Purim: Revelations
What Happened at Purim?
The Vilna Gaon points out that there was something special about the miracle of Purim, that was not present in earlier miracles. When we originally received the Torah, we entered a covenant with Hashem that involved us becoming His people and accepting to fulfill His mitzvos. At the time the Purim story occurred, we had broken that covenant and been exiled from our Land. The expectation among the Jewish People was that with the covenant having been broken, the relationship between us and Hashem was more or less over. The Jewish People at that time were described by Haman as being “asleep from mitzvos,”[1] i.e., either completely dormant or perhaps even if we were doing mitzvos, it was in a manner as if we were sleeping. The reason for this “slumber” was also rooted in the notion that our relationship with the One who gave us the mitzvos no longer meaningfully existed. In short, our relationship with Hashem by that time had crashed.[2]
In that situation, the last thing we expected was for Him to perform a miracle for us.
And yet that is exactly what He did.
A Salvation for All Time
In reaching out to us at that time, Hashem was demonstrating that although we had broken the covenant with Him, our relationship with Him was not thereby broken. The strength of the relationship was thus revealed specifically at that time when we had practically given up and expected that Hashem had done the same. This was the irony of the Purim story. It took the Jewish People having lapsed into a very low state to establish the strength of Hashem’s love for them, and that His connection with them is eternal and unbreakable. This is what made Purim different from all the earlier miracles.
Indeed, this discovery of Hashem’s eternal love for us instilled within the festival of Purim a message that extends far beyond the miracle that occurred at the time. The exile during which the Purim story took place was not our final exile. There would be subsequent exiles, including the one we ourselves are currently in. Nonetheless, since our redemption at Purim was accompanied by the revelation that our connection with Hashem is eternal and unbreakable, it contained within it an assurance: we would also be redeemed from any subsequent exiles as well.
This is what we express in the paragraph of Shoshanas Yaakov that follows the Megillah reading:
תשועתם היית לנצח ותקותם בכל דור ודור
You were their salvation for all eternity, and their hope in each and every generation!
Finding the Jewish People
Taking this idea one step further, we may ask: If we were indeed in a dormant state as far as mitzvos were concerned, what was it about us that Hashem loved nonetheless? What makes us worthy of Hashem’s special love even when we are not functioning on the level we should be?
The answer takes us to the inner essence of the Jewish People. At their innermost point, at their absolute core, the Jewish People identify with and are connected to Hashem’s will. This core often lies buried underneath numerous other layers of distraction, confusion, weakness, and selfishness, but ultimately it is there, and it is indestructible and incorruptible. Sin cannot reach it, impurity cannot sully it, and time and distance cannot extinguish it. Wherever the Jewish People are and whatever they are or are not doing, this essence is within them, and it is the basis of Hashem’s love for them. Moreover, since this core will never depart from them, neither will Hashem’s love for them.
The commentators explain that the phrase “Megillas Esther,” the name of the Scroll of Esther, also embodies a concept of “revealing that which was concealed” (Megillah relates to the word gilui — revelation, and Esther relates to the word nistar — hidden].
What was initially concealed that then became revealed to the Jewish people at the time of Esther? The answer is, the nature of the Jewish people themselves! Once they realized that Hashem’s love accompanies them wherever they go, even after they had been exiled from their land for not upholding His covenant, they then realized that there must be something that exists within them in all situations and through which they remain essentially connected to Hashem under all circumstances.
Purim and Yom Kippurim: Inside the Inside
There is a well-known idea found in the writings of the Arizal that equates the days of Purim and Yom Kippur, whereby the name Yom Kippurim — the Day of Atonement, is expounded as saying, Yom K’Purim — a day like Purim.
In what way are Yom Kippur and Purim connected to each other?
The goal of Yom Kippur is to achieve atonement for our wrongdoings over the course of the year. Atonement itself is possible due to the fact that the essence of the person has remained untouched and unsullied by his sins, and the avodah of that day takes the form of us identifying with that inner essence and not with the layers in between that led the person to sin. As we have seen, this pure essence is the very aspect of the Jewish People that was revealed to us during the Purim story, which formed the basis of our salvation at that time and that we emphasize and celebrate on the day of Purim. Thus, we say that Yom Kippur and Purim are indeed two days that are very closely connected.
National and Personal
All of the above gives us to understand that the celebration of Purim is dual in nature:
· On the one hand, the Purim story clearly concerns the Jewish People as a whole, demonstrating their indestructible and eternal nature, and these are things that the festival of Purim celebrates.
· On the other hand, the same qualities that reflect that eternal connection between Hashem and His nation are present within every single member of the nation. This, too, is the subject of recognition and celebration on Purim.
Similarly, on Purim, every Jew celebrates the success, survival, and unique mission of his people, as well as the incorruptible essence of his or her own soul.
Thus, the focus on Purim is distinctly unlike that of every other day of the year. During the year, a conscientious Jew will be focusing on what he is (or is not) doing, hopefully comparing it with what he should (or should not) be doing, and this is indeed correct and appropriate, for that is how we grow. On Purim, however, we do not focus on our deeds but on our essence. We do not ask, “How am I doing?” but rather, “What am I?” The answer to that question is, “I am a Jew, and that being the case, Hashem loves me and always will!”
May the celebrating of all that is ultimately good within us will serve as a powerful impetus to bring out the best in us. And may the eternal message of Purim reach maximum resonance with our full and final redemption, speedily in our days.
ליהודים היתה אורה ושמחה וששון ויקר – כן תהיה לנו!