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Haman was the most powerful man in the world during the story of Purim. But he could not get over the fact that Mordecai knew that he really was nothing. Haman was full of hubris and that was his downfall.

It is clear in the Megillah that God is directing the action. While He is not mentioned explicitly, we can see His hand in the action.

The reason that we do not say Hallel on Purim is that the status of Jews did not change in the story. They were subjects of Achashverosh at the beginning of the story and at the end. The only thing that changed was that they survived.

Mordecai could have bowed to Haman. But he knew that would be wrong thing to do at that time. We learn from this that we are obligated to stand up to evil.

The episode of the Golden Calf is amazing. These were witnesses to the actual Exodus, they crossed the Sea of Reeds. They were at Mount Sinai. Yet they built an idol to worship. It should be remembered that the hard part was to get Egypt out of the Jews.

Bezalel was chosen to design the Tabernacle. First it was due to his wisdom. But more importantly it was it was due to his humility. He would any job that needed to be done, no matter how lowly.

The Torah commands that each Jewish man give a half shekel for the maintenance of the Tabernacle. The fact that it is a half and not a whole emphasizes that in order to be able to attain holiness we need a community. We cannot do it alone.

Today is the anniversary of Moses’s passing. He was the ultimate leader. He knew when to stand up and when to not stand. Interestingly, he is not mentioned in this week’s reading, this shows his humility.

The Torah speaks of the High Priest, the incense, and the Eternal Light. This symbolizes the Jewish people in that we will be eternal, we care for all Jews and that we are made up of many different people with different opinions.

The lesson of the importance of the High Priest is that we are all responsible for one another. Just as the High Priest is responsible for an accidental death so, too, we come together in times of crises.