PARSHAS KI SISA/PARA 5777

“RABBI’S MUSINGS (&
AMUSINGS)”

Erev Shabbos Kodesh
Parshas Ki Sisa/Parah  

19 Adar 5777/ March 17,
2017

“So Rabbi, bottom line, what’s the deal with drinking on
Purim? What’s the message we are supposed to take from this unusual law?”

That was the question I was asked by a sincere and thoughtful
congregant last week. I first replied that I once asked Rav Reuven Feinstein
what is the simple explanation for the strange vernacular of the gemara in
conveying that there is a mitzvah to become intoxicated on Purim “until he
cannot differentiate between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai.” Rav
Reuven replied that the law has no simple meaning. It was “written in the
spirit of Purim”. [That doesn’t mean it’s a joke, but rather that it was
written in the unusual “out of the box”, yet lofty nature of Purim.]

I then told the
questioner, that when one is about to begin drinking he (hopefully) hands over
his car keys. He realizes that under the influence of alcohol he will not have
proper judgement or perspective to drive. He therefore, places himself in the
hands of someone else who will be able to care for him and ensure that he is
safe.

During the
unfolding of the Purim story the unexpected became the norm; whatever seemed to
be happening prima facie, ended up being exactly the opposite. Therefore, the
Yom Tov of Purim is a poignant reminder that ultimately, we are not in control
over our lives. Undoubtedly, we are responsible to do our part, to ensure that
we have always invested the requisite effort and fulfilled our
responsibilities, but what the consequences of our efforts will be is totally
out of our hands.

The last few
months have afforded us plenty of reminders of the veracity of this concept,
with a few incredibly surprising, last second shockers. Most profoundly was the
election of President Trump and the upheaval that it caused. In the world of
sports, if someone walked out two minutes before the end of the Super Bowl, he
would have been shocked the next morning when he was informed of the outcome.

And, for those
of us on the East Coast, how about the recent weather? It was a relatively mild
winter, and February set records for warmth, with temperatures surging into the
upper sixties and even hitting seventy degrees. Yet, I am currently typing this
while a blizzard rages outside, burying the Monsey area in well over a foot of
snow. [I think it’s raining in Lakewood.] On Purim itself, just two days ago,
despite beautiful sunshine, the weather was below freezing.

The underlying
message? We are not in charge!   

Psychologically,
the source of tragedy and comedy is essentially the same – irony. When the
irony works against us we cry, such as on Tisha B’av. The Navi writes (Megillas
Eichah) that no one believed that the great and beautiful metropolis of
Yerushalayim, and the Bais Hamikdash, could be destroyed.

However, when
the irony works to our benefit, we laugh and revel in the great salvation that
transpired. That is the source of the extreme joy of Purim.

Purim gives us
an unparalleled boost of chizuk. A good friend recently quipped that “Moshiach
is so far away. Look at how much pain there is, and look how dis-unified we
are.”

I replied that
at the time of Purim things seemed even more hopeless. Our nemesis had
successfully prevailed upon the anti-Semitic king to agree to mass genocide.
There was nowhere for the Jews to run or hide. Yet within three days of the
decree, Haman was dead and the turnabout was set in motion.

Rav Moshe
Shapiro zt’l explained that the source for the salvation of Purim came about
from our enemies themselves. Therefore, the worse things seemed to be, the
better they actually were, beneath the surface. He then adds, “Clearly, the
ultimate redemption will not occur through gradual changes but by an
instantaneous inversion… The inversion will be so complete, the contrast so
sharp, that we will be compelled to laugh… One who seeks to invert, the greater
the contrast is the stronger the inversion is… This is not something we have
the capability to bring about. Only the Divine can turn things around in such a
manner.”[1]

Purim was a
living example of how it can happen, and a chizuk that somehow it will happen
again.

Until then, we
need to remind ourselves that after doing our part and fulfilling our
responsibilities, we need to ‘hand over the keys’ to our loving Father in
Heaven, and to fulfill whatever role and responsibility He places us in.

 Shabbat
Shalom & Good Shabbos,

           R’ Dani and Chani Staum       

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