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Meaning in Mitzvot -
Lesson 65

The Laws Of Purim

21.09.2014
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Note to my readers: Hope you had a productive summer.  You will notice that I am not continuing the shiur from where I left off, but rather from where I am currently situated in my progress in the book: chapter 140, the laws of Purim.  In this way you will continue to receive fresh material each week, and I will be able to benefit from your active participation in the ongoing creation of the book.

Bivracha,

Asher Meir

 

CHAPTER 140 – THE FOUR TORAH READINGS

 

Every year on the Shabbatot preceding Pesach there are four Torah portions which are read after the regular weekly reading.  These are Shekalim (shekel coins), Zakhor (remember), Hachodesh (the month), and Para (the red heifer).  Three of these readings are directly related to Pesach: Shekalim, Hachodesh, and Para.

 

Parashat (the portion of) Shekalim tells us of the "half-shekel" coin that each Jew, rich or poor, was obligated to donate to the Temple each year.  The coins were collected in the weeks preceding Pesach and brought to Yerushalayim for the holiday.

 

Parashat Hachodesh recounts the mitzva of sanctifying the month while making Nisan the first of the year's months.  This reminds us of the approaching month of Nisan and emphasizes its special importance as the month of our redemption and the month of the Pesach holiday.

 

Parashat Para tells of the red heifer which was burned outside Yerushalayim, and whose ashes were mixed with spring water.  Any Jew who is ritually impure through direct or indirect contact with a corpse, can only be purified by being sprinkled with this mixture.  Since ritual purity is a prerequisite for approaching the Temple, it was important (in the time of the Temple) to remind people to leave enough time for the purification process, so that they would be pure for the holiday.

 

The exception is Parashat Zakhor, which tells of the mitzva to recall the wickedness of the nation of Amalek, and the mitzva to wipe out its memory.  This is read in anticipation of Purim, in which we celebrate the elimination of Haman, who was descended from Agag, an Amelekite ruler.

 

The interweaving of Parashat Zakhor with the other three readings, and their inclusion together in the so-called "four portions," suggests that there is an inherent connection between Purim and Pesach, and that Purim's timing – a month before Pesach – has a special meaning.

 

At the end of chapter 119, we explained that there is an important difference between Pesach and the other holidays.  All holidays are days of special closeness to Hashem, on Pesach however - this closeness is unconditional.  This corresponds to the way that Hashem redeemed us from Egypt even though the Jewish people had then sunk to a very low spiritual level.  For this redemption Jewish identity alone was sufficient, based on Hashem's promise to the Patriarchs to make us into His special nation.

 

This theme characterizes Purim as well.  As we will see in the coming chapters, a recurring theme in the laws of Purim is the conspicuous lack of distinction among Jews.  Jews were threatened by Haman's decree without regard to pedigree or degree of observance; all Jews alike shared in Hashem's salvation.

 

 

CHAPTER 141 –1 READING OF THE MEGILLA

 

(2-3) The fast of Esther: There is an ancient custom to fast on the thirteenth of Adar, Purim eve.  This fast commemorates the fast that Esther called to gather the Jews in prayer, to help her efforts to convince Achashverosh to cancel the decree of destruction.  Esther's words to Mordekhai were, "Go, assemble ALL of the Jews." (Esther 4:16).  So this fast is a symbol of unity among Jews.

 

All the other fast days that commemorate historical events recall tragedies that befell the Jewish people: the sieges of Yerushalayim, the destruction of the Temple, the assassination of Gedaliah (See chapter 121).  These fasts are dedicated to repentance, recalling the sins that led to these tragedies and committing us to avoiding their repetition.

 

The fast of Esther however, commemorates an event that while terrifying was not tragic.  In the end, Haman's wicked decree was reversed.  Thus the awe and humility of this fast is intermingled with joy and anticipation, much like Yom Kippur.  Indeed, our mystical tradition notes the similarity between the names of the holidays: "Yom Kippurim" ("Day of Atonements") can be read "Yom kePurim," a day like Purim (Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 21).

 

There is indeed a striking parallel between the historical climaxes of each holiday.  On the one hand, the fasting Queen Esther – dressed in special garments – entering the King's inner chamber at the risk of her life in order to bring salvation to the Jewish people.  On the other hand, the fasting High Priest – dressed in special white vestments – entering the normally off-limits inner sanctum of the Temple at the risk of his life in order to bring us forgiveness (Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 21).  (Our Sages say that the danger was so great that a rope was tied around the High Priest's waist to drag him out if anything happened to him.) Each day is also characterized by the juxtaposition of fast and feast (Likutei HaGra 154b, cited in Nitzotzei Zohar).

 

Of course, these parallels only accentuate the obvious contrast: On Yom Kippur our representative is seeking mercy from the King of Kings; on Purim, Esther was compelled to seek mercy from an earthly king – and a fairly ridiculous one at that.  Yom Kippur is the day when we are like angels; the fast of Esther is the day when we approach Hashem with the full awareness that we are no more than humans - and even so, the merit of our Jewishness is enough to bring us Hashem's salvation.

 

(5) The half-shekel: When Hashem commanded Moshe to take a census of the children of Israel, He ordered it to be done in a special way – each man would give a half-shekel.  "This shall they give, all who are in the counting: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary" (Shemot 30:13).

 

The portion continues:  "All who are in the counting, from twenty years of age and above, will give this donation to Hashem.  The wealthy shall not add, nor shall the poor detract from half a shekel, to give a donation to Hashem to atone for your souls" (Shemot 30:14-15).  This is also a commandment for all generations, that each year, each man should give half of the common local coin for the needs of the Temple, as long as it is not less than the half-shekel of the Torah (Rambam Shekalim 1:5).

 

Today there is no Temple, but we commemorate this mitzva with the custom of each Jew giving a half-coin to charity on Purim eve.  This custom also bears the message of equality – the Torah emphasizes that each Jew is equal in the mitzva of the half-shekel.

 

Our Sages say that the merit of the shekel coins of Israel overcame the twenty thousand kikar (talons) of silver Haman paid to annihilate the Jews (Megilla 13b).  When we acknowledge our unique worth and join together, like the half-shekel coins that were gathered together from the identical contribution of each Jew, then we have the power to overcome our enemies.

 

(6) Al hanisim: On both Chanuka and Purim, we add a passage both in the "modim" (thanksgiving) blessings of the Amida prayer and in the grace after meals.  The addition is thanksgiving: "On the miracles, and on the release, and on the might, and on the salvation, and on the wars which You made for our fathers."

 

However, the Chanuka and Purim phrasing have a marked difference in emphasis.  The Chanuka version seems to have a message of exclusivity: "In the days of Matityahu ben Yochanan, the High Priest, the Hasmonean."  We are immediately reminded of the tiny elite band of priests who initiated the war against the great Greek Empire and who then went on to found the Hasmonean dynasty of kings.  The continuation mentions that the victory was at the hands of the few, the pure, the righteous, those occupied with Torah.  These terms are meant to characterize the Jewish people as a whole, but they naturally give prominence to those few individuals who particularly exemplified the qualities described.

 

Behind this emphasis lies the historical reality that the victory of Chanuka was in fact not of the whole Jewish people.  It is tragic that as part of the war against the Greeks there was also a civil war against the Hellenized Jews.  The celebration belongs therefore solely to the righteous.

 

Regarding Purim however, the blessing continues, "In the days of Mordekhai and Esther in the city of Shushan, when the wicked Haman stood against them and sought to destroy, kill and wipe out all of the Jews, young and old, children and women."  No mention is made of Mordekhai's royal pedigree (he was a descendant of King Saul), and the inclusive nature of the danger is emphasized.

 

Thus the al hanisim blessing also draws attention to the inclusive nature of the Purim miracle.  The salvation, like the danger, came to "all of the Jews, young and old, children and women."

 

SECTION 2 – Chapter 141 seifim 7-23 and chapter 142

 

(7-22)  Reading the Megilla:  The most prominent mitzva of the Purim holiday is the reading of the Megilla, the scroll of Esther, on the night and in the morning of Purim.  This is the primary commemoration of the Purim miracle.  Many laws of the Megilla reading continue the theme of unity and inclusiveness that we have been developing.

 

  1.  Obligation of women: While women are normally exempt from positive time-bound commandments (see chapter 18), they are equally obligated in hearing the Megilla.  The reason is that "they too were part of the miracle."  Some commentators explain that this refers to the fact that the miracle was brought about by a woman, that is, by the intervention of Esther.  Women are also counted for a quorum of ten for the Megilla reading, since this quorum is primarily for the publication of the miracle.

 

  1.  Obligation of children: We make a special effort to bring children to the Megilla reading.  The well-known custom of 'grogging' Haman, making a racket when his name is read, is meant to keep the attention of the youngsters and attract them to the reading.

 

There is even an opinion that children can be considered part of the quorum of ten for the Megilla reading (Darkhei Moshe OC 690:6).

 

  1.  Reading in public: The halakha particularly emphasizes the importance of reading the Megilla before a large crowd, and especially in the public setting of the synagogue.  In the days of the Temple, even the Temple service was delayed so that the Kohanim could hear the Megilla read together with the rest of the congregation (as opposed to waiting until the Temple service was completed).  Even regular Torah classes are canceled or delayed for the same reason (SA and Beit Yosef OC 67:2).

 

  1.  Folding the scroll: The scroll of Esther is called a 'letter' or 'missive', and so the custom is to read from it while it is folded as a letter, not rolled like a scroll.  This introduces a more personal dimension to the recitation.  While the book of Esther is certainly one of the canonical books of Scripture, written with Divine inspiration, we remember also its status as an actual letter sent by Mordekhai and Esther to the Jews of the Persian Empire.

 

(1-5)      Walled cities: The book of Esther relates that while all the Jews of the empire avenged themselves of their enemies on the thirteenth of Adar and made a feast on the fourteenth, the Jews of Shushan were granted an additional day of requital and thus celebrated on the fifteenth.  Therefore, the holiday for future generations was also split between the two days (Esther 9:18-21).

 

The Scripture contrast Shushan with the "cities without a wall," suggesting that what was special about Shushan was its wall.  Therefore, it would have been logical to make Purim on the fourteenth of Adar in all cities that were not enclosed within walls at the time of the miracle, and on the fifteenth in cities which had walls.

 

However, the Purim story took place when Yerushalayim and its walls were in ruins.  Such a ruling would have given Yerushalayim and the land of Israel a status inferior to that of the walled cities of Persia!  So our Sages gave special importance to the land of Israel and ruled that "walled cities" which celebrate Purim on the fifteenth of Adar, are those which had walls when Yehoshua led the Jewish people into the land of Israel (Yerushalmi Megilla 1:1).

 

Even though the entire Purim story takes place in the diaspora, and the land of Israel and Yerushalayim are barely mentioned, our Sages read into the story an undercurrent of concern for the land and city.  The Megilla tells of "varied utensils" which were used at Achashverosh's public feast; the Midrash tells us that these included utensils looted from the Temple (Esther Rabba).  Achashverosh tells Esther that she may be granted any request "up to half the kingdom"; our Sages say that "half the kingdom" was Yerushalayim, hinting to her that he would not agree to a request to rebuild the Temple (Megilla 15b).  The Megilla tells of the rivalry between Mordekhai and Haman; the Midrash extends the rivalry, explaining that Mordekhai lobbied to have the Temple rebuilt and Haman fought his initiative (Midrash Panim Acherim).

 

This hidden theme of the Purim story has both historical and educational importance.  It reminds us that the Temple was ever in the consciousness of the Jewish exiles, even as they were immersed in the court intrigues of Persia.  It also induces us to view the Purim story in the perspective of the larger currents of Jewish history, which while encompassing exile and destruction, is ultimately based on the ideal of return and redemption.

 

CHAPTER 142 – SENDING OF PORTIONS, GIFTS TO THE POOR, AND THE FESTIVE PURIM MEAL

 

(1-5)      Sending of portions, gifts to the poor, and the festive meal: Theses three mitzvot have an intimate relationship.  The portions we send to friends are required to be ready for eating (SA OC 695:4), so sending them is really a way of 'extending' our festive meal to include our friends who will not actually be with us.  The money given to the poor is primarily collected to provide them with a Purim meal – though they are not required to use it for this purpose (Mishna Berura 694:9).

 

The ultimate end is again one of brotherhood.  As each household extends its own meal by sending portions to friends and charity to the poor, it is as if the entire Jewish nation is gathered together for one gigantic Purim feast!

 

(6)  Drinking on Purim: Our Sages say that it is a mitzva to drink alcohol on Purim "until one can not distinguish between 'Cursed is Haman' and 'Blessed is Mordekhai'" (SA OC 695:2).

 

The reason for this mitzva to drink is that the miracle of Purim occurred through wine.  It was through Achashverosh's feast that Vashti was deposed, thus making Esther queen, and giving her influence in the palace.  And it was through Esther's feasts that Achashverosh was convinced to depose Haman and give the Jews power over their enemies (see Beur Halakha 695).

 

MIRACLES PERFORMED IN A NATURAL WAY

 

The central message of the Purim story is that Hashem not only performs supernatural miracles, but also miracles that unfold in a seemingly natural way.  The name of God does not appear anywhere in the Megilla, yet His presence clearly stands behind the events.  In the Torah (Devarim 31:18), Hashem tells us that during the time of exile "I will surely hide [astir] my face from you"; our Sages noted that the word "astir" is almost identical to the word "Esther" (Chullin 139b).  Again, the message is that through the events of the Megilla, Hashem's face is hidden but His handiwork is revealed.

 

Since Hashem grants complete free will to man, acts that are performed through the full exercise of free will limit the opportunity for Hashem to carry out His will in a natural way.  It is for this reason that Hashem has to intervene and limit Pharaoh's judgement in order to bring about the Exodus from Egypt according to plan, as the Torah repeatedly points out that Hashem "hardened Pharaoh's heart" (Exodus 10:1).

 

Therefore the Megilla, which is the exemplar of Hashem's ability to perform miracles in a natural way, is filled with critical events which occur as a character's will is limited or suspended.  The most obvious example is the "pur" or lot, which Haman cast in order to determine the day of his planned revenge.  Haman could have chosen the day through natural means, but purposely suspended his own judgement and relied on the 'random' means of lots.  The other example is the various feasts of wine reported in the narrative.  When a person is drunk, his judgement is compromised.  This is what opens the door for man's actions to be controlled by Hashem in a natural fashion, as opposed to a supernatural one.

 

Likewise, when we drink wine on Purim we demonstrate our willingness to suspend our own desires and judgement, and allow our actions to be controlled by the Holy One, blessed be He.

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