Shuvu Banim International - Rabbi Eliezer Berland

THE DAILY CHIZZUK – “MORDECHAI WAS CROWNED WITH HIS RELIGION” The Gemara relates in Sanhedrin (95b-96a) about Sancheriv, that it used to be that everyone had beards – gentiles, Jews; everyone had beards. THE GREATEST DISGRACE WAS TO BE WITHOUT A BEARD – THIS IS THE DISGRACE. YESHAYAHU SAYS TO HIM, “AND THE BEARD, AS WELL, WILL BE DESTROYED” (YESHAYAHU 7:20). “AND THE BEARD, AS WELL, WILL BE DESTROYED” – THIS IS THE GREATEST DISGRACE. IF THEY CUT OFF A MAN’S BEARD, THIS IS THE GREATEST DISGRACE. Once, all the priests had beards. Hamas have beards. About this the Ben Ish Chai says: What is the difference between a Jew and a gentile? During the time of the Ben Ish Chai, everyone had beards, all the Arabs. The Ben Ish Chai asks in his book “Ben Ish Chayil”: What is the difference between a Jew and a gentile? He answers that the difference is only in the peot. A person must have long and thick peot. ANYONE WHO GOES ACCORDING TO THE BEN ISH CHAI MUST GROW THICK AND NOTICEABLE PEOT. It is written in Gemara Megillah (12b), that “Mordechai was crowned with his religion.” What is the intention, that “Mordechai was crowned with his religion”? That he went specifically with peot! Mordechai sat in government meetings with peot. He was one of the generals. There were two chiefs of staff. One chief of staff was called Haman and the other one was called Mordechai. The king gave to the two of them a billion dollars. Mordechai succeeded in guarding his billion, but Haman was left without his billion. So Haman came to Mordechai, so that he would lend to him. All his money was gone, so he came to Mordechai; perhaps he would lend him something. Mordechai said to Haman: Give me your house in exchange. Then Haman sold himself as a slave for a loaf of bread. This is written in Sippurey Ma’asiot [Rabbi Nachman’s Stories] in the story of the Exchanged Children, that he sold himself for a loaf of bread, for a bag of bread. Haman sold himself as a slave, so he has the law similar to a Jew, the law of a Cana’anite slave. If he sold himself as a slave, then he is obligated in all the mitzvot, aside from Tefillin, for example. He is obligated to keep Shabbat. He is obligated to eat matzah on Passover. It is written, “For he told them that he was a Jew” (Esther 3:4). Haman said to everyone, “I am basically a Jew; therefore, I want to wipe out all of them.” “And none of this means anything to me all the time” (Esther 5:13). Our Rabbis said that Mordechai would show to Haman his leg (Rashi). Because it used to be that there were no documents. Therefore, they would write the documents on the shoe, on the sole. Every time that Haman would pass by, Mordechai would come out. He could have hidden himself -- enter the bathroom, enter the stairwell. For what reason did he need to come out in front of Haman? Why anger Haman? He would show him the document, that he sold himself as a slave. “MORDECHAI WAS CROWNED WITH HIS RELIGION.” WHAT ENRAGED HAMAN SO MUCH?! THE PEOT!! THIS IS WHAT ENRAGED HAMAN! Therefore, Ger [Hasidim] go without peot, so as to not enrage the gentiles, so as to not enrage the Zionists, because in Poland, there was a decree against peot; but Breslov went with peot, even though there was a decree. The Imrei Emet of Ger told his Hasidim to hide their peot under the Shtreimel, under the Kippa. But Mordechai said the opposite – make the peot stand out. The Ben Ish Chai explains, “Mordechai was crowned with his religion” – he made his peot stand out, and this enraged Haman, and it’s forbidden to enrage Haman – “That Morechai would leave his peot thick” (Ben Ish Chai). The peot need to be thick and long. “MORDECHAI WAS CROWNED WITH HIS RELIGION” – THIS IS THICK AND LARGE PEOT. A PERSON MUST HAVE PEOT! HE MUST! AT EVERY CABINET MEETING, MORDECHAI WOULD ARRIVE WITH PEOT. THIS WOULD ENRAGE EVERYONE. HE WOULD ARRIVE WITH HIS SHTREIMEL, WITH PEOT. https://ravberland.com/if-a-person-goes-with-peot-it-is-like-a-tank-no-one-can-harm-him-daily-chizzuk-with-r-berland-shlita/