Special Purim Edition
14 Adar, 5761
March 8-9, ’01

What was the one thing the Persian princess did not do after Achashverosh’s big party?

Vashti dishes.

I hope you’re still reading this. (Note: the previous joke is hilarious when heard after consuming a few glasses of wine on Purim day.) As Purim is the holiday most associated with ceaseless celebration and surplus joy, it pays to examine the source of this seemingly boundless simcha. On no other holiday is there a mitzvah to drink until fuzzy headed (on no other Jewish holiday, at least). Ordinarily, we fear the potential pitfalls of excess, even when celebrating miracles G-d has bestowed upon us. But on Purim, we rejoice without worry. Our enemies have fallen. G-d beckons our embrace.

Rav Yitzchak Hutner ob”m explains Purim’s singular surplus of simcha with an analogy. Say someone took ill. Very ill. For a while, it looked like he wouldn’t pull through. Then, at the blackest moment, a ray of hope began to flicker. His signs improved. To everyone’s surprise, complete recovery ensued.

Now it’s time to party—to celebrate this miraculous recovery. (There is actually a special mitzvah to host a festive meal celebrating surviving a life threatening illness or predicament. This meal is called a Seudas Hoda’a - a Banquet of Thanksgiving [to G-d].) How great a celebration would our imaginary recover-ee throw?

It would be a big party, to be sure. But it probably wouldn’t spill over into excess. Why not? Because every party has its limits. Our gratitude is finite. We were sick and we recovered and we’d tailor our celebration according to the measure of that recovery.

Now let’s change our case slightly. Imagine that our hypothetical patient is suffering from severe depression. He is hopelessly unmovable; trapped in darkness.

And then he recovers.

What kind of party should this hypothetical recover-ee throw?

The celebration called for here should not be limited like other simchas, because at this party the celebration is the recovery. When a person is depressed, he experiences a sense of hopelessness, an inability to experience joy and appreciate the treasure of life. In celebrating his recovery, every new experience of pleasure is cause for further rejoicing. The more we celebrate, the more there is to celebrate! In theory, this party should never end.

Purim is the Seudas Hoda’a for our victory over Amalek (Haman’s clan). Amalek is the leading cause of feelings of hopelessness and gloom in the world. “Nothing really matters; everything is chance,” Amalek says. Sometimes, we are almost convinced by him. But then Purim comes. Cold winter is ending. We’re ready to warm up our hearts. Through the cracks, we can see G-d peering in. And we celebrate. And we dance with Him. And we connect to a source of simcha that has no end.

Happy Purim,            

Shlomo Shulman

(This Parsha Views is based on Pachad Yitzchak, Purim, Essay 30, by Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner ob”m.)

STEP Medical Ethics Symposium: Euthanasia
This Tuesday, March 13^th, at 8:00 PM at the JEA.
Rabbi Edelstein and Rabbi Shulman will examine this emotional current issue in light of recent medical discoveries and ancient Jewish wisdom.

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