Perasha Tessaveh 5777

Perasha Tessaveh 5777

Friday, March 10, 2017 Author: Rabbi Hayyim Angel

Purim and Pesah seem to have little in common beyond the fact that our ancestors were saved in both stories. During the exodus from Egypt, God overtly intervenes, and the rescue is part of a larger covenantal plan dating back to Abraham. In the Megillah, God works behind the scenes and is never mentioned. Mordekhai and Esther are genuine heroes in the Megillah, and the story is not associated with any broader covenantal plan.

During the exodus, God defeats Pharaoh and his army. In the Megillah, King Ahasuerus is as powerful at the end of the Megillah as at the beginning, and the Jews still are under his rule. This point may have halakhic ramifications.The Talmud asks why we do not recite the Hallel (Psalms 113-118) on Purim. Rava responds:

There is a good reason in that case [of the exodus] because it says [in theHallel], "O servants of the Lord, give praise" (Psalm 113:1)- who are no longer servants of Pharaoh-But can we say in this case, O servants of the Lord, give praise-and not servants of Ahasuerus? We are still servants of Ahasuerus! (Megillah 14a)

Since the Jews remained under pagan rule, the holiday of Purim is crippled as opposed to Pesah.

Now that we have considered the relative shortcomings of Purim compared to Pesah, let us consider the effects of each event. Shortly after the exodus, the Israelites built the Golden Calf, complained regularly to Moses, repeatedly expressed a desire to return to Egypt, and were reluctant to go to the Promised Land. In contrast, the Jews are delightful in the Megillah. They fast, display communal unity, and faithfully listen to Mordekhai and Esther. The people take initiative in creating the holiday, and Mordekhai and Esther simply ratify their gesture.
The Talmud recognizes that Purim offers something significant that Pesah lacks: 

"And they stood under the mount" (Exodus 19:17): Rabbi Abdimi b. Hama b. Hasa said: This teaches that [during the revelation at Sinai] God overturned the mountain upon them like an [inverted] cask, and said to them, "If you accept the Torah, good; if not, there shall be your burial." Rabbi Aha b. Jacob observed: This furnishes a strong protest against the Torah. Said Rava, Yet even so, they re-accepted it in the days of Ahasuerus, for it is written, "[the Jews] confirmed, and took upon them [etc.] (Esther 9:27)": [i.e.,] they confirmed what they had accepted long before. (Shabbat 88a)
 
Since God intervened overtly during the exodus and revelation, the Israelites did not truly have a choice in accepting the Torah. Rabbi Aha understood that the overwhelming revelation at Sinai actually threatened the mutual nature of the covenant between God and Israel. Strikingly, Rava agrees that God's overt presence compromised Israel's ability to accept the covenant freely. In contrast, the Jews willingly embraced the Torah during the Purim story without any miracles or fanfare. At that moment, the acceptance of the Torah was truly mutual and freely willed by the people.

In a sense, then, the Jews' free acceptance of the Torah at the time of Purim completed the acceptance of the Torah dating back to Sinai. This lesson is of particular relevance in our days, when we can choose to make the eternally binding Torah our life-long guide in our relationship with God and with other people. Purim same'ah!