Mazal

One of the interesting ideas brought in מסכת מגילה, is the question of Mazal. The Gemara describes Haman as he rose to power. The expression used was that המזל משחקת לו, that his good fortune was playing with him.

Haman was on a roll and everything was going his way for a while. His Mazal lasted for a while. According to the Megillah, it took five years until his luck (mazal) ran out.

The Talmud contends that every person has a period in his life where everything goes right for him. When this comes, we need to savor it and appreciate it. Life does have its challenges but we are told that we are given a respite at some point in our lives.

Rabbi Akiva was extremely poor when he began his studies. Later in his life, his Mazal gave him great wealth from six different sources according to מסכת כתובות.

Let us hope that our good fortune is still to come where we see all of our dreams fulfilled. Purim Sameach