It was a poignant reminder that there is no place where we cannot feel Hashem’s presence

Photo: Ezzy Katz

Living Higher

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Purim, we strive to reach that place where we see the spark of holiness even in the darkest places, as alluded to by the dictum to drink “until we don’t know the difference between ‘arur Haman’ and ‘baruch Mordechai.’ ”

While South Africa has been at the center of global attention for the past few months as they spearheaded a campaign to prosecute Israel for genocide, that didn’t stop Rabbi Avi Wiesenfeld, rosh yeshivah of Beis Dovid in Eretz Yisrael, from taking his talmidim to see the wonders of nature so abundant in South Africa.

“How can you not see the Ribbono shel Olam staring at you when you look at the niflaos haBorei?” Rabbi Wiesenfeld asked rhetorically.

The location may have been ironic, but it was a poignant reminder that there is no place where we cannot feel Hashem’s presence. And despite the darkness that may temporarily prevail, He will forever be there, watching, loving, and always listening.

Last Monday, firefighters in Kfar Saba rushed to extinguish the flames engulfing a local shul. Baruch Hashem, they successfully rescued all of the shul’s sifrei Torah.

“Halo koh devarai ka’eish,” says the pasuk in Yirmiyahu. “Behold My Word is like fire.” These firefighters have seen the destruction fire’s blazing heat can cause. But they are also aware of the fire of His Word, which warms, inspires, and illuminates for eternity.

A group of children from Neve Yaakov may be too young to orchestrate a hachnassas sefer Torah themselves, but that didn’t stop them from pursuing their aspirations. Taking advantage of Purim’s creative opportunities, they staged their own, mock hachnassas sefer Torah. The sefer Torah itself may not have been real but the joy, the yearning, and the love were all perfectly authentic.

When the last of the chocolate bars has been eaten and the costumes stowed away, there’s no postponing any longer: Pesach prep season has officially begun. Here in the Winn Dixie in Orlando, store personnel are eagerly awaiting the mass migration of frum vacationers, as is evidenced by the multitude of pallets of kosher l’Pesach Coke.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1005)