Command the Children of Israel that they bring you pure olive oil, pounded, for the lighting, to cause a light to burn always (Ex. 27:20)
The First and Second Holy Temples illuminated the world with their light for a specific and limited period of time. The Third Holy Temple, however, which will be rebuilt when Moshiach comes, will be in fulfillment of the latter half of the verse, “to cause a light to burn always.” Its light will never be extinguished. (Rabbi Yitzchak Karo)
You shall command--ve’ata tetzave (Ex. 27:30)
Chasidic thought interprets this verse to mean, “You shall connect yourself to...” Moses was commanded to establish a connection between his essence and the Jewish people. In an extended sense, this command can be understood as having been directed to every Jew, for each Jew has a spark of Moses in him. “You” refers to the essence of the soul, the fundamental core of every Jew’s being. This is revealed by the establishment of a bond with G-d’s essence. (Lubavitcher Rebbe, shlita)
One who reads the Megila backwards has not fulfilled his obligation (Mishna, Megila)
The Baal Shem Tov offered a Chasidic interpretation of this law: A person must not view the story of Purim as just a historical narrative, something that happened long ago in another time and place. The purpose of reading the Megilla on Purim is to ensure that “these days are remembered and kept throughout the generations.” The events of Purim are not only relevant to the present time, but each detail of the story contains lessons to be applied in our daily lives.
