I could venture to say that Purim is the most bizarre holiday of the Jewish year. During the rest of the year dressing up in costumes, getting wild and drunk to the point where one has lost his reasoning does not appear too high up on the list of Jewish values. Yet the Ari z”l told us that Yom Kippor is only K’Purim (like Purim) and is of a lesser degree of sanctity than this eccentric holiday. What is Purim and what is all the excitement about?

It states in the Megillah:
Esther: 4:1 Now when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry; 4:4 And Esther's maidens and her chamberlains came and told it her; and the queen was exceedingly pained; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai; and to take his sackcloth from off him; but he accepted it not.

Esther was sending Mordechai cloths because she felt it was better to repent inwardly and not make such a public display. The Shem MiShumuel expains why Mordecai refused to accept her offer.

In Chullin, 139b the question is asked: Where to we find Haman mentioned in the Torah? As is says in Bereishis 3:11 Have you eaten of the tree from which I commanded you not to eat? (Hey, Mem, Nun - from the type of tree). How does this answer explain the essence of who Haman was?

The method through which Eve and then Adam where enticed to eat from the tree holds the answer. (Bereishis 3:3-4) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said: Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.' And the serpent said unto the woman: 'Ye shall not surely die. Rashi explains: He pushed her until she touched it. He said to her, “Just as there is no death in touching, so is there no death in eating” (Gen. Rabbah 19:3). We see from here that the snake removed Eve’s fear of sinning.

Haman is comparable to the snake for he came from Amalek. It says about Amalek in Devarim 25:18, How he happened upon you on the way and cut off all the stragglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear God. Rashi explains that the word “happened” from the letters kuf, reash, can mean three things, chance, defilement or to cool off. This can be compared to a bathtub of boiling water into which no living creature could descend. Along came an irresponsible man and jumped headlong into it! Although he scalded himself, he succeeded in making others think that it was cooler than it really was. (Tanchuma 9)

Both the snake and Amalek use the method of tempering and subduing the correct emotional response to a situation in order to get to their goals. By cooling off one’s emotional state and subscribing all occurrences to happenstance it is easy to remove G-d’s presence from the picture and any feelings one may have through being close to Him. These are the methods Amalek uses to cause the downfall of the holy Jewish people.

When Esther sent Mordechai cloths Mordechai’s response was as the Midrash Rabbah explains: And Mordechai told him of all that had “happened” unto him (4:7) He said to Hathach (the messenger): Go and say to her: "The descendant of “happened” has come upon you,"’ as it says, How he met thee by the way (Deut. 25:18) (Midrash Rabbah Esther 8:55) Mordechai explained to Esther that Haman was a descendent of Amalek.

Mordechai refused the cloths. He continued to don his sackcloth and cry with a loud and a bitter cry because he knew that a descendent of Amalek could only be overcome with an emotional outpouring. The letter which Haman had sent out to the people did not state the precise details as did the letter which was sent to the noblemen. He was trying to keep his plain a secret and in order to counter attack the slumber which the Jews had fallen into, we needed to be enthused and stirred to repentance. This is the essence of Purim! -the outward expression of emotions and the awakening of our souls to the service of G-d.

Megilah 16b
The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. (Esther 8:16 ) Rab Judah said: ‘Light’ means the Torah, and so it says. For the commandment is a lamp and the Torah is a light. ‘Gladness’ means a feast day; and so it says, And thou shalt be glad in thy feast. ‘Joy’ means circumcision; and so it says, I rejoice at thy word. ‘Honour’ means the phylacteries, and so it says, And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the Lord is called upon thee, and they shall be afraid of thee; and it has been taught: R. Eleazar the Great says that this refers to the phylactery of the head.

The Sefath Emeth asks why the above verse does not say exactly what it meant, Torah, Yom Tov (a feast day), circumcision and Tefillin?

He answers that the level which the Jews reached on Purim was that their light, gladness, joy and honor became synonymous with the fulfillment of G-d’s commandments. The mitzvoth’s were no longer being done by route but they were filled with great emotions of joy and inspiration.

Purim is a day to go wild for G-d and shake ourselves to our inner core. Amalek tries to cool us down when we are “faint and weary” and hopes that we will fall into an apathetic and lethargic performance of the Mitzvoth void of any feelings. On Purim we can ignite our enthusiasm and excitement for learning Torah and doing the Mitzvoth into a blazing fire. We break out into costumes, feast and drink to help us in this holy worship. Our overpowering love, joy, appreciation on this day can skyrocket us into new levels of dedication to G-d even greater than Yom Kippor. Sounds like fun…

Have a wonderful Purim!

Based on a shiur of Rabbi M. Miller from Gateshead England