Purim

What Can We Learn From the Mitzvah of Purim: 7 Important Points

1. The faith that everything has Divine Providence:  The purpose of Purim is that the faith in Divine Providence should take root in us even in a time when things seem hidden and darkness still surrounds us. We should publicize and reveal that this is the main point of the day; to believe that everything is run by Divine Providence with an exact account.

2. Casting your burden on God: This is why Purim is called Purim; because “pur” means lottery. In a lottery a person nullifies his own thoughts and takes away all his calculations and casts his burdens on God Alone.

3. Erasing Amalek: In Jewish books of character development it is brought down that erasing  Amalek on Purim and on the Shabbat of Zachor is not a one day thing, it's really for the whole year.The purpose of every man is to uproot his part of Amalek from inside him and to put into his heart the love and fear of God.  It is asked why the verse says, “I will erase Amalek, in future tense? The answer is that it's not enough to have already erased Amalek in the past but it has to be an erasing for all of the generations. That means tomorrow again and every day from now on, erase Amalek again and again. In the war against Amalek which is the war against our evil inclination, a man has to always stand on guard and he gets the strength to fight his personal Amalek on Purim.

4. Reading the Megillah:  The Minchat Eleazar of Munkacz explains the words of the Mishnah: “One who reads the Megillah out of order does not fulfill his obligation. In Hebrew “lemafrea” out of order has the same root as the word payment because really if he reads the Megillah in a way just to pay his obligation and doesn't read it enthusiastically contemplating on all the kindnesses of God with his children, the children of Israel he didn't fulfill his obligation. He actually missed the opportunity of reading the Megillah: to contemplate what's written there about G-d’s great kindness that He did with the Jews his Chosen Nation with Divine Providence and exact detail. If you read it in this way then you fulfill your obligation.”

5. The sending of food gifts:  Purim is an auspicious time to merit conceiving children. in the name of the Chozeh  (The Seer) of Lublin it is brought down that God fulfills the Commandment of sending gifts a man to his friend through sending children to his friends which are the Jews.

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6. Gifts to the poor: The Shulchan Aruch (Code of Laws) rules: “We are not overly careful with money on Purim rather anybody who sticks out his hand and asks you should give him.” Since we give in this manner on Purim, God also forgives our sins in any situation we find ourselves in as long as we put out our hand to accept that forgiveness. Then in the same manner without looking too closely, Heaven won't look at him carefully to see if his thoughts of repentance were proper or not.

7. The Purim meal with wine is a Mitzvah of Purim and is a great auspicious time. About the party of Esther it says: “The king said to Esther during the party with wine, what do you ask and I will give it to you.”  Our sages explain that during the meal is an auspicious time to ask G-d what you need and He will answer: “What do you ask and I will give it to you”!
 

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