28 Feb STUDYING TORAH ON PURIM

The Chasam Sofer
(Drushim p.245) writes,
“I received from Reb
Mendele Lilig zt’l, the
Rav of Frankfort, who
received the tradition

from the יעקב שב that who-
ever studies Torah be-
tween the megillah

reading at night and the

megillah of the morn-
ing, it is certain that he

will merit Olam haBa.”
The Chasam Sofer “
That is how I received
it, without explanation. I
don’t know the reason.”
It is known that there
must always be Torah in
the world because Torah gives sustenance to

the world. As it states “If it weren’t for the To-
rah, the world wouldn’t exist. The Nefesh Ha-
Chaim explains that this is why it is nighttime

in some countries and morning in other coun-
tries. This was intended so even when people

of one country are sleeping, there will be Yid-
den learning Torah in another country.

Similarly, the Chasam Sofer zt’l (Drashos, Pu-
rim 5906) said that Purim is two days (some

keep Purim on the 14th and some on the 15th),
so there will always be people learning Torah.

Haman’s Goral Revealed Hashem’s Uncon-
ditional Love to Us

Purim is named for the פור ,for the lots that Ha-
man drew. As it states (9:26), “Therefore they

called these days Purim, because of the go-
ral…”

The goral was a painful moment for the Jewish
nation. It was when Haman was planning their

destruction. Shouldn’t Purim be named for sal-
vation and not for the devastating gorel? The

Bnei Yisaschar answers that Haman’s goral
was very good for the Jewish nation. It was the
root of their salvation.
The Bnei Yissaschar explains:
“When one chooses an object from among
others… he has a reason for his choice. But
when one chooses through a goral, the choice
can’t be explained rationally. His choice is
whatever the goral dictates, and there’s no
logic behind it. When Hashem created the
world, He chose the Jewish people to be the
purpose of Creation. It wasn’t because of our
mitzvos and good deeds, because klal Yisrael
didn’t exist yet. We don’t know why Hashem
chose us. It is simply because this was His
will…”
The Baal HaTanya zt’l explains that on Yom
Kippur the korban was chosen through a goral
— a choice without reason — to beseech
Hashem to remember the time when He chose
us without reason – just because He wanted us.
The Bnei Yissaschar explains that this also
happened when Haman drew lots. Haman
thought the lots were a tragedy for the Jewish
nation, but it was the underlying reason for
their salvation. Haman’s choosing a date by a
gorel, without using logic, roused Hashem to

remember that He chose us without logic and

reason. Therefore, even if we sinned by bow-
ing down to Nevuchadnezzar’s idol or by

participating in Achashveirosh’s feast, and
even if we didn’t deserve salvation, Hashem
saved us. We are the nation that Hashem
chose, even when it defies logic and reason.
We say after reading the megillah on Purim
night, כי‘ s Haman, “goral, turned out to be our
good fortune.”
Trust in Hashem
We can offer another reason why Purim is
named after Haman’s lots: The word מגילה is
associated with bitachon, as it states, (Tehillim
22:9), ”Roll [your problems] onto Hashem,
and He will save you.” מגילה comes from the
word גול, roll, associated with bitachon. And
indeed, it was bitachon that saved us in the era
of Mordechai and Esther.

The Gemara (Megillah 15) asks, “Why did Es-
ther invite Haman to the party…? So the Yid-
den won’t say, ‘We have a sister in the pal-
ace.’”

Initially, the Yidden trusted that Esther would
help them. When they heard Haman’s decree,
they said, “Esther will certainly speak with
Achashveirosh and annul the decree.” But then
Esther invited Haman to her party. People lost
trust in Esther helping them, and they placed
their trust in Hashem. That’s when they were
saved.
Similarly, when Haman drew lots, he thought
that he could destroy the Jewish nation, but the

lots caused the Jewish nation to turn to Hash-
em and trust in Him, and whenever Yidden

turned to Hashem, they were saved. Therefore,
the yom tov is called פורים ,named after the פור
.The פור was a positive moment for the Jewish
nation because it was when they placed their
trust in Hashem.

The Gemara (Megillah 13) states, “When Ha-
man’s goral fell on Adar, he was delighted. He

said, ‘The lot fell on the month that Moshe
Rabbeinu died.’”

The Maharal (Or Chadosh) explains, “Every-
thing has a limit as to how long it will endure.

Haman drew lots to discover the date that the
Jewish nation would cease to exist, and it fell
on the month that Moshe Rabbeinu was niftar.
He thought that Adar, the last month of the
year, denotes, chas veshalom, the end of the
Jewish people.” What was Haman’s mistake?
The Maharal explains that Haman didn’t know
that when a Yid has troubles and feels that
there is no hope, he places his trust in Hashem.

And when a Yid trusts in Hashem he is imme-
diately helped. We can now understand why

Purim is named after the פור.The goral was a
positive moment for the Jewish nation because
the tragedy caused them to turn to Hashem.
And when Yidden turns to Hashem, they are
saved.