Reasons for the Customs of Purim - Rabbi Shmuel Mekamel shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You’re listening to “Lema’an Yishme’u,” a podcast of Machon Halacha Chabad.

00:09 Speaker 2 On 13 Adar, we observe a public fast called Taanis Esther. Why is the fast named after Esther? Several explanations have been given. The Rebbe explains that on 13 Adar, the Jewish people went out to fight—to gather and defend themselves against those who sought to destroy them. The entire Jewish people went out to war. And we know that everyone goes out to fight a war that is a mitzvah, even a groom from his chamber and a bride from her canopy. But there was one person who could not go to war: Queen Esther, who had to remain with the king. Since everyone else went out to fight on 13 Adar and she did not, she fasted; she established a fast. On that day, when the Jewish people went out to fight, she established a fast, as we know one should do when the Jewish people are in danger. Those who went to war could not fast, because they needed to fight. Esther was the only one who did not go to war and could fast. That is why the fast is called Taanis Esther. On Taanis Esther, we give three half-coins of the local currency. We give three halves corresponding to the three-day fast established by Queen Esther, and we give these coins in remembrance of the half-shekel, which was used to fund the daily offerings in the Beis Hamikdash. We know that already on 1 Adar, announcements were made about the shekels, and we give these three halves in remembrance of the half-shekel. We give them before Purim because, as it says, Hakadosh Boruch Hu knew that the wicked Haman would weigh out ten thousand talents of silver to destroy, kill and annihilate the Jewish people. So, to put our shekels before the shekels of the wicked Haman, we give ours before Purim, already on Taanis Esther. Amid fasting and teshuvah, we give our shekels,

02:34 Speaker 2 before we even read Haman’s decree. In this way, we overcome the decree of the wicked Haman by putting our shekels before his. The half-shekel was originally given by those aged thirteen—or twenty years old. In practice, we find customs of giving on behalf of every member of the household, even young children. And as is known, once someone starts giving on behalf of a member of the household, even if they did so only once, they continue and do not stop. In fact, there is a custom to give a half-shekel even for a child in its mother’s womb. The verse about the half-shekel says, “Everyone who passes among those counted,” and some have interpreted the word for “passes” as referring to an unborn child, meaning that half-shekels are given even on their behalf. The miracle of Purim took place while the Jewish people were in the Babylonian exile, toward the end of that exile—a time of darkness, concealment and hiddenness. As it says, “And I will surely hide My face on that day.” The Gemara in Chullin asks, “Where is Esther alluded to in the Torah?” and points to this verse: “And I will surely hide.” It was a time of darkness and concealment, yet the Jewish people were not daunted by it all. They overcame it and stood firm with mesiras nefesh. As the Alter Rebbe says, the decree applied only to those who remained part of the Jewish people; anyone who converted would not have been subject to it. Nevertheless, throughout that year under Haman’s decree, not one of them entertained even a stray thought, G-d forbid, of separating from Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The Jewish people stood firm with tremendous strength and mesiras nefesh, and in that merit they experienced the extraordinary Geulah of the Purim miracle. In truth, it was precisely their renewed resolve that brought about their survival. The Gemara in Megillah says that the students of Rabbi Shimon

04:48 Speaker 2 bar Yochai asked him, “Why did the enemies of the Jewish people”—that is the Gemara’s wording, meaning the Jewish people themselves—“become liable” to such a terrible decree: to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, children and women, in a single day? Where have we heard of such a terrible decree? When Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai put the question to his students, they answered: “Because they enjoyed the feast of that wicked man.” Rashbi then gave them his own explanation, but their answer itself reveals something very remarkable. What was wrong with the feast of that wicked man? What was the problem with enjoying his feast? If the concern was that they ate non-kosher food, we know the well-known teachings of our Sages about “doing according to each person’s wishes” and “the drinking was according to the law, with no compulsion.” No one was forced to drink wine that was forbidden, and each person was served food that met his standards of kashrus. So eating non-kosher food was not the issue. And even if it had been, we do not find that eating non-kosher food, G-d forbid, brings a punishment of annihilation upon the entire Jewish people. Where do we find such a thing? Rather, Mordechai the Jew knew that the secret of the Jewish people’s survival is our closeness to Hashem. We are, after all, one sheep among seventy wolves, and great is the shepherd who saves us from those wolves. When we strengthen our bond with the shepherd—when we are connected to Hakadosh Boruch Hu—we are saved against all odds, because great is the shepherd who saves us. But when the sheep tries to manage on its own, it has no chance. By the natural order, it has no chance of escaping the teeth of those predatory wolves. The

06:54 Speaker 2 Jewish people, when they sought to enjoy the feast of that wicked man, wanted to manage on their own: to make what is called a vessel through natural means, to show favor to the monarchy that was trying to draw them close, and to say, “We’re part of this; we’re part of the kingdom.” In doing so, they disconnected themselves from the exceptional protection of the shepherd who saved them. So as soon as they enjoyed the feast of that wicked man—enjoyed the privilege of being close to the monarchy—they removed themselves from the protection of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. That is why Mordechai the Jew did not immediately turn to the diplomatic connections available to him. Esther was queen, he sat at the king’s gate, and he himself had saved the king. He did not make use of all the diplomatic connections he could have used, because he understood that this was not the point. He knew that distancing themselves from Hakadosh Boruch Hu was what had left the Jewish people exposed to the seventy wolves. Once they renewed their resolve—he called on them to fast and strengthen themselves in Torah, prayer, tzedakah and teshuvah—they returned to the exceptional protection of that shepherd, and the Purim miracle followed. When the Purim miracle took place, Queen Esther asked the Sages, “Establish me for future generations.” She wanted the account of the miracle to be written in the Megillah. The Sages did not want to do so. They feared it would arouse the anger of the non-Jews, and they also did not know whether another book could be added to the holy books. But after they found an allusion in the Torah that the account of wiping out Amalek was destined to be written down again, they understood that Megillas Esther should also be written. Thus the Jewish people received another special book, Megillas Esther

09:01 Speaker 2 —that it be included among the 24 books of Scripture. The Jewish people’s victory over the nations was on 13 Adar, and they rested on 14 Adar. In fact, after the decree that the nations should, G-d forbid, kill the Jewish people was sealed with the king’s signet ring, it could not be revoked. But the Jews were given permission to assemble and defend themselves. They went out to fight, and the day they won was 13 Adar. The 14th was their day of rest, and so 14 Adar was established as the festival of Purim. But in Shushan, the capital, which was a walled city with a great many enemies, it was harder. It took longer for those enemies to be finally defeated, so the victory came only on the 14th, and the day of rest was 15 Adar. It was therefore established that in all the other cities and places throughout the world, the celebration of Purim would take place on the day of rest, 14 Adar. In Shushan, where the miracle and the day of rest occurred on 15 Adar, the celebration was set for the 15th. And because they wanted to honor the Land of Israel, which lay in ruins at the time—this was toward the end of the Babylonian exile, before the return—they established that Jerusalem, which had certainly been walled since the days of Yehoshua bin Nun, would also celebrate Purim on the 15th. Every city that had been walled since the days of Yehoshua bin Nun would celebrate Purim on 15 Adar. So to this day, 15 Adar remains the day of celebration in walled cities. Foremost among them—or really, the main place where Purim is celebrated on the 15th—is Jerusalem. Of course, places close to or visible from a walled city, places with the halachic status

11:26 Speaker 2 of being close to or visible from it, also celebrate on the 15th. In cities where there is doubt whether they were walled, the main observance of Purim is on 14 Adar. On 15 Adar they also observe the mitzvos of the day and read the Megillah, but without a blessing. Purim has special laws concerning a person who spends the day in an unwalled city or a walled city—someone traveling from one place to another. These are laws unique to Purim, and of course they all stem from the central fact that Purim unfolded in two stages: the celebration in unwalled cities and the celebration in walled cities, which takes place on the 15th. That is the source of all the laws distinguishing unwalled and walled cities. Even in unwalled cities, Tachanun is not said on 15 Adar, and eulogies and fasting are forbidden. It is considered a day of rejoicing. Likewise, in walled cities, although 14 Adar is not their day of Purim, they also celebrate and rejoice on that day. Of course, they do not perform the mitzvos of the day, but it is a day of rejoicing: Tachanun is not said, and eulogies and fasting are forbidden. Now, we know that we generally take care to avoid differences between groups within the Jewish people. There is the prohibition of “Do not form factions.” Yet on Purim, some rejoice on 14 Adar, while people in walled cities rejoice on 15 Adar, and we are not concerned about that prohibition. The Rebbe explains something very interesting: specifically on Purim, one group can celebrate on one day and another group on another day without violating the prohibition against forming factions, because Purim

13:27 Speaker 2 is celebrated in a way of ad d’lo yada—until one no longer knows. The joy of Purim reaches the level of ad d’lo yada, beyond measure and limitation, beyond the limitations of time and place. The entire Jewish people are therefore united in one shared spirit of self-sacrifice, just as they were at the time of the decree. They stood with self-sacrifice, without distinctions or differences in status—from the young to the old, even the least observant among them. They all stood firm with self-sacrifice, and so they merited the joy of ad d’lo yada, which breaks through every boundary. On Purim, every Jew truly has the power to rise above the limitations of time and place. On Purim, the Sages instituted the reading of the Megillah; every person is obligated to read it. A person must read it at night and repeat the reading by day. Nevertheless, they did not institute the recitation of Hallel. We do thank and praise Hashem by saying V’al Hanissim in the blessing of thanksgiving in Shemoneh Esrei or in the blessing of thanksgiving in Birchas Hamazon, but we do not say Hallel. Several reasons are given for why Hallel is not said on Purim. The primary explanation, of course, is that reading the Megillah is the Hallel of Purim. There are other reasons as well: “We are still servants of Achashverosh.” We have not yet reached the complete Geulah; we are still subject to the rule of other kingdoms. So it is not yet fitting to say Hallel, because we have not fully emerged from exile into Geulah. Another reason is that Hallel was not instituted for miracles that took place outside the Land of Israel. But the main reason, in fact, is that reading the Megillah is the Hallel of Purim. In addition to reading the Megillah, the Sages instituted the Torah reading of “Vayavo Amalek,” which tells of the war against Amalek at the end of Parshas Beshalach. It recounts Amalek’s defeat, and Haman, who was descended from Amalek,

15:34 Speaker 2 fell on this day. The Sages said, “A person must read the Megillah at night and repeat the reading by day.” They derive this from the verse, “My G-d, I call by day and by night, but You do not answer.” This verse is in chapter 22 of Tehillim, the psalm beginning “For the conductor, on the morning doe,” which is associated with Queen Esther. The words “I call by day and by night” point to reading the Megillah both at night and by day. So, in addition to the main mitzvah, which is the daytime reading of the Megillah, we read it already at night. We need to remember that someone who reads the Megillah out of order has not fulfilled the mitzvah. The Megillah must, of course, be read in order. The straightforward halachic meaning is this: suppose a person enters a shul where there are several minyanim and hears someone reading from the middle of the Megillah. He arrived when they were already halfway through, so he says, “I’ll listen now, and then I’ll catch up on the beginning with the minyan that’s about to start.” Of course, one cannot read it that way. One cannot fulfill the mitzvah by listening that way, and certainly one cannot read it that way. The Megillah must be read in its proper order, and it must also be heard in its proper order. There is a deeper meaning here, too. The whole account is called Megillas Esther. Its miracles are hidden miracles. The sequence of events in the Megillah tells of various miracles, but when you look at each event on its own, you do not sense the miracle. Only when you take it all as one story—reading what happened in the third year of the king’s reign, then in the seventh year, and so on, stage by stage—do you grasp the wondrous miracle that took place on Purim. It is a miracle clothed in nature. If a person reads only one part of the Megillah and does not read it in its proper sequence, in the sequence of

17:36 Speaker 2 the events, he won’t understand the great miracle that happened here. But beyond the simple meaning of “one who reads the Megillah out of order has not fulfilled his obligation,” the Baal Shem Tov says that someone who reads the Megillah as though it were something that happened in the past, without bringing it into his everyday life, misses the point of Purim. Reading the Megillah is relevant in every generation. Every day we have our own battle, our own struggles, our own battle with Amalek. And every day, when we overcome those challenges with mesirus nefesh, we merit to see Amalek’s downfall. We really need to see the Megillah as something that takes place every day, in every generation. Before reading the Megillah, we recite three blessings. The first is the blessing over reading the Megillah. The second is “Who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days, at this time.” The third is the blessing over the occasion: as with any mitzvah performed from time to time, we recite Shehecheyanu. We bless and thank Hashem for keeping us alive and bringing us to this time to fulfill this mitzvah. Of course, the halachic authorities differ on whether Shehecheyanu is also recited during the day, since it was already recited over the Megillah reading at night. The next day, it is not a newly arising mitzvah; we already read the Megillah at night. But in practice, our custom is to recite it during the day as well, having in mind the mitzvos of the day that now come into effect: the festive meal, feasting and rejoicing, and mishloach manos. They did not want to institute a separate blessing over matanos la’evyonim, because it is known that blessings can sometimes cause delays. If people were required to recite a blessing, they might delay giving the gifts to the poor. A person might say, “I want to give the coins to the poor as tzedakah only after the reading of the

19:40 Speaker 2 Megillah,” and the poor would be kept waiting. So, to avoid delaying them, no blessing was instituted over the mitzvah of matanos la’evyonim. Of course, one can have all the mitzvos of the day in mind when reciting Shehecheyanu, but the mitzvah of matanos la’evyonim can be fulfilled throughout the day, even before the Megillah reading. During the reading, the reader and members of the congregation who read along from kosher Megillah scrolls fold the Megillah and spread it out like a letter. We know that the Megillah is called the “letter of Purim,” so we open it like a letter. In the Megillah reading, there are four verses of redemption that are read aloud. The names of Haman’s ten sons are also read aloud. The congregation reads them, and then the reader repeats them after the congregation. They are read in one breath to show that all ten were hanged together. It says, “You shall surely erase the memory of Amalek,” and our Sages interpreted this to mean even from wood and stone. The halachic authorities write that this teaching of our Sages alludes to a Jewish custom: people would write the names of Haman and his sons, and when Haman’s name was read during the Megillah reading, they would strike those names. By striking stone against stone or wood against wood, they would erase Haman and his sons, who were descendants of Amalek, thus fulfilling the mitzvah of erasing Amalek. The custom of striking wood when Haman’s name is mentioned has its roots in holy sources. In practice, the custom is to strike only when Haman’s name is said with a descriptive title. It is written that one should not mock this custom or rebuke the adults and children who strike wood when Haman’s name is mentioned, because the custom has its roots in holy sources and is part of the mitzvah of erasing Amalek. At the end of the Megillah reading, the blessing of Harav es Riveinu is recited when the Megillah

21:51 Speaker 2 is read publicly with a minyan of ten. There is then a great publicizing of the miracle, and so the blessing of Harav es Riveinu was instituted. This blessing alludes to all the wars against Amalek. We say: “Who champions our cause, judges our case, avenges our wrong, exacts retribution from our oppressors, and repays all the enemies of our souls.” The concluding phrase is a sixth expression: “Who exacts retribution from all the oppressors of His people Israel.” These six expressions correspond to the six wars the Jewish people fought against Amalek, in the times of Yehoshua, Ehud, Gideon, Shaul, David, and Mordechai and Esther. That is the last war against Amalek recorded in Tanach, because the wicked Haman was a descendant of Amalek. The words “the G-d who saves” in the conclusion of the blessing allude to the redemption through King Moshiach, speedily in our days, amen. For we know that it is written, “For a hand is upon the throne of Kah: Hashem will be at war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Hashem swore that His name and His throne will not be complete until Amalek’s descendants are erased, which will happen in the true and complete Geulah, very soon. Our Sages said that after reading the Megillah, one should say, “Cursed is Haman, blessed is Mordechai; cursed is Zeresh, blessed is Esther.” We say, “Cursed are all the wicked, blessed are all the righteous, and Charvonah, too, is remembered for good.” That is why these phrases were included in the Shoshanas Yaakov hymn recited after the Megillah reading. After the Megillah reading, we also say “But You are holy, enthroned upon the praises of Israel” at Maariv. During the day, we say Ashrei and Uva Letziyon, which also contains “But You are holy, enthroned upon the praises of Israel.” The reason we say that verse after the Megillah reading is connected to what we mentioned earlier: the obligation to read the Megillah at night and repeat it during the day is learned, among other things, from the verse in chapter 22 of Tehillim, “My G-d, I call by day, but You do not answer; and by night, and I have no silence

23:58 Speaker 2 within me.” Immediately afterward comes the verse, “But You are holy, enthroned upon the praises of Israel.” So just as the verse from which we learn about reading the Megillah is followed by “But You are holy, enthroned upon the praises of Israel,” after we actually read the Megillah at night and during the day, we say that verse. In addition to the mitzvah of reading the Megillah, the mitzvos of sending mishloach manos to one another and giving matanos la’evyonim were instituted. Mishloach manos must contain two portions, because the verse says “portions,” in the plural, and they must be given to at least one person, as the verse says “to one’s fellow.” Why was the practice of sending mishloach manos instituted on Purim? Since there is an obligation to have an ample festive meal that day, we give our friends portions to help them fulfill the mitzvah of the Purim meal properly. Of course, it is also meant to increase peace and friendship between people. There is also the mitzvah of matanos la’evyonim: one must give at least one gift to each of two poor people. In this way, one fulfills the mitzvah. The reason these mitzvos between one person and another were instituted—both mishloach manos and matanos la’evyonim—is to counter what the wicked Haman said: “There is one people, scattered and divided among the nations.” To counter that, we increase unity and emphasize how united all Jews are. The Rambam says that it is a mitzvah to give more generously to the poor than one spends on the festive meal or on mishloach manos, because mishloach manos is given to one’s fellow, while matanos la’evyonim also reaches someone who is not considered

25:59 Speaker 2 As his fellow—even if he is not on an equal footing and lacks something materially or spiritually—when we connect with him and give him a gift, we come close to him and place ourselves on an equal footing with him. So the mitzvah of gifts to the poor expresses the fullness of unity. In addition to reading the Megillah, sending food gifts, and giving gifts to the poor, Purim was established as a day of feasting and joy. Mordechai the Jew also wanted it to be a Yom Tov on which work was forbidden, but in practice the Sages did not accept that. It is a day of feasting and joy, but work is permitted. Of course, we know that one does not work on Purim, and that someone who does work on Purim will see no blessing from that work. But work is not forbidden as it is on Yom Tov; by the letter of the law, it is permitted. The Alter Rebbe says in Torah Or that this is because of the day’s lofty quality: the revelation of the light of Ein Sof below on Purim is so great that it cannot descend into the world in the way it does on Yom Tov. In other words, it is because of the day’s lofty quality that work is permitted. To properly fulfill the mitzvah of increasing feasting and joy, a person must be together with his family and friends. And we know that “a person is obligated to become intoxicated on Purim until he cannot distinguish between ‘cursed is Haman’ and ‘blessed is Mordechai.’” This is brought as halachah. The meaning of “until he cannot distinguish” is, in essence, to rise above all measures and limitations. Of course, the Rebbe says that yeshivah students and young people must observe the well-known limit on drinking mashke. But at every farbrengen, the Rebbe always asks that at least one person fulfill “until he cannot distinguish” in its literal sense on behalf of everyone present.

27:58 Speaker 2 The meaning of “until he cannot distinguish” is to rise above all limitations, above all measures and limitations. Then the understanding that comes after that state of not knowing is on an entirely different level. On Purim, it is customary to eat kreplach, dough pockets filled with meat. As we said, Purim is a Yom Tov, but this Yom Tov is concealed. On Yom Tov we eat meat, and on Purim we also eat meat, but we wrap it in dough. This signifies that work is permitted on this day, so the meat is covered with dough. In addition, it is a Jewish custom to eat hamantaschen, what are called today “Haman’s ears”—pastries filled with sweets. They are customarily filled with poppy seeds, recalling the seeds Esther ate to sustain herself while she was in the royal palace. This food has three corners, and some explain that when Haman saw the three Patriarchs of the Jewish people, his strength immediately failed. That is why some call it “Haman tash”: the wicked Haman’s strength failed. The custom is indeed to eat this food on Purim and include it in food gifts. There is a Jewish custom to wear costumes, as the Rema writes: “It is customary to wear masks on Purim.” Many reasons have been given for this custom. One is that when we see a Jew who, outwardly, does not appear to follow the path of Torah and mitzvos, who does not appear to be on the right path, we know that this is only a costume. It merely covers and conceals who he is inside. Deep down, every Jew truly wants to connect with Hashem. We saw this in that generation as well: on the surface, it appeared that they had worshipped idols, bowed to the image, and enjoyed the feast of that wicked man. But all of that was only external; it was only

30:01 Speaker 2 a costume. In truth, deep down, the hearts of the entire Jewish people were wholly devoted to serving Hashem. The Rebbe asks that when children dress up, they dress only as figures with positive values, and certainly not as negative figures. Even in Purim plays where Haman has to be portrayed, the Rebbe asks that children not dress up as the wicked Haman, because even for a short time it could leave a negative impression. Among the Rebbe’s holy directives for Purim is to carry out the Purim campaign: to go out and help many Jews fulfill the mitzvos of the day—reading the Megillah, feasting and rejoicing, sending food gifts, and giving gifts to the poor—and to do so on as broad a scale as possible. We should reach army bases, hospitals, and prisons, and involve boys and girls as well. The Rebbe says that even after Purim, we can continue the Purim campaign by contributing to its expenses, thereby carrying the joy of Purim throughout the entire year.