26. Someone asked the Brisker Rav zt'l, "What can one do to control his mind and avoid forbidden thoughts?" The Brisker Rav replied, "Chasidim drink l'chayim and dance. They say that it is a refuah for bad thoughts, and they are right."
Purim is compared to Yom Kippur. The Piaseczner Rebbe zt'l (Eish Kodesh) explained that on Yom Kippur, we fast whether we feel up to it or not. Similarly, on Purim, we are happy, whether or not we feel up to it. (The Piaseczner Rebbe said this during the Holocaust.)
Reb Eliyahu Meir Bloch zt'l, Rosh Yeshiva Telz in America, was dancing happily with his students on Purim, in the year ד"תש. His students thought the joy wasn't sincere. "How could he be happy after what he had endured during the holocaust?" they wondered. Reb Bloch heard what people were saying, so he stopped the dancing, and the students gathered around him. He explained to them that the Jewish nation has the ability to be sad and happy at the same time. He proved this from the Chazal (Megillah 10:) that the malachim didn't sing shirah when the Yam Suf split because Hashem said, "My creations are drowning in the sea, and you are singing shirah?" Nevertheless, the Jewish nation sang shirah at this time. This is because a malach can only do one shlichus at a time. When he is happy and praising Hashem, he can't be sad simultaneously. But a Yid can do both. He mourns the loss of human life and rejoices in Hashem's salvation. Similarly, it is possible to be sad and broken from the holocaust and happy with Purim. There is room in a Yiddishe hartz for both emotions.
Reb Yosef Tameshov zt'l (a student of the Chozeh of Lublin zt'l and of the Bnei Yissaschar zt'l) was singing Shoshanas Yaakov on Purim night in his father-in-law's home. The poritz came in and said that the singing was disturbing him. Reb Yosef immediately stopped singing. The next day, his father-in-law went to the poritz to apologize for his son-in-law's singing. The poritz didn't know what he was referring to. Reb Yosef Tameshov and his father-in-law understood that it was Haman who came in the guise of the poritz because it bothers Haman when Yidden are happy. Haman tries to make us sad on Purim, and Mordechai comes to make us happy.
It states (Esther 8:13), הזה ליום עתודים היהודים להיות מאויביהם להנקם, "For the Jews to be prepared for that day..." We read it עתידים, but it is written עתודים, which can be translated as flocks of sheep. The Maharsha quotes the Imrei Noam (HaKadmon), who explains that הזה ליום עתודים היהודים להיות means the Jewish nation should be dancing and jumping like sheep on Purim. They should be jumping for joy. This vort is also taught by the Maharam m'Rottenberg, and he says that there's a custom to write the ו"וא with horns on top of it (the תגין appear like horns) to allude to the jumping animals and our jumping for joy in praise of Hashem.
The Greatness of Small Deeds
It states (Esther 4:17) מרדכי ויעבור, and the Gemara says that this means Mordechai crossed over a body of water to go to the Yidden who lived on the other side of Shushan, to tell them to daven for Esther. Manos HaLevi (written by Reb Shlomo Alkabetz zt'l, author of Lecha Dodi) explains, "Even a minor deed, like crossing over water, is considered a great deed when done for a mitzvah. The water wasn't a large river; it was more like a puddle... Nevertheless, the Megillah tells us that Mordechai crossed the water as though it were a great accomplishment. This is because everything is accounted for." When a person performs a mitzvah, even the slightest deeds are worthy of being written in the megillah for all generations to read and see.
Chazal (Gittin 57:) state, "The grandsons of Haman taught Torah in Bnei Brak." Why did Haman HaRasha merit this? Shem MiShmuel (Purim 5680) writes that it is because Haman had one moment of emunah. The Midrash (Esther 10:5) states, "When Haman led Mordechai on the king's horse through the city's streets, what was Haman the rasha saying? (Tehillim 30:7-8) ואני נבהל הייתי פניך הסתרת ...לעולם אמוט בל בשלוי אמרתי, "I said in my tranquility, 'I will never falter.' ... You hid Your countenance, and I became frightened." He had a moment of emunah, and for that, he was rewarded with descendants who taught Torah.
Shem MiShmuel writes, "This is a lesson for every person: Even when he is at a low level, r'l, he shouldn't consider any good thought or good word that he says to be small. Let him grasp whatever good moments he can, and this will be a great benefit for him. The mouth cannot express how great these deeds are."
