The Holiday is Named 'Purim' in Persian to Show that Fate was Overturned • The

Presented before you is a summary of the daily lesson as delivered by our teacher, the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a—yesterday after the Maariv (evening) prayer, Tuesday night, the 19th of Adar, Parshas Vayakhel:

In another three hours it will be Chatzos (the midnight prayer and rectification). Everyone should study with his wife the lesson 'Purim 3' and 'Oseh Shaliach 4' [from Likutei Moharan], for Hashem changed the fate. We refer to this in Persian as 'Pur' (lot/fate), because Haman wanted to show that the Amalekites are the righteous ones. Just as today people claim that Hamas are righteous, and the Chief of Staff said he is giving a citation of merit to Hamas. Everyone should study the books of Jeremiah and Isaiah, where 'seventy' is written three times. There were forty-five years until Nebuchadnezzar. Evil-Merodach was named after an idol; he was a fool ('Evil') who sat on the throne for seven years because his father [Nebuchadnezzar] turned into an ox. He had dreamed that he was going to become a beast, so Daniel advised him to open his treasuries [to give charity]. The Jews were searching through the trash. It was like in Russia, where there was nothing to eat because everyone was thrown out of their jobs for not working on Shabbos (the Sabbath), until one woman's arm was broken and she was happy, because now she wouldn't have to work [and desecrate the Sabbath]. After a year, Nebuchadnezzar went up to the roof and heard there was a commotion, so he said, 'What is this? Close the treasuries immediately!' Then he turned into an ox. After seven years, he lifted his head to heaven, and Hashem gave him [the form of] a lion and a crocodile. In another fifty days, one can finish Tractate Shabbos; that will be Lag BaOmer. This was so that he wouldn't receive a reward for it. Then Nebuchadnezzar put Evil-Merodach in the dungeon for thirty years. Together that makes sixty-eight, minus two years; Belshazzar reigned for two years and a day, which counts as three years—these are the first seventy. After that came the exile of Jehoiachin, which is the reign of Ahasuerus. The third seventy was in the second year of Darius; these are 'swallowed years'—a month plus twelve months plus another month, totaling three years. Thus, from the feast of Ahasuerus until the building of the [Second] Holy Temple was twelve years. He [Haman] wanted to overturn the fate, therefore we call it Purim, to show that the fate was overturned and in the end, the Jews are the righteous ones and the commanders, while the Amalekites are the wicked ones who did not allow the army to pass. So, everyone should study Tractate Chagigah regarding the two children who were electrocuted there; only one who is a tzaddik (righteous person) can be 'electrified' [spiritually], and one can finish both Tractate Megillah and Tractate Chagigah by morning.