PTA Meeting
Friday @ 10am CST

Parent / Teacher Weekly Huddle (aka Homeschoolers Anonymous) 10AM CST

Please add this weekly A-TeC event to your calendars! This is going to be a great opportunity to learn from homeschooling veterans and also from those who are experiencing AMAZING success with the A-TeC system. We will share PRO-TIPS on schedules, keeping great attitudes, operating Moodle and much, much more. Although not mandetory your participation is HIGHLY ENCOURAGED.

**Being successful on Assemble-Together, means being Successful-Together.**

#verseoftheday
Psalms 42: 1-3

For the leader of the singers. A song of the Sons of Korach. To teach wisdom.

As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul cries out for You, O G-d. My soul thirsts for G-d, the living G-d: when will I come and appear in the presence of G-d?

#esther
1:1-4
And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus-he is the Ahasuerus who reigned from Hodu to Cush, a hundred and twenty-seven provinces-in those days, when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne which was in Shushan the capital, in the third year of his reign, he made a feast for all his officials and his servants; the army of Persian and Media; the nobles and officials of the provinces being present; when he displayed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his splendorous majesty for many days, a hundred and eighty days.

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"A HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN PROVINCES"
Rabbi Akiva was once giving a lecture when he noticed that his students were drowsing. In order to rouse them he asked, "Why was it seen fit that Esther should rule over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces? Because thus said G-d: Let the daughter of Sarah who lived one hundred and twenty-seven years come and reign over one hundred twenty-seven provinces. Midrash
Why would these words alert the drowsing students more than the topic of the day? Rabbi Akiva wanted to impress upon his students the importance of time and the duty to use every second to best advantage. It was because Sarah's one hundred and twenty-seven years were perfect and completely sin-free that her granddaughter could hold sway over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces. Each second meant a family' each minute, a farm; each day, a village. Had Sarah idled away her time, Esther's kingdom would have been diminished. Time is too precious to waste, Sarah's time well-spent was rewarded during Esther's reign. Each of us, too is presented with the fleeting gift of time - and the mission of utilizing it fully and well. Who can say what the rewards will be for each minute well spent; or the penalty for each minute wasted?
The admonition brought Rabbi Akiva's students to attention. (Chidushei HaRim)

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IN THE THIRD YEAR.
3395 from Creation (Seder HaDoros)

It was the third anniversary of his ascension to the throne. He celebrated this anniversary with an annual feast, but in this third year, he had multiple cause for celebration.
According to his (erroneous)calculations the 70th year of the Jews' exile had passed, thus belying the prophets who had foretold the exile's end after 70 years (Megillah 11b)
and Ahasuerus rejoiced in this frustration of Jewish hope, he had completed the building of his magnificent throne, he was finally secure in his reign, he took Vashti as his queen. Thus the cause for such a lavish feast. (Midrash Ibn Ezra).

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THE HONOR OF HIS SPLENDROUS MAJESTY

He adorned himself with the Jewish priestly robes. The word, "tav*Feh*aleph*resh*tav" or "splendor" used here is the same word used in connection with priestly garments; Ex 28:2, thus indicating that he wore the robes looted from the Jews during the conquest by Nebuchadnezar. Megillah 12a

#esther
1:5-10
And when these days were fulfilled the king made a seven-day feast for all the people who were present in Shushan the capital, great and small alike, in the courtyard of the garden of the kings palace. There were hangings of white fine cotton and turquoise wool, held with cords of fine linen and purple wool, upon silver rods and marble pillars, the couches of gold and silver were in a pavement of variegated marble. The drinks were served in golden vessels-vessels of diverse form-and royal wine in abundance, in accordance with the kings wealth. And drinking according to the law, there was no coercion for so the King had established for every officer of his house to do according to each man's pleasure.
Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women in the royal house of King Ahasuerus. On the seventh day when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he told Mehuman, Bizzetha, Charbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas, the seven Chamberlain who attended King Ahasuerus........

(There is so much written on Vashti from Aggadah and Midrash Rabbah that i could not pick just one thing to include here. The link i am providing is an over view of all the writings. It even infers the differences in the way the Babylonian vs Jeruselam Rabbis viewes Vashti. )

https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/vashti-midrash-and-aggadah

It's a girl!!! Grand baby #1 that is!!! B'H!!

Good Morning A-T!!

This Friday we will be having the last PTA of the Hexamester.
10am CST on Skype 4 Business.
We will be discussing how to integrate holiday prep with homeschooling!

#esther
1:11-20
to bring Queen Vashti before the king [adorned] with the royal crown, to show off to the people and the officials her beauty. for she was beautiful of appearance. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command [conveyed] by the hand of the chamberlains; the king therefore became very enraged and his wrath burned in him. Then the king spoke to the wise men, those who knew the times (for such was the king's procedure [to turn] to all who knew law and judgement), those closest to him - Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the seven officers of Persia and Media who had access to the king, who sat first in the kingdom: "By the law, what should be done to Queen Vashti for not having obeyed the bidding of the King Ahasuerus [conveyed] by the hand of the chamberlains?"
Memucan declared before the King and the officials, "Not only against the King has Queen Vashti done wrong, but against all the officials and all the people in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For the Queen's deeds will go forth to all women, making their husbands contemptible in their eyes, when they will say, 'King Ahasuerus said to bring Queen Vashti before him, but she did not come!" And this day the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen's deed will speak of it to all the king's officials and there will be much contempt and rage. If it pleases the king, let there go forth a royal edict from him, and let it be written into the laws of Persia and Media, that it not be revoked, that Vashti never appear before King Ahasuerus; and let the king confer her royal estate upon another who is better than she.

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BUT QUEEN VASHTI REFUSED.
Not because of modesty. Megillah 12b
When Ahasuerus sent for her, "Vashti, the Queen" implying that her title was of secondary importance. He was suggesting that she was simply, "a vashti," a commoner, who had been elevated to the throne because it pleased him to do so. She, on the other hand, referred to herself as "Queen Vashti" to make it plain that she was of royal blood even before her marriage, and that her dignity was not to be trifled with. Further on when he wished to spare her, Ahasuerus referred to her a Queen Vashti reminding his advisers that she was a queen - the daughter of a great ruler, a royal personage in her own right. Vilna Gaon

TO THE WISE MEN
The Talmud (Megillah 12b) understands this to be the Rabbis.

WHO KNEW THE TIMES
That is, who knew how to calculate the timing of leap years and fix new moons. Megillah 12b

Ibn Ezra, however, interprets this as referring to astrologers or those familiar with the historical precedents of earlier monarchs.
Ahasuerus, seeking impartial and trusted counsel, turned first to the Jewish sages and asked them to pass sentence on his queen. The sages thought to themselves: "If we condemn the queen to death we shall suffer for it as soon as Ahasuerus becomes sober and hears that it was upon our advice that she was executed. If we advise clemency and advise him to pardon her, he will accuse us of not paying due reverence to the majesty of the king." They therefore resolved to take a position of neutrality.
They said to him, "From the day the Temple was destroyed and we were exiled from our land, we lost the powers to give judgment in capital cases. Better seek counsel with the wise men of Ammon and Moab who have dwelt at ease in their land." Thereupon he sought advice from his seven officials, as we read "those closes to him - Carshena, etc." Megillah 12b

MEMUCAN DECLARED
A Tanna taught: "Memucan is Haman. Why was he called Memucan? Because he was destine for destruction. Rav Kahana said: 'From here we see that an ignoramus always thrust himself to the forefront'" [Memucan is mentioned last in verse 14, yet he speaks first] Megillah 12b; Midrash
Everywhere else he is referred to as mem*mem*vav*Kuf*nun but here he is called mem*vav*mem*Kuf*nun a combination of the two words kuf*nun and Mem*vav*mem, meaning "a blemish is here." The blemish is his discourtesy in speaking out of turn. The Torah is not tolerant of boorishness. Mesoras HaBris