✨Daily Chizuk (Strengthening) – "Mordechai was Crowned with His Custom"✨

Are peyos (sidelocks) just an external symbol, or a living testimony to a Jew's identity? The Gemara (Talmud) tells us about Mordechai the Tzaddik, who, specifically in the royal environment alongside ministers and nobility, proudly maintained his peyos—and this is precisely what enraged the wicked Haman. The Ben Ish Chai explains that peyos are the distinct sign of a Jew; therefore, Mordechai did not hide them but gloried in them. In this article, we will discover the significance of peyos in Judaism, the history behind them, and the eternal message that continues to resonate to this day.

Wednesday, 12th of Adar, 5785

The Gemara relates in Sanhedrin (95b - 96a) regarding Sennacherib that once everyone went with beards—gentiles, Jews, everyone went with beards.

The greatest disgrace is to be without a beard; that is the ultimate shame. Isaiah says to him, "And also the beard shall be consumed" (Isaiah 7:20). "And also the beard shall be consumed"—this is the greatest disgrace. If they cut off a person's beard, it is the ultimate humiliation.

Once, all the priests went with beards; even Hamas goes with beards. Regarding this, the Ben Ish Chai asks: What is the difference between a Jew and a gentile? In the time of the Ben Ish Chai, everyone went with beards, all the Arabs. The Ben Ish Chai asks in his book *Ben Ish Chayil* (Part 1, Discourse 3 for Shabbat Zachor, page 30): What is the difference between a Jew and a gentile? He answers: The difference is only in the peyos (sidelocks)—a person must have long and thick peyos.

One who follows the Ben Ish Chai must grow thick and prominent peyos.

It is written in the Gemara Megillah (12b) that "Mordechai was crowned with his custom." What is the meaning of "Mordechai was crowned with his custom"? It means that he specifically went with peyos!

Mordechai sat in government meetings with peyos; he was one of the generals. There were two Chiefs of Staff: one Chief of Staff was named Haman, and the second was named Mordechai. The King distributed a billion dollars to both of them. Mordechai managed to save the billion, but Haman was left without the billion. So Haman came to Mordechai to borrow from him; he had run out of all his money, so he came to Mordechai to see if 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 the *Sippurei Ma'asiyot* (Rabbi Nachman's Stories) in the "Tale of the King's Son and the Maidservant's Son Who Were Switched," that he sold himself for a loaf of bread, for a sack of bread.

Haman sold himself as a slave, so he has the status of a Jew, specifically the status of a Canaanite slave. If he sells himself as a slave, he is obligated in all the mitzvos (commandments), except for Tefillin (phylacteries) for example; he is obligated to keep Shabbat, he is obligated to eat Matzah on Pesach. It is written, "For he had told them that he was a Jew" (Esther 3:4). Haman told everyone, "I am actually a Jew, therefore I want to eliminate everyone."

"Yet all this is worth nothing to me at all times" (Esther 5:13). Our Rabbis said that Mordechai would show Haman his leg (Rashi, ibid). Because in the past there were no banknotes, they would write the contracts on the shoe, on the sole. Every time Haman would pass by, Mordechai would go out. He could have hidden, gone into the bathroom, or entered the stairwell—why did he need to go out in front of Haman? Why provoke Haman? He would show him the contract stating that he had sold himself as a slave.

"Mordechai was crowned with his custom"—what enraged Haman so much?!

The peyos (sidelocks)!! That is what enraged him!

Therefore, Ger (the Chassidic dynasty) generally go without visible peyos so as not to provoke the gentiles, not to provoke the Zionists, because in Poland there was a decree against peyos. But Breslov went with peyos even though there was a decree. The Imrei Emes of Ger told his followers to hide their peyos under the shtreimel (fur hat) or under the kippah (skullcap), but Mordechai said the opposite—to make the peyos prominent.

The Ben Ish Chai explains: "Mordechai was crowned with his custom"—he made the peyos prominent, and this enraged Haman, and it is forbidden to provoke a king. "That Mordechai would leave thick peyos" (the language of the Ben Ish Chai); the peyos must be thick and long (Ben Ish Chai, page 100).

"Mordechai was crowned with his custom—this refers to thick and large peyos." A person must have peyos! He must!

To every cabinet meeting, Mordechai would arrive with his peyos; it would enrage everyone. He would arrive with the shtreimel and with the peyos.

*(The holy Gaon Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, in his book "Ben Ish Chayil" [Part 1, Discourse 3 for Shabbat Zachor, page 30], spoke with flames of holy fire to explain the Gemara [Megillah 12b]: "Mordechai was crowned with his custom." Here are the words in his holy language: "And to me, the insignificant one, it seems correct to say that what they meant by 'crowned with his custom' is that he had large peyos (sidelocks), for the peyos are signs and witnesses of Jewishness... and he would crown himself and take pride in them, for he would leave thick and large peyos that were visible from afar... even though he was close to the monarchy and sat in the King's gate with the King's ministers... and even if he sat among a hundred ministers, it was recognizable that he was a Jew... See how precious the peyos are, for they are witnesses and signs of Jewishness, which Mordechai the Tzaddik, despite being a great minister and sitting in the King's gate with all the ministers of the kingdom who had no peyos at all, intended to have thick and coarse peyos to take pride in them... Therefore, how much you must be careful with these two faithful witnesses, standing one on the right and one on the left, crowning you with the crown of Jewishness.

And I do not burden you to make thick and long peyos like the custom of our Ashkenazi brothers, may Hashem protect and sustain them, but I only request that they be of a size recognizable to all, and not like small grasses standing at the entrance of the ground whose impression is barely noticeable, for such are disqualified from testimony like a minor who is disqualified from testimony, because only large ones are faithful to testify in their greatness. I have already spoken about this many times, and happy is the one who speaks to a listening ear, and happy are Israel who heard and were careful, and may a blessing come upon them." Thus far are the holy words of the Ben Ish Chai zt"l.)