11 Mar PURIM – THE HOLIEST DAY OF THE YEAR

The Tikkunei Zohar
makes the astounding
statement, “Kippurim
kaPurim – The Day of
Atonement is like Purim.
The Arizal elaborates:
Yom Kippurim, the holiest
day of the year is k’Purim,
like Purim.” Since we always compare the
smaller to the larger, he means to tell us that
Purim is even greater than Yom Kippur.
We know that there are a lot of similarities
between Yom Kippur and Purim. On Yom
Kippur we achieve achdus, brotherhood,
by forgiving each other with the traditional
mechilah, and on Purim we also strive for
achdus with the giving of mishloach manos
and matanos levyonim, increasing a feeling
of brotherhood with gifts to our friends and
to the needy, striving for the spirit that Esther
aimed for when she said, “Lech k’nos es kol
haYehudim – Go and gather all the Jews.” On
Yom Kippur we achieve mechilaas avonos,
forgiveness of sins, as it says, “Ki bayom
hazeh, yichaper aleichem – On this day I
will forgive you,” and on Purim we can also
ask Hashem for forgiveness, as it says in the
Yerushalmi, “Kol haposhet yad nosnim lo –
Whoever stretches his hand out to Heaven, his
requests will be granted to him” (as per the
explanation of the Baal Shem Tov).

On Yom Kippur we celebrate the joy of Torah
because it was on Yom Kippur that Hashem
gave Moshe Rabbeinu the second luchos,
tablets. So too, in the Megillah it says that on
the day of Purim, “Kimu v’kiblu haYehudim,”
which the Gemora explains to mean “Kimu
mah shekiblu kvar,” that the Jews re-accepted
the Torah on Purim with love, after they had
already accepted It on Har Sinai through fear
(for Hashem had held the mountain over their
heads). On Yom Kippur we do a mitzvah
through both eating and by not eating for we
fast on Yom Kippur and we have a mitzvah to
eat on erev Yom Kippur. So too on Purim, we
fast on Taanis Esther and we have a mitzvah to
eat and drink on Purim day.
The holy rebbe, Rav Yisroel of Ruzhin, adds
that Purim is even more, for while on Yom
Kippur Hashem forgives only with teshuvah,
repentance, on Purim He forgives as soon as
we ask Him, as it says, “Kol haposhet yad
nosnin lo.”
But, there is a problematic difference between
Yom Kippur and Purim. The Gemora teaches
us that the word haSatan, the dangerous
celestial prosecutor, has a gematria of 364
for there is only one day during the 365 solar
year day that the Satan doesn’t stir up trouble,
and that is Yom Kippur. So, on Yom Kippur
we have free rein to exercise our spirituality
without the shackles of the evil inclination.

Unfortunately, this is not true for the even
holier day of Purim. There, the Yeitzer
Hara can run amok and cause all kinds of
mischief and problems. To our chagrin,
we find that this is certainly the case.
Cigarettes (and vapers) are passed around
to teenagers, and remember the Surgeon
General says that one could get hooked
on this deadly habit by just one cigarette.
Many people drink irresponsibly and
cause chillul Hashem with poor behavior
in public, and some dangerously even get
behind the wheel while under the influence.
People say prayers while intoxicated.
The Yeitzer Hara tricks us into trading off the
lofty mitzvah of giving gifts with postcards
that say, “In lieu of mishloach manos, I’m
giving money to [insert institution].” I can
assure you that when the Rambam says,
“Kol hamarbeh lishloach manos, harei zeh
meshubach – Whoever increases the giving of
gifts is to be praised,” he was not talking about
these cards. Tzeddakah is superb, but don’t do
it instead of being marbah rei’us, increasing
friendship. My advice on this mitzvah has
gone viral many times. “Make a list of all
those you want to give to, then tear-up that list.
Now give the gifts to the people you left off
your first list,” for it is with these people that
the true spirit of mishloach manos is fulfilled.
The Yeitzer Hara also gets many to miss out on
the very essence of Purim day. The Megillas
Esther tells us the pedigree of Mordechai.
“Mordechai ben Yair, ben Shimi, ben Kish
– Mordechai was the son of Yair, the son of
Shimi, the son of Kish,” and the Gemora
in Masechtas Megillah homiletically
explains regarding Mordechai, “Ben Yair –
she’hei’ir einei Yisroel b’tefiloso – The son
who illuminated the eyes of Yisroel with
his prayers; ben Shimi – ben sheshamah
haKadosh baruch Hu l’tefiloso – The son
who Hashem listened to his Tefillah; ben
Kish – ben shehakish al dalsei Rachamim –
The son who banged on the doors of Mercy.”
We see that Mordechai’s power as the hero
of the Megillah story lies in his power of
heartfelt and repetitive prayer.
In Anim Zemiros we say, “U’sefilosi tikon
k’tores – Let my prayers be like incense
[before You].” The Gemora asks, “Where
do we see Mordechai in the Torah?” And
it answers, “Mor dror, flowing myrrh oil,”
and Onkelos interprets this as mori dachya,
which is the name of Mordechai. He was
the chief of prayer. Mordechai also has
two other names: Pesachya, which is a
contraction of the words pasach Ka, he
opens up a connection to Hashem, and
Bilshan, which is a contraction of the words
Baal haloshon, the master of the tongue, for
Mordechai knew how to articulate prayers
on behalf of Klal Yisroel.
Purim is such an effective day of prayer that
the Tur brings an opinion to say tachanun
with full prostration to the ground. While we
don’t pasken like the Tur, it just gives us an
idea what a day of prayer Purim is.

Rav Mordechai of Nadvorna left a tzava,
written instruction, that all of his children
should open up a Nadvorna Beis Midrash.
However, he stipulated that it could only be
called Nadvorna if they would recite the entire
Sefer Tehillim on Purim. Rav Elimelech
Biderman says that there was a famous letter
published by a group of single men who got
up early in the morning of Purim and said
the whole of Sefer Tehillim, and all of them
became chassanim shortly thereafter. So, let’s
not get distracted by the frivolity of the day
and miss out on the wondrous opportunity and
effectiveness of Purim’s prayers. The very
name Purim is an anagram of ram piv, the
exaltation of his mouth, pointing to the power
of Mordechai’s prayers which saved the day.
Finally, let’s not forget the efficacy of Taanis
Esther. The Kav Hayosher teaches that when
we remember the prayers that were said on
behalf of Esther’s risking her life to enter
Achashveirosh’s room unbidden, and we say
Tehillim chapter 22 which refers to Esther, we
can then ask Hashem for our needs.
In the merit of Purim, may Hashem bless us
with long life, good health, and everything
wonderful.