Purim Never Ends

Happy Purim! By now, I hope you are well on your way to fulfilling the mitzvot of Purim, and that you’re eating and enjoying and sharing.

The Rambam (Megillah 2:18) mentions a unique and enigmatic detail relating to Purim:

“All Prophetic Books and the Sacred Writings will cease to be recited in public during the messianic era except the Book of Esther. It will continue to exist just as the Five Books of the Torah and the laws of the Oral Torah that will never cease. Although ancient troubles will be remembered no longer, as it is written: "The troubles of the past are forgotten and hidden from my eyes" (Isaiah 65:16), the days of Purim will not be abolished, as it is written: ‘These days of Purim shall never be repealed among the Jews, and the memory of them shall never cease from their descendants.’ (Esther 9:28).”

The Midrash says it even more explicitly: "All festivals will be abolished in the future except Purim and Yom Kippur."

What does this mean? No other holidays when Moshiach comes? Can I trade Yom Kippur for something else? This sounds crazy!

That, my friends, is exactly why Purim lasts forever. As we recount the story, we encounter question after question after question. Why did Vashti refuse? How did Esther get chosen as queen? Why is Mordechai always lurking around? Why did Haman hate all the Jews so much? Where is Hashem’s name? When we celebrate Purim, we do so in a very different way than any other Jewish holiday: Costumes, noisemaking, merriment, lots of food, come to Shul but no sermon?!? 😊

Not making sense is the point of Purim.

The Talmud introduces the famous obligation of drinking on Purim in the following way: 

אָמַר רָבָא: מִיחַיַּיב אִינִישׁ לְבַסּוֹמֵי בְּפוּרַיָּא עַד דְּלָא יָדַע בֵּין אָרוּר הָמָן לְבָרוּךְ מָרְדֳּכַי.

“Rava said: A person is obligated to become intoxicated with wine on Purim until he is so intoxicated that he does not know how to distinguish between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordecai.”

There are many questions about this teaching – and even more about the next one in which Rabbah slaughters Rabbi Zeira after getting drunk at their Purim Seudah. I’d like to focus on three little words: ad d’lo yada – you don’t know. Purim is the holiday that sets down a foundation of Judaism: things do not make sense. It’s hard to live with that reality. The Talmud is telling us sometimes we might need a drink or two to be able to live with that reality. We want to understand and find an explanation. It is a deep Jewish truth, however, that we just do not know.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks wrote:

“The Jewish response to trauma is counter-intuitive and extraordinary. You defeat fear by joy. You conquer terror by collective celebration. You prepare a festive meal, invite guests, give gifts to friends. While the story is being told, you make an unruly noise as if not only to blot out the memory of Amalek, but to make a joke out of the whole episode. You wear masks. You drink a little too much…Precisely because the threat was so serious, you refuse to be serious – and in that refusal you are doing something very serious indeed. You are denying your enemies a victory.”

There is no way to explain Purim just as there is no rational explanation for the Jewish people. It is ad d’lo yada.

In “Concerning the Jews,” Mark Twain wrote:

“He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?”

What’s the answer? Ad d’lo yada. There is no answer. We keep living our Judaism, and that’s the secret.

Purim last forever because it will engage our hearts, minds, stomachs, and souls forever. It demonstrates the eternal relevance of seeking out the truth when it is not so apparent, always looking out for others, being proud Jews no matter the circumstances, that we live in a topsy turvy world, and that we should expect things to turn around at the drop of a hat. Purim is the prototype for overcoming all challenges and Jewish thriving for all time. That is definitely a reason to celebrate and keep celebrating.

This year, in particular, we need a “v’nahafoch hu,” a “turn things around moment.” We need the hostages freed, our enemies defeated, the haters to be silenced. It can all happen! How, you ask? Ad d’lo yada. I don’t know. That’s how I know it will happen.

לַיְּהוּדִים הָיְתָה אוֹרָה וְשִׂמְחָה וְשָׂשֹׂן וִיקָר׃

“The Jews enjoyed light and gladness, happiness and honor” (Esther 8:16).

Kein tihyeh lanu – So may it be for all of us!