1. At every gathering of the children of Tzivos Hashem we must take an example for ourselves from the Jewish armies of yore. You have learned in Chumash and Tenach that in the times of the Beis HaMikdash there was a Jewish army which had certain rules and regulations. Since we are one nation with one Torah, the rules of the ancient Jewish armies may be applied to the soldiers of Tzivos Hashem today.

You have just recited (in the 12 verses and sayings of our sages) the verse: “In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth,” which means that all the heavens and the earth were created by G-d, and that G-d is the ruler of the world. When the Ruler gives us a commandment He also gives us the ability to be able to fulfill Z-ss wWlshes. You have also recited the verse: “The Jews should rejoice in their Maker,” which means that everything we do must be done with joy, which brings success and even more joy.

Torah says that the Jewish nation is called Tzivos Hashem, who receive the commandments from G-d, the Commander in Chief.

Even the armies of the other nations of the world know that the Torah gives direction to the Jews to illuminate the world. So, when they want to know how they should conduct their armies, they too, look to, and learn from, our Torah.

The Torah includes many mitzvos which we are commanded to do always and there are other mitzvos which pertain to special times; these are the mitzvos attached to special occasions and special days. When those special mitzvos apply we understand that they take priority over the other mitzvos. We must strive first to fulfill those special mitzvos with joy and enthusiasm, and then also to perform the other commandments.

A child of Tzivos Hashem, has no worries of earning a livelihood, and receives everything that he needs ready from his parents. He also happily accepts the regular commandments and special commandments of G-d, as taught to him by his counselors and teachers. These commandments will be fulfilled in addition to his general proper Jewish conduct, which must be appropriate for a member of Tzivos Hashem.

On the special days there is the special “order of the day” which the child of Tzivos Hashem must be diligent to observe, before all the other commandments.

What is the “order” of this day?

You all know what Torah says about these days. You have heard the Torah reading on Shabbos, about Amalek; you have learned in school the laws of Purim and you know the commandments connected with Purim.

What was the main point of the miracle of Purim?

Thousands of years ago there was a wicked man named Haman, who wanted to harm the Jews. But the Jewish people were not afraid of Haman and remained firm and strong in their Yiddishkeit. The leaders of the Jews at that time, Mordechai and Esther, showed the way for the Jews to live and to face the threat. Not to fear Haman or any other enemy of the Jews! For, “G-d stands over him and the whole earth is full of His glory and He searches his mind and heart ...”; G-d was interested in the young and old. Even the small children served G-d properly, with great happiness, and absolutely no fear. This brought the victory under Mordechai and Esther.

Haman’s argument was that the Jews were dispersed and spread out amongst all the nations, in all the lands of the empire, and that their religion and customs, laws and mitzvos were different from all other nations. And the Megillah tells us that Haman had a terrible downfall and all his schemes came to naught.

This is the “order of the day.” If a Haman should come to a Jewish child and try to dissuade him from doing mitzvos and living according to Torah, his answer to Haman is: “Contrive a scheme, but it will be foiled; conspire a plot, but it will not materialize, for G-d is with us” (Yeshayah-8<10).

What is this Haman, that has a connection with the Jewish children of today? Haman is the yetzer hora, the evil inclination, which comes to a Jewish child and tries to confuse him by saying that since the Jews are dispersed and spread out among all the nations, they should not act differently from all the other peoples! To this challenge even the small child knows what to answer. He was educated by Jewish parents and imbued with Yiddishkeit.

This bright Jewish child says to the yetzer hora: “This is not the first time that a Haman — the yetzer hora — came to confuse Jews. But Haman had a terrible downfall and the Jews were victorious. And afterwards: ‘For the Jews there was light and joy, gladness and honor,’ more light, more joy, more gladness and more honor from all the nations. Haman tried to harm them and they did not fear him, but followed the leadership of Mordechai and as a result they received more light, etc.”

Similarly for us, when the day of Purim comes, we look for the “order of the day.” Actually we start preparing a few days in advance, to be ready, and we do everything with joy. We study the laws of Purim and the Megillah, and we are ready for the yetzer hora. If the yetzer hora should come, the answer is ready: “This happened thousands of years ago, Haman, the yetzer hora, came and tried to confuse the Jews, but he had the worst punishment and the Jews had light and joy, even more than before.” etc.

This radiance and happiness will now envelope the child, his parents, his home and his environment. Hopefully, these children will also do whatever they can to spread the joy and light among other Jews, boys to boys and girls to girls. The light is the Torah, it always was and always will be, and no Haman can have the power to harm the Jewish people.

So, the “order of the day” is that we must be ready to answer the argument of the yetzer hora and the results will be now as it was thousands of times in the past: “For the Jews there was light and joy, gladness and honor — so let it be with us.” So will it be with all of you, your parents, and families among all the Jewish people: Light, joy, gladness and honor — today and tomorrow, with the greatest of joy on Purim.

Happy with Mashiach who will come and redeem us from the yetzer hora and from Haman, now!

2. At every gathering of Tzivos Hashem we look to the special “order of the day,” as well as other matters, from which we must learn. In addition to the “order of the day” of Purim. this year we should look to the portion of the week and the section which pertains to this day, Tuesday, as well as the section of the Rambam that is being studied these days.

From the lessons we learn we will understand more clearly what to do and how to conduct ourselves as soldiers in the Army of Hashem, to obey the commands of the Commander in Chief.

In today’s Torah portion we find that Moshe says: “I and Your people will be distinguished from every nation on the face of the earth” (Shmos 33:16). Moshe received the Torah from G-d for all times and all generations, and everything which Torah teaches applies also here and now. What did Moshe mean when he said we would be “distinguished”? Moshe prayed to G-d, and his prayers were accepted, that Jews would be different from all the nations. True, that Haman had said, in a derogatory fashion, that we are spread out and our laws are different. But Moshe said that it will not cause a problem, on the contrary this will give us honor! How do we have this power? Do not be surprised. Moshe convinced G-d, and when He gave us the Torah, He separated us from all the nations, and certainly gave us the power to fulfill the Torah, with joy and gladness.

What do we learn in the Rambam these days? The laws of inheritance. You might ask, “Why should we learn the laws of inheritance, why do we need it? Mashiach is coming now and we will live forever!”

You are certainly right! Your dear parents and grandparents who have raised you will live long, good, happy and healthy years and go with you to greet Mashiach — and then everyone will have eternal life.

So why do we learn the laws of inheritance? And especially the child who is not yet bar-mitzvah says that this has no connection with him at all.

The answer is, that you, the child, are the true inheritor. Yes, your parents will live, but what you will inherit is the inheritance of the true Patriarchs and Matriarchs: Avraham, Yitzchok, Yaakov, Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah.

Our forefathers were the ones who had the greatest possession and bequest — all the blessings given to them by G-d — which they could transmit to their progeny, even to this generation. So we must tell all the children, here and now and always: You are the heirs of Avraham, Yitzchok, Yaakov, Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah and you must know what you are getting as an inheritance.

Avraham listened to G-d’s commandments and teachings and he gave us his legacy, even after all these generations, so that each one of you has the entire inheritance. What is the inheritance: “The Torah that Moshe commanded us is the heritage of the congregation of Yaakov.” The whole Torah with all the mitzvos is given to every Jewish child as a legacy; being a member of the congregation of Yaakov, the son of Yitzchok and Avraham or the daughter of Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah.

This is the law of inheritance, that you have the whole Torah. Now you have to learn how to act with the inheritance, how to administer it and hold it precious, for it is the legacy of Avraham, Yitzchok, Yaakov, Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah. They transmitted it to us, together with the blessings: to be healthy, materially, spiritually and physically, to be strong and successful, sincere to G-d and true to Tzivos Hashem.

All of this must be done with Ahavas Yisrael and unity, as you recited: “Rabbi Akiva says ‘you should love your fellow as yourself’ is a basic principle of the Torah.”

What do we answer Haman?

Fool! You said that the Jews are one nation, even before you said that they are dispersed and spread out! You saw, and admitted, that the Jews are such a nation that even though they are separated, nevertheless they are first of all an “Am Echod,” a unified people. Yes we are “distinguished” and separated from the other nations because we are unified and one among ourselves.

“Bless, us, our Father, all together as one”; this supplication brings us close together and we have more success in doing all the commandments of the Commander in Chief, and together we will receive the blessings of G-d.

In the merit of the Jewish children, and Jewish mothers and fathers, we should go “... with our youth and elders, sons and daughters ...,” together with the complete Torah and all the mitzvos — all the different laws — to greet our righteous Mashiach, at the true redemption, now.

Together we will go to the Holy Land where: “... the eyes of the L-rd your G-d are on it at all times, from the beginning of the year until the end of the year...,” to Yerushalayim, to the Mount of the Temple, and there to the Beis HaMikdash, and there we will celebrate in eternal joy, with all the Jews, speedily and truly in our days.

3. As always, when we conclude a Tzivos Hashem gathering we end with tzedakah. Having prayed Minchah and said the 12 Torah passages, when we conclude with tzedakah, we have the three pillars an which S TPW and the world stand.

Not that a Jew may feel haughty that he has Torah and mitzvos, rather it gives him a mission and an opportunity to show all the nations of the world that Jews observe Torah and Yiddishkeit, so that they should keep their mitzvos. They have a yetzer hora that confuses them also, so the Jewish child shows them how to handle their yetzer hora. Nullify the yetzer hora; tell it, “Contrive a scheme, but it will be foiled ... for G-d is with us.” The Jewish child does this through his mitzvos, and the nations also have their Seven Noachide mitzvos. So the Jewish child says — “Don’t be afraid of the yetzer hora — neutralize it.”

Haman wanted to darken the world. Mordechai gathered the Jewish children and asked them what they had learned, and Haman heard the children say: “Do not fear sudden terror ...,” G-d says, don’t be afraid, even when someone like Haman or the yetzer hora wants to harm you.

The Jewish child is able to convey to the nations of the world, that they too should not fear the Hamans but should follow G-d’s commandments and certainly they will be victorious. The child does not have to go out to argue with the non-Jews, all he has to do is to act as a Jewish child should, to be a live example, with the light of Torah. There is no need for talk — he just fulfills his mission by learning in cheder or yeshivah — by being careful to eat only Kosher food and by giving tzedakah from his allowance, using what is left for himself; these and all the other mitzvos of the Torah.

I will now distribute coins to all the children for tzedakah. One coin for tzedakah now, one for tzedakah on Purim, and two coins for your own use [allowance], and as explained, part of your allowance you should give, on your own, to charity. with iov and gladness.

Now you should sing the songs connected with the verses that the children told to Mordechai — Utzu Eitza, A1 Tira, Ach Tzaddikim — then the song “We Want Mashiach Now.” And when G-d sees that the Tzivos Hashem are praying with joy and hope for Mashiach, then He will fulfill all the details and bring the true and complete redemption through our righteous Mashiach, speedily in our days, now! So we will also sing “Sheyeboneh Beis HaMikdash.”