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A Purim Reader 5772/2012

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A Purim Reader 5772/2012 A PURIM READER 5772/2012 Yeshiva of Greater Washington A Purim Reader Purim Every Day of Our Lives By Rabbi Yitzchak Scher/Yeshiva of Greater Washington/Kollel Zichron Amram Purim is, in a way, the most joyous day on the Jewish calendar. The happiness of Adar leading to the celebration of Purim is a mood that overtakes us all. However, there is something which is conspicuously missing from our holiday festivities. A focal point of the davening of other Yomim Tovim is the Hallel prayer. It is a high point of the typical Yom Tov and Rosh Chodesh service. (Only on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur do we omit Hallel, being careful not to act too cheerful on these days of judgment1.) Why is it that we do not recite Hallel on Purim? The Gemara2 discusses this issue and offers three solutions to this question. One fascinating answer the Gemara suggests is that the reading of the Megillah itself takes the place of Hallel. At first thought, this answer seems logical. The main purpose of Hallel is to acknowledge Hashem’s miracles on these special days. So, too, the reading of the Megillah directs our attention towards the miraculous salvation of Purim. However, from a deeper perspective, this comparison does not quite suffice. Hallel is direct praise of Hashem for His providence, miracles, and salvation. On the other hand, the Megillah has no mention of Hashem at all3. It seems that the praise of Hashem that emanates from the Megillah is a different quality of praise than that which emanates from Hallel. The Gemara is teaching us that the appropriate praise of Hashem on Purim is the Megillah and not Hallel. What are these two different avenues of praising Hashem and why does Hallel not belong on Purim? The aforementioned Gemara offers two additional explanations of the lack of Hallel on Purim. First, it explains that Hallel is not said on a miracle that occurs outside of the Land of Israel4. Additionally, Rava suggests that Hallel would be inappropriate because “we are still servants of Achashverosh.” Simply understood, Rava is referring to the conclusion of the Purim story which, despite the miraculous salvation, leaves the Jews in exile under the control of Achashverosh. Rava is of the opinion that since the miracle did not result in a complete 1 Rosh Hashana 32b 2 Megillah 14a 3 Additionally, if the Megillah was just another way to praise Hashem, then one with no access to a Megillah should seemingly be required to recite the Hallel. However, there are some halachic authorities who imply that even in a situation with no Megillah, one still need not say Hallel. (If this may be relevant to you practically, please ask your Rav for the final halachic ruling.) 4 The Gemara explains that the miracles of the Exodus are an exception to this rule because they occurred prior to the Jews ever entering in to Eretz Yisrael. 1 Yeshiva of Greater Washington A Purim Reader redemption from foreign powers, Hallel is not appropriate. However, why in fact do these two reasons preclude the recitation of Hallel? The salvation of the Jews from total annihilation remains an enormously miraculous event despite the above two reasons offered by the Gemara. The key to understanding the above questions can be found in a brief but insightful observation of Chazal. The Gemara5 seeks to find an allusion to Esther in the Torah itself. The Gemara says that this reference can be found in the words “v’anochi haster astir panai- I will hide my face”. (In Hebrew, the words “haster astir” are related to the word Esther.) The Gemara is teaching us the foundation of the miracle of Purim. Purim is the Yom Tov of the hidden miracle, marking how Hashem is guiding the events, but in a hidden manner. In general, we understand miracles to be a means through which Hashem imposes His will upon the world. Events would just naturally unfold and take their course, but Hashem, when He in His wisdom opts to alter the course of life or history, He will perform a miracle to make sure His will prevails. Usually we understand miracles to be supernatural occurrences that “wow” us and show us a clear display of Hashem’s power. Yet, some miracles are packaged in a much more concealed manner. Hidden miracles are not displays of divine power that are immediately apparent. They do not override laws of nature or disrupt our normal order of life from our perspective. However, in retrospect we can sense that hidden miracles have quite an impact. Events unfold in ways that one would have never foreseen. Hashem’s will is clandestinely imposed upon the world. These events may be very unassuming as they occur, but yet the results of these “natural” events may bring tremendous salvation. Only through the final results does Hashem’s hand emerge, having materialized His plan for the world in a stealth but effective manner. Hidden miracles are fascinating phenomena in that they reveal yet conceal Hashem at the same time. They are miraculous, yet subtle. No seas split, no supernatural events, no amazing transformations. Nonetheless, they are miraculous and bring salvation. Hashem’s plan is implemented, yet in a purely covert and unassuming manner. Only once the miracle is complete do we see that it was just as miraculous as the ten plagues or splitting of the sea. The miracle of Purim serves as a paradigm for this approach. At first glance, ancient Persian politics seem to drive the events of the Megillah. Personalities, lust, greed, coincidences, and egos appear to dictate what happens in every chapter. Hashem is hidden. Hashem’s name is not present, nothing supernatural occurs, and 5 Chullin 139b 2 Yeshiva of Greater Washington A Purim Reader never does a prophet come to guide nor chastise the Jews in the name of Hashem. However, after the entire story unfolds, tremendous miracles are revealed. We see the “chess pieces” of history positioned in a way that brings great salvation and joy to the Jewish people. Evil is destroyed. Good triumphs. A new commitment to Torah is made by the entire nation in a way that even paralleled to some degree their commitment at Mount Sinai6. With the outcome of the story in mind, we can re-read the Megillah and see Hashem miraculously guiding the events in each and every verse7. Hashem gave the impression of being hidden, but nevertheless was present throughout the entire saga. Hashem is mentioned nowhere in the Megillah because He is acting in a covert way. This concept is one meaning of the words “Megillas Esther”: the revelation of that which was hidden . That sums up the entire objective of the Megillah, to reveal to us the hidden hand of Hashem in every event that transpired8. As mentioned above, Hashem’s name does not appear in the Megillah. However, the Rabbis teach us that the Megillah does actually mention Hashem, just in a hidden manner. Chazal teach us that when the Megillah uses the phrase “King Achashverosh” it means the actual human king. But when the Megillah just says simply “the king” there is a dual meaning. It certainly refers to Achashverosh, but also refers to Hashem “the King of the World”9, directly influencing Achashversoh’s actions. In this dual meaning, the Megillah reveals to us an enormously important principle. This association of an earthly king with Hashem Himself is not limited to the Megillah. It is a truth of everyday life. Decisions made by earthly kings are actually expressions of Hashem’s will. Hashem, as the caretaker and guide of history, uses earthly kings to constantly fulfill His own plans. This concept is expressed in the oft-quoted verse: “The heart of the king is in the hands of Hashem.10” The Purim story serves as a lesson for the ages: that an 6 Shabbos 88a 7 Peirush HaGr”a on Megillas Esther, 1:2 8 The Gemara (Megillah 4a) states that we must “read the Megillah at night and review it (lishnosa) in the day.” The Gemara could have simply stated “one must read the Megillah at night and in the day.” Why does it stress the idea of reviewing the Megillah? However, the answer to this question ties in to the purpose of the Megillah itself. If one reads a good novel, l’havdil, many times the climax or conclusion will be extremely clever and unexpected. At that point, the reader is tempted to re‐read the book in order to place exactly how each part of the story contributed to this clever ending. Perhaps that is the idea of reviewing the Megillah. Imagine reading the story for the first time. The reader will see many random, ordinary, and sometimes disconnected events. However, when the conclusion is reached and Hashem’s miracle is apparent, the reader is then encouraged to re‐read the story. When the story is reviewed, the reader now has the conclusion in mind and therefore can place how each and every event described is just one step leading towards Hashem’s great salvation of the Jewish people. A “review” of the Megillah in this manner brings one to a much greater and deeper understanding of the events. 9 Esther Rabba 3:10, Zohar, Chelek 3, 109a. The Gemara also has implications of this concept. See Megillah 12b on the pasuk “tov lev hamelech bayayin” and Megillah 15b on the pasuk “naddeda shnas hamelech.” 10 Mishlei 21:1 3 Yeshiva of Greater Washington A Purim Reader earthly king is merely a tool in the hands of the King of all Kings11.
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