From the Desk of Rabbi Shlomo Rizel Dvar Torah for Purim

Dear Friends,  This week is Purim, the most joyous day of the year! But before we celebrate Purim, we commemorate an earlier event in Jewish history: the battle against Amalek. On their way out of Egypt, the Jews were attacked by the nation of Amalek, and while they were victorious in that particular battle, we are still commanded to wipe out any and all memory of Amalek to this day. In addition to the attack by Amalek being particularly sinister—attacking a recently freed people who wanted nothing other than to serve G-d without persecution—the spiritual reason Amalek is considered so terrible is because their attack on us was an attempt to damper the enthusiasm of the Jews following the Exodus and the splitting of the sea. We were on a high and they tried to bring us down. So as we prepare to celebrate Purim, we are reminded that we should not allow outside events or individuals to get in the way of our Jewish excitement. We must be proud of who we are as Jews, and never for a moment be ashamed to celebrate it and proclaim it out loud for all to see! Happy Purim! Shlomo