We have just begun the second month of Adar and Purim is around the corner. One can feel the exhilaration in the air, and the feeling of triumph that took place on the holiday of Purim years ago, right here and now. When Purim comes it always feels like it’s happening all over again in our times. Maybe it’s something about stamping our feet or banging and booing every time we hear the word Haman that makes it feel so real, like it’s happening right now.
Once a month I attend a woman’s Hallel prayer. At the beginning of the month there’s a wonderful singer and beautiful lady in my neighborhood by the name of Rica Resell who gathers all the women she can to sing and dance and recite the prayer of the Hallel with hundreds of women all together, in a big synagogue in Jerusalem. This action simply elevates the soul beyond anything else. Yesterday as we began to pray, I found myself with about 500 other women standing before Hashem with such joy and gratitude. All we were doing was singing praise to the Almighty, what a glorious day. There was a feeling of salvation and redemption. When so many women get together in such a positive manner, one could actually feel and see the gates of heaven open wide to receive the prayers. There were women of all ages. Young girls, mothers with their tiny newborn babies, and elderly women as well. To see everyone come together like that is a magnificent sight. You can almost see the angels in heaven rushing in to get their seats as well. As the prayer begins one can see and feel how true the saying is, that in the merit of the righteous women we indeed will be redeemed. It is so clear to see that only through happiness one’s soul can be elevated.
This wonderful prayer takes place once a month on Rosh Chodesh, when women come from all over the city to sing and dance and praise the One Above. This past Sunday on Rosh Chodesh of the second Adar it seemed as if the walls expanded, and all the women of Israel were standing right there waiting to receive good news from the Master of the world. Waiting to hear about the salvation of the Jewish people. As the woman started to sing the melodies were so beautiful, if one looked up they could see the angels up in heaven dancing as all the words danced up to Shamayim, and went right in front of Hashem the King and Master of the world, begging and pleading for the Jewish people to be saved just like Queen Esther did so long ago. We were doing the same thing, just like Queen Esther through song and dance, and through happiness and joy.
I went up the aisles holding each women’s hands, and dancing literally one by one with every lady making sure no one was left out, or didn’t get up and dance and feel the great joy around.
The prophetess Miriam was right there with us. I could hear the sentence ringing in my ears that Miriam took her tambourine and gathered all the women as they went out with drums and danced to praise the One Above. Women are so innocent and pure. They must be, they bring up the children of Hashem, they give love and attention physically and mentally to all the children of Israel. Thanks to all the mothers of Israel, they bring up their children mot only physically in a proper way, but mentally. They bring up the children of Israel to be close to Hashem, to love Him and obey the beautiful Torah.
As I danced around the room, I saw that there was so many little babies in the arms of their mothers, listening and soaking in the happiness, listening to those prayers. This will give them strength as they begin their life to overcome any obstacle they might go through, or any challenges they might experience. Mothers have such a great responsibility all the time. This is why Hashem gave babies to the women because He trusts them. Women take care of Hashem’s gentle and beautiful souls. Women are filled with so much love and giving. We say every morning that women are created just as G-d desires. Hashem, what a beautiful blessing we have. We are created just as He wanted. This is why women are so close to Hashem. This is why we bare children, have life created in the women since we are so close to Hashem.
This is why G-d trusts all the children of Israel with their mothers that they will bring them up in the light of Torah and the light of happiness and of Hashem. Women have the ability to stop everything on a regular day of the week and come together to dance and sing and praise Hashem. Take this happiness, this goodness, and true joy that was felt throughout the synagogue, and bring it up to the heavenly courts, straight up to the throne of the King of the world, and may the Master of the world, take the happy dances to redeem His children now from all the Hamans looming and hanging over us waiting to kill us at every moment. May Hashem extinguish all the evil from the world forever, and may love and peace reign over the Jewish people forever, please G-d. Amen.
