Beware The Dog
The Medrash tells of a king who discovered that someone was pilfering from his garden. He put up a fence around it, and stationed a vicious guard dog within. Sure enough, when the thief visited again, he was nicely bitten up, and caught besides. To his horror and shock, the king found that that the mystery thief had been none other than his own son, the crown prince…
Thereafter, whenever the king wished to warn his son about the wickedness of theft, he’d mention off-hand ‘You will recall, my son, that vicious dog I once kept…?’
When told to remember Amalek, we are really being told something else; remember sin, and it’s results. This is what we need to remember – among other things – when we hear the Meggillah.
Beware that dog!
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Conflicting Emotions
When hearing of the decree against the Jews, Mordechai cried out greatly and bitterly in the town square. [Note – sounds like he was a wee bit concerned!].
Yet he told Esther ‘If you refuse to intercede with Achashverosh for us, [we won’t suffer;] salvation will come from elsewhere. Only you and your father’s house will lose out!’ [Note – This sounds like he wasn’t concerned at all]. How do we reconcile the two?
Mordechai was very concerned about the situation, yes, but also knew a sure-fire remedy to their problem; T’shuva. Mordechai was saying to Esther that salvation awaits with t’shuvah, guaranteed. Only you will lose out by not helping us.
Alternatively: Mordechai trusted that things will work out. It is altogether proper to hold such faith in Hashem. At the same time, Hashem was threatening them, waving a sword over their heads. Ignoring the threat is improper. One ought to be duly impressed, and respond. Let it hurt.
Can a person hold two conflicting viewpoints at the same time, feeling both safe and threatened? Surprisingly, perhaps, he can. We exist on many levels. We are the intellectual viewing life philosophically. We are also the small child petrified by a threat. We can relate to the same event in two different ways.
Its like riding a roller-coaster. We thrill and are petrified at the very same time. Our intellect knows that it’s perfectly safe, yet we shriek! We relate to the same event in two different ways, and what’s more, we even control our focus.
Is this the whole of it? I don’t think so – it sounds like self-delusion. How indeed do we deal with this ambiguity?
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Being Close By Being Apart
The Mitzvos on Purim – Matanos L’evyonim and Mishloach Manos, point to Achdus, Unity, for they bring people closer to each other. Why then is the Meggillah read on different days for different communities?
Achdus doesn’t mean everyone does the same thing. That’s for robots. Rather Unity celebrates pluralism, providing different venues to accommodate all. And it provides a deeper unity, one that prevails despite superficial differences.
Different paths do not divide us. Quite the contrary; acceptance, and validation of other legitimate expressions of the same ideals, actually leads to Achdus. They provide inclusiveness, by allowing place for all.
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Hidden Miracles
Which is greater: a hidden miracle or a revealed one?
We suggested a parallel; School teachers. One controls the class by yelling at the kids, threatening punishment. The other is sweet and kind, yet when she walks in the class everyone quickly finds seats, and no-one interrupts her.
Which person is more in control? The second! The first teacher’s yelling and screaming only accentuates her inherent lack of control.
So too is it with Hashem. He does not need to flaunt His power; rather, Subtle is the Lord. His greatness is such that even when He is not manifest, He controls the universe. This, only this, shows that He is truly King, – truly in charge. Open miracles are fine, but real power lies in the hidden miracles. Any army can control the enemy while occupying its territory, but what army controls its enemy with no presence on the ground?
Hashem can!
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Commitment
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s students asked him why the Jews of Purim deserved death. He responded: ‘What do you think?’ They suggested that the Jews had sinfully enjoyed Achashverosh’s feast. Asked Rabbi Shimon, ‘If so only the Shushan Jews should be punished, – for only they enjoyed the feast, – not all the Jews in the world. Why was Haman’s decree on all?”
Students; ‘So then what is the true answer?’
Rabbi Shimon; ‘Because the Jews had bowed to Nevuchadnetzar’s idol, back in the days of Daniel.’ [-Gemarah]
However, in the Slichos on The Fast Of Esther, we say that the Jews deserved death because they ate from the party. Does that jive? Furthermore, Rashi explains ‘And Mordechai knew all that was done,’ that Mordechai knew why Hashem agreed to Haman’s plan; because the Jews bowed to Nevuchadnetzar’s idol, and because they enjoyed Achashverosh’s feast. Sounds like the feast had much to do with it, directly contradicting the Gemarah!
Even if indeed, the (original) sin was bowing to the idol, the Jews of Purim were merely the original bowers’ great grandchildren. They could not be called to account for a sin they themselves did not commit – unless that sin’s root was still around. So we must assume that they still had the sin in them, even now. How?
Seemingly disparate, the sins of bowing to the king’s idol and eating at Achashverosh’s feast were one and the same, at root. The Jews were willing to compromise on their religion, to trade on their faith, in order to please their king. They weren’t ready to stand up for their principles. Putting being accepted, or doing the socially proper thing, – being contemporary,- before values, showed that their Judaism was shallow. Their commitment wasn’t real. The Teshuva for this was a renewed commitment to the Torah, for the previous one was weak and useless.
The Jews of Shushan were a sample for all Jewry, worldwide. They demonstrated that the problem was still there. And needed fixing.
May we keep to this renewed commitment – standing for our values, even when it has a cost!
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What’s It about
The Jews instituted eating and merrymaking, and mishloach manos, Mordechai added Matanos l’evyonim. What was the reason the Jews did not consider it, and only Mordechai did?
We suggested a joke pshat: the maharil writes that ‘manos’ are portions; ready to eat, cooked food. This is based on a mishna in Betzah, that Beis Shamai allow only manos to be sent on yomtov, which Rashi explains as portions served at the table. The Gr’a said the same in Maase Rav. Indeed, the Rambam frames Mishloach Manos as part of the meal. Why? Because Mishloach Manos was instituted to provide for the meal.
However the Ritva and Ramban in Megilla and Bava Metzia explain that Mishloach Manos are simply gifts, and that Matanos L’evyonim are in the same class. We ought to give out gifts – to each what is appropriate – so that all are happy this day. Mishloach Manos are to honor one another, not simply to prepared for the meal.
The Jews understood Mishloach Manos as a preparation for the meal. (Maharil) Thats why they left out Matanos L’evonim, which they thought was no more than charity. Mordechai, however, understood like the Ritva, that Moishloach Manos was to spread joy, so he added Matanos L’evyonim too…
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Man-Made Torah
The Jews re-accepted the Torah on Purim. The Midrash says that the written Torah was always accepted, it was the Oral Torah they took on now. Why?
The problem with the Oral Torah is that it is human, and prone to human error. It is hard to stomach that something with mistakes in it can be binding. Can this be Torah, absolute Truth???
At Purim, however, one group felt that Mordechai was wrong, the cause of all Israel’s trouble. The other group thought those eating at the party, mingling with the gentiles, caused the trouble. Individual opinion was so vastly disparate, that all recognized that the written Torah was a dead letter. No one could really use it to know what to do, because opinion varies so wildly. They recognized that like it or not, the only liveable Torah, was the one with an Oral law. That’s when they accepted the oral law for good.
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Full Devotion
Hashem told us on Har Sinai, ‘I am Hashem, your Lord, who took you from Egypt’. Rashi explains that these are grounds for us to be obligated to His commands. Why was there a need for re-accepting the Torah, Purim time? And if indeed the Torah was not fully accepted, why were Jews punished for disobeying the Torah until Purim-time?
Rabbi Weinberg, author of Sridei Esh, explained that our obligation on the basis of Hashem having rescued us from Egypt was only if we are free. Once we returned to slavery, there was no grounds for obligation, for we were slaves once again, back to where we were. On Purim, however, Jews accepted the Torah while still servants of Achashverosh. That was a new level.
Perhaps this is somewhat like a business association. At first, there is little trust – each side demands a check before processing an order. However, soon enough they begin trusting one another, and defer payment until later. So too, in the beginning, the Jews did not trust Hashem enough to accept Him as their King, without direct cause. As we matured as a people, we grew to accept Him unconditionally, even when slaves to Achashverosh. Purim is the high-mark of devotion – when we accept Hashem with no quid pro quo. He is ours, and we are his.
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Good Food
The Ralbag explains the reason behind Mishloach Manos, sending gifts of food to one another on Purim:
Purim is only a semi-festival. People might be lazy to cook good food, for it was not technically Yomtov. So it was instituted that people send to one another. Shame, the desire to outdo one another, encourages all the balabustas to cook up delicacies. This way there is sure to be good food!
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Foolishly Drunk
Why drink on Purim? My son Shlomo Zalman suggested that Chazal wanted us to remember the miracle of Purim, even thousands of years later. This is highly unlikely to be. To help make it be, they instituted drinking. Now no one forgets about Purim!
I suggested that the Zohar explains in parshas Tazria that not only is light only seen in contrast to dark, even more so; light only exists where darkness does. Similarly, sweetness is only possible, where bitterness is found. So too, wisdom is only where there is foolishness. A bit of foolishness is the Creator of wisdom. In fact, one who wishes to attain wisdom, must study some foolishness too, and there were scholars that would teach some foolishness before they would expound upon the secrets of the Torah!
Perhaps this is the secret of getting drunk on Purim: adding that little bit of foolishness to our world, that we may become wise thereby.
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How To Be Sincere…
When Esther invited Achashverosh and Haman to her first feast, she asked for nothing. When pressed, she invited them back for another party tomorrow. What did the king think about this? How did HE understand Esther?
Perhaps the idea is, that there is not much leverage gained by inviting someone to a party, so that you can then ask him for something. Its too transparent. He sees right through the ploy; obviously you want to gain his favor. To really be effective, there needs to be something done with no quid pro quo, something done out of love. Then you can really cash in.
Esther invited the king to a party, but made no request, because she wanted the king to appreciate it. Because by making no request, she was in position to really ask!