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GLOBAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Rabbi Hershel Schachter

Permission to Celebrate

he Gemara (Sanhedrin 20b) that the days listed all revolved about atchalta deGeula does not require
cites a Beraita that describes a protecting or fortifying the Beit a Navi or ruach haKodesh, but only
Tseries of three mitzvot which HaMikdash, the avodah therein, or that the event be one that possesses
must be accomplished in a specific its institutions, such as the Sanhedrin a reasonable probability of bringing a
sequence. First, a Jewish government and the Kehuna. These days of Yom future geula.
must be established in Eretz Yisrael, Tov could be established without We may add that the Purim miracle
which then organizes a Jewish army. being considered a violation of bal did, in the end, enable the building of
Then, that army must wage war against tosif because they are subsumed under the Second Beit HaMikdash. From a
Amalek and eradicate it. After comple- the mitzvah the Ramban discussed – political perspective, the Persian King,
tion of the first two introductory steps to celebrate the building of the Beit Daryavesh (Darius, son of Esther and
in the Geula process, labeled atchalta HaMikdash. Achashverosh), granted permission
deGeula, there is a mitzvah to build a The Netivot, in his commentary to to continue the building of the Beit
Beit HaMikdash and offer korbanot, Megillat Esther (Megillat Setarim HaMikdash. Moreover, from a religious
which is synonymous with Geula itself. perspective, the renewed acceptance
9:19), wonders how the Chachamim
Commenting on the passuk, תֹ ו ְ צ ִּ מ ַ ה ה ֶּ ל ֵ א were justified in adding the Yom Tov of Torah SheBe’al Peh engendered by
– “These are the commandments” (Vay- of Purim, since, according to Talmudic the Purim miracle was a necessary
ikra 27:34), Chazal derive the principle, tradition, the miracle of Purim occurred prerequisite for Ezra’s entry into Eretz
ה ָּ ת ַ ע ֵ מ ר ָ ב ָ ּ ד ׁש ֵ ּ ד ַ ח ְ ל יא ַ ׁ ּ ש ַ ר אי ִ בָנ ןי ֵ א – “a Navi is prior to the Second Beit HaMikdash Yisrael and the geula, the building of
not permitted to introduce anything period. It must be, the Netivot explains, the Second Beit HaMikdash (Sfat Emet,
new from now on” (Megillah 2b). This that the Chachamim felt that the miracle Purim 5638).
prohibition includes the establishment of Purim would in some way serve as Thus, in addition to the Yamim Tovim
and observance of additional rabbinic an atchalta deGeula, leading to the that appear in the Torah, we are able to
Yamim Tovim if they are meant to be building of the Second Beit HaMikdash. institute additional Yamim Tovim that
celebrated by all Jews all over the world. He suggests (as does the Sfat Emet, conform to the above-mentioned rules
Such a practice would be a violation of Purim 5643) that they may have felt and regulations of Megillat Ta’anit.
bal tosif, adding on to the mitzvot of this way because the destruction of An event labeled as atchalta deGeula
the Torah. The only exception to this the descendants of Amalek, the stage would fit within those rules because
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rule seems to be a Yom Tov related to immediately prior to the building of such an event is related to the future
geula, defined as hashra’at haShechina the Beit HaMikdash, was accomplished building of the Beit HaMikdash. If the
in the Beit HaMikdash. This is based through the execution of Haman and event signifies one of the steps in the
on the idea the Ramban develops in his sons. three-step process that will lead to the
his commentary to the Torah (Bamid- It is interesting that the Netivot assumes building of the Beit HaMikdash, it may
bar 7:13-17) and in his Hasagot to Sefer it was permissible for the Rabbanim to be celebrated as an atchalta deGeula.
HaMitzvot (shoresh shlishi, s.v. aval), establish a Yom Tov merely because
that there is a mitzvah to celebrate the they thought it represented an atchalta
building of a Beit HaMikdash. 1 See Pri Chadash, Orach Chaim 496:14, Yoreh
De’ah 233 and Orach Chaim 191.
deGeula, even though their conclusion
The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 18b- was not reached through ruach
19b) discusses Megillat Ta’anit, a scroll haKodesh. Indeed, the Netivot argues Rabbi Hershel Schachter is Rosh Yeshiva
that lists many Yom Tov days added that at a later time, the Rabbanim and Rosh Kollel at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan
Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University.
by the Chachamim of the Second revised their original assessment,
Beit HaMikdash period, on which concluding it was erroneous. We see
fasting, and on some, eulogizing, were that the determination of whether a A member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
prohibited. The Gemara explains historical event is to be judged as an mizrachi.org/speakers

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