"Every Woman is a Spark of Queen Esther" • The Daily Lesson from the Gaon and

Before you is the full daily lesson as delivered by our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days) - yesterday after the Maariv (evening) prayer, Wednesday, Parshas Vayikra, the night of the 11th of Adar II:

"So every day ten Jews are killed, all of them yeshiva students, Hesder soldiers (soldiers who combine Torah study with military service). Now in Shifa Hospital, they took three hundred captive, and twenty terrorists—forty terrorists have already been killed. It turned into a fortress for Hamas, [and nevertheless] the World Health Organization warned Israel not to touch hospitals; hospitals are the 'Holy of Holies.' This is only for Hamas, these are Hamas fortresses, don't you dare touch them. Biden warned that he would enter into a war with the Jews if they touch the hospitals. Meanwhile, three boys from [the yeshiva in] Hispin were killed there, yeshiva students. And three boys from [the pre-military academy in] Eli, a yeshiva in Samaria. Every day another ten boys are killed, all of them yeshiva students.

Everything is because the girls didn't lengthen their skirts enough; every moment that a leg is seen, another hundred Jews are killed. Michal gave David such a kick, such a slap. They heard her all the way to Uman; she said, 'I saw your legs.' [David said to her]: 'I danced before the Ark of the Covenant, what do you want...?' [She replied]: 'I don't care, I am the daughter of King Saul.' All his children; Ish-bosheth, Mephibosheth, the son of Saul, the grandson of Saul, the son of Jonathan. They are all named after 'Bosheth' (shame/modesty); by us, neither a heel nor a thumb was ever seen. Among the Arabs, and in Tashkent, they don't see a heel or a thumb, nor legs; to see legs is the greatest shame. Even if there are pants, it doesn't make a difference. She threw him down all the stairs.

Because the woman is entirely modesty, she is entirely holiness. Every woman is a spark of Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our Teacher), every woman is a spark of Queen Esther. It is written in Likutey Halachos (Collected Laws), Mila 4:24, every woman is a spark of Queen Esther.

Now we are already in Ta'anis Esther (the Fast of Esther); Esther said to fast for three days. Shuvu Banim (the community of Rabbi Berland) does everything 'upside down.' When do you fast? Tomorrow? Why not in Nissan? When did they [originally] fast? In Nissan. So why are you fasting tomorrow, you say it yourself. What are you, Shuvu Banim? So everything is reversed; Shuvu Banim fasts tomorrow. I know they fasted for three days [in the month of Nissan], Rashi (the foremost Torah commentator) says on the 14th, 15th, and 16th; on the night of the 16th they hanged Haman, therefore we make a feast at night [meaning on the night following Shushan Purim]. The whole point is to make a feast at night, because that's when they hanged Haman, on the night of the 16th.

Because Haman was a miser, a 'Bar Kamtza' (a reference to the person whose stinginess led to the Temple's destruction), a wicked, wicked man. We don't say 'Pharaoh the Wicked,' and we also don't say 'Antiochus the Wicked.' Because they were 'tzaddiks' (righteous ones) [compared to Haman]; Antiochus gave us Chanukah—eight days. Pharaoh gave us Sukkot and Pesach (Passover); Sukkot is eight days, Pesach is seven days. This wicked, wicked Haman didn't grant us anything. And he had no mercy on us. I don't have enough time to drink wine, I only want to drink a small cup, they already told me it's after sunset. So who is to blame for everything? Haman the wicked. It's all because of Haman the wicked, or Shuvu Banim are to blame, or maybe you are to blame... So in short, I don't forgive him, for this there is no forgiveness, that he didn't grant us anything. He gave us only one day. But the Sages said, the 11th, 12th, 13th—it's written in the first Mishnah in Megillah (the Scroll of Esther)—that one must drink wine also on the 11th—today is already the 11th—on the 12th, 13th, 15th, and Rashi says also the 16th until the night of the 17th—the night when they hanged Haman.

And therefore, every girl must know that everything is in the merit of the righteous girls, for every girl is a spark of Moshe Rabbeinu. Every righteous girl is the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu, like Devorah HaNeviah (Deborah the Prophetess) who was the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu, so she was surrounded by a flaming fire; every day she was surrounded by a flaming fire, they called her 'Eshes Lapidos' (Woman of Flames). She was surrounded by torches of fire, just as Rabbi Zira was surrounded by torches of fire, and like Rabbi Yonatan ben Uziel was surrounded by torches of fire. And everyone who is born in holiness will merit to be surrounded by torches of fire, and he will stop the war and bring the Geulah (complete Redemption) speedily in our days, Amen."