The Jews confirmed and took upon themselves and upon their seed and upon all those who join them, that it is not to be revoked to make these two days according to their script and according to their appointed time, every year. (Ester 9:27)

And they stood under the mount - R. Abdimi b. Hama b. Hasa said: This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, overturned the mountain upon them like an inverted cask, and said to them,’If you accept the Torah, it is well; if not, there shall be your burial.’ R. Aha b. Jacob observed: This furnishes a strong protest against the Torah. Said Raba, Yet even so, they re-accepted it in the days of Ahasuerus, for it is written, The Jews confirmed, and took upon themselves etc. (Esther 9:27) - they confirmed what they had accepted long before.

Chazal tells us that the Jews accepted the Torah with love at the time of Purim. The sefer Machshvas Musser of Rav Shach z"l explains that just like a proper legal acquisition (kinon) requires a binding legal method (a document, cash, lifting, etc.), so too our Rabbis tell us that the Torah is only acquired through 48 qualities.

As its states: Torah is greater than the priesthood or sovereignty, for sovereignty is acquired with thirty virtues, the priesthood with twenty-four, and Torah is acquired with forty-eight qualities. These are: study, listening, verbalizing, comprehension of the heart, awe, fear, humility, joy, purity, serving the sages, companionship with one's contemporaries, debating with one's students, tranquility, study of the scriptures, study of the Mishnah, minimizing engagement in business, minimizing socialization, minimizing pleasure, minimizing sleep, minimizing talk, minimizing gaiety, slowness to anger, good heartiness, faith in the sages, acceptance of suffering, knowing one's place, satisfaction with one's lot, qualifying one's words, not taking credit for oneself, likableness, love of G-d, love of humanity, love of charity, love of justice, love of rebuke, fleeing from honor, lack of arrogance in learning, reluctance to hand down rulings, participating in the burden of one's fellow, judging him to the side of merit, correcting him, bringing him to a peaceful resolution [of his disputes], deliberation in study, asking and answering, listening and illuminating, learning in order to teach, learning in order to observe, wising one's teacher, exactness in conveying a teaching, and saying something in the name of its speaker. Thus we have learned: One who says something in the name of its speaker brings redemption to the world, as is stated (Esther 2:22), "And Esther told the king in the name of Mordechai." (Ethics of the Fathers 6:6)

Without these qualities there is no acquisition of the Torah even if someone toils in learning day and night! Even the mitvoths which appear to be based on basic human understanding cannot be understood without the 48 qualities. For example, the Torah says not to murder but to protect one Jewish life we will sacrifice an entire city because man was created in the image of G-d. The concept of honoring your father and mother could falter in some very difficult situations but Chazal tells us their are three partners in the creation of man (also G-d) ones parents need to be honored even in the most extreme circumstances. There are many examples that prove that the Torah cannot be truly grasped without the 48 ways such as awe, fear, humility, joy, purity etc. One may hear the ideas but they will go in one ear and out the other.

Purim is a time when we must perfect our character to the point where the Torah will penetrate to the depths of our being. May the simcha of this Purim change us forever.

quote:

Originally posted by Rabbi Mitterhoff:

As its states: Torah is greater than the priesthood or sovereignty, for sovereignty is acquired with thirty virtues, the priesthood with twenty-four, and Torah is acquired with forty-eight qualities.

Are you saying that a rabbi is more virtuous than a King or a Kohen?

The Talmud tells us that a Mamzer who is a Talmid Chacham is greater than a Kohen Gadol who is an ignoramus [am ha'aretz].

I have always wondered how a Kohen Gadol could be an ignoramus if he needed to know all the Halachos of the Beis Hamikdosh etc.

Sam, I think you'll find that in the era of the Second Temple many of the Kohanim Gedolim secured their post through paying money to the right people and the Sages had to instruct the KG every step of the way.

Right. I guess that brings to point the idea of that, just because a person looks like a Rabbi (or any profession for that matter), doesn't mean the person is. One has to check it out and make sure.