FedTalks Parshas Tazria – Rabbi B Denderowicz – Transcript
As we find ourselves the last day or so of chodesh Adar, the month of Adar, many of us are taking down those signs that say “mishenichnas Adar marbin besimcha”- when the days of Adar come in, what is meant to increase is the level of happiness. But we shouldn’t be so quick, we should leave it on for another month, because Rashi tells us on the words “mishenichnas Adar marbin besimcha”: it says “mishenichnas Adar veNissan marbin besimcha”. When the days of Adar and Nissan come in, we should increase our level of happiness. It’s not only designated to the month of Adar, it is also designated to the month of Nissan.
But chazal themselves don’t clearly tell us how to become happy, what we should do. How should we go ahead about it? Some suggest that it’s personal. It’s individual. Wherever it takes me personally to become happy, that’s what I’m mechuyav and obligated to do.
I once saw a beautiful pshat from Rav Shimshon Pincus, and he says the following.
If you take a look in the mitzvos of Adar, the mitzvos themselves help us reach happiness. Mishloach manos, what is mishloach manos? Increasing friendships, providing people with a seudas Purim, looking into other people what they need. That is how one reaches happiness. So too the mitzva of matonas le’evyonim. Can you tell a poor person and see what they need? Giving them money, giving them food. This helps us to reach happiness and it’s not only when it comes to money and items, personal items. It’s also when it comes to Torah and spirituality. I was yesterday in the hospital visiting a very ill patient. And with a big smile he came to me and told me “you know someone came Purim by night, after midnight, at 12.30am to read me the megilla. That person helped somebody else be mekayem the mitzva of kriyas hamegilla. Giving over to other people, helping other people, physically, spiritually, whatever it is, that is the way to reach happiness. So therefore, it doesn’t stop just by the month of Adar, it also continues in the month of Nissan.
Because if you take a look into right at the beginning of the halochos of Pesach, the Remo brings down the custom that one is meant to buy chittin, buy wheat, and distribute it to the poor people. And Rav Nissim Karelitz teaches us that it’s not only about wheat. Today we are meant to provide matzohs wherever the needs are of today and we are meant to provide that. Make sure that every oni in town, every poor man has what they need for the month of Pesach, for the month of Nisan. Why, what is so important? This is why it’s so important. Because Adar and Nissan tells us: you want to be happy? Make sure give to others. You want to start the Haggadah? Make sure before you start, say “kol ditzrich” whoever needs, whoever wants, come and join me for the Pesach seider. That is what it is all about. That’s how we reach happiness. And before we start the first yom tov of the yom tov season, of Pesach, we’re going to make sure everybody, all klal Yisroel, has what they need.
Boruch Hashem, in Northwest London, we’ve seen tremendous giving, tremendous financial support to moisdois, to shuls. We should be dancing and singing, that we have the opportunity to give. We’ve really been mekayem this mitzvah so much. And as we come to the parshah of Tazria, the parshah where the Torah talks about mostly a baal tsoraas and about the metzoiro. With this concept, we won’t come to speak loshon hora, because how can I speak loshon hora about somebody else when I’m in that mood of giving and helping? So im yirtze Hashem this Shabbes when we read parshas Tazria, when we read Parshas hachodesh, we start off this new month, the “rishon lechodshei hashono”, on this mode of giving.
And may we be zochech to reach levels of happiness that we never reached before and be zocheh from this very first month of “rishon lechodshei hashono” to be happy all the way through to the end of the year and the last month, next Adar, full of simcha, full of bracha and full of hatzlocha.