what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God. ¹⁹ Therefore it shall be, when the Lord your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget.�Deuteronomy 25:17-19, NKJV

Remember

Otiyot Meshunot

Extraordinary Letters

Otiyot Rabati

Large Letters

Vav K’tia

Broken Vav

Nun Hafucha

Inverted Nun

Otiyot Nakud

Dotted Letters

Quf Devukah

Joined Quf

Maleh & Chaser

Full & Missing

Otiyot Ze’irot

Small Letters

Otiyot Teluyot

Suspended Letters

Peh Kefulah/Lefufah

Doubled/Wrapped Peh

“The graphic form of the א symbolizes the infinite, eternal nature of G-d. �It consists of three parts. Its upper right segment is a yud its lower left segment is

a yud and these two letters are connected by a diagonal vav. Each yud has

a numerical value of 10, and the vav has a numerical value of 6,

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yielding a total of 26. This equals the numerical value �of the Four-Letter Divine Name…”�The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet, �R’ Michael L. Munk, Mesorah Publishers, pg. 44

“What is the source in the Torah for the story of Esther? “Ve-Anochi haster aster panai ba-yom ha-hu” (I will surely hide my face from you on that day.” Deut. 31:18).”�Chullin 139b, cited by R’ Menachem Leibtag, Megillat Esther, Tanakh.org

“Traditional Jews believe that God is hidden behind all the events of the Megillah. Rabbis referred to God's role as הסתר פנים hester panim, or "hiding of the Face", which is also said to be hinted at in a word play in Hebrew name for the Book of Esther, Megillat Esther—literally, "revelation of [that which is] hidden"). Although Jews believe that everything turned out for the best as a direct result of Divine intervention (that is, a series of miracles), the Book of Esther lacks any mention of God's name, and the events described in it appear to have been nothing more than a result of natural occurrences. . .

“…On the other hand, Jewish philosophers and scriptural commentators believe that God's name is omitted to emphasize the very point that God remained hidden throughout the story, but was nonetheless present and played a large role in its outcome. . . Megillat Esther (and the omission of God's name in it) serves to show that although God may not be conspicuously present at times, He nevertheless plays (and has played) an important role in everyone's lives and in the future of the Jewish nation.”

Wikipedia.com, Purim

“Where is Mordechai indicated in the Torah? In the verse: “Flowing myrrh,” (Exodus 30:23) which the Targum renders as mira dakia.”�Chullin 139b, Soncino Press Edition

מירא דכיא  = מרדכי�Mordechai = Mira Dakia = Flowing Myrrh

“Some time later King Achashverosh began to single out Haman the son of Hamdata the Agagi for advancement; eventually he gave him precedence over all his fellow officers.”

Esther 3:1, Complete Jewish Bible

“God said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”�Genesis 3:11

וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מִי הִגִּיד לְך כִּי עֵירֹם אָתָּה� הֲמִן־הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיךָ לְבִלְתִּי� אֲכׇל־מִמֶּנּוּ אָכָלְתָּ׃

“More than the meaning of the name Haman, the Talmud looks for the ideological roots of such evil. How is such a personality formed? The Gemara looks beyond his grandfather Agag, beyond his great-great grandfather Amalek, beyond his forefather Esav, and looks even further back, to our first and deadliest adversary, the Serpent who encouraged man to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, even if – or precisely because - the price was death.”

Aish.com, R. Ari Kahn, Purim 5769

Photo provided (taken) by User: Zereshk.

Kept at National Museum of Iran.

Wikimedia Commons.

“If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers…

“He has made a marvelous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. . .”

“The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?”�Mark Twain cited by Humans of Judaism

“Each time the word "pur" is used in the Book of Esther, the text qualifies and explains that "the pur" is a type of lottery - "goral”…The word goral is used twice in the Torah, both times in the same verse, referring to the service performed on Yom Kippur, regarding the lots drawn to identify which goat would be for God and which for Azazel . . . The word goral is used twice in the Torah, both times in the same verse, referring to the service performed on Yom Kippur, regarding the lots drawn to identify which goat would be for God and which for Azazel. . . We may say, then, that the very name Purim, and the lots which gave this festival its name, represent the dichotomy between Amalek and the Jews, a dichotomy which is represented by the goat sent to the forces of Esav – the Goat for Azazel.”�…Purim and Yom Kippurim are one. �R’ Ari Kahn,

All along, Haman’s goal had been to separate the Jewish people from Mordekhai, from the Tzaddik. . . So his advisers had a plan which would have the same effect – make Mordekhai a martyr. Ascribe to him superhuman powers, symbolized by the 50-cubit high gallows, made from a tree; crucify him and elevate him to the status of a god. And when “Haman” raises Mordekhai, it has two possible effects. Some of us might see the Tzaddik and the lessons he meant for us as beyond reach…And then there will be those who turn their backs and say: “To hold a human being is such awe,  to ‘raise him on a tree’, to say his teachings are G-d’s Word and the only way to reach Him – that’s idolatry!”

“But such a complaint is just a pretext to deny the truth, to cover our real intention: That we ourselves covet that awe to promote our own self-idolatry. So we who won’t humble ourselves, who won’t see the Tzaddik so high,  choose to blind ourselves with the veil of our own conceit. We close our ears to his inspiring lessons rather than reject our vanity. . . And to reach the Tzaddik, to “climb the tree”, we must all come together. To follow his teachings, to keep his advice, we must encourage one another…”�Esther, A Breslov Commentary on the Megillah, Compiled and Adapted by Rabbi Yehoshua Starett, Breslov Research Institute, pgs. 80-81

“His king shall be higher than Agag. �His kingdom shall be exalted.”�Numbers 24:7

“אילת השחר“the Morning Star”תהילים כב’ א. The Midrash Tehillim and gemaraמגילה טו describe this verse as referring to Queen Esther, of Megillas Esther; who prayed to Hashem, in the following verse: “My G-d, my G-d, why have you abandoned me?” This verse refers to Esther as she manifested Mashiach ben Yosef of her generation. For this reason she is called the “Morning Star”; the first light of dawn, which serves as the point of transition from night to day. Thus, she acted as the turning point from distress to salvation, for the Jewish people. . .

“In the same way Mashiach ben Yosef effects the transition from exile, characterized by “night”, to redemption, characterized by “dawn”. This is connected to how ChaZaL described the redemption process, as the breaking through of the dawn’s light: “Such is the Redemption of Yisrael, at first it comes a little bit at a time until it breaks through and arrives” ירושלמי ברכות א’ ה This accurately describes the redemption process as building up slowly, through the human effort of Mashiach ben Yosef, culminating in the revelation of Mashiach ben David. The word אילת implying a connection to Mashiach ben Yosef is also expressed in the Torah as אילה שלוחה a Hind sent off (בראשית מט’ כא for Mashiach ben Yosef is sent out into the world in fulfillment of his mission in rectifying the world…”�R’ Daniel Krentzman

“For if you fail to speak up now, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from a different direction; but you and your father's family will perish. Who knows whether you didn't come into your royal position precisely for such a time as this."

Esther 4:14

Complete Jewish Bible

“For the Jews, there was light, joy, gladness and honor.”�Esther 8:3

And so may it be for us.