(Courtesy of PTI) The Young Professionals of Yeshiva Ner Boruch-Passaic Torah Institute celebrated Purim Katan last Thursday night. Starting as always with a free hot buffet dinner, Rabbi Aharon Sklar spoke on “Tapping Into the Auspicious Time of Purim Katan.”
Rabbi Sklar is the founder and rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Toldos Tzvi, a kollel and beit midrash program for English speakers in Jerusalem. He is the rebbe of PTI’s own associate rosh yeshiva Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim when he was learning in Israel.
Rabbi Sklar spoke about Purim Katan as “a holiday that has the spiritual potential to be Purim.” He told a true story of an Israeli Haredi young man who went off the derech but was brought back after the gadol hador Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman spoke to him, decades after meeting him as a child. Rav Shteinman could always see a person’s potential and brought out the best in everyone.
The Rav’s sensitivity and love shown to him as a child, seeing his potential, made him want to hear Rav Steinman years later as a secular adult. That’s what Purim Katan is about — seeing potential.
Haman said the Jewish people are not together. When the Jews are not together we’re in bad shape. When we’re together we’re invincible. Purim commemorates our coming together.
Orach Chaim says of Purim Katan, quoting the Rema, “Someone who is of good heart will have festive meals all the time.” Orach Hashulchan explains, “When a person’s intention is for the purpose of mitzvah, then it’s a feast of mitzvahs. And Hashem rejoices.
“Someone who has a good heart and cares about his fellow, it makes no difference what you look like or what your heritage or background is. That’s the essence of Purim. We should all put aside all bickering and be of good heart. Then Hashem will rejoice in the building of the Beis Hamikdash.”
The evening continued as always with singing and dancing accompanied by popular musical artist Elimelech Adler singing songs of hope and redemption from a treasury of Chassidic and Carlebach niggunim.
Join the Young Professionals every Thursday at 8:15 p.m. at PTI, 441 Passaic Ave., Passaic for free dinner, guided learning, guest speakers, and always concluding with a musical kumzitz. For information, call Ben at (201) 280-8145 or Rabbi Bodenheim at (862) 371-3816. See all of PTI’s programs for men and women of all ages seven days and evenings a week, with five levels of learning from a complete novice to an advanced scholar, by visiting pti.shulcloud.com.
