23 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 בקעי†בש†,that whoever studies Torah between the megillah reading at night and the megillah of the morning, 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 Torah, the world wouldn’t exist. The Nefesh HaChaim explains that this is why it is nighttime in some countries and morning in other countries. This was intended so even when people of one country are sleeping, there will be Yidden learning Torah in another country.
Similarly, the Chasam Sofer zt’l (Drashos, Purim 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 Unconditional Love to Us
Purim is named for the ,רופ†for the lots that Haman drew. As it states (9:26), “Therefore they called these days Purim, because of the goral…”
The goral was a painful moment for the Jewish nation. It was when Haman was planning their destruction. Shouldn’t Purim be named for salvation 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 bowing 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, יכ’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 הליגמ†is associated with bitachon, as it states, (Tehillim 22:9), ”Roll [your problems] onto Hashem, and He will save you.” הליגמ†comes from the word לוג†,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 Esther invite Haman to the party…? So the Yidden won’t say, ‘We have a sister in the palace.’”
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 Hashem and trust in Him, and whenever Yidden turned to Hashem, they were saved. Therefore, the yom tov is called םירופ†,named after the רופ†.The רופ†was a positive moment for the Jewish nation because it was when they placed their trust in Hashem.
The Gemara (Megillah 13) states, “When Haman’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, “Everything 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 immediately helped. We can now understand why Purim is named after the רופ†.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.