all the Jews<\/u><\/strong> found in Shushan and have them fast on my behalf, neither eating nor drinking for three days, day and night. I too, and my entourage, will likewise fast\u2026!\u201d (Esther 4:16).<\/p>\nWith these inspiring\u2014even poetic\u2014words, she accomplishes a truly rare occurrence. The Jewish people, already slandered by Haman himself as a \u201cdispersed and disunited people,\u201d unite and accept her request totally. The entire Jewish population, without exception, gathers in prayer at her behest.<\/p>\n
Wonder of wonders! But Esther was not the first to achieve such a result. That honor goes to Moshe Rabbenu, as we read in the opening verse of this week\u2019s parsha<\/em>:<\/p>\n\u201cAnd Moshe assembled all the congregation of the Children of Israel <\/u><\/strong>and addressed them\u2026\u201d<\/p>\nMoshe and, long afterwards, Esther were both capable of this unique feat. They both united the entire Jewish community\u2014Esther in a moment of impending doom, and Moshe at a much happier occasion, laying the foundation of the Mishkan<\/em>, the Holy Tabernacle.<\/p>\nWhat was the content of Moshe\u2019s address to the entire congregation? He prefaced the body of his remarks by stating that he was about to inform them of the very words of the Almighty Himself. He begins, predictably, with perhaps the most important mitzvah<\/em> of all\u2014Shabbat<\/em>, the Sabbath. His message is forceful but quite brief.<\/p>\nHe then continues at greater length to educate them about the structure and content of the Mishkan<\/em>. He delineates the metals, oils, spices, fabrics, furs, lumber, and sacred garments that will be required.<\/strong> His ultimate message is his appeal for generous contributions by, again,<\/strong> addressing all the Congregation of the Children of Israel. <\/u><\/strong>He does not limit his request to the rich and mighty. Rather, he stresses that all \u201cthe generous of heart\u201d have a role to play in the construction and maintenance of this sacred sanctuary.<\/p>\nThe culmination of his address is stunning: \u201c\u2026and all the Congregation of the Children of Israel <\/u><\/strong>departed from Moshe\u2019s presence. They returned, all <\/u><\/strong>whose hearts moved them, and all<\/u><\/strong> the generous of spirit, and brought with them copious gifts\u2026 men and women responded together\u2026\u201d (Exodus 35:20-22).<\/p>\nIt is at this point that we must familiarize ourselves with the comments of Rabbi Chaim ibn Atar, the eighteenth-century author of the classic Ohr HaChaim<\/em> commentary on the entire Chumash<\/em>. His piety and sagacity earned him the title Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, the Holy Ohr HaChaim. This is how my grandfather, himself a pious and sagacious Jew, referred to him, and so will I.<\/p>\nThe Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh is astounded by the phrase \u201c\u2026and all the Congregation of the Children of Israel<\/u><\/strong> departed from Moshe\u2019s presence.\u201d He remarks: \u201cDid they all rush away hurriedly without taking leave of their leader? Did they not respectfully ask permission from Moshe to depart from his presence? Are we not taught by our sages in Tractate Yoma that a disciple may not depart from his master without first asking permission to leave?\u201d<\/p>\nHe responds to these questions by suggesting that the spiritual enthusiasm which pervaded the spectacle of a totally united Jewish community overcame their judgement to the extent that they departed hastily. They neglected to ask Moshe\u2019s permission to leave his presence because they were completely absorbed in the task he assigned. Their only concern was to donate, as quickly as humanly possible, the materials necessary for the holy task with which they were now charged.<\/p>\n
This enthusiasm was not short-lived, as such enthusiasm typically is. Quite the contrary, as the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh points out. Their enthusiasm grew with time, as we see in so many subsequent verses. In fact, their enthusiasm motivated them to donate far more of the materials than were necessary. They had to be ordered to halt their donations, to dim their fervor, to restrain their enthusiasm, although it was commendable.<\/p>\n
Others have referred to the comments of the Ohr HaChaim HaKodesh as illustrating the power of what I call \u201cthe sacred moment.\u201d The experience of even a fleeting spiritual experience, in this case the phenomenon of authentic community and the commitment of an entire nation to a sacred task, can \u201csnowball\u201d into a constantly evolving dedication to the common good. Hence the title I\u2019m giving to this Person in the Parsha<\/em>\u2014 \u201cSnowballs and Sacred Moments.\u201d<\/p>\nA wise man whose works I\u2019ve quoted here in the past, Rav Chaim Zeitchik, of blessed memory, elaborates upon this \u201csnowball\u201d concept. He refers to passages in Talmudic works, such as, \u201cIf one sanctifies himself just a bit in this lower world, he will be sanctified so much more in the world above;\u201d or, \u201cIf one opens himself up like the eye of a needle, I [the Lord] will open up for him the gates of the Temple hallway.\u201d These sayings, and so many others like them, can easily be described as the \u201csnowball effect.\u201d As the tiny snowball, in one sacred moment, rolls down the snow-covered hill, it grows to a mammoth snowball.<\/p>\n
Perhaps this is what is meant by the adage in Pirkei Avot<\/em>: One mitzvah<\/em> results in another mitzvah<\/em>, mitzvah goreret mitzvah<\/em>. Or in our jargon, \u201cRoll a snowflake downhill and it will develop into a snowy boulder.\u201d<\/p>\nLife, particularly Jewish life, is rife with such \u201csacred moments.\u201d They can be found in the beauties of nature, in the study of Torah, in words of prayer, in watching little children play, in reciting Psalms, in festive melodies, in moments of sadness, and in dancing with joy.<\/p>\n
But the lesson of Esther\u2019s request, and perhaps even more so in Moshe\u2019s ability to bring us all together, provides us with model \u201csacred moments,\u201d moments of achdut<\/em> and togetherness. If only we could grasp such moments, even if they are but fleeting moments, and allow them to expand and grow like snowballs rolling downhill, we would be better individuals and develop into a true am kadosh<\/em>, a holy people in every sense of the word.<\/p>\nLet\u2019s preserve the sacred moments that we all<\/u><\/strong> experience on occasion and allow them to expand, develop, and grow like snowballs. We will all<\/u><\/strong> be the better for it.<\/p>\n
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