19 Mar PURIM SEUDAH

There is a
contradiction in the
pesukim of the
Megillah whether
Purim is a yom tov – a
day when work is
forbidden – or not. When
the megillah discusses
Mordechai and Esther’s
instituting the holiday, it
states (Esther 9:19) that
they established Purim to
be an occasion of
gladness, feasting and
yom tov, and sending
mishloach manos to one
another.” Afterwards,
when the pasuk discusses the holiday of Purim
that the Jewish nation accepted, it states (9:22),
“To observe them as days of feasting and
gladness and sending mishloach manos to one
another.” and it doesn’t state that Purim is a
Yom Tov.
The Gemara (Megillah 5:) answers that
Mordechai and Esther wanted Purim should be
a yom tov, a day when work is forbidden, but
the Jewish nation didn’t accept that aspect of
the holiday.
The Yismach Moshe (Nach) asks if the Jewish
nation didn’t accept the yom tov aspect of
Purim, why does the megillah mention it at all?
Why mention something that didn’t occur and
is irrelevant?

The Yismach Moshe answers that an aspect of
yom tov did remain. The Gemara (Beitza 16.)
says that the money one spends on Shabbos,
yom tov, or for studying Torah is returned to
him.” In this aspect, Purim is a yom tov.
Therefore, whatever you spend for the Purim
seudah will be repaid to you.
Years ago, in Holland, the crops became
infested with worms, and people feared that
there wouldn’t be anything to eat. So the king
declared a fast day. On a designated day,
everyone had to pray and fast to be saved from
this disaster. The problem was that the selected
day for the fast was Purim.
The Jewish community asked the Maaseh
Rokeiach whether they should fast on Purim to
appease the king or whether they should
celebrate Purim like every year.
The Maaseh Rokeiach replied, “No one
should fast. Have festive meals like every year.
Tell the storeowners to distribute meat and fish
for free, and I will pay the stores.”
That Purim, the goyim, were praying and
fasting in their churches, while lehavdil, the
Jewish community, celebrated Purim like every
year.
The day after Purim, the worms vanished.
The king of Holland summoned the Maaseh
Rokeiach and asked, “Why didn’t the Jewish
community obey my decree? I heard that you
celebrated on the day I commanded everyone
to fast and pray.”
The king was angry with the Jewish

community, but he also respected them. He
held the Maaseh Rokeiach in high esteem, and
since the worms vanished, he suspected that
the Yidden may have acted correctly and that
they brought the salvation.
The Maaseh Rokeiach replied, “Everyone
knows that when punishment comes to the
world, it is because of Bnei Yisrael. So, we
understood that our sins are the root of the
infestation and that the solution is that we do
teshuvah and become more loyal to Hashem.
The day you chose for a fast was Purim, the
day Hashem commands us to celebrate. Since
we knew that the solution to this agricultural
problem was to be loyal to Hashem’s
commandments, we had to celebrate Purim.
That was the only path to salvation.”
The king accepted his explanation. (This
story is recorded in Divrei Shmuel).
Reb Yisrael Shimon Kastilanetz zt’l related
the following story, which he personally
witnessed:
One Purim, the Beis Avraham of Slonim zt’l
was in Lodz, and he was eating the Purim meal
with his chassidim. Suddenly, the chassid Reb
Yiddel Rivak z’l rushed in and cried, “My son
fell from a high place and hit his head on a
stone. He’s unconscious, and the doctors say
his life is hanging on a thread.”
The Beis Avraham replied, “Give three
hundred rubles for tzedakah to support poor
talmidei chachamim of Eretz Yisrael, and
b’ezras Hashem, your son will have a refuah

sheleimah.”
“I don’t have cash on me, but I can give a
check,” Reb Yiddel Ribak replied.
The Rebbe said, “I’m afraid the check will
bounce like last time.”
Reb Yiddel assured the Rebbe that the check
was good. The Beis Avraham accepted the
check. The Beis Avraham then took an apple
from the table, threw it forcefully on Reb
Yiddel head, and shouted, “Go home!”
“How can I go home? My son is battling for
his life?”
The Rebbe repeated, “Go home.”
Some of his friends walked him home, and
when they arrived home, they saw his son
walking around, entirely well.
The custom is to begin the Purim seudah in
the daytime and celebrate into the night. This
suggests that the joy of Purim will banish all
distress and sorrow, which are compared to
nighttime.
The Machzor Vitri (465) writes, “Purim,
when everyone conducts long meals, heaven
will grant them all their hearts’ desires.”
May we merit this.