Feelings, his own seichel, instead of the seichel of the Torah. And that’s not what Hashem is looking for. An eved Hashem has to remind himself always that He’s in a straitjacket. Of course rachamim is a good middah – when the Torah tells you it’s prescribed. Sometimes the Torah wants you to act with achzarius, with anger. Patience is good too. Sometimes not. All the middos, all the attitudes of the mind, are like that. And therefore an eved Hashem has to put on the straitjacket of the Torah. Avodas Hashem is best expressed when someone is willing to sacrifice his mind for Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
Part III. Listening on Purim
Accepting a New Torah
And so we come now to the story of Purim and we’ll see now how it’s connected to this subject. Everyone knows the possuk in the Megillah, how after the great neis of Purim ם∆יה≈לֲﬠ יםƒ„ּהוּ¿יַהּלוּ¿בƒ̃¿וּמוּ¿יƒ̃ – they accepted upon themselves to celebrate every year, forever and ever, the yeshuas Hashem (Esther 9:27). That’s why we still keep Purim today, because ם∆יה≈לֲﬠּלוּ¿בƒ̃; they were so happy, so grateful to Hashem, that they accepted to fulfill the mitzvos of Purim forever.
But we’re going to speak now about what the Sages said on that possuk. Because they tell us that included in that acceptance was more than just Purim. יםƒ„ּהו¿ּיַהּלו¿ּבƒ̃¿וּמו¿ּיƒ̃ means they accepted the entire Torah again. רָב¿ּכּלו¿ּבƒּ̃∆ּׁ̆ הַמּמו¿ּיƒ̃ – There was a new kabolas haTorah after the Purim story (Shevuos 39a).
A Scattered Nation
Now, we’ll understand that in two ways, and both are included in the poshut pshat of that maamar Chazal. First, from a historical perspective: You have to realize that the time period during which the story of Purim took place is very significant. When the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah after the Churban Bayis Rishon gathered, they saw that the Am Yisroel was going to be scattered and dispersed now. We were in Bavel now, in Paras u’Madai; we were spread out וּ„ֹה≈מּׁ̆וּכ „ַﬠ¿ו in 127 provinces. And even though some of the nation were able to return to Eretz Yisroel, it was only a small amount.
And so now for the first time in history the Jewish nation wasn’t all together in one place and it was going to be like that for a long time. And the Chachamim understood that it was an emergency. They’re scattered; what’s going to happen to our people? How are we going to keep them unified in keeping the Torah? Emergency times require emergency measures.
Uniting the Scattered
So Ezra and the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah came together and they said, “We have to make a siyag laTorah, fences around the Torah”, and they began to make new dinim, new Torahs. It wasn’t actually new; it’s ossur to be mosif but they said all this is d’Rabanan. It’s a fence in order to protect the Torah and to give a more stable tzurah to a nation that is dispersed among the goyim.
And so they introduced many new things that never existed before; a whole list of takonas Chachamim they wanted to foist on the nation. They started saying on Shabbos not only you cannot do thirty nine forms of work, but there are going to be other things now, various forms of muktzeh, other issurim.
They changed the tzura of Shabbos in other ways too. Ezra said you have to make kiddush, a certain formula. Once upon a time, kiddush consisted of saying, “It’s Shabbos!” That’s all. To announce that it’s Shabbos, that was the kiddush d’Oraysa. But to make a nusach of Kiddush? That was new. They said, “You cannot eat without havdalah motzei Shabbos,” and they made a nusach of havdalah. You have to say this and this kind of havdalah motzei Shabbos.
Brachos and Shemoneh Esrei
Brachos too. They made a takanah, you cannot eat unless you make a bracha rishonah. That’s something new. Until then if you wanted, you thanked Hashem when you ate. If you didn’t, you ate without thanking. Except for after eating bread; that's the only Torah obligation. But now they said, “On everything you have to make a bracha before and after.”
It was a revolution! Of course, there were very many in ancient times who made some sort of bracha, they thanked Hashem, but not in this certified nusach! Now there’s a certain version that everyone has to follow! It was mamash like a new Torah.
They decreed that the Jews must daven three times a day — some say two times a day, and Maariv was optional — and with a certain nussach. Every man and boy, and some say women too, were mechuyev to say Shemoneh Esrei, a thing that was not done before.
Now don’t make any mistake. People were mispallel before Ezra. Even Dovid HaMelech said, ב∆ר∆ﬠ ה∆מ¡ה∆‡¿ו הָיחƒָׂ̆‡ םƒיַר√הָˆ¿ו ר∆ֹ̃בָו – he prayed three times a day. Daniel also prayed three times. But it was optional; there was no chiyuv. But now Ezra wanted it should be a takanah; everybody must do it.
The Impossible Revolution
Now, all this was a tremendous revolution. Why should the people accept that? A people, an old nation, so many years they lived with a certain system and all of a sudden they’re being forced into a new way. “You’re giving us a new Torah? We accepted the Torah once already. We’ve been following the way of our forefathers since the days of Moshe Rabbeinu! All of a sudden you're coming and telling us new things?”
It should have been impossible. Try to get a whole nation, millions of people, suddenly they should stop motzei Shabbos when they want to eat, and wait for havdalah. Who havdalah? When havdalah? My grandfather didn’t make havdalah. What kind of new idea is this? Brachos? An entire nation, laborers, men and women, boys and girls, nobody is allowed to eat unless he makes a bracha first?! You’re accustomed already to the idea but you think that’s such an easy thing to accomplish, to foist that on a nation, a nation that already kept everything?
But these changes that Ezra made were vital. We couldn't exist without them. We wouldn’t be able to keep the original Torah otherwise. And so the question is how could Ezra succeed? How can you get the Klal Yisroel to accept a whole new Torah? To make a nation now of daveners, a nation with batei kenessios, with minyanim, with tefilos, brachos, muktzeh, hundreds of other things? You think it’s easy?! It’s a tremendous change!
But the people did accept it. And that’s a question: How did it happen?
Haman’s Credit
And the credit goes to Purim. When Achashverosh took the ring off his finger and put it on Haman’s finger, which gave Haman full authority to do as he wished, the Jewish nation was horrified! It was a cataclysm! They saw death staring in the face. The worst enemy, the tzorer haYehudim, now has absolute power over us! What’s going to happen to us? We’re goners!
And when the neis of Purim happened, the whole story in the Megillah, and finally they saw Haman hanging they became wild. At that moment the Am Yisroel went crazy from happiness. “V’nahapoch hu! We’re alive! Hashem saved us!”
They were so delirious with gratitude and ahavas Hashem that the Gemara says it was like the explosion of gratitude at Har Sinai that took place almost a thousand years previous. It was such an explosion of emotions in them, that they willingly accepted everything. And that's how Ezra's takanos finally came to be accepted. Without the Purim neis, it could never have happened such a revolutionary change. Nothing else could have accomplished such a great metamorphosis in their lifestyle.
And so the story of Purim was made by Hashem for this purpose too, in order to reinforce all the takanos of Ezra. Because of the neis Purim the takonos of Ezra were finally given the chizzuk that they remained with the Klal Yisroel. A tremendous achievement! It was a רָב¿ּכּלו¿ּבƒּ̃∆ּׁ̆ הַמּמו¿ּיƒ̃; they accepted it all in order to protect the Torah that they accepted at Har Sinai.
Accepting the Torah, Again
But you should know — and we come now to the subject we began with — this that the nation accepted all the takanos of Ezra, that’s only agav urcha. It’s true but that’s not the only pshat. The poshut pshat in this maamar Chazal is that they were mekabel to be mekayeim the Torah, the same Torah, the original Torah, they got on Har Sinai — they were going to start keeping the Torah again.
Now, don’t make any mistake; the Jewish nation always was a pious nation. They kept everything. Like Haman testified about us: „ָח∆‡ םַﬠ ֹנו¿ׁ̆∆י – There’s one nation, יםƒּמַﬠָה ין≈ּב „ָרֹפ¿מּו רָּזֻפ¿מ – dispersed among the nations ... , םָﬠ לָּכƒמ ֹ̇נוֹׁ̆ ם∆יה≈ ָ̇„¿ו – and their laws are different from all the nations (Esther 3:8). He’s a kosher witness, Haman — if he said that, you can believe him. It’s like the man who was accused by someone who didn’t like him, of being too frum, too pious. So the accused one said, “Please, when you come to the Next World, I want you to testify to that. That’s a good eidus for me, if you speak up then.” So here you have the backhanded testimony of a witness and he tells us that the Jewish nation dispersed as they were, stubbornly clung to the Torah, the same Torah wherever they were.
Kabalah Forever
So what does it mean that they were mekabel the Torah again? The answer is Kabolas HaTorah is not a one time experience, that it was done once by our forefathers and now we can forget about it. Kabolas HaTorah is every day because it means an attitude of avdus, of being entirely subjugated to the Torah and that requires constant shemira; to always be aware that our minds, our characters and emotions and ideals, are lining up with the Torah.
And on Purim, the entire nation fulfilled that! When the neis Purim happened it caused such a wave of gratitude that they rededicated themselves to the greatness of the first Kabolas HaTorah, what the nation had achieved at Har Sinai, of giving up their character and their minds and their attitudes to Hashem. “Not only will םָﬠ לָּכƒמ ֹ̇נוֹׁ̆ ם∆יה≈ ָ̇„¿ו, will our laws be different, but our minds will be different. We’ll be such avdei Hashem that we’ll give up even that for Hashem.”
Relighting the Lamp
And so as good as they were before they became a hundred times better now. From now on it was הָרֹו‡ הָ̇¿יָה יםƒ„ּהו¿ּיַל – the Yehudim had light (ibid. 8:16). And the Gemara (Megillah 16b) says orah is Torah. They had Torah before, they learned Torah always, but when they were rescued from destruction now Torah was to them a new kind of a light. From now on when a Jew looked into the Torah it wasn’t just mitzvos, chukim u’mishpatim. It was a light for the seichel – רֹו‡ הָרֹו̇¿ו הָו¿ˆƒמ ר≈נ יƒּכ. Everybody knows that possuk.
ָך∆ָ̇רֹו̇¿ּבּינו≈ינ≈ﬠ ר≈‡ָה¿ו – Without the Torah, we walk in darkness.
And especially at that moment in our history it was important to accept it on ourselves again. Because if we’re going to be spread out and there’ll be all types of gentile influences, so not only do we need the takanos of Ezra; we need also to strengthen ourselves in being avdei Hashem, a nation that is willing to give up not only their way of living, but their way of thinking — to subjugate their mind and character to the Toras Hashem.
Purim Thoughts
And so when you’re dancing on Purim, or maybe when you’re sitting down at the seudah and you’re in a good mood — you’re thinking about how happy we are that Hakadosh Baruch Hu saved us in the days of Mordechai v’Esther — so what should be a result of that? A lot of things. We have to know that the purpose of Purim is to acquire da’as. If you don’t think on Purim, then you wasted the day.
That’s why when a person becomes so intoxicated that he is already b’geder beheima, he’s out of control, I don’t approve of that; it’s very wrong. Very wrong. Sometimes in order to raise the airplane off the ground, you have to put high octane fuel into the tank to help get liftoff; and so there’s nothing wrong with imbibing a little bit of mashkeh, but it’s only for the purpose of getting more daas. Purim is for thinking!
And this subject that we spoke about tonight is absolutely one of the important Purim thoughts. Purim is Kabolas HaTorah! But not just doing. That’s not a question; of course we’re going to keep everything. But today we think about what the nation accepted upon themselves by the story of Purim, that we’re going to subject ourselves to the Torah Mind no matter what. That’s maybe why we drink a little bit; we’re reminding ourselves that we’re giving away our minds. We’re giving away our minds and substituting for it the Mind of Hashem.
Have a Wonderful Shabbos
Feeling inspired & uplifted? Help spread that feeling to Jews everywhere! Join this movement NOW! torasavigdor.org/give 732-844-3670
