On March 21, 2024, Gashmius Magazine joined the New Voices Fellows to study hasidic texts. The fellows thought we were entering a regular class, but we were wrong. After studying one text together, Gashmius Editor, Jonah Mac Gelfand told us: “Torah wasn’t just given at Sinai, Torah continues to be given again and again, since Sinai.” As we read a text about Adar, and one about feeling the pain of those suffering, Jonah tasked us with writing our own Torah as a response. In hasidic fashion, he told us to remove ourselves from the equation, and let the words flow without judgement.
He told us: “You are all working on writing pieces right now. You might not consider that Torah. I would challenge that. If we create a broader definition of what Torah is, we expand the definition of what Torah could be. This too is Torah.” As Purim, approaches, we share these texts and short pieces that are weighing on us – and we invite you to create your own Torah, too.
Text 1: Me’or Enayim on Purim from Parshat Terumah
| “When Adar begins, we increase in joy.” This is strange because the miracle didn’t occur until later in the month, so why does our joy begin at the beginning of the month?
The answer is found in the reason for the names of the months. Why is this one called Nisan? And this one Iyyar? The reason for the month of Adar (spelled aleph, dalet, resh) being called Adar, is because it is a hint to aleph (“One”) + dar (dalet + resh= “reside”), which is meant to communicate that the Oneness is the Origin of the world… Just as the aleph is the first of all letters, so too is God the origin of all Creation. And this is what is meant by “the One dwelling”: the One is dwelling with the Lower Worlds through the Shekhinah that dwells with the Lower Worlds. |
״משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה״, והוא תמוה דהא עיקר הנס היה בי״ד ובט״ו בו ולמה התחילו בשמחה מתחילת החודש?
אך דהנה שמות של החדשים למה נקרא כך זה ניסן? וזה אייר? וכן כולם? וטעם החודש אדר למה נקרא כך הוא מפני שבחודש זה נרמז א״ ד״ר, ר״ל א״ שהוא אלופו של עולם… שכשם שאות א״ הוא ראשון לכל האותיות כך הש״י הוא ראשון לכל הנמצאים, וזהו ענין בחינת א״ דר עם התחהונים שמשרה שכינתו עם התחהונים. |
Our Torah in response:
1. The One, to we, is for whom we shall cross,
bending in the light of making,
as the One encapsulation fracks the
porticos of Genesis. As Adar, the One
and the residue, or the index, the glue
of alphabeticals that erupted the walls in piety.
The primordial forms, to the One,
and for order is in we, we know.
2. If Adar is the month where we increase in joy, what does it mean when there are two? Does the start of one set off a point of joy that slowly descends to the end of the month before repeating once more? Is our joy distributed across the two? If two Adars happen only every 2(?) years, is there significance to it beyond just a number?
3. you can see Hashem
dwelling in the lower worlds
in Adar, it’s not too hard —
all you have to do is
stop to stare at the tulips, faces down but bulbs bright
bursting into new blossoms
it is strange, isn’t it, that the miracle didn’t occur
until later in the month
but did it? or is the miracle happening
every millisecond
with our breath sucking in
spring air, as it all changes —
melts then freezes over, then melts
in sunny rays again —
and her dvar she said god is change
clutching octavia like a baby holds its stuffy
so if god is change
and spring is change then
spring is filled with god
and adar is spring
so god is here, in the bloom
4. The language/word doesn’t define itself. In reference to body-word-G-d, it is only G-d’s definition and the body G-d channels it through that matters. There was no reason for an early joyous Adar until G-d spoke, always through the letters and mouths of others. Perhaps there was no curiosity about any discrepancy before G-d chose the mind that wondered.
Text 2: Sichot haRan 39
| You should be able to feel another’s troubles in your own heart. This is especially true when many are suffering. It is possible to recognize another’s anguish clearly, and still not feel it in your heart.
When an entire community is in distress, you should surely feel its agony in your heart. If you do not feel it, you should strike your head against the wall. That is, you should strike your head against the walls of your heart. This is the meaning of the verse, “You shall know this day and take it to your heart” (Deuteronomy 4:39). You must bring the realization from your mind to your heart. Understand this well. We later heard that the Rebbe once said that this is the meaning of the verse, “Hezekiah turned his face to the wall” (Isaiah 38:2). The face that he turned was his mind, bringing it inside the walls of his heart. One’s true face is his mind, and the mind illuminates the face from within. |
רָאוּי שֶׁיַּרְגִּישׁ צָרַת יָחִיד, מִכָּל־שֶׁכֵּן צָרַת רַבִּים (ח”ו) – בְּלֵב. כִּי אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיֵּדַע מֵהַצָּרָה ח”ו, וְיוֹדֵעַ בְּבֵרוּר כְּאֵב הַצָּרָה ח”ו וְעִם כָּל זֶה לִבּוֹ אֵינוֹ מַרְגִּישׁ הַצָּרָה כְּלָל.
וְעַל־כָּל־פָּנִים צָרַת רַבִּים ח”ו, רָאוּי שֶׁהַלֵּב יַרְגִּישׁ כְּאֵב הַצָּרָה. וְאִם אֵינוֹ מַרְגִּישׁ, צָרִיךְ לְהַכּוֹת הָרֹאשׁ בְּקִיר, הַיְנוּ לְהַכּוֹת הָרֹאשׁ בְּקִירוֹת לְבָבוֹ. כַּמּוּבָא בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר (לְקַמָן רי”ז) עַל־פָּסוּק “וְיָדַעְתָּ הַיּוֹם וַהֲשֵׁבוֹתָ אֶל לְבָבֶךָ” (דְּבָרִים ד), שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְהָבִיא הַדַּעַת בְּהַלֵּב. וְהָבֵן הֵיטֵב. אַחַר־כָּךְ שָׁמַעְתִּי בִּשְׁמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת “וַיַּסֵּב חִזְקִיָּהוּ פָּנָיו אֶל הַקִּיר” (יְשַׁעְיָה לח), שֶׁהֵסֵב וְהִמְשִׁיךְ הַפָּנִים שֶׁהוּא הַמֹּחַ וְהַדַּעַת אֶל קִירוֹת הַלֵּב, הַיְנוּ כַּנַּ”ל. כִּי עִקַּר הַפָּנִים הִיא הַחָכְמָה וְהַדַּעַת שֶׁהוּא אוֹר הַפָּנִים כַּמְבֹאָר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר. |
Our Torah:
1. The danger exists at the valvular boats of
the One,
telling us to do manifold.
There are the shepherds of evil, as if
we are to turn to the kindred. Advance, the One, to we,
requested. Mark the glue, the alphabeticals, so that
the spine of all crossing is clarified. We are
to never disown our manifolding, to hold it shallow. It is
through the One, the Adaric center, that we can
witness the faith in each granule, the fibrous,
as if the bands were ever there.
2. turning your face to your heart
is near impossible these days
we’re pulled in directions
by all the distractions
and by all of the yelling, the actions
tragedies piling piling up
but even just one would be more than enough
to bring us to our knees, to beg god, please
to make our hearts fall
from our fragile bodies
but around we go, habituated
the noise so constant, loud, so bold
where are our hearts? where is our soul?
if i let my mind turn to the walls of my heart
i might never stop sobbing
so i’m too scared to start
3.I find it interesting that Rebbe Nachman suggests one’s anguish can be recognized but not felt in the heart. This further disambiguates what the relationship between the heart and the mind are, where I can see it being interpreted as a way of separating one’s logos or rationalism, from their pathos or “feeling.” With his suggestion, it is as if he is warning against failing to use all senses. One being our ability to sense pain, and the other our ability to sense what the pain is. It goes beyond just recommending to have empathy for one another, but to let yourself not restrict your experiencing of the world to any less than every single sense.
Here at New Voices, we’ve been grappling with how to celebrate, or mark Purim this year. So we turned to Torah, and we wrote about these feelings, even if they can’t be easily resolved. We wish you a meaningful Purim; one where you get the chance to struggle with difficult questions and parts of our tradition alongside your community.
