Weekly Dvar Torah: Partying on Purim and Becoming Drunk
There are three Mitzvos given on Purim in order to celebrate and be joyous.
1) Partying and drinking to the point of absolute inebriation.
2) Sending food to friends.
3) Giving charity to the needy.
The partying and drinking part sounds like a plan for being happy and joyous.
The food gifts to friends can also bring about a good party.
But what does giving money to the needy got to do with celebrating and being joyous?
Our sages say that on Purim the Jews finalized the acceptance of the Torah about 900 years after the giving of the Torah at Sinai.
Why was that?
Because for an entire year the Jews were in a state of total self-nullification when under the threat of Haman’s evil decree.
In order to properly receive the Torah which is G-d’s infinite wisdom, one must subjugate himself to Hashem, because a self-indulging human being, with his own limited scope, cannot comprehend infinity, but when in a state of self-nullification, one reaches a level of G-dly infinity.
That’s why the sages instituted the proper way of celebrating Purim by achieving the best way of self-nullification, and this comes about through the above three Mitzvos.
When we party and we drink, we become inebriated with joy, the reason that some drinking is in order (within limits of course), is because the body has a tendency to obstruct real joy, the mind is infested with all kinds of worries and distractions, and the rest of the body for sure finds no reason to really be happy (we all know our own personal reasons), therefore we tell the body, hey, take a drink and forget your Tzoris for a moment, and focus of the spirit of Purim, self-nullify the body, and let the soul shine.
A step higher is to share, when we exchange gifts of food with friends, there is less self-awareness, we are no longer alone and selfish, and company is always a good reason to be happy.
However, the highest level of being joyous is when you help the needy, you take your hard earned money that you worked for, and you help those who feel totally dejected, and you provide them with life, sustenance and some joy, then you completely put yourself aside for another person, it’s the other guy that counts, and that’s real Bittul, total self-nullification.
That’s why the Rambam, when he writes about the joy of Purim, Rambam says that there is no greater joy than making the poor, the widows and orphans, and the strangers, happy, because one who brings joy to the needy, is compared to the Shechina, the presence of G-d Himself! Of whom it is said; “[I G-d] revive the spirit of the humble the heart of the crushed”.
To cause a needy person to be happy, is a G-dly quality, this is not a human quality, a human being thinks about himself and his own happiness, but when doing G-d’s work, to give life to the needy, you become one with G-d, your self is not about you, but it is about G-d.
And this is the ultimate joy.
And this is how you become a true vessel to G-dliness and His Torah, and until the Jewish people experienced this G-dly attribute of self-nullification during the Purim miracle, they were not able to fully experience the Torah in it’s full measure.
Hence, Purim completed the acceptance of the Torah.
Over the last few weeks we have witnessed the absolute and total self-nullification of the Rebbe’s Shluchim in Ukraine, we saw their self-sacrifice, we saw how they put the lives of others (the needy) well ahead of their own, and now after they successfully helped tens of thousands to flee to safer shores all over the world, many of them returned to celebrate Purim back in their war-torn communities.
In Odessa, in Kherson, in Dnipro, in Chernovtsy and many other savaged cities, the needy Jews were imbued with hope and joy because they saw their Rabbis return from a free world just to make sure that also they have some Purim joy (and food to eat, and possibly flee to safety by their efforts).
This is the embodiment of total self-nullification, and total implementation of G-d’s work to “revive the spirit of the humble the heart of the crushed”.
This the true meaning of being joyous on Purim, total self-nullification, G-d is resting there with them.
The only thing that we have to add, is for ourselves to become fully inebriated with the true joy of helping the needy and the destitute, get involved with G-d’s work, and this way we will experience true boundless joy, which will lead us to the greatest joy of dancing towards Moshiach, who will usher in peace and tranquility to the whole world, NOW, NOW, NOW!
Lechahim, Lechaim V’Livracha, pass those drinks please,
Happy Purim and Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Yosef Katzman
