Don't Touch the Spoils

You would think that it’s an integral part of the story. It’s repeated again and again. “and in the spoils they did not send forth their hands”.

I always wondered, why is it important for the book of Esther to mention angina and again that when the Jewish people battles their enemies they did not take any of the spoils?

Perhaps this is a lesson for us. 

We to are called upon to battle against the concealment this world, by revealing the light of Hashem. In the midst of the battle, however, we may come across “spoils” that we feel is rightfully ours. Perhaps we could take it back with us to our own homes.  

Says the Megilah: no. you are here to influence the world, to reshape it’d contents to serve a greater purpose, not bring home it’s spoils and defeat the very purpose of the battle.  

Boundless

If I only had one word to capture the essence of Purim I would choose boundless.

The Jews' commitment to Hashem was boundless. It defied logic. There can be no logic in being prepared to give your life for a cause. That's why there is no reason given in the Torah explaining why one should give up their life to sanctify Hashem name, because there is no reason.

The commitment was boundless.

So, when the sages instituted a celebration for Purim, they understood that the joy commandment in the Torah on the Holidays would not capture the essence of the day, so they said "a man must rejoice on Purim until he does not know the difference between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai". "Until one does not know", until we break the boundary of our Knowledge, until we reach boundless Joy. 

Only boundless joy can celebrate a boundless connection.

(Torah Or – Chayav Inish) 

Why Chasidus Adores Purim

Yeah, I know, we all love Purim. It has something for everyone: costumes, wine, food baskets, parties, what's there not to like? But if Purim has one true fan, it's Chasidus.

All year long, Chasidus waits for Purim to come and share its story, to tell the awesome tale of a time when Hashem decides to hide his face, "and I, on that day, conceal shall I conceal my continence." For Purim is the embodiment of Chasidus's central point, and a reinforcement of its most fundamental message.

You see, if Chasidus has one central point, it's this: there is nothing else beside Hashem, the world and its natural laws are but expressions of his greatness.

How can we experience this truth? There must be some event in our long history that can exemplify this truth.

Let’s take a look at Passover. It tells a fascinating story, it tells of Hashem's descent into Egypt, smashing the laws of nature on behalf of his beloved people. Nothing gets in his way, he strikes Egypt with ten plagues and splits the sea, Hashem descends on a mountain amidst pillars of smoke and Manna falls from heaven. Gone is the illusion of an all powerful nature; gone is the illusion that what we can measure, predict, and test in a lab, is all powerful.

That’s a very important message, we must know, that occasionally, Hashem chooses to break the laws of nature. But, it does not teach us that nature itself is an expression of Hashem's will. It doesn't teach us that Hashem does not have to shatter nature in order to find expression. So who will teach us to look beneath the surface and discover that nature is but a garment he chooses to wear?

No one can tell it better then Purim. With no G-dly intervention, no lightning coming down from heaven, nothing unnatural, we see G-d's hand every step of the way. We discover the essence of G-d, the "I", that chooses to "conceal my continence". We discover that he is very much present even where his name is nowhere to be found. We learn to see beneath the masks.

I am fortunate to be a student of Chasudus, lucky to drink of its wellsprings. Yes, it captured my imagination ; I'm in love with Purim

It's up to you

Why don’t we say Hallel on Purim? Asks the Talmud. [Hallel is king David’s praise that is said on every major holiday]

Two reasons are given.
The first is that the reading of the Migillah is Hallel. In other words we do say Hallel, we just offer the praise in a different form.
The second reason given in the Talmud is that we do not say Hallel for a miracle that occurs outside the land of Israel. This second reason is radically different then the first, not only don’t we say Hallel but we are not allowed to say Hallel because the miracle occurred outside Israel.

The Talmud says that “anyone who says Hallel every day is cursing”. G-d performs miracles every day, for the natural order of the world is truly miraculous. However we only offer praise for the miracles that don’t happen every day, for the miracles that are beyond nature.

We recognize that G-d has two general approaches through which he directs the world, the natural, and the supernatural. We say the Hallel as thanks to Hashem for relating to us in a supernatural way.

The Torah describes the land of Israel as “the land that G-d’s eyes are upon it always, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year”. What about the lands that are outside of Israel are G-d’s eyes not upon them? One of the explanations is that G-d’s eyes, G-d’s providence is upon Israel in a revealed way, outside of Israel G-d’s providence is concealed within the garments of nature. Concealed as in the story of Purim were there was not a miracle that defies nature, rather the miracle was in clothed within nature.

This brings us back to the Talmud’s explanation of why we don’t say Hallel on Purim.

If you live in Israel, if you can see G-d’s eyes upon the land wherever you are. If you recognize G-d’s miracles within nature, then you must Say Hallel. The reading of the Megilah which describes G-d’s hand within nature becomes a form of Hallel. If you live outside the land of Israel, if you don’t see G-d “from the beginning of the year to the end of the year”, you see G-d only in the beginning of the year on the high holidays but you don’t see G-d in your day to day life, then you can’t say Hallel. You are outside of Israel and we don’t say Hallel because we don’t say Hallel on the miracles that are in clothed in nature.

It’s up to you. You can look at I any way you want.

(Purim 5622)