B"H
Wednesday, Adar2- 10, 5784 / March 20, 2024
The holiday of Purim will be celebrated this Saturday night & Sunday.
One of the mitzvot of Purim is reading the Megillah - also called Megillat Esther - Scroll of Esther. The Megillah details the story and miracle of Purim. We will read it Saturday night and again Sunday morning. Hearing the Megillah on Purim is very important.
Q. Mordechai and Esther together played a role in the story of Purim, so why is the Megillah called Megillat Esther - Scroll of Esther, when it should have been called, Scroll ofEsther and Mordechai?
A. Esther was the one who put her life at risk for her people. Esther’s Jewish identity, when she married King Achashveirosh, was not known, so her life was not affected by Haman's decree. Yet, she placed her own life in danger to plead for her people revealing her Jewish identity. Since Esther put her life in danger more than Mordechai, the Megillah was named after her.
Another reason is that Esther was the one who insisted that the story of Purim be recorded and be added to our Holy Scriptures, thus, it was named in her honor, "Megillat Esther."
Our sages note several differences between the miracles of Purim and Chanukah. Purim occurred about 200 years before the miracle of Chanukah. On Purim, the Jews faced total physical annihilation, G-d forbid. On Chanukah, the Torah and Jewish religion were at stake.
Also, the miracle of Chanukah happened in Israel and was associated with the second Holy Temple. By contrast, Purim took place after the destruction of the first Holy Temple while Jews were still exiled from Israel and living in Persia under King Achashveirosh.
As a result, Jews throughout our 2000 years of exile found meaning and comfort in the miracle of Purim, as they too have had trials and were saved from anti-Semites who wanted to annihilate or uproot their Jewish communities, just as Haman did.
The Talmud tells us, "Hakoreh et HaMegillah L'Mafreia Lo Yatza" - "If one reads the Megillah backwards (L'Mafreia), one has not fulfilled the mitzvah." The simple meaning is that the Megillah must be read in the proper order - from beginning to end and not backwards.
However, there is a deeper meaning to the above Talmudic verse. The word "L'Mafreia" can also be translated as, "in the past." According to this translation, the meaning would be, "If someone reads the Megillah on Purim and thinks that the story happened only in the past, he/she has not properly fulfilled the mitzvah.” The lesson of the Purim miracle should remain with us forever, for it is a constant miracle. The fact that we are here today is a current Purim miracle.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HEALTHY, SUCCESSFUL, HAPPY DAY & HAPPY CHODESH/MONTH
UNITED WE STAND IN PRAYER FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN ISRAEL
& FOR THE WELFARE OF THE CAPTIVES. MAY THEY BE RELEASED NOW.