Chassidus points out that the letter מ' is connected with גלות וגאולה. In Nechemia 2:9 it says וָאֵֽצְאָ֨ה בְשַֽׁעַר־הַגַּ֜יְא לַ֗יְלָה וְאֶל־פְּנֵי֙ עֵ֣ין הַתַּנִּ֔ין
וְאֶל־שַׁ֖עַר הָֽאַשְׁפֹּ֑ת וָאֱהִ֨י שׂבֵ֜ר בְּחוֹמֹ֚ת יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ אֲשֶׁר־הֵ֣ם
(כתיב הֵ֣מ) פְּרוּצִ֔ים וּשְׁעָרֶ֖יהָ אֻכְּל֥וּ בָאֵֽשׁ. The verse uses the open
מ' at
the end of a word to refer to the golus.
In regard to geulah it says לְמַרְבֵּ֨ה
(כתיב לְםַרְבֵּ֨ה) הַמִּשְׂרָ֜ה וּלְשָׁל֣וֹם אֵֽין־קֵ֗ץ, there is a closed מ' in
the middle of a word.
What is the meaning
of the closed and open מ' in regard to golus and geulah? The Rebbe (Toras Menachem 5749) explains that
an open מ has a space which leaves room for the פרצה,
for a break to the connection to God.
That is in the golus. Our
job is to fix that break, to close up the מ (ם,) that is what brings the geulah.
Why is it the
letter מ that represents this opening and closing, there are other open
letters in the alphabet as well?
The Maharal says
that the number 4 always represents separation and division (see for example
Gevuros Ch. 60.) There are 4 main levels
of spiritual worlds, four letters of the name of Hashem, four main elements,
four aspects of all of living, דומם, צומח, חי,
מדבר. All of these numbers of 4 are levels of tzimzum,
a concealment of Gods existence. Ten in
the world of the Maharal always represents a complete set or unit. 40 represents the ultimate, complete separation. That is why it is 40 days for the forming of
an embryo. It takes 40 days for the
child to become a complete separate being (at which point it is of course a
being, וד"ל.) It is 40 that allows
for the great cover-up; for the world to appear separate from Hashem.
Purim was the time
when we willingly accepted the Torah, we took it upon ourselves to fix the
broken מ. It was Purim that was
the first step in paving the way for the second Beis Hamikdash to be rebuilt
and ultimately paves the way for the ultimate redemption.
The Gemorah in
Shabbos (104a) says that the open and close מ refer to the revealed and the hidden
Torah. It is the acceptance of the Torah
באהבה that occurred on Purim that allows us to fix the open מ
of the golus. The time of the geulah
will be when the full depths of the closed ם will be revealed. That is why שס starts with a מ, מאימתי and concluded with a closed ם, בשלום. It
is through infusing the world with the kedusha of the Torah that the
open מ will turn into a closed ם
(this is also reflected in the Rambam
who starts his Mishne Torah with a verse beginning with מ, משוך and ends with a ם, מכסים. [see יין
מלכות siman 1.])
In order to prepare
ourselves for the Torah of the closed ם, Hashem sent us Rashbi, the Ari, Baal Shem
Tov and all the great teachers of the hidden Torah so that we will be able to receive
the hidden Torah. God is telling us not
to be like the bozos that exclude the hidden Torah from their learning. These people stumble in darkness announcing to
the world their stupidity and denying sections of the Torah because it doesn’t
fit their fancy. The lessen of Purim is
to accept באהבה the entirety
of Torah and to transform the broken מ world into a complete, closed ם united with Hashem.
No comments:
Post a Comment