The Specialty of Megillas Esther
The Gemara (Shabbos 88a) says that Hashem placed Har Sinai over the nation's head and forced them to receive the Torah. However, because of the Purim miracle, the nation received the Torah again, this time willingly and from love. The Chasam Sofer (Drashos pg. 164) writes, “Therefore, the Megillah is more honored and greater than even the Torah itself.” There is an aspect of the Megillah that is greater than the Torah itself, due to the fact that the Jewish nation accepted it with love.
Since the Megillah is so holy, one should listen to the Megillah with awe and passion. The Kedushas Levi (Kedushah Rishonah) writes: “One should listen to the Megillah with a fiery passion in his heart. He should have in mind that he is now accepting the yoke of Torah and mitzvos. He should think, ‘What was, was. From now on, I will keep Hashem's mitzvos.’ The best time for teshuvah is when the Megillah is being read, because, at that time, Hakodosh Boruch Hu purifies Bnei Yisroel from Above.”
At the Purim miracle, we accepted the Torah again, and this time from love, and these should be our thoughts when we listen to the Megillah. (The Kedushas Levi says this should also be our thoughts at the Purim seudah. We should rejoice with the Torah.)
The Beis Aharon (66b) writes: "Tzaddikim say that they see in the Megillah everything that will happen that year.”
The Satmar Rebbe zt”l said that it is worthwhile for a person to live seventy years to hear the Megillah just once.
Fortunate are those who had the merit to hear the Satmar Rebbe read the Megillah with an outpouring of his soul. When he came to the words: ואני לא נקראתי לבוא אל המלך – “I have not been summoned to come to the king for thirty days” (4:11), he cried so much, it was hard to hear the words. He also cried copiously when he read:ומרדכי לא יכרע ולא ישתחווה – “But Mordechai would not bow and would not prostrate himself” (3:2).
Reb Yonason Eibshitz zt”l (Yaaras Devash 1:3) writes: “Please listen, wise nation, whom Hashem chose from all other nations. Please, don’t think Megillas Esther is a history book to tell the stories that happened to our forefathers... If that is all the Megillah is about, why must we read it twice on Purim? Boruch Hashem, we all know the story. Children make plays, acting out what happened. Rather, it is for the benefits that we get from the Megillah [to recognize and celebrate the miracles Hashem performed for the Jewish nation].
Additionally, there are many Torah secrets in the Megillah, and the masters of kabbalah elaborate on them. It is also called Megillas Esther (which can be translated as “the hidden Megillah”) because it contains many hidden secrets of Creation. Furthermore, the Megillah can be studied as a moshul [parable], discussing the battle and struggle between Bnei Yisroel and the yetzer horah... And there are many mussar lessons in the Megillah, which teach us how to live.”
The end of the Megillah (10:2) states:וכל מעשה תקפו וגבורתו ופרשת גדלת מרדכי אשר גדלו המלך הלוא הם כתובים על ספר דברי הימים למלכי מדי ופרס - “All his mighty and powerful acts, and the account of the greatness of Mordechai, whom the king had promoted, are recorded in the book of chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia.” Reb Yechezkel Abramsky zt”l explains that the Megillah is saying: If you want to study history, there are chronicles on the subject. They tell about Mordechai and his accomplishments in the government. If you want history, you can read those chronicles. But that isn't the purpose of the Megillah. The purpose of the Megillah is to teach us so much more.
The Gemara (Megillah 7a) cites several proofs showing that Megillas Esther was written with ruach hakodesh. With this awareness in mind, we know that every word is precious.
One of the berachos on the Megillah is: שעשה ניסים לאבותינו בימים ההם בזמן הזה – “Hashem made miracles for our forefathers in those days at this time”. The Sefas Emes asks: The miracles didn't occur on the 14th of Adar. They happened on the 13th of Adar. So why do we say: בזמן הזה, that the miracles happen on this day? The Sefas Emes answers that we are blessing Hashem for the miracles that happen each year. The miracles happen each year on the 14th when we read the Megillah. (R’ Elimelech Biderman, Torah Wellsprings)
When a spy in an enemy country must report to his homeland in code, he can't write things clearly because the message might be intercepted. So, he writes in code, but his government knows how to read between the lines, and they understand the message. This is a moshul for the Megillah. It is filled with secrets and divine lessons, and one must look closely to find the messages that Hashem wants us to know.
The Minchas Elazar zt”l tells that when Rebbe Mendel of Riminov was imprisoned, the police permitted him to take one item to the prison with him. The Rebbe requested a Megillah (although it was Tamuz). Rebbe Naftali of Ropshitz zt”l instructed Reb Mendel's talmidim not to fulfill this request. “If he has the Megillah, he’ll destroy the entire world.” The Minchas Elazar writes that if Reb Mendel of Riminov could have destroyed the world with the Megillah in Tamuz, imagine what he could have accomplished on Purim when we have a mitzvah to read the Megillah! We don’t know the meaning of this story, nevertheless, we see the immense holiness that lies within the holy words of the Megillah.
