The Gemorah in Mesechta Ta’anis famously tells us, “Mishenichnas Adar marbim bisimcha”. Seemingly, there is cause to increase one’s simchah the entire month of Adar, and not merely on the day of Purim. Why does the entire month get swept into the simchah of Purim? No other Yom Tov carries the entire month along with its celebration.

The Medresh relates that when Haman began selecting the day to destroy Klal Yisroel, he chose Adar. He reckoned that Adar’s mazal is ‘mazal dogim’ and it did not contain any significance or zechus to protect the Yidden. When the Yidden were miraculously spared, the Megillah states that the chodesh converted from mourning and sadness into joy and Yom Tov. Clearly there is something noteworthy about the entire month that warrants mandating it as an entire month of simcha.

To gain insight into the mazal of chodesh Adar- mazal dogim, let us peruse a Medresh on the Megillah. The possuk says, “Ein Esther magedes moladitah”-Esther refused to reveal her ancestral origins. The Medresh comments that she grasped onto shtikah, the character trait of her ancestor, Rochel. Rochel maintained silent dignity while witnessing Leah hijacking her coveted place as Yaakov Avinu’s spouse. Binyomin, Rochel’s progeny, well aware of the sale of his beloved brother, Yosef, controlled his mouth from revealing it. Shaul, another descendant of Rochel, also did not reveal his coronation until instructed. These were all instances that required massive self-control to uphold the trait of silence. Likewise, Esther persisted against much pressure and persuasion to maintain the noble trait of silence.

It was this extraordinary middoh of shtikah that served as a direct cause for the salvation of the Jewish people. Had Esther revealed her ancestry, Haman would have taken immediate action to have her removed. Haman would never have allowed for her to stand in his way and quest to annihilate his arch enemies. He was certainly capable of orchestrating her removal as he had already done so to Vashti. It was her reticence and ability to hold back that contributed to give Haman a false sense of comfort and eventually be entrapped by Esther.

Obviously, it was the zechus of her shtikah that directly resulted in the rescue of the entire nation.

Sforim Hakedoshim write that fish possess a uniqueness uncommon to any other creature. Each individual living creature communicates in a distinct manner. Lions roar. Horses bray. Dogs bark. Cats mime a ‘meow’- sounding noise. Fish do not emit a sound. They are exclusively non-verbal. Fish signify the middah of shtikah.

 The ability to restrain oneself and maintain one’s silence is clearly a formidable challenge. Overcoming the impulse to retort, to argue, to insult or to merely chatter is highly challenging. But the reward is formidable! The Vilna Gaon notably writes that employing the middah of shtikah, even for a fleeting moment, earns untold and unimaginable reward in the world to come.

The entire month of Adar is governed by the mazal of fish. The middah of fish-shtikah was the trait employed by Esther to maneuver and manifest the ultimate yeshuah. We celebrate the entire month which symbolizes this precious character trait that engineered a new life for the entire nation.

Is it permissible to pause silently between geulah and tefilla?

There is an obligation to be somech geulah l’tefilla--to connect the brocha of Go’al Yisroel with Shemoneh Esrei. It is forbidden to speak at that point, even to respond to a davar shebekedusha. The Shulchan Aruch and Rema disagree about whether answering Amen to the brocha of Go’al Yisroel is considered an interruption. A solution to avoid this gray area would be to finish the brocha along with the chazan; one would then be absolved from the obligation to answer Amen. A person should also avoid pausing more than three seconds between geulah and tefilla unless he is pausing to listen to a davar shebekedusha.  Taking the three steps before beginning Shemoneh Esrei is not considered an interruption.

סי' קי"א ס"א ס"ק ב',ג',ו' ביאורים ומוספים דרשו 5, 7 8, 12

Can a person daven Ma’ariv out of order?

During Ma’ariv one must also be somech geulah l’tefilla. Saying the pesukim of Boruch Hashem or V’shomru are not considered interruptions. Semichas geulah l’tefilla at Ma’ariv is not as stringent as it is during Shacharis. Therefore, a person who arrives after Ma’ariv already began should daven Shemoneh Esrei with the tzibur and say Kriyas Shema along with its brochos afterwards. According to some poskim, even if a person already said the first two brochos along with Kriyas Shema, he should skip to Shemoneh Esrei in order to daven tefilla b’tzibur.  During Shacharis, however, a person should not daven out of order, even if it will cause him to miss tefilla b’tzibur. 

ס"ג ס"ק ד' וס"ק י"א ביאורים ומוספים דרשו 11 ו23

Is one obligated to be somech geulah l’tefilla on Yom Tov?

There are some Rishonim who hold that there is no obligation to be somech geulah l’tefilla on Shabbos. Their reasoning is based on the fact that one of the sources for semichas geulah l’tefilla is the proximity of the pasuk of ya’ancha Hashem b’yom tzora to the pasuk of yihyu l’rotzon. Since Shabbos is not a day of tzora, it does not have the inyan to connect geulah l’tefilla. Others reject this view because there are other sources for semichas geulah l’tefilla which are applicable on Shabbos. In light of the disagreement, Rema says that one should be stringent unless he is responding to a davar shebekedusha. All opinions agree that there is an obligation to be somech geulah l’tefilla on Yom Tov. There are two reasons for this distinction: 1) Many Yomim Tovim are yemei din and can therefore be regarded as yemei tzora.  In accordance with this reason, Shmini Atzeres and Shevi’i shel Pesach, which are not yimei din, are excluded from this obligation. 2) Yom Tov often falls on a weekday--which, in comparison with Shabbos, is a yom tzora. It follows that when Yom Tov falls on Shabbos there is no obligation to be somech geulah l’tefilla.

ס"א ס"ק ז'-ט' ביאורים ומוספים דרשו 13

• The appropriate time to say Tefillas Haderech is when a person has reached seventy amos beyond the borders of his city of departure. The borders of the city are defined by the last houses on the outskirts of the city. B’dieved, if one recited Tefillas Haderech while he was in the city, he is yotzei his obligation.

• Contemporary poskim discuss how to properly apply the halachos of Tefillas Haderech to modern-day travel. In many instances, when one travels between two major cities (e.g. Yerushalayim and Tel-Aviv), there will not be a parsah of land on the way that is devoid of homes and buildings. As such, some poskim say that Tefillas Haderech should not be said unless one will be traveling through territory populated by people who have animosity towards Jews. Others say that Tefillas Haderech may still be said, since there is a danger of road accidents regardless of whether there are homes along the way.

• Some poskim say the appropriate time to say Tefillas Haderech when flying is while the airplane is speeding down the runway immediately before takeoff. Others say that it should be said once the plane has taken off and reached a height from which it would be dangerous to fall.

• Should the chazan bow at the beginning of the Brocha M’ein Sheva?

• May one bow during the Birchos HaTorah of Kriyas HaTorah?

• Should a person bow during Shemoneh Esrei if there is avodah zorah in the vicinity