Page 47 - HaMizrachi #27 Purim USA 2021

PURIM READING

Esther, Chapter Nine

— ט קרפ ,רתסא תליגמ — Rabbi Dov Lipman

The Joy of Jewish Unity

very Jew is obligated to perform Jews together” (4:16). She understood This is why we have two mitzvot on
four mitzvot on Purim, and all are the only way she could be successful in Purim that relate to unity – sending
Elearned from the ninth perek of convincing Achashverosh to spare the food to one another and a special con-
Megillat Esther: “They were to observe lives of the Jews was if they unite and cern to make sure everyone has money
them as days of feasting and glad- rectify the flaw which led to the decree for a Purim feast. We want to replicate
ness, and for sending delicacies to one in the first place. the lesson the Jews learned during the
another, and gifts to the poor” (9:22).
Sure enough, the Jewish people Purim story.
1. Feasting and gladness – seudat respond. According to the Gemara in Based on this, the ideal would not be
Purim. Shabbat (87a), the Jews reaccepted the to fulfill the mitzvah of mishloach
Torah when they experienced G-d’s
2. Sending delicacies to one another – salvation – ּול ְּ ב ִ ק ְ ו ּומְּי ִ ק. But the word manot by sending food to a good
mishloach manot. friend or familiar neighbor but to seek
which we read as ּול ְּ ב ִ ק, which means
3. Gifts to the poor – matanot “they accepted,” is written in the out someone with whom you do not
la’evyonim. Megillah as לבקו, “he accepted,” in the have a connection or perhaps, even
better, to someone with whom you
The fourth mitzvah, reading the Megil- singular. The Sfat Emet explains that have a negative history. Purim is the
lah, is learned from the words, “These this בי ִ ת ְ כּו י ִ ר ְ ק, the written word in the time to break down barriers and bring
days should be remembered” (9:28). singular as opposed to how we read it
in the plural, comes to teach us that more Jewish unity into our lives and
The obligation to hear the reading of just like the Jews were unified at Sinai communities.
the Megillah makes sense, since this and camped together “as one people This also explains a word in the song
teaches us the Purim story. The special with one heart” (see Rashi to Shemot בֹק ֲ עַי תַנ ׁ ַ שֹו ׁש, which we sing after read-
feast is also logical since we express 19:2 on the singular language used ing the Megillah. When describing
our thanks to G-d for saving us from there), the Jews in the Purim story uni-
Haman’s decree by celebrating with a fied as one to reaccept the Torah. the joy of the Jews upon seeing Mor-
meal of thanks and gratitude. But why dechai in royal clothing, the song adds
are we obligated to send food to others That same singular language is used the word ד ַ חַי – “together.” The joy was
when the Megillah describes the Jews
and to give charity over and above the magnified because the Jews experi-
daily obligation to help the poor? What accepting to observe the obligations enced it with unity.
does this have to do with Purim? of Purim. Right after these mitzvot As we look to Heaven for help in these
are mentioned, the Megillah says ל ֵּ ב ִ ק ְ ו
Let us first ask another question: why םי ִ דּוהְּי ַ ה, “And the Jews accepted” these challenging times, let us learn this lesson
were the Jewish people deserving of laws upon themselves, using the sin- from the mitzvot taught in the ninth
Haman’s decree to annihilate them? gular – ל ֵּ ב ִ ק ְ ו. The Vilna Gaon says the chapter of Megillat Esther. Most of our

Haman himself answers this question. singular language teaches that the Jews struggles come because we are polar-
ized. Unity is the key to our salvation.
When he speaks to Achashverosh to were unified in accepting the holiday
present his case for the decree to exter- of Purim and these mitzvot.
minate the Jewish people, he tells the The Sfat Emet explains that a clear
king the Jews are “scattered and dis- underlying theme of Purim has emerged. Rabbi Dov Lipman is the author of seven
persed” (3:8). He says outright that the The decree to annihilate the Jews came books about Judaism and Israel. He also
Jewish people are not unified. That was because the Jews were polarized. They writes for various news outlets.
our flaw at the time. We were a polarized learned the lesson and rectified that
and divided nation. This is why Esther flaw, coming together to become one A member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
instructs Mordechai, “Go bring all the people again, thereby meriting salvation. mizrachi.org/speakers

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