Maghen Abraham - Thoughts From Mayer Sasson

"The paupers' eyes are lifted up to the Megillah reading"

The time of Megilah reading is auspicious to livelihood and blessings

In the sefer Ateret Yehoshua of the holy Rabbi of Jikov it is brought down that the Megillah reading is auspicious to a good livelihood The Rabbi explains this according to what our Sages said "The paupers' eyes are lifted up to the Megillah reading".

The simple explanation is that the paupers wait for a long time for the Megillah reading because at that time Jews give them charity which is the custom of the day – to give gifts to the poor.

The Rabbi of Jikov explains the Gemara according to what the ARIZ'L wrote: We know that when we say the verse of "Ashrei Yoshvei Beitecha we have to have intentions for the angels' names who are in charge of livelihood "פאי" who come from the initials of the words Poteach et yadecha "פותח את ידך" – You open Your Hand and "חתך" – that come from the last letters of those words "פותח את ידך".

The Rabbi of Jikov adds that the words of the blessing on reading the Megillah "על מקרא מגילה" add up to 519 which is exactly the sum of the two angels of livelihood "פאי" and "חתך" (519).

This is the intention of the Gemara "The paupers' eyes are lifted up to the Megillah reading"- The paupers can rise in wealth and leave their poverty by reading the Megillah because by reading the Megillah one is blessed with a prosperous livelihood and and all the best from the names "פאי" and "חתך" that are alluded to in the Megillah.

The holy author of the Tiferet Shlomo added that through the Megillah reading blessings of children, life and livelihood are brought down to Israel. He added: Therefore, it is a mitzvah to spread out the Megillah like a letter, as it says in the Shulchan Aruch, so that the good blessings are spread over the entire world, Amen.

SHABBAT SHALOM!!