13 Mar 2025 Purim 5785

Purim commemorates the salvation of the Jews in the 127 provinces of the Persian Empire millennia ago. While Purim is a holiday of rejoicing, food, drink and parties, we must maintain the proper focus on the lessons learned from this holy day. The story takes place during a time of hester panim (Chullin 139b), which gives rise to Haman’s edict to destroy, to kill, and to decimate all the Jews, from youth to elderly, babies to women (Esther 3:13).

With God’s “behind-the-scenes” intervention, along with the great courage and brave actions of Esther and Mordechai, the tables are turned. What Haman planned to do was done to him, his sons, and the enemies of the Jews throughout the kingdom. To remember this miracle — and that even in the most harrowing times, God never abandons His people — we celebrate Purim annually. 

Today our nation faces an enemy that rises up to destroy us. The Amaleks of our day have inherited the blood-lust of their forefather, Haman. And though, at times, it may be difficult to see the hand of Hashem guiding our fate, Purim reminds us that Hashem is ever-present, and the forces of evil will never succeed.

While sincere repentance and heartfelt prayers will annul an evil decree against us, there is an additional key ingredient, necessary for salvation, that oftentimes seems to elude us. When we are united b’achdut, as one nation with one heart, our spiritual fortifications are strengthened, and our nation retains an upper hand.

When we recognize that in the eyes of our enemies — from Haman to our enemies today ­— we are very much one people, we will be inspired to connect and unite with our fellow Jews and become the one nation they perceive that we are. When Haman revealed his nefarious plan to Achashverosh, he notably stated: “yesh’no am echad, there is one nation, that is scattered and dispersed amongst the nations, in every province of your kingdom, and their religion is different than all (other) nations, and the laws of the king they do not keep…” (Esther 3:8).

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zt’l, teaches, “Haman hated not individuals, but the people as an entity. He indicted not individuals, but the nation. I interpret ‘am ehad, one people,’ not in the sense of a certain people, but of one united people. Notwithstanding the fact that they are ‘scattered and dispersed across all the provinces of your realm,’ they are a united people. The fact that we live in so many countries, speak so many languages, dress in a variety of ways, have different concerns, and do not even know one another, does not deter Haman from looking upon us as a united people… The Hebrew word for ‘people,’ am, is related to the Hebrew word im meaning ‘with,’ ‘togetherness.’ Jewish peoplehood signifies both togetherness and the uniqueness that derives from togetherness” (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Megillat Esther Mesorat Harav, (OU Press & Koren, 2017), 76,79.).

While we may be different from our fellow Jew — and the differences may be many, such as (but certainly not limited to) language, dress, style of head covering or lack of, political leanings, religious commitment and practices, countries of origin — we must remember that that which unites us is far greater than that which divides us.

When we received the Torah, we were privy to Revelation because we camped “like one man with one heart” (Rashi, Shemot 19:2). Interestingly, the Megillah tells us that after the Purim miracle, “kimu v’kiblu ha’Yehudim, the Jews upheld and accepted, upon themselves and their seed…” (Esther 9:27). Chazal teach: kimu mah she’kiblu k’var – they re-accepted what they had already once accepted (Shabbat 88a). This refers to their re-acceptance of Torah in the time of Esther and Mordechai, which they had already accepted long ago, at the time of Matan Torah.

Perhaps we can propose an additional interpretation to this teaching of Chazal: They re-accepted brotherhood and unity upon themselves and their seed, as they had done once before, long ago, when they stood united at Matan Torah.

Thursday, Taanis Esther, 13 Adar, is the yarzheit of the gaon and gadol, HaRav Moshe Feinstein zt’l (niftar in 5746/1986). Born on 7 Adar, and named after Moshe Rabbeinu (who himself was born on 7 Adar), Rav Moshe embodied the middos of ahavas Torah and ahavas Yisrael.

“The Rosh Yeshiva (Rav Moshe Feinstein) was like the miraculous oil of Chanukah; he illuminated the world until the end of his life. From his youth, he drew strength only from Torah, and until the end, he never diverted his mind from Torah. In his last days, he remarked, ‘I want to live a bit more and accomplish for the sake of Torah.’

“The Rosh Yeshiva was one of a kind; a gaon in Torah and in tzidkus, a gaon in pashtus (simplicity) and temimus (sincerity), a great gaon in middos tovos. In middos he was the gaon ha’geonim (genius of geniuses) – there was no one like him.

“It is common to find a line of demarcation between intellectual genius and middos, but with the Rosh Yeshivah there was no such thing. His Torah and middos were firmly intertwined. He carefully avoided even avak (the dust of) lashon hara and would not listen to lashon hara. He was the man of peace who stayed far away from all machlokes (strife). His merit protected all of Klal Yisrael” (Reb Moshe, 25th Yarzheit Edition, Artscroll Mesorah, p.507).

Kimu v’kiblu – the teshuva of Purim included the re-acceptance of Torah, as well as, perhaps, the brotherhood and unity amongst our nation, and respect and love, one Jew for another.

כִּי מָרְדֳּכַי הַיְּהוּדִי, מִשְׁנֶה לַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ, וְגָדוֹל לַיְּהוּדִים, וְרָצוּי לְרֹב אֶחָיו—דֹּרֵשׁ טוֹב לְעַמּוֹ, וְדֹבֵר שָׁלוֹם לְכָל–זַרְעוֹ – For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Achashvairosh, and great among the Jews and accepted by most of his brethren; seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all their seed (Esther 10:3).

May we integrate the lessons of Purim into our own lives, so that we too merit the great and miraculous salvation of Hashem.

בברכת פורים שמח ושבת שלום,

Michal