I. The Kashya: Why the Comparison to Av?
The Gemara in Taanis (29a) provides a famous formulation: "Just as when Av enters we diminish in joy, so too when Adar enters we increase in joy."
We must ask a kashya: Why does the Gemara necessitate the comparison? If Adar is a time of Simcha, the Gemara should simply state, "When Adar enters, we increase in joy." Why link the Simcha of Adar to the Evel of Av?
The Teretz lies in a fundamental Yesod regarding the nature of the Jewish People. Av represents the Churban—the loss of our Makom, the Beit HaMikdash. Adar represents the threat of total Kilyon (annihilation) and the subsequent Nes of survival. The Gemara is teaching us that the joy of Adar is the direct "correction" of the darkness of Av. While Av showed the "hiding of the Face" through destruction, Adar reveals the "hiding of the Face" through Hashgacha Pratis even in the depths of Golus.
II. Vaya'avor Mordechai: The Klal vs. The Prat
The pasuk says - "And Mordechai passed (Vaya'avor)." The Midrash notes that Mordechai "transgressed" by ordering a fast on the first day of Pesach to nullify Haman's decree.
Here we see a mora’dige (tremendous) Chiddush: How could Mordechai cancel the Simchas Yom Tov of Pesach? The answer is that Mordechai understood that the Guf (body) of Klal Yisrael was in danger. If there is no Klal Yisrael, Chas V’Shalom, there is no Torah and no Mitzvot. Mordechai taught us that the survival of the Nation takes precedence even over the specific halachot of a Chag, because the Nation is the vessel for the Torah.
III. The Sin of "Enjoying the Feast"
The Gemara asks why the Jews of that generation were liable for destruction. The answer: "Because they benefited from the feast of Achashverosh."
The Mefarshim explain that the food was kosher, so what was the aveira? The sin was psychological—the Jews felt "at home" in Shushan. They derived pleasure from being "accepted" by the secular authorities. They tried to find their Simcha in the King's palace rather than in their unique identity. The decree of Haman was a "wake-up call" to remind them that a Jew can never be truly "at home" at the table of Achashveirosh.
IV. The Four Parshiyos vs. Haman’s Four Decrees
There is a link between the special Torah portions we read in Adar and the specific language of Haman’s decree: L’hashmid (to destroy), L’harog (to kill), L’abed (to perish), and L’sholal (to spoil).
1. Parshat Shekalim vs. L’sholal (To Plunder)
The Decree: Haman’s decree included the right for the attackers to "take their spoil for plunder" (U’shlalam Lavoz). He attempted to "buy" the Jewish people for 10,000 silver talents, treating the Nation as a commodity or property whose value could be measured in currency.
The Counter-Power: Parshat Shekalim recalls the Machatzis HaShekel (Half-Shekel). This Mitzvah teaches that every Jew is exactly half; we only become a whole when we join with another.
The Lomdus: By giving the Shekel, we assert that the Jewish people are not "spoil" to be owned by a King. We belong to the Heichal (the Temple). The unity created by the Shekel makes Klal Yisrael a single, indivisible spiritual entity. You cannot "plunder" or "buy" a people who recognize that their true value is not in their individual wealth, but in their collective connection to Hashem.
On Purim, we perform Matanos L’Evyonim to ensure that even the poorest Jew is included in the national joy.
The Result: By giving to the poor, we prove that our money isn't for self-indulgence (the sin of "benefiting from the feast"), but for the Klal (the collective). This nullifies Haman’s attempt to plunder us.
2. Parshat Zachor vs. L’hashmid (To Destroy/Annihilate)
The Decree: Hashmada (destruction) in a spiritual sense often refers to the erasure of identity. Haman/Amalek wanted to "destroy" the very concept of a God-fearing people from the world.
The Counter-Power: Zachor is the Mitzvah to remember what Amalek did. Amalek’s essence is Kor (coldness)—he "cooled" the world’s excitement for Hashem (Asher Korcha BaDerech). He injects doubt and apathy.
The Lomdus: The only way to stop spiritual "annihilation" is through Zechira (Active Memory). By reading Zachor, we re-ignite the fire of our identity. We refuse to let the "memory" of our purpose be destroyed. Amalek wants us to forget who we are; Zachor ensures our spiritual permanence.
3. Parshat Parah vs. L’harog (To Kill)
The Decree: L’harog refers to the literal, physical act of killing. It is the ultimate manifestation of the power of death and the Tum'ah (impurity) that comes with it.
The Counter-Power: Parshat Parah deals with the Red Heifer, the only mechanism to purify a person from Tum'as Met (the defilement of death). It is a Chok—a decree that transcends human logic.
The Lomdus: Haman believed that physical death (Hariga) was the end of the Jewish story. Parshat Parah represents the "Secret of the Jew": that we have a supernatural purity that survives even contact with death. Just as the ashes of the Parah bring a person back from the "spiritual dead" into the camp of Hashem, the Jewish people have a Nitzchius (eternity) that allows them to rise from the threat of physical slaughter.
True Tehara is the ability to reconnect with the Source of Life. On Purim, we perform Mishloach Manos—sending food to a "friend" (Re'us).
The Result: Sending food to another Jew creates Achdus. It purifies the national atmosphere of the "stink" of division. If Haman wanted to kill us (L’harog) by keeping us divided, we survive by becoming "one man with one heart." Purity, in a social sense, is love between Jews.
4. Parshas HaChodesh vs. L’abed (To Perish/Be Lost)
The Decree: Abida (perishing) implies being lost, like an Aveda (a lost object). Haman wanted the Jews to be "lost" in the "nature" of time. This is why he used a Pur (a lottery/astrology) to find a "lucky" month. He assumed the Jews were subject to the Mazal (fate) of the months and would eventually be lost to history.
The Counter-Power: Parshat HaChodesh is the declaration that "This month shall be for you the head of months." It is the first Mitzvah given to Israel, granting them the power to sanctify time themselves.
The Lomdus: A people who sanctify time cannot be lost to time. By sanctifying the New Moon, we demonstrate that we are above nature and the "lottery" of fate. Haman thought the month of Adar was "bad luck" for the Jews, but HaChodesh proves that the Jewish people define their own "luck" through their relationship with Hashem. We are never "lost" (L’abed) because we are the masters of the calendar and the harbingers of our own redemption (Geula).
Parshat HaChodesh: "This Month is FOR YOU"
Parshat HaChodesh contains the first Mitzvah given to the Jewish nation: "HaChodesh Hazeh Lachem"—This month shall be for you the head of months.
The Power of Chidush (Renewal): The moon disappears and then is renewed. By giving us the Mitzvah to sanctify the New Moon (Kiddush HaChodesh), Hashem gave the Jewish people mastery over time.
Transcending Mazal: The Gemara says, "Ein Mazal L'Yisrael" (There is no constellation/fate for Israel). We are not "lost" in the cycles of nature because we have the power of renewal. Even when we seem to disappear like the moon, we have the ability to be reborn.
The Seudah as the "Sanctification of the Physical"
Now, let us look at the Seudah. Usually, a feast is the most "natural" and physical act possible. Haman’s decree actually began because the Jews "benefited from the feast of Achashveirosh." That feast was a celebration of nature, indulgence, and the Jews being "lost" in Persian culture.
The Seudah of Purim is the "Correction": On Purim, we are commanded to eat and drink. This is not just a party; it is a Seudas Mitzvah.
The Connection to HaChodesh: Just as Parshat HaChodesh takes the physical cycle of the moon and makes it holy, the Seudat Purim takes the physical act of eating and makes it holy.
The Lomdus: When a Jew eats the Purim meal, he is saying: "My physical body and my physical time are not 'lost' to nature. They are tools for the Divine." We take the very "Adar" that Haman thought was a month of death and turn it into a month of "sanctified physical joy."
4. Ad Delo Yada: Reaching the "Crown"
The Seudah leads to the state of Ad Delo Yada (not knowing the difference between Haman and Mordechai).
The Kesser (Crown): In the Sefiros, the level above the intellect (Da'at) is the Kesser (the Crown). Haman wanted the King’s crown—he wanted to control the "Head" of the world.
The Transformation: By drinking during the Seudah until we "do not know," we are nullifying our own human intellect and connecting to the Kesser—the Divine Will that is above nature.
The Result: At the Seudah, a Jew reaches a level where he is so connected to Hashem that even "curses" and "blessings" are seen as part of one Divine plan. This is the ultimate "Renewal." We are no longer "lost" objects in exile; we are children sitting at the King's table, wearing the "Crown" of the Torah.
Summary: The Bridge
Haman's Decree (L'abed): You are lost in the nature of time and the "luck" of the months.
Parshat HaChodesh: No, the months are "for you." You have the power of renewal (Chidush).
The Purim Seudah: We practically exercise that power. We take a "natural" feast and turn it into a supernatural connection. We prove that a Jew is never "lost" because even his eating and drinking are tied to the Eternal King.
Nimtza (It comes out): The Seudah is the physical embodiment of Parshat HaChodesh. It is the celebration of a nation that refuses to be "lost" because it has the power to constantly renew its life and its joy, even in the heart of darkness.
V. Mordechai’s Defiance: Lo Yichra V’lo Yishtachaveh
Mordechai’s refusal to bow to Haman was not mere stubbornness; it was an act of Mesiras Nefesh (self-sacrifice) to strip away the mask of Golus. While others argued for "diplomacy" to appease the wicked, Mordechai stood as the Pintele Yid (the essential Jewish spark) that refuses to acknowledge any power other than Hashem. This act of "crossing over" (Ivri) forced the Jews to choose: are we Persians of the Mosaic persuasion, or are we the Nation of Hashem?
VI. Ad Delo Yada: Joy Beyond the Intellect
We have an obligation of Ad Delo Yada—drinking until one does not know the difference between "Cursed is Haman" and "Blessed is Mordechai."
In the Yeshiva world, this is understood as reaching a level of Bitul (nullification) where a person realizes that even the "curses"—the Churban, the exile, and the darkness of Av—are ultimately tools in Hashem’s hand to bring about the "blessings" of Adar.
On Purim, we rise above our Da'as to recognize that "nature" is nothing more than a garment for God’s will. This is why the joy of Adar is so great: it is the joy of discovering that even in the darkest Golus, we are sitting at the table of the King of Kings.
Conclusion: When Adar enters, we increase in joy because we realize that the "diminished joy" of Av was just the beginning of a story that ends in eternal light.
[הגרחי"ק שליט"א]
