Be a Partner in the Pulse of Beis Mevakesh Lev - For almost 20 years, B’chasdei Hashem, this space has been a home for seekers—a place where Torah is accessible to everyone, everywhere, without a paywall. We’ve shared over thousands and thousands of pages of learning together. But to keep the lights on and ensure this library remains free and growing for the next generation of Mevakshei Lev, I need your partnership.
Your contribution isn't just a donation; it's the fuel that keeps these shiurim reaching hearts across the globe. Whether it’s the cost of a coffee or a monthly sponsorship, you are making this Torah possible.
[Donate via PayPal/Zelle: alchehrm@gmail.com] Thank you to my beloved friends for standing with me.
This discourse integrates Halacha, Machshava, and close textual analysis to offer a unified conceptual framework connecting Purim, Pesach, the Beis Hamikdash, the existential threat of Amalek, and the ultimate voluntary acceptance of the Torah.
**1. The Halachic Weight of Pirsumei Nisa (Publicizing the Miracle)**
The central principle governing the laws of Purim is Pirsumei Nisa—the obligation to publicize the miracle. This concept carries extraordinary halachic force. The Talmud (Megillah 3b) teaches that the reading of the Megillah overrides nearly all other communal obligations, including Torah study, the Avodah in the Beis Hamikdash, and even the burial of a neglected corpse (Meis Mitzvah).
The Baal HaTurim highlights a linguistic connection: just as the Jewish people declared “Na’aseh V’Nishma” (“We will do and we will hear”) at Sinai, the Megillah describes how the Jews “heard” (nishma) the king’s decree. Because of the unique imperative to publicize this particular miracle, hearing the Megillah takes precedence even over Torah study itself.
**2. The Nature of the Hidden Miracle (Nes Nistar)**
The Purim miracle receives such extraordinary emphasis because of its distinctive character. Unlike the Exodus from Egypt—with its overt supernatural events such as the plagues and the splitting of the sea (Nes Niglah, revealed miracles)—the Purim story contains no open violations of nature. The name of God appears nowhere in the Megillah.
According to the Vilna Gaon, however, every single verse of the Megillah embodies a miracle. Divine intervention is concealed within palace politics, royal sleeplessness, court intrigues, and apparent coincidences. The greatness of Purim lies in perceiving God’s complete mastery over history precisely when He is hidden beneath the surface of natural events and human decisions.
**3. The Joy of Adar and Nissan: Two Complementary Realms of Faith**
The Talmud declares that when Adar enters, joy increases, mirroring the decrease of joy in Av. Rashi explains that Adar (Purim) and Nissan (Pesach) are linked because they are the months of miracles for Israel.
These two months reflect complementary dimensions of Jewish spiritual consciousness:
- Nissan/Pesach represents the foundation of faith, when God revealed Himself openly and unmistakably to the entire world.
- Adar/Purim represents the maturation of faith, when the Jewish people learned to recognize God within the concealment and darkness of exile, within the natural order.
Together they form a complete vision of Divine Providence (Hashgacha Pratis).
**4. The Beis Hamikdash as the Permanent Home of Miracles**
The Beis HaMikdash was far more than a site of ritual; it served as the fixed earthly location where miracles became institutionalized. The Mishna in Pirkei Avos records ten ongoing miracles in the Beis Hamikdash (such as rain never extinguishing the altar fire, flies never landing on the sacrifices). These parallel the ten miracles performed during the Exodus.
While the Exodus introduced the concept of miracles into the world, the Beis Hamikdash made them a continuous, structural reality—a place where the natural and supernatural existed in harmony.
**5. Amalek: The Denial of Providence**
Amalek stands in direct opposition to the Beis Hamikdash's message. The Torah commands eternal remembrance and complete eradication of Amalek because of its ideological assault: “Asher karcha baderech” (“how he happened upon you on the way”). The root “kar” connects to mikreh (coincidence) and coldness.
After the awe-inspiring revealed miracles of the Exodus, the world was “boiling” with recognition of God. Amalek sought to “cool” that awareness by insisting that events were mere coincidence, natural processes, or political chance. Haman, a descendant of Amalek, embodied this worldview by casting a pur (lottery)—the ultimate symbol of blind, random fate—to choose the date for Jewish destruction.
**6. The Rambam’s Sequence: Removing Amalek Before Establishing the Beis Hamikdash**
The Rambam rules that upon entering the Land of Israel, three commandments were given in precise order:
1. Appointing a king
2. Destroying the seed of Amalek
3. Building the Beit HaMikdash
Amalek must be eradicated before the Beis Hamikdash can be established because the Beis Hamikdash represents the permanent dwelling place of Divine Providence. The ideology of absolute randomness and coincidence creates an irreconcilable psychological and spiritual barrier; it must be removed before the truth of God’s constant supervision can be fully realized in the world.
**7. Hadar Kibluha: The Re-Acceptance of the Torah out of Love**
At Sinai, God “held the mountain over them like a barrel,” compelling acceptance of the Torah under conditions of overwhelming revealed miracles. Free choice was effectively suspended by the intensity of the experience.
In the time of Purim, however, God was entirely hidden. Facing annihilation, the Jewish people were saved through subtle, concealed miracles. This experience produced a profound transformation. Rashi explains that they then re-accepted the Torah “me’ahavas ha-nes”—out of love for the miracle. Because salvation came while God remained concealed in exile, they recognized the depth of His unconditional love. Purim marks the moment when acceptance of the Torah became fully voluntary and rooted in love rather than awe.
**8. The Spiritual Renewal: “Orah V’Simcha”**
The Megillah concludes: “LaYehudim hayisa orah v’simcha v’sasson v’y’kar” (“The Jews had light, gladness, joy, and honor”). The Talmud interprets these terms spiritually: orah = Torah, simcha = Festivals, sasson = circumcision, y’kar = tefillin.
The use of “hayisa” (“had”) implies renewal. Haman’s decree had cast a deep shadow, making the Jewish people feel abandoned to fate and politics; their spiritual life had grown dim. The hidden miracle shattered Amalek’s worldview of randomness. The Torah once again became genuine “light,” and the relationship with God was restored with renewed vitality. The physical deliverance was secondary to this profound spiritual renaissance.
**9. Contemporary Relevance**
In the modern era, the dominant worldview often attributes everything to science, nature, politics, and chance—echoing the ideology of Amalek. The enduring mission emerging from Purim is to counteract this perspective through deep Torah engagement, recognition of God’s hidden hand in daily life, and authentic spiritual joy (simcha). In this way, the light of Torah is brought back into a world that appears dark and random.
The Greatest Joy of Purim
According to the Rambam, although there are many ways to fulfill the mitzvah of rejoicing on Purim—such as feasting, drinking, and sending mishloach manot—the highest and most important expression of simcha is Matanot La’Evyonim (gifts to the poor).
This act brings genuine life and happiness to orphans, widows, and the destitute. The Rambam describes the joy produced by uplifting the brokenhearted in this way as “השמחה הגדולה והמפוארה” — the greatest and most glorious joy.
The Meaning of “Mefoarah”
The term “מפוארה” (mefoarah) requires clarification. In Jewish thought, the root פ-א-ר (Peh-Aleph-Reish) does not refer merely to abstract beauty or poetic splendor. Rather, mefoarah denotes a joy that is tangible and clearly perceptible to the physical senses—“דבר ניכר בחוש” — something unmistakably recognizable through direct experience.
Scriptural Support: Tiferes
This understanding is supported by the well-known verse in Divrei HaYamim I (Chronicles I) 29:11:
“L’cha Hashem HaGedulah, VeHaGevurah, VeHaTiferes…”
(Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, and the glory/Tiferes…)
Tiferes shares the same root as mefoarah. It signifies the state in which God’s hidden, spiritual reality becomes concretely manifested and graspable in the physical world — “הכי נתפס בחוש” — the most directly apprehended by the senses.
Connection to the Central Theme of Purim
This concept of a “Simcha Mefoarah” aligns directly with the deeper message of Purim.
Amalek’s ideology seeks to render the world random and to keep God’s presence hidden and imperceptible. In contrast, the mission of the Jew on Purim is to draw the concealed reality of Divine providence into the open and make it an undeniable, tangible fact in this world.
When a person gives Matanos La’Evyonim and literally revives a fellow Jew in desperate need (lehachayot), they accomplish precisely this: they transform the abstract spiritual attribute of God’s kindness into a concrete, visible, and deeply felt reality. Through this act, they create a joy that is truly “mefoarah”—clearly perceptible and powerfully manifest in the physical world. [הגרחי"ק שליט"א]
