Parshas Tetzaveh/Purim Issue
By Rabbi Dovid Zauderer
You may not know this, but in addition to the 613 Biblical commandments in the Torah, and the countless commandments of Rabbinical origin, there exists yet another “layer†of Torah law called minhag (pronounced min-hug), or custom.
It is actually a commandment from Biblical tradition to abide by all community customs (see Talmud Pesachim 50b). Just like the Torah itself, a custom is binding for all generations. It is therefore taught: “A custom of Israel is Torahâ€.
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan ZTâ€L, in his classic work Handbook of Jewish Thought (Volume 1), gives an overview of the power and parameters of Jewish customs:
“It is assumed that the Jewish people are given a degree of Divine Inspiration in ascertaining G-d’s will, and therefore, custom strongly influences Jewish law. Similarly, they are granted a degree of Divine Inspiration in creating customs. An accepted Jewish custom is known as a minhag.
“Throughout the world, different Jewish communities observe different customs. [Ed. note: So, for example, according to strict Torah or Rabbinical law, one may eat dairy right after eating meat, the minhag of most Jews is to wait for a period of time after eating meat before eating dairy. Dutch Jews generally wait one hour after meat before eating dairy, while German Jews wait three hours. Polish Jews have the minhag to wait a full six hours(!) after meat before eating dairy – dz] Although this may make their observances appear very different in outward form, in essence, the differences are actually very minor. With regard to the basic observances of the laws of the Torah, all traditional Jewish communities are essentially the same.
“Customs tend to create a strong bond between people, and therefore are a powerful force against assimilation. Customs also tend to strengthen the bond between succeeding generations.
“Where observance of a local or regional custom results in the violation of any law, the custom should be abolished. A local or regional custom should also be abolished if it opposes an unambiguous law. [There are some cases where people try to justify serious sins on the basis of custom. Regarding this, it is taught that minhag spelled backwards is Gehenom. See Rabbeinu Tam, quoted in Responsa of Rabbi Moshe Mintz 67]
“A person must always abide by the customs of his home community even while temporarily residing elsewhere. Similarly, a person is exempt from abiding by the customs of any community where he may be visiting or residing temporarily, as long as he has the intention of returning home.
“When a person moves to a new community, he must abide by all its customs. When a woman marries, she adopts the customs of her husband.â€
[See Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan’s Handbook of Jewish Thought (Volume1) pages 261-286 for a full treatment of the laws of Jewish customs.]
One of the more established (although not technically obligatory) customs that has been adopted by the Jewish people over the centuries and millennia relates to the mitzvah of Mechiyas Amalek, the commandment to wipe out the evil nation of Amalek (see Deuteronomy 25:19).
The Kav HaYashar relates that when the Rebbe Reb Heschel of Krakow wanted to test out a writing instrument, he would purposely write down Amalek’s or Haman’s name, and then he would erase their names to fulfill this mitzvah (albeit partially).
The Orchos Chaim writes that the custom in Provence and France (in the 1300’s) was to write the name of Haman on stones and then to bang the stones together as if to destroy him.
The Remâ€a in his commentary on Shulchan Aruch O.C. 690:18 quotes the Beis Yosef who writes the following:
It is also written that the young children are accustomed to draw pictures of Haman on wood or stones or to write the name of Haman on them and to strike one against the other in order to blot out his name – as per the verses "The name of Amalek shall surely be erased" (Devarim 25:19) and "But the fame of the wicked rots". (Proverbs 10:7). From this evolved the custom that we ‘klop’ Haman when we read the Megillah in the synagogue [every time we hear his name]. We must not nullify any custom nor should we ridicule [any custom] because "×œ× ×œ×—× × ×”×•×§×‘×¢" [the custom wasn’t practiced for no reason]
So we see that the minhag of klopping (banging) our hands and feet and making all kinds of noises with groggers and other noisemakers every time the wicked Haman’s name is mentioned during the reading of the Megillah on Purim night and day is an old Jewish custom that has been practiced for hundreds of years – and is not to be taken lightly, or ridiculed, G-d forbid.
The Chasam Sofer offers a different reason for the custom of klopping Haman when his name is mentioned during the reading of the Megillah. He wonders why we still read the Megillah every year and mention Haman’s name so many times. At this rate, we will never succeed in erasing his memory! Of course the answer is that if we want to make sure that we never forget the evil of Haman we have no choice but to mention his name. We therefore klop when we hear his name as if to say “I would rather not hear the wicked Haman’s name at all – but what can I do?â€
The Chidah in Machzik Berachah suggests yet another interesting reason for klopping Haman. He writes that our holy sages foresaw the possibility during the long and bitter exile ahead of us that another nation might rise up against the Jewish people and attempt to annihilate us just as the wicked Haman tried to do. So the rabbis instituted that everyone should make lots of noise during the reading of the Megillah. This way, the non-Jews around us who hear the huge tumult in the synagogue on Purim will inquire as to what happened to us on Purim, and what happened to Haman - and they will be afraid to start up with us!
One more reason for ‘klopping’ Haman on Purim comes from Rabbi Eliyahu HaKohein in his work Midrash Eliyahu. Just when you thought that the Jewish religion was not into “voodoo†(just kidding), the Midrash Eliyahu writes the following:
“I received a tradition that when we mention Haman’s name or the names of his wife and sons on Purim, and we ‘klop’ with our hands or feet, G-d makes it that they should feel all the ‘klopping’ so that they should experience tremendous pain and suffering. This punishment is truly no more than Haman and his family deserve.â€
http://www.torchweb.org/torah_detail.php?id=655