PURIM 5764

Rabbi Avraham Brandwein, Jerusalem 5764 (in translation)

With the help of Heaven!

It is written in the Jerusalem Talmud, “(After the coming of Moshiach,) all of the Holidays will be canceled out, except for Chanukkah and Purim.” We need to understand, why do only Chanukkah and Purim remain in existence, while Pesach (Passover), Sukkos (Tabernacles), (and Shavuos (Pentecost)) become nullified?

The issue is that the Holidays are established to remember the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt: Pesach, for the deliverance from the Egyptian enslavement (of the Children of Israel); the Seventh day of Pesach, for the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea; Shavuos, for the assembly at Mount Sinai (to receive the Torah); (and Sukkos, where miraculous clouds protected the Children of Israel in the desert). These are miracles, which are above nature (supernatural).

This is not the case by Purim. All of it was, as if to say, natural, as is recounted in Megilas Esther (the Scroll of Esther). Furthermore, her name was called Esther, since Esther means “hidden” (which are Hashem’s miracles hidden within nature). But on the other hand, there is a revelation here, and therefore it is called a Megilah (which means “revealed”) (that the miracles within nature are truly revealed as the miracles of Hashem).

The truth is that even nature and its rules are Hashem’s controls and guidance of the world. (Therefore,) the true revelation (of Hashem) is not by way of miracles, which are above nature, but (the true revelation is) specifically to reveal the ways of His control and natural laws. Together with this (we need) to understand that all of these (controls and forces) were implanted and etched (into nature) by the Creator, May He and His Name be blessed). This is the main revelation, for thereby (people) learn His ways and reveal His wisdom, for this is His Will in this creation, that the created beings recognize revelation of the Divine, by way of (natural) laws.

This revelation in its completeness will be in the generation of Moshiach, upon which the prophet Yeshayah prophesied, “For the land will be filled with the understanding of Hashem.” Therefore, since the Holidays, which are revelations outside of and above nature, they will be canceled out; for in the future, the guidance and control by Hashem, May He be blessed, will be revealed within nature, and there will be no need for miracles.

This is what Purim symbolizes, (and Purim) is primarily about the future. Then it will be revealed in its completeness. This is not like the Holidays which are outside of nature, and are also primarily about the past.

The revelation of the Divine, within nature, is a repair of the sin of the primeval serpent (which caused the admixture of good and evil and the concealment of the Divine, by nature), (and it) will be accomplished by the King Moshiach, who is the Divine revelation within nature. (Moshiach will have the complete soul level of Yechida. Yechida is the spark of G-dliness, which we all possess, but it primarily remains in a transcendent state, encompassing us, but Moshiach will have a fully radiant Yechida.) To hint to this, Nachash (serpent) is Gematria Moshiach (358).

So too, after the wiping out of Amalek, which is the repair of human egoism, [which is hinted to as the “desire to receive for the (selfish) sake of receiving” (“Likabel Al Minas Likabel”) where the first Hebrew letters of the words can be combined to spell Amalek)], then the Holy Temple will be built, the place of the indwelling of the Shechinah, for all of the Nations. This is the connection between the three Mitzvos that will be at the time of the coming of Moshiach, 1) to appoint a King (Moshiach), 2) to erase the descendants of Amalek (remove the ego and concealment of the Divine by nature), 3) and to build the Holy Temple (to reveal Hashem to all).

Through this can be understood the Mitzvah of drinking wine (on Purim, until one becomes so infused with the wine to be unable to know the difference between cursing the evil Haman and blessing the Righteous Mordechai), since wine represents Chochmah (Wisdom). When wisdom will be revealed and (people) will use it for the service of Hashem, and to reveal the Divine Light, this is the Wine “which makes one happy” (Yayin Hamisamach). (This is the opposite of sin, where (people) use wisdom to increase their egotistical self-centeredness, which is called the Wine “of drunkenness” (the wine which intoxicates) (Yayin Hamishaker). (The “form” and usage of Wisdom determines the impact of that Wisdom on the individual. Likewise, according to the spiritual level of the wine and primarily the individual, it is determined whether the individual drinking the wine will be elevated to a holy level of Simcha (joy), or be lowered to the unholy level of drunkenness.)

On Purim day, there is revealed the Divine revelation of that same light, which will be revealed, in the coming future, to all. May it be speedily in our days, Amen.