לכו נרננה or the preparatory saying individually of the entire scroll of Song of Songs, was for hundreds of years resisted; even when and where accepted, the chazan recites it on the platform from which the Torah is read, to remind the congregation that this was not part of the original Friday night service, Ed.]
Likutei Halakhot
1. This is the aspect of the commandment to visit the sick. One is required to visit the sick and to explain his face; in other words, what people enter into regarding him and supervise his business and give him all that he requires, as it is written in the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah Siman 335 Seif 8) that this is the aspect of illuminating the face. For they do not hide their face from him nor do they remain in their houses. Rather, they come to him and perform his necessities and speak to/on his heart, for all this is the aspect of illuminating the face. Through this one brings down upon him vitality from the aspect of illuminating the face from above. For from there is the essence of vitality to reinvigorate the sick in the aspect of the light of the Face of the living King, as it is written in the Torah (meaning in Likutei Moharan) as explained above. Then the Shechinah will be above the sick persons's head (Shabbat 12) as it is written (Psalms 41:4) "Hashem will sustain him on his sickbed; You shall wholly transform his bed of suffering", etc. Therefore, the light of the Shechinah is drawn down upon him, which is the aspect of the light of the true tzaddik that watches out for all the sick, and in particular those who are very sick. For they are in the aspect of 'You shall wholly transform his bed of suffering'. One must greatly watch over (i.e. supervise) them to draw down upon them complete vitality of healing and spirituality in a method that he is able to illuminate in them the perception of G-dliness, as explained above. For this is the essence of the greatness and virtue of the tzaddik, that he can make efforts to heal the very sick. Therefore specifically due to the fact that he is sick, 'You shall wholly transform his bed'. Due to this specifically, the Shechinah rests above his head, in the aspect of the light of the tzaddik. Because the tzaddikim are the Shechinah of Hashem, and this is the aspect of (Genesis 18:1) "Hashem appeared to him" - to visit the sick. For specifically due to the fact that he is ill, and it is necessary to visit him, because of this specifically "Hashem appeared to him", the aspect of the perception of G-dliness that the ill merit through the light of the tzaddik, which is the Shechinah, as explained above.
Likutei Halakhot
And this is the aspect of what the poor set in motion on Chanukah to accept Chanukah Money, the aspect of the illumination of the Face from above, that Hashem Yisbarach shimes His face to us in the midst of our houses, as explained above. Because one cannot receive the light of the Face of the living King except through charity, as it is written (Psalms 17:15) "Then I, justified, will behold Your face". Therefore on the Festivals, where one must ascend by foot to the Beis HaMikdash to receive the Light of the Face, one must bring, according to his means, an offering of appearance, as it is written (Deuteronomy 16:16) "They shall not appear before the Hashem empty-handed". However, during the Festivals where one must ascend to Hashem's house, one must bring a sacrifice, which is the contribution of his heart, the aspect of charity, one must take pains to bring it up to the house of Hashem. But on Chanukah, the poor come to your house, as they are מָאנִין תְּבִירִין דילי (Zohar Yitro Page 86), and in them is the Shechinah of the Light of the Face, as it is written (Isaiah 57:15) "I dwell on high, in holiness". Therefore, when Hashem Yisbarach loves someone, and wants to shine His face on him, he sends him a poor person to credit him, as it is written in the Holy Zohar (Yitro Page 86) מָאן דְּקֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא רָחִים לי' שדר לֵיהּ דּוֹרוֹנָא מִסְכְּנָא. Therefore on Chanukah, when Hashem Yisbarach is in the aspect of shining His face into our houses, then in His mercy He sends us poor people to our house, in order that we merit through them, in order to receive upon yourself the Light of the Face which then illuminates into our houses, as explained above.