Another thing that makes Purim unique is its timing. We know that all the holidays form an ascending ladder. We go up a rung with every holiday until we get to the top, which is our end goal, and then we embark on a new cycle of holidays.
The first holiday is Pesach. It is about Yetzias Mitzrayim which is the birth of the Jewish people.
Special Topic
Just Let Hashem Take Care of It
Then we count the Omer, which is a period of spiritual education, of chinuch, until we come to the age when we are obligated in mitzvos. Shavu’os is thus the “bar mitzvah” of the Jewish people.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the days of the “wedding” between the Jewish people and Hakadosh Baruch Hu, who are drawn close to one another through teshuvah, and then enter the chuppah, which is the sukkah. And Shemini Atzeres is the yichud, the culmination of the wedding, when they are alone together.
After the Biblically ordained holidays are over, the days grow shorter and shorter, and darkness comes to the world. It is written וחושך על פני תהום – “And darkness was on the face of the depth,” in which Chazal see an allusion to the darkness of the Greek exile. Counteracting this is the enlightening days of Chanukah which bring back the light of Torah.
So progresses the cycle of the holidays.
The end goal of all these holy times is the day of Purim. It is the ninth and final holiday in the yearly cycle, and after it comes the tenth holiday, which is the time of the coming of Mashiach. That is in another realm altogether. It is above and beyond all conception [so it is not considered part of the cycle].
The holidays are just stops on our way to the destination, so to speak, and Purim is the destination. This calls for explanation. What makes Purim our ultimate goal?
