Because I Love You…

by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine

The holiday of Purim is a holiday of joy. But, beyond the external joys of food and festivity, the holiday represents a profound internal joy and happiness.

On the verse (Esther 9:27), “The Jews established and accepted,” the Talmud teaches that, although the Jewish people had accepted Torah at Sinai, there was a new acceptance of Torah at the time of Purim. What exactly was missing from the Sinai acceptance that required another one? The commentaries explain that the experience at Sinai was one of discipline and fortitude. It was made clear to the Jews that they must accept the Torah, because it is the moral code that gives meaning to the world. Without it, the world could not continue. “Accept the Torah,” Hashem declared to them, “or I consider creation worthless.” That acceptance, as sincere as it may have been, contained a degree of moral coercion.

The renewed acceptance of Torah at the time of Purim came from a different perspective, a perspective of joy. The Jewish people had become too comfortable in exile. They were willing to attend the Achashveirosh’s party, where he arrogantly displayed the vessels of the Beis Hamikdash, claiming that the Jews would never be redeemed. But, instead, of losing His temper or punishing the Jews, Hashem scared them into returning to their roots, and then He declared endearingly, “I Love You! Do you hear? I Love You!” Not only did Hashem remove the genocidal death threat of Haman, He removed it in a way that made it clear that from the beginning of the plot Hashem had orchestrated everything in a way that He could show us how much He loves us. He placed Esther in the palace before Haman ascended to power, so that she could plead our case at the critical time. He placed Mordechai in a position to be recorded on a special royal list of people deserving reward even before Haman began to plot, so that Haman’s plan to destroy Mordechai would not come to be. The salvation, too, was done in a way that declared Hashem’s love for us. He did not simply remove Haman or discredit him. Hashem placed Mordechai, the Jewish leader and advocate, in his place.

The result is that we were not simply saved. We were saved in a way that displayed Hashem’s love for us. Instead of punishing us, Hashem wanted us to come close to Him because he loves us. This is the renewed acceptance of Purim which is- in certain ways- much greater than the acceptance at Sinai.

There are many ways that a person can express this new acceptance and relationship, especially now, at the time of Purim. Consider for example a person who is reciting Tehillim (Psalms) with great fervor and sincerity. If you were to ask them why they are recitingTehillim they might well answer that it is because they are struggling financially, with a medical issue, or in a relationship. But, it is also possible to be reciting Tehillim with fervor and sincerity simply because “I love G-d and want to communicate with Him.”

Likewise, so many people are diligent in their daily Torah study for so many reasons. Some need to learn how to observe; others are keeping up with their study pace or study partner. This is all good. But, sometimes a person might open a sefer to study Torah, “simply because I love Torah, and want to enjoy, treasure, and come closer to it.”

I once heard a story of a Rabbi who made a siyum to celebrate his completion of Shas (Talmud study), and then- less than 4 weeks later- announced that he would be making another siyum on Shas. People asked him how he could possibly have finished Shas again in just four weeks. He replied, “This siyum is years in the making. It represents a totally different pace of study. It is the study that I do when I am waiting. Sometimes I come to a simcha and people aren’t ready so I wait. Sometimes I come to a doctor’s office and I have to wait. Surprisingly, with all the waiting time, I have finished Shas over the years.”

That learning which this Rabbi described wasn’t learning to prepare for a lecture, or learning to keep up with a study partner. It was the learning of love. It was the learning of, “I have some time available now. What better way is there to spend the time than to treasure and savor words of Torah?”

In our time, so many of us have significant topics of concern on our hearts, both personal and communal. In the time of the Purim story, it was the salvation that brought about a renewed acceptance of Torah out of love. Perhaps in our time, a renewed sense of accepting Torah out of love can bring about salvation.

Please use Purim wisely. May Hashem answer all of our tefilos l’tovah.

© 2018 by TEACH613™