Following his 180 day feast for all his international subjects, which ended a day earlier, King Achashverosh began a seven-day feast for his subjects living in Shushan, his capital. This feast ended with the death of his queen, Vashti.
Link: Esther ch. 1
R. Aryeh Levin, known as the “tzaddik [saint] of Jerusalem,” was legendary for his selfless dedication in assisting his fellow Jews, whether the sick, the poor, or those suffering under the British regime during the Mandate of Palestine (1920–1948).
Links: The Man Who Mistook His Wife’s Foot for His Own; The Value of Stories
In today's "Nasi" reading (see "Nasi of the Day" in Nissan 1), we read of the gift bought by the nasi of the tribe of Benjamin, Avidan ben Gidoni, for the inauguration of the Mishkan.
The great men who spied out the Land of Canaan returned and reported:
“We cannot go. They are stronger than us.”
They were brave, wise men, hand-picked by Moses. How could they have erred so disastrously?
Because, subconsciously, they never really wanted to leave the spiritual high of the desert for a life of tilling soil and building homes.
If they had only realized their true issue and asked Moses, he would have explained to them:
“This experience now is only the chrysalis. In the land, you will spread your wings.”
“From within these clouds of glory that surround us on our journey, you can perceive great light. There, in that earth, stone and clay, you will hold raw truth in your hands.”
And so to each of us Moses says:
Do not be afraid to emerge from your spiritual cocoon and enter that monstrous, formidable world.
As much as you can attain in your studies, even in deep contemplation and intense prayer, it will never come close to the wisdom that will open itself to you in your mission to build a home, give life, learn Torah, do mitzvahs, and lend a hand to others in a hostile universe.
Your eyes will see that which no book could tell, your heart will feel that which no thought could imagine.
In the joy that comes out of pain, in the sweetness that emerges from bitter suffering, this world will carry you to a place beyond anything your soul could otherwise have known.