10. The Gemara (Megillah 13b) says that Haman said lashon hara on the Jewish nation, that throughout the year, they say: היום פסח ,היום שבת, Today is Shabbos... Today is Pesach..." The simple meaning is that when they are called upon to work for the king as a tax, they always come up with different excuses; it is Shabbos, or it is Pesach, and they can't work. But we can also explain that Haman couldn’t stand that the Jewish nation would say "Today is Shabbos... Today is Pesach...". They didn't celebrate the holidays solely to commemorate what occurred in the past; they understood that Pesach occurs each year, anew. Every year, there is an aspect of yetzias Mitzrayim for the Jewish nation. Every week, there is Shabbos, a day that the King of the world rests from His work and creation. It was the fact that the Jewish people related to the yomim tovim with such vibrancy that made Haman so upset.
Despite Haman's distress with this phenomenon, another holiday, Purim, was created. It isn't a mere celebration and commemoration of a past miracle; instead, each year, a new Purim miracle occurs.
11. The Chasam Sofer (Drashos vol.1, Purim 5596) writes that Purim should have been on the thirteenth of Adar since that is the date they won the war against their enemies. Why do we celebrate on the following day, on the 14th, the day after the war ended? It is to ensure that there will always be a place in the world where Torah is studied. By celebrating on the days they rested from the war, there are two days to celebrate: the Miracles Each Purim
The Baal Shem Tov zy’a explains the Gemara (Megillah 17), יצא לא למפרע המגילה את הקורא, if one reads the megillah and praises Hashem for the miracles that He performed for us in the past but lacks the knowledge that Hashem performs miracles in the present, לא יצא, he didn’t perform the mitzvah properly. Hashem does miracles for us right now, too.
It states (Esther 9:28) בְּכָל וְנַעֲשִׂים נִזְכָּרִים הָא ֵלֶּה וְה ַיָּמ ִים וָדוֹר דּוֹר, "These days shall be remembered and celebrated by every generation..." Every year, and every generation, the light and the miracles of Purim recur.
Reb Chaim Vital zt'l teaches this lesson from the following pasuk (Esther 9:28), הַפ ּוּרִים וִימֵי מ ִזַּרְעָם יָסוּף לֹא וְזִכְרָם הַיְּהוּדִים מִת ּ וֹךְ יַע ַבְ רוּ לֹא הָא ֵלֶּה, "These days of Purim should never cease among Yidden, nor shall their remembrance perish from their descendants." On Purim, we don't only remember the miracles of the past, but they happen every year again.
The Arizal writes, "This 'light' doesn't come, not on Shabbos and not on Yom Tov, only on Purim." Purim is a very special time, a kedushah that doesn't exist on any other day of the year, and together with this holiness comes the many miracles, which occur each year.
The Maor Einayim writes that just as we were saved from Haman on Purim, every year, we are saved from our enemies who want to harm us, in the merit of Purim.
Before reading the Megillah, we say the brachah הזה בזמן ההם בימים לאבותינו ניסים שעשה, that Hashem performed miracles in those days, and at this time. However, the Sfas Emes (5760 והימים ה"ד) asks, we read the megillah on the 14th of Adar. No miracle occurred on the 14th of Adar. The miracle occurred on the 13th of Adar, when they won the war! As Rashi writes (Megillah 2a) היה בו הנס דעיקר, the primary miracle was on the 13th of Adar, when they won the war, and on the 14th, they celebrated the miracle that occurred. So, why do we say on the fourteenth of Adar, ניסים שעשה הזה בזמן ההם בימים לאבותינו, that Hashem performed miracles in those days, at this time? The miracles weren't exactly "at this time."
The Sfas Emes answers that we are blessing Hashem for the miracles that happen each year on the 14th of Adar when we read the megillah and celebrate Purim. We praise Hashem ההם בימים לאבותינו ניסים שעשה, that Hashem made miracles on the 13th of Adar in those days, and that Hashem continues performing miracles for us in our generation, הזה בזמן, in this time, on the 14th of Adar, when we read the megillah and perform the mitzvos.
