Purim is one of the three kreplach holidays. The other two are Yom Kippur and Hoshana Rabba. That is because kreplach, with the meat hiding under a dough blanket is a hidden food as the Purim story, which took place over 11 years is a “hidden miracle.”
Also the dough denotes Hashem‘s mercy while the meat symbolizes His justice
Isn’t that what we want, justice blanketed in mercy?
By the way, Purim is a great day to pray. The mystics say that heavenly gates swing wide open so take advantage
. Make a list of requests-for yourself, for others, for the Jewish people, for the human race and pray, pray,pray!!!!
You can find two kreplach recipes in the archive.
This is a beautiful hiddush on Purim!!
I heard it on Torah Anytime by Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein
Purim: Did Hashem lose his only child?
03/09/2011
http://torahanytime.com/Rabbi/Zecharia_Wallerstein/index.html
It says in the Zohar that the shamayim is so widley opened on Purim day that anything you ask Hashem that day, with a sincere open heart, Hashem will answer you. We have the power to get things done on Purim that we can do no other day of the year. Chazal tell us that Purim is a very holy day, bigger than Yom Kippur “Yom Kipurim” (Kipur resembles Purim meaning Purim is greater than Kipur). It is holier than any other day and holiday during the whole year. Purim is an open “candy store” you can take anything you want and you don’t have to pay for anything.
How do we know this? Chazal say there is a halacha on Purim “kol ha poshed yad, notnim lo” anyone who puts their hand out, put something in that hand. Any other day during the year, if someone shows up at your door, you have the right to ask questions. On Purim, whoever knocks on your door you have the obligation to give. Purim is a day of hessed, everyone is giving everyone something. Matanot laevyonim, mishloach manot… Chazal say, whatever happens in this world, happens in the Olam Haemet. Therefore, since the halacha is that whoever puts out their hand, you must give to, the same applies with Hashem on that day, kol ha posheyd yad, whatever you put your hand out for, whatever you need, notnim lo, Hashem will give you. It’s a very big day! The question is why? Rabbi Wallerstein relays a story told by Rabbi Shimshon Pinkus zal who says that if you want to understand Purim, you must first understand the following story:
There was once a 7 year old boy, and his name was Chayim. One day, he comes to his parents and tells them a boy in his class just got a new bike and that he really wanted one just like it. But his parents, wanting to teach their son that he has to earn what he gets, told him that he would need to earn the bike by getting good grades and keeping his room clean. Poor Chayim doesn’t give up and keeps asking but the answer still remains that they will not buy him a new bike until he has earned it. The next day, on his way home from school, as Chayim is crossing the street, he gets hit by a car. Chayim flew up in the air and landed on his head. The ambulance arrives at the site of the accident and rushes little Chayim to the nearest hospital where the nurses and doctors do everything they can to save Chayim. Meanwhile, his parents have been contacted and are waiting outside the operating room to hear good news, but it does not look good at all. Suddenly a Doctor comes out to find Chayim’s parents but does not have good news for them. They did everything they could but little Chayim did not make it. The parents are beyond themselves and in total shock. By the time they get on the phone with the Chevra Kadisha, a Doctor runs out of the operating room where they were treating Chayim and tells the parents that by miracle, he was able to get a heart beat. “We got him back! I got a heart beat, we have a pulse”. They did not lose the little boy after all, Chayim got a miracle.
As Chayim is recovering, everyone is spoiling him. Everything he wants, weather he asked for it or not he is getting. Believe it or not, Chayim even got the bike he was asking for without having to earn it. What happened? How come now Chayim is getting everything he wants without having to earn any of it?
This story is exactly what happened on Purim. Rabbi Shimshon Pinkus ZAL says that on Purim, Hashem signed a Gezera that all the Jews were going to die, the Jewish nation “got hit by a car and were left without a heart beat” we were considered dead. Hashem lost his whole Jewish nation. The closest moment a person can have to someone else is when you think you lost him/her and then you realize you actually didn’t. When you lose someone close to you G-d forbid, it is the hardest, most painful feeling; it is like a hole in your heart. And that is what Rabbi Shimshon Pinkus says Hashem felt that day. But a second later, Klal Israel did teshouva, we fasted, we prayed, we begged Hashem to save us. Purim is that momemnt where Hashem lost us and got us back within seconds. There is no other moment like that throughout the whole year. Other than that moment when it actually happened, from the beginning of the world until today, there is no other moment where Hashem almost lost us. Every year on Purim, Hashem remembers that he almost lost us but got us back and wants to give us everything and anything we ask for.
When Chayim got better, nobody yelled at him and asked him why he didn’t look both ways before crossing the street. Similarly, Hashem will not look at our midot on purim either and will not judge us. He will give us anything we want, we don’t need to earn it. On Purim there are no books, no judgments, no asking for forgiveness like on Kippur. Our good deeds are not measured out or even considered.
Not once is it mentioned in the Meguila what we did wrong and why Hashem was going to destroy Klal Israel. This is because to parents who almost lost a child, nothing else but the fact that their child is still alive matters. In the meguila, Hashem does not mention the bad things the jews did and the actual reason why Hashem felt he should eliminate Klal Israel. (They were assimilating and going to the king’s unholy parties where the used kelim from the beit hamikdash to celebrate with …) Hashem loves Klal Israel too much and is so happy to not have lots his children.
Every year, on the day Chayim was “saved” his parents celebrate his life. And every year, Chayim’s parents appreciate the miracle more and more because every year they see how much the child was able to accomplish. Ever year he grows up, becomes bar-mitzvah, starts wearing teffilin, eventually he is a hatan… Had he not had his miracle, Chayim would not have been able to get all these things done and make his parents prouder and prouder as he grew older. It’s the same thing with Hashem, since the time of Mordechai, Hashem has seen his children do mitzvot, do teshouva and grow closer and closer to Him. Had He destroyed the Jewish people when he decreed their elimination, he would never have been able to witness his children’s growing love for Him. Every year on Purim Hashem’s joy of not having lost his children grows and he just wants to give us everything we ask for.
Purim is a very BIG day for Klal Israel. We should not miss our great opportunity to pray to Hashem for all our hearts’ wishes and desires. On Purim, there is no question of deserving or not and no boundaries to your prayers! Ask away! You have nothing to lose only to gain! And remember Hashem loves us, so if he doesn’t give you something you ask for, it’s only because He has something better in store for you!!
Hag Purim Sameach!!
May Hashem answer all of our prayers and may all of our deepest prayers and wishes come true. Amen ken Yehi Ratson!
Please share this message with everyone and forward it to as many people before Purim!!