Parshas תצוה discusses the בגדי כהונה, among which was the מעיל that the כהן גדול wore. At the hem of the מעיל were the פעמונים ורימונים, which would ring as the כהן גדול walked around. As the פסוק says:
ונשמע קולו בבואו אל הקודש
Chazal in מסכת זבחים say on this פסוק
יבא דבר שבקול ויכפר על דבר שבקול
The sounds of the פעמונים are מכפר on another sound, that of the לשון הרע spoken by כלל ישראל. What is so severe about לשון הרע that it requires a special כפרה in the בית המקדש?
The Chofetz Chaim explains that Hashem receives his greatest נחת when there’s אחדות among His children. And that leads to ברכה and protection for us. But when people speak negatively about each other causing פירוד, that conversely brings צער tp Hashem, which חלילה has the reverse effect.
קודשא בריך וישראל ואורייתא חד הוא
To merit our unique connection with Hashem, we need to be together באחדות, and then, He will be באחדות with us.
This also directly ties in to פרשת זכור, which we will also be reading this week. When describing עמלק, the פסוק says:
אשר קרך בדרך
He caused a coldness.
We find twice in the תורה that עמלק attacked. The first time, immediately following יציאת מצרים, and the second following the death of אהרן הכהן, who was אוהב שלום ורודף שלום. Sensing a certain weakening אחדות among כלל ישראל in the wake of Aharon’s death, עמלק seized the moment to attack us. The eternal enemy of כלל ישראל knows our weak points and does his best to capitalize on them. And the תורה commands us to eradicate that element of עמלק, which means strengthening our אחדות and אהבת ישראל.
Amalek’s descendent, המן, also attempted to catch us by this weakness. Chazal, quoting the פסוק
ישנו עם אחד מפוזר ומפורד בין העמים
note:
לית דידע לישנא בישא כהמן
Nobody knew how to utilize לשון הרע like המן did. He tried to catch us by the פירוד that existed among us, and use that as a way to bring קטרוג and destruction. To which Esther responded by saying
לך כנוס את כל היהודים
At this time of danger, we need to strengthen our אחדות. And it’s this אחדות which ultimately saved כלל ישראל. Perhaps it’s for this very reason that פורים is the only יום טוב in which we have מצוות of בין אדם לחברו
: משלוח מנות and מתנות לאביונים
We rectify the lack of אחדות of that time, by committing ourselves to helping and being there for one another. And by strengthening our אחדות and אהבת ישראל, we’re doing our part in מחיית עמלק.
We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point, related by Harav Yaakov Bender, as told to him by a friend, who was caring for a terminally ill spouse.
” I spent יום כיפור in Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, at my wife’s bedside. Late in the afternoon, she fell asleep, and I decided to utilize the time to join the מנין taking place in the hospital’s chapel. The chapel was full of caregivers from all walks of Jewish life, from Chasidish to very modern, and we all Davened together. Right before נעילה, a Chasidish man asked permission to say some words. ‘ We’re all here Davening together in the hospital, as we care for our sick loved ones. But why is it, that it’s only here, in the place where life tragically ends , that we are all together? Why can’t we practice the same אחדות at all times and places? Let’s utilize this gathering as a reminder, that at the end of the day, we’re all Yidden, and all Yidden are one, no matter how different we may look!’ ”
Indeed, being together in אחדות is truly who we, כלל ישראל, are.
Weekly Parsha Shiur 