Purim
This is in the merit of my grandmother, Esther bat Mazal. May she have a speedy and complete recovery.
Purim may perhaps be the hardest Jewish holiday for us to relate to on a mature level. I believe this to be the case for primarily two reasons:
1. Megillas Esther, the Book of Esther, is central to the day and we have known the story since childhood (for this reason, I assume the reader knows the story). Because of this, we approach the text with all sorts of presuppositions which are not as founded as we might think.
2. With a few exceptions, the day is (seemingly) conducted like a frat party. Take for instance the famous "one is obligated to become drunk on Purim until one does not know the difference between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai" (Megillah 7b) which is decided as Jewish Law in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 795:2)!* Is this really how we are supposed to celebrate a Jewish holiday?
*For practical Halaha, the Rema cites an opinion that this means one should drink a little more than one is used to and then go to sleep for a bit. The Mishnah Breuerah cites the Pri Megadim who decided according to this opinion. Furthermore, the Beur Halacha quotes as law the Chayei Adam which says that the obligation is waived if one knows he will conduct himself with Kalus Rosh (lightheadedness, frivolousness).
Given the challenge, let us attempt to understand Purim on a more sophisticated level.
Some known facts about The Book of Esther (with the exception of #3, culled from Rabbi Hayyim Angel's review of Hadassa Hi Esther, Tradition 34:4, pages 79-97).
1. G-d's name does not appear anywhere in The Book of Esther, even places where it would be natural for it to be found (see chapter 4).
2. The world melech (king) appears about 200 times.
3. The Persian Empire, encompassing the entire known world, is governed by law (the word das (spelled daled taf) (law) appears 35 times in Tanach and 20 of those times are in Esther).
4. A deeper look reveals that Persian law truthfully is utter lunacy. (see for example 1:8, 3:8-11, and 8:8)
5. Our Torah in numerous places tells us that we are punished for sin. However, in Esther we find no theological reason for the decree for the Jews to be annihilated. (Even the assumption that Haman is from Amalakite is not really so apparent.)
Let us begin with the name Purim (lottery). How did the holiday get this name? Conveniently, the Megillah answers us.
"For Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had devised to destroy the Jews, and he cast the pur (that is the lot) to terrify them and destroy them. And when she [Esther] came before the king, he commanded through letters that his evil device that he had devised against the Jews return upon his [Haman's] own head, and to destroy him and his sons on the gallows. Therefore, they called these days Purim after the name pur…" (Esther 9:24-26).
Rabbi David Fohrman (in his tapes on Esther) points out that the "therefore", the reason for the name Purim, refers not to Haman casting lots but rather to "when she [Esther] came before the king, he commanded through letters that his evil device that he had devised against the Jews return upon his [Haman's] own head, and to destroy him and his sons on the gallows."
Quite strange.
Evidently, the Megillah "lumps together" chapters 5-7 and views Esther risking her life and visiting the king as the pivotal moment in the drama. Let us analyze it together with the events immediately preceding and precipitating it.
And Mordecai knew all that had transpired [the decree of annihilation was sent publicized], and Mordecai rent his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and he went out into the midst of the city and cried [with] a loud and bitter cry. And he came up as far as the king's gate, for one may not enter the king's gate dressed in sackcloth. And in every province, wherever the king's orders and his edict reached, there was great mourning for the Jews, and fasting and weeping and lamenting; sackcloth and ashes were put on the most prominent. (4:1-3)
Fasting is a very Jewish response to such danger.
And Esther's maidens and her chamberlains came and told her, and the queen was extremely terrified, and she sent clothing to dress Mordecai and to take off his sackcloth, but he did not accept [it]. Then Esther summoned Hathach, [one] of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed before her, and she commanded him concerning Mordecai, to know what this was and why this was. So Hathach went forth to Mordecai, to the city square, which was before the king's gate. And Mordecai told him all that had befallen him, and the full account of the silver that Haman had proposed to weigh out into the king's treasuries on the Jews' account, to cause them to perish. And the copy of the writ of the decree that was given in Shushan he gave him, to show Esther and to tell her, and to order her to come before the king to beseech him and to beg him for her people. (4:4-8)
Queen Esther however was completely unaware of her people's plight.
And Hathach came, and he told Esther what Mordecai had said. And Esther said to Hathach, and she ordered him to [tell] Mordecai: "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that any man or woman who comes to the king, into the inner court, who is not summoned, there is but one law for him, to be put to death, except the one to whom the king extends the golden scepter, that he may live, but I have not been summoned to come to the king these thirty days." (4:9-11)
Esther basically says she does not know how she can help. She wants to but she can't. If she tries to see the king, she will die. What is she supposed to do?
And they told Esther's words to Mordecai. And Mordecai ordered to reply to Esther, "Do not imagine to yourself that you will escape in the king's house from among all the Jews. (4:12-13)
Mordechai hits Esther where it hurts. He says that behind Esther's timid response is really apathy, that Esther deep down inside really doesn't care. Mordechai says if 'if you care, you would act' (By His Light, by Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, page 174, also available online at http://vbm-torah.org/archive/develop/09develop.htm).
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and rescue will arise for the Jews from elsewhere, and you and your father's household will perish; and who knows whether at a time like this you will attain the kingdom?" (4:14)
Mordechai says 'we don't believe in randomness, G-d will save us one way or another. Who knows, maybe this is why you are queen? We can't know for sure, maybe its not, but still, there is a chance. Your people are in danger, you must act. I can't promise if you will succeed, you may very well be killed, but if you care, you will act. And if you remain silent, you will die.'
Then Esther ordered to reply to Mordecai: "Go, assemble all the Jews who are present in Shushan and fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, day and night; also I and my maidens will fast in a like manner; then I will go to the king contrary to the law, and if I perish, I perish." So Mordecai passed and did according to all that Esther had commanded him. (4:15-17)
Rabbi Fohrman explains that Esther's actions here are a quintessential act of emuna. Discussing emuna, the Chazon Ish writes:
". . . an old error has become rooted in the hearts of many concerning the concept of trust. Trust . . . has come to mean that a person is obligated to believe that whenever he is presented with two possible outcomes, one good and one not, then certainly it will turn out for the good. And if he has doubts and fears the worst, that constitutes a lack of trust…This view of trust is incorrect, for as long as the future outcome has not been clarified through prophecy, that outcome has not been decided, for who can truly know God’s judgments and providence? Rather, trust means realizing that there are no coincidences in the world, and that whatever happens under the sun is a function of God’s decree" (Kuntrus Emuna U-Bittchaon, translation of passages from http://vbm-torah.org/archive/develop/07develop.htm)
Emuna is not acting irrationally and saying that so and so must happen (e.g. that the Disengagement will not happen) because it flies in the face of our believes but rather that whatever happens, happens, and it happens because G-d wants it to happen (the implication of this is that whatever happens is ultimately for the best but perhaps only in the long run). All we can do is do our duty and know that however things end up, that is the way G-d wanted it.
Put yourself in Esther's shoes. You are about to meet the king who choose you for your looks (not explicitly stated but a very reasonable inference), the last thing you would do is fast! She indeed did all she could by dressing up (5:1) but first and foremost, exercising her free will, she turned her gaze heavenward and put all her trust in G-d who is "righteous and fair" (Deuteronomy 32:4). Whatever would happen would be G-d's decree.
We are almost ready to understand 9:24-26 and the choice of the name Purim. But first, one more piece of information. The Talmud inquires as to where Esther is alluded to in the Torah and answers with the verse "I [G-d] will surely hide my face" (Deuteronomy 31:18) (Chullin 139b). Purim takes place during a time of hester panim, of lack of active Divine involvement in the world. (This explains why G-d's name is not in the Megillah.) During such a time, total and utter chaos reigns free. (This explains the insane Persian legal system as well as why no sin of the Jews is mentioned).
Now we are ready to understand the choice of the name Purim.
Again, the Megillah tells us:
"For Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had devised to destroy the Jews, and he cast the pur (that is the lot) to terrify them and destroy them. And when she [Esther] came before the king, he commanded through letters that his evil device that he had devised against the Jews return upon his [Haman's] own head, and to destroy him and his sons on the gallows. Therefore, they called these days Purim after the name pur…" (Esther 9:24-26).
We Jews do not believe in random lots or some pre-determined fate. We believe in G-d. Although we cannot rely on miracles, we must be aware that G-d is absolutely in control.
A medrish (Esther Rabbah 3:10) fits this idea when it says that whenever the Megillah mentions 'the king' (unatributed), it also refers to G-d.
The king is mentioned all over the Megillah and G-d is nowhere to be found. But really, melech refers to the King, our G-d. Even in times of hester panim G-d is still in control. It is our duty to trust in Him.
As for the physicality, my Rav (Rabbi Mayer Pasternak) said that the Arizal said that Yom HaKipurrim (the name for Yom Kippur in the Torah) is related to Purim, with the Cuf of Kippurim being the prefix meaning like. Thus, Yom Kippur is a day (Yom) like (Ki) Purim.
This idea has radical implications. If I say a person is an excellent pianist like Beethoven, it is understand that Beethoven is really the better musician. If we say that Yom Kippur is a day like Purim, then we are saying that Purim is the main day. How can we say this?
My Rav explained that Yom Kippur and Purim are both days of teshuva and finding G-d. It is "easy" to be spiritual on Yom Kippur when we don't eat and pray all day and imitate the very angels themselves but on Purim, amidst all the partying and food, amidst all the physicality, in the place where we would least expect G-d to be manifest, it is our task to find Him. And when we perform teshuva and encounter our Creator, it will be more real than even on Yom Kippur.
Have a good Purim,
Mordechai
This is in the merit of my grandmother, Esther bat Mazal. May she have a speedy and complete recovery.
Purim may perhaps be the hardest Jewish holiday for us to relate to on a mature level. I believe this to be the case for primarily two reasons:
1. Megillas Esther, the Book of Esther, is central to the day and we have known the story since childhood (for this reason, I assume the reader knows the story). Because of this, we approach the text with all sorts of presuppositions which are not as founded as we might think.
2. With a few exceptions, the day is (seemingly) conducted like a frat party. Take for instance the famous "one is obligated to become drunk on Purim until one does not know the difference between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai" (Megillah 7b) which is decided as Jewish Law in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 795:2)!* Is this really how we are supposed to celebrate a Jewish holiday?
*For practical Halaha, the Rema cites an opinion that this means one should drink a little more than one is used to and then go to sleep for a bit. The Mishnah Breuerah cites the Pri Megadim who decided according to this opinion. Furthermore, the Beur Halacha quotes as law the Chayei Adam which says that the obligation is waived if one knows he will conduct himself with Kalus Rosh (lightheadedness, frivolousness).
Given the challenge, let us attempt to understand Purim on a more sophisticated level.
Some known facts about The Book of Esther (with the exception of #3, culled from Rabbi Hayyim Angel's review of Hadassa Hi Esther, Tradition 34:4, pages 79-97).
1. G-d's name does not appear anywhere in The Book of Esther, even places where it would be natural for it to be found (see chapter 4).
2. The world melech (king) appears about 200 times.
3. The Persian Empire, encompassing the entire known world, is governed by law (the word das (spelled daled taf) (law) appears 35 times in Tanach and 20 of those times are in Esther).
4. A deeper look reveals that Persian law truthfully is utter lunacy. (see for example 1:8, 3:8-11, and 8:8)
5. Our Torah in numerous places tells us that we are punished for sin. However, in Esther we find no theological reason for the decree for the Jews to be annihilated. (Even the assumption that Haman is from Amalakite is not really so apparent.)
Let us begin with the name Purim (lottery). How did the holiday get this name? Conveniently, the Megillah answers us.
"For Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had devised to destroy the Jews, and he cast the pur (that is the lot) to terrify them and destroy them. And when she [Esther] came before the king, he commanded through letters that his evil device that he had devised against the Jews return upon his [Haman's] own head, and to destroy him and his sons on the gallows. Therefore, they called these days Purim after the name pur…" (Esther 9:24-26).
Rabbi David Fohrman (in his tapes on Esther) points out that the "therefore", the reason for the name Purim, refers not to Haman casting lots but rather to "when she [Esther] came before the king, he commanded through letters that his evil device that he had devised against the Jews return upon his [Haman's] own head, and to destroy him and his sons on the gallows."
Quite strange.
Evidently, the Megillah "lumps together" chapters 5-7 and views Esther risking her life and visiting the king as the pivotal moment in the drama. Let us analyze it together with the events immediately preceding and precipitating it.
And Mordecai knew all that had transpired [the decree of annihilation was sent publicized], and Mordecai rent his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and he went out into the midst of the city and cried [with] a loud and bitter cry. And he came up as far as the king's gate, for one may not enter the king's gate dressed in sackcloth. And in every province, wherever the king's orders and his edict reached, there was great mourning for the Jews, and fasting and weeping and lamenting; sackcloth and ashes were put on the most prominent. (4:1-3)
Fasting is a very Jewish response to such danger.
And Esther's maidens and her chamberlains came and told her, and the queen was extremely terrified, and she sent clothing to dress Mordecai and to take off his sackcloth, but he did not accept [it]. Then Esther summoned Hathach, [one] of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed before her, and she commanded him concerning Mordecai, to know what this was and why this was. So Hathach went forth to Mordecai, to the city square, which was before the king's gate. And Mordecai told him all that had befallen him, and the full account of the silver that Haman had proposed to weigh out into the king's treasuries on the Jews' account, to cause them to perish. And the copy of the writ of the decree that was given in Shushan he gave him, to show Esther and to tell her, and to order her to come before the king to beseech him and to beg him for her people. (4:4-8)
Queen Esther however was completely unaware of her people's plight.
And Hathach came, and he told Esther what Mordecai had said. And Esther said to Hathach, and she ordered him to [tell] Mordecai: "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that any man or woman who comes to the king, into the inner court, who is not summoned, there is but one law for him, to be put to death, except the one to whom the king extends the golden scepter, that he may live, but I have not been summoned to come to the king these thirty days." (4:9-11)
Esther basically says she does not know how she can help. She wants to but she can't. If she tries to see the king, she will die. What is she supposed to do?
And they told Esther's words to Mordecai. And Mordecai ordered to reply to Esther, "Do not imagine to yourself that you will escape in the king's house from among all the Jews. (4:12-13)
Mordechai hits Esther where it hurts. He says that behind Esther's timid response is really apathy, that Esther deep down inside really doesn't care. Mordechai says if 'if you care, you would act' (By His Light, by Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, page 174, also available online at http://vbm-torah.org/archive/develop/09develop.htm).
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and rescue will arise for the Jews from elsewhere, and you and your father's household will perish; and who knows whether at a time like this you will attain the kingdom?" (4:14)
Mordechai says 'we don't believe in randomness, G-d will save us one way or another. Who knows, maybe this is why you are queen? We can't know for sure, maybe its not, but still, there is a chance. Your people are in danger, you must act. I can't promise if you will succeed, you may very well be killed, but if you care, you will act. And if you remain silent, you will die.'
Then Esther ordered to reply to Mordecai: "Go, assemble all the Jews who are present in Shushan and fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, day and night; also I and my maidens will fast in a like manner; then I will go to the king contrary to the law, and if I perish, I perish." So Mordecai passed and did according to all that Esther had commanded him. (4:15-17)
Rabbi Fohrman explains that Esther's actions here are a quintessential act of emuna. Discussing emuna, the Chazon Ish writes:
". . . an old error has become rooted in the hearts of many concerning the concept of trust. Trust . . . has come to mean that a person is obligated to believe that whenever he is presented with two possible outcomes, one good and one not, then certainly it will turn out for the good. And if he has doubts and fears the worst, that constitutes a lack of trust…This view of trust is incorrect, for as long as the future outcome has not been clarified through prophecy, that outcome has not been decided, for who can truly know God’s judgments and providence? Rather, trust means realizing that there are no coincidences in the world, and that whatever happens under the sun is a function of God’s decree" (Kuntrus Emuna U-Bittchaon, translation of passages from http://vbm-torah.org/archive/develop/07develop.htm)
Emuna is not acting irrationally and saying that so and so must happen (e.g. that the Disengagement will not happen) because it flies in the face of our believes but rather that whatever happens, happens, and it happens because G-d wants it to happen (the implication of this is that whatever happens is ultimately for the best but perhaps only in the long run). All we can do is do our duty and know that however things end up, that is the way G-d wanted it.
Put yourself in Esther's shoes. You are about to meet the king who choose you for your looks (not explicitly stated but a very reasonable inference), the last thing you would do is fast! She indeed did all she could by dressing up (5:1) but first and foremost, exercising her free will, she turned her gaze heavenward and put all her trust in G-d who is "righteous and fair" (Deuteronomy 32:4). Whatever would happen would be G-d's decree.
We are almost ready to understand 9:24-26 and the choice of the name Purim. But first, one more piece of information. The Talmud inquires as to where Esther is alluded to in the Torah and answers with the verse "I [G-d] will surely hide my face" (Deuteronomy 31:18) (Chullin 139b). Purim takes place during a time of hester panim, of lack of active Divine involvement in the world. (This explains why G-d's name is not in the Megillah.) During such a time, total and utter chaos reigns free. (This explains the insane Persian legal system as well as why no sin of the Jews is mentioned).
Now we are ready to understand the choice of the name Purim.
Again, the Megillah tells us:
"For Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had devised to destroy the Jews, and he cast the pur (that is the lot) to terrify them and destroy them. And when she [Esther] came before the king, he commanded through letters that his evil device that he had devised against the Jews return upon his [Haman's] own head, and to destroy him and his sons on the gallows. Therefore, they called these days Purim after the name pur…" (Esther 9:24-26).
We Jews do not believe in random lots or some pre-determined fate. We believe in G-d. Although we cannot rely on miracles, we must be aware that G-d is absolutely in control.
A medrish (Esther Rabbah 3:10) fits this idea when it says that whenever the Megillah mentions 'the king' (unatributed), it also refers to G-d.
The king is mentioned all over the Megillah and G-d is nowhere to be found. But really, melech refers to the King, our G-d. Even in times of hester panim G-d is still in control. It is our duty to trust in Him.
As for the physicality, my Rav (Rabbi Mayer Pasternak) said that the Arizal said that Yom HaKipurrim (the name for Yom Kippur in the Torah) is related to Purim, with the Cuf of Kippurim being the prefix meaning like. Thus, Yom Kippur is a day (Yom) like (Ki) Purim.
This idea has radical implications. If I say a person is an excellent pianist like Beethoven, it is understand that Beethoven is really the better musician. If we say that Yom Kippur is a day like Purim, then we are saying that Purim is the main day. How can we say this?
My Rav explained that Yom Kippur and Purim are both days of teshuva and finding G-d. It is "easy" to be spiritual on Yom Kippur when we don't eat and pray all day and imitate the very angels themselves but on Purim, amidst all the partying and food, amidst all the physicality, in the place where we would least expect G-d to be manifest, it is our task to find Him. And when we perform teshuva and encounter our Creator, it will be more real than even on Yom Kippur.
Have a good Purim,
Mordechai
posted by Mordechai18 at 11:23 AM
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