Customs of the Month of Adar for Women - Rabbi Menachem Mendel Harel shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You’re listening to the Lema’an Yishme’u podcast of Machon Halacha Chabad.

00:09 Speaker 2 Let’s begin with the four special Torah readings scheduled around the month of Adar. In order, the first is Parshas Shekalim, the second is Parshas Zachor, the third is Parshas Parah, and the fourth is Parshas Hachodesh. The Mishnah says: “On the first of Adar, announcements are made about the shekalim.” In other words, on Rosh Chodesh Adar, the Jewish people were reminded to contribute the half-shekel, which was used to purchase the communal offerings. For this reason, our Sages instituted the reading of Parshas Shekalim from the Torah scroll on the Shabbos before Rosh Chodesh Adar. This passage appears at the beginning of Parshas Ki Sisa: “When you take a census of the Children of Israel according to their numbers, each shall give...” and so on, “half a shekel by the holy shekel.” When an additional passage is read—whether Parshas Shekalim or one of the other readings we mentioned, or on any other special occasion during the year—it is, of course, read from an additional Torah scroll. Usually, when a shul has two Torah scrolls, two are taken out. The weekly parsha is read from the first, and the special passage for that occasion is read from the second—for example, in our case, Parshas Shekalim. As we said, the reason Parshas Shekalim is read on the Shabbos before Rosh Chodesh Adar is to remind the Jewish people to bring their half-shekel contribution. Each year in Nissan, the offerings were purchased from the new contributions that had arrived at the Beis Hamikdash. So thirty days earlier, beginning on Rosh Chodesh Adar, agents of the beis din would collect the contributions from the Jewish people. As a reminder of this, we too read the passage from the Torah and make the announcement about the shekalim. Also, as is customary—and we’ll discuss this later—on the eve of Purim, people give a contribution using a coin known locally as a “half,” according to the currency in each place. Why specifically on the eve of Purim? We’ll discuss that when we get to the half-shekel contribution. So the first of the four readings held around the month of Adar is

03:03 Speaker 2 Parshas Shekalim. The obligation to hear this reading is not a Torah-level obligation. Therefore, a woman who cannot get to shul is not required to make a special effort to hear this particular passage; in that respect, it is like any other Torah reading. If she can come to shul, that’s wonderful. If she can’t, she has not missed a Torah-level mitzvah. Regarding Parshas Shekalim, it’s important to add that in a leap year it is read on the Shabbos when we bless the month of Adar II. If Rosh Chodesh Adar itself falls on Shabbos, Parshas Shekalim is read on Rosh Chodesh Adar. In other words, when Rosh Chodesh falls on Shabbos, Parshas Shekalim is read that Shabbos, and three Torah scrolls are taken out: the first for the weekly parsha, the second for the Rosh Chodesh reading, and the third for Parshas Shekalim. But when Rosh Chodesh falls during the week, Parshas Shekalim is read on Shabbos Mevarchim, and, as mentioned, there are only two Torah scrolls. Parshas Zachor, the second of the four readings, is read on the Shabbos before Purim. Why is it read then? To remember and call to mind the mitzvah of wiping out Amalek, as the Torah commanded us: “You shall erase the memory of Amalek from under the heavens; do not forget.” This is an everlasting mitzvah. That is why the Torah says, “Hashem will wage war against Amalek from generation to generation.” And our Sages taught us: Hakadosh Boruch Hu swore that His Name would not be complete and His throne would not be complete until Amalek’s descendants were wiped out. In other words, the matter of wiping out Amalek is everlasting. And since on Purim we actually carry out the mitzvah of wiping out Amalek, as the Jews of that generation did, the Sages instituted that the Torah reading recalling Amalek should be close to the action—the fulfillment of wiping out Amalek on Purim. Therefore, Parshas Zachor is always read on the Shabbos closest

05:52 Speaker 2 to Purim. Parshas Zachor, which deals with wiping out Amalek, is considered a positive Torah-level mitzvah. The Alter Rebbe rules that every Jew is commanded to hear it—to hear this passage about wiping out Amalek. So it is very important for women, too, to come to shul to hear the reading: “Remember what Amalek did to you”; “You shall erase the memory of Amalek.” Now, it’s worth knowing that some communities take out a Torah scroll and read Parshas Zachor separately for women, because sometimes it’s hard for them to get to shul during the regular Torah reading. They take out the Torah scroll and read Parshas Zachor for them. But that is not our custom. Our custom is for women to come to shul and hear Parshas Zachor as part of the regular Torah reading. If a woman couldn’t make it that morning, there is still a way to fulfill this mitzvah, since hearing the passage recalling Amalek involves having in mind the Torah’s commandment to erase the memory of Amalek. It’s important to mention that when we perform mitzvos in general, especially Torah-level mitzvos, we need to have in mind the mitzvah we are performing. Here too, we need to have in mind that, by hearing the passage read from the Torah, we are fulfilling the mitzvah of wiping out Amalek. So if a woman can come for the reading of Parshas Zachor on the Shabbos before Purim, excellent. But if she couldn’t make it, on Purim itself we also read the passage about Moshe Rabbeinu’s war against Amalek. That reading too mentions the wiping out of Amalek: “Hashem will wage war against Amalek.” So a woman who couldn’t get to shul for Parshas Zachor can come on Purim, hear the Torah reading, and have in mind to fulfill the mitzvah of wiping out Amalek. And if, for some reason, she couldn’t get to shul on Purim either, she will have another opportunity

08:37 Speaker 2 a little later. In Elul, when the weekly parsha, Parshas Ki Seitzei, is read from the Torah and concludes with “Remember what Amalek did to you,” she should make an effort to come to shul then and have in mind to fulfill the mitzvah of wiping out Amalek. In other words, there are three possibilities. The best and preferred time is Parshas Zachor, the Shabbos before Purim. If she couldn’t make it, she should come on Purim itself. If she couldn’t make it then either, she should have in mind to fulfill the mitzvah of wiping out Amalek when the passage is read in its regular place in the Torah. The third of the four readings is Parshas Parah. Parshas Parah is read on the Shabbos before Parshas Hachodesh. In other words, its timing is not determined by a date, but by when Parshas Hachodesh is read. If Rosh Chodesh Nissan falls on Shabbos, Parshas Hachodesh is read that Shabbos, and Shabbos Parah is the preceding Shabbos, which is Shabbos Mevarchim. If Rosh Chodesh Nissan falls on a weekday rather than Shabbos, so that Parshas Hachodesh is read on Shabbos Mevarchim, then Shabbos Parah is the Shabbos before Parshas Hachodesh, not Shabbos Mevarchim. In short, Parshas Parah is read on the Shabbos before Parshas Hachodesh. Some hold that reading Parshas Parah is also a Torah-level obligation. So it would be good for women, too, to make an effort to come to shul and hear Parshas Parah. Why is Parshas Parah read before Parshas Hachodesh? Parshas Parah is the passage about purification through the red heifer: “This is the statute of the Torah that Hashem commanded, saying...” Someone who has become impure through contact with the dead and wants to enter the Beis Hamikdash or engage in matters requiring ritual purity must be purified with the ashes of the red heifer. And since we are about to enter Nissan, when the Jewish people go up to the Beis Hamikdash to bring the Pesach offering at its appointed time and celebrate Pesach before Hashem in Jerusalem, we remind the people

11:20 Speaker 2 The Jewish people, along with preparing to fulfill the mitzvah of the Pesach offering and to make the pilgrimage, must purify themselves in preparation for the festival. How do they become pure? As the Torah commands, “This is the statute of the Torah”: through the red heifer, through its ashes. That is why Parshas Parah is always read shortly before Parshas Hachodesh, as we explained earlier. The fourth of the four special readings, which concludes the series, is Parshas Hachodesh: “This month shall be for you the first of months.” It deals with the mitzvah of sanctifying the new month on the basis of sighting the new moon. It is important to mention that even today, when we have a calendar, that calendar is based on the calculations established by the sages of Israel in accordance with the Torah’s command. And with Hashem’s help, very soon indeed, when our righteous Moshiach comes, we will merit to sanctify the new month once again on the basis of sighting the moon. Hakadosh Boruch Hu showed Moshe Rabbeinu the new moon and told him that this is how the month is sanctified. The first of the months, from which the Jewish year begins in terms of numbering the months, is Rosh Chodesh Nissan. Nissan is the first month, Tishrei is the seventh, and Adar is the twelfth. Parshas Hachodesh is read either on the Shabbos before Rosh Chodesh Nissan, if Rosh Chodesh falls on a weekday, or on Shabbos Rosh Chodesh Nissan itself. In addition to the matter of sanctifying the month that we mentioned, which appears before the account of Rosh Chodesh Nissan, where Hakadosh Boruch Hu commands the sanctification of the months as noted above, in Parshas Hachodesh we are also commanded, awakened, and urged to fulfill the mitzvos connected with Pesach. First of all, with Hashem’s help, may we merit to fulfill the mitzvah of the Pesach offering: “They shall take for themselves, each man, a lamb for a family, a lamb for a household”—joining a group for the Pesach offering, as the Jewish people did by Hashem’s command throughout the time the Beis Hamikdash stood, beginning with the first Pesach in Egypt. One should know, though, that there is a slight difference

14:04 Speaker 2 between the Pesach offering in Egypt and the Pesach offering in later generations. But the mitzvah of bringing the Pesach offering itself is the same in every generation when the Beis Hamikdash stands and the Jewish people have the power to do so. With Hashem’s help, may we merit that very soon. So the Torah tells the Jewish people: Get ready; the Pesach offering will soon be brought. Second, the Torah commands us concerning the prohibition against eating chametz, the prohibition against having chametz in the home, and the removal of chametz: “It shall not be seen or found.” This covers chametz, leaven, or any kind of chametz in a person’s home or possession, and one must prepare for that too. Then, of course, there is the positive mitzvah of Seder night, “In the evening you shall eat matzos”: eating the mitzvah matzos on Seder night, eating matzos voluntarily during the remaining days of Pesach, and, as mentioned, not eating chametz throughout Pesach. The holy Torah reminds us of all this in Parshas Hachodesh. That is why Parshas Hachodesh is read publicly—to remind and encourage the Jewish people: Prepare properly to fulfill the mitzvos of Pesach. Of course, nowadays, thank G-d, the halachos are printed in books and set out in an orderly way. In particular, in recent years we have also merited that Machon Halacha Chabad has published books presenting the halachos together with their reasons, the customs, the Rebbe’s insights and precise interpretations, and what our Rebbeim wrote on these halachic matters—all in clear, understandable language. So this is certainly the time to take out a book and begin learning. A woman can study on her own, and better still together with her husband. Better yet, the two of them can study together and remind their children of the basic practical halachos of Pesach: the preparations, Seder night, Chol Hamoed, and so on. The month of Adar, as we mentioned, is a special and joyous month, to the point that the Gemara says, “When Adar enters, we increase in joy.” Its wording is, “Just as when Av enters, we diminish joy,

16:47 Speaker 2 so when Adar enters, we increase in joy.” The Rebbe explains that what makes Adar special, as we see in the Gemara, is that Moshe Rabbeinu was born in this month. Haman the wicked thought that Adar contained the day of Moshe Rabbeinu’s passing, but Hakadosh Boruch Hu determined that the day of his birth was worthy of atoning for the day of his death. Moshe Rabbeinu’s birth therefore has an eternal significance. “Moshe is truth, and his Torah is truth,” and so there is no interruption in the matter of Moshe Rabbeinu. Because of Moshe Rabbeinu, even the lowest circumstances—the most difficult times and situations for the Jewish people—were transformed into the greatest good. That is why the seventh of Adar has special significance. It is not a Yom Tov, but it is a day for a farbrengen, a day on which it is especially important to increase our Torah study, for the Torah is associated with Moshe Rabbeinu: “Remember the Torah of Moshe My servant.” The Torah is called by his name. And throughout the month of Adar, we are told to increase in joy. So alongside straightforward expressions of joy, dancing, and so on, the greatest way to rejoice in connection with Moshe Rabbeinu is to increase our Torah study. “The precepts of Hashem are upright, gladdening the heart.” This, of course, applies to men and women alike, because the miracle and deliverance of Adar were for everyone equally—men, women, and children. Therefore, increasing Torah study in connection with Moshe Rabbeinu, through whose merit the reversal in Adar came about, certainly applies to every Jew: men, women, and children. As we mentioned earlier, Adar has the special feature that it can occur twice: Adar I and Adar II, depending on whether it is an ordinary year or a leap year. In an ordinary year, everything associated with Adar falls within that one month. In a leap year, however, Purim and, in practice, the other joyous occasions of Adar are observed in Adar II.

19:43 Speaker 2 We said that the main example of this is a birthday. It can also have practical implications for a bar mitzvah. A boy born in Adar of an ordinary year will have his bar mitzvah in Adar II. So sometimes a boy born at the end of Adar I celebrates his birthday at the end of Adar every year, but if his bar mitzvah year is a leap year, he will celebrate his bar mitzvah before someone who was born earlier in Adar of an ordinary year. For example, suppose one boy was born on 26 Adar I and another on 2 Adar of an ordinary year, and their bar mitzvah year is a leap year. The boy who celebrates his birthday at the end of Adar every year will have his bar mitzvah on 26 Adar I, before the boy born on 2 Adar of an ordinary year, whose bar mitzvah will not be until 2 Adar II. I gave that example just to make the distinction clearer. Another practical matter, which of course concerns more than those born in Adar, is the main event of the month: Purim. As we mentioned earlier, our Sages of blessed memory said that Purim should be celebrated in Adar II in order to place one redemption next to another: the redemption of Purim in Adar—Adar II in a leap year—next to the redemption of Pesach in Nissan. Therefore, in a year with two Adars, a leap year, Purim is celebrated only in Adar II. Still, Purim is also marked in Adar I as Purim Katan by adding to the festive meal and having a small celebration, for “one who is glad of heart has a continual feast.” As stated at the end of the Orach Chaim section of the Shulchan Aruch, the Rema cites the custom of adding to the meal and celebration on Purim Katan. We also do not say Tachanun on that day, nor do we fast.

22:24 Speaker 2 On this day. For example, a bride and groom whose wedding day falls on Purim Katan fast the day before, on 13 Adar I. With matters connected to a yahrzeit, however, the practice is that if someone passed away in a regular year, then in a leap year the yahrzeit is observed in Adar I. Of course, if someone passed away in a leap year, in Adar II, the yahrzeit is not moved forward to Adar I; it takes place at its proper time in Adar II. The practical difference is for someone who passed away during Adar in a regular year: their yahrzeit is then observed in Adar I. It is important to note that in 5752, which was a leap year, the Rebbe said that “we increase in joy” begins already at the start of Adar I. The Rebbe used the expression “to nullify all undesirable matters through sixty days of joy,” drawing on the familiar halachic principle that forbidden substances mixed into permitted ones are nullified in a ratio of sixty to one. The Rebbe said that here, too, sixty days of joy nullify all undesirable matters. So at that time there was an emphasis on adding singing and special joy, and the Rebbe gave this a major push in his replies on the subject and in his sichos about the joy called for during the days of Adar. Certainly, now too, when we are in Adar—whether it is a regular year, and all the more so in a leap year—there should be a special increase in joy to nullify undesirable matters, and above all to draw down the great joy, the complete joy we await: the joy of the true and complete Geulah. The Rebbe makes a very interesting point: since the entire month is transformed into rejoicing and joy, reaching Purim does not mean the joy stops. On the contrary, the day after Purim the joy becomes even greater, because it is

25:07 Speaker 2 a day on which we move forward. And in general, in holy matters we always advance to a higher level. So surely, from day to day, even after Purim, the joy keeps growing until we reach the culmination of Adar at the end of the month—whether at the end of Adar in a regular year or at the end of Adar II in a leap year.