HaRav Hutner zt'l, shared the profound thoughts
that follow at the Purim seudos that he held each year
with his talmidim. They are taken from notes made by
one of the talmidim who shared them with us. They
contain deep ideas that require reflection to fully
appreciate and absorb, and whose impact will ultimately
depend on the reader's own level. In truth, a more
authoritative editing would have been in place before
bringing teachings that were originally conveyed to a small,
select circle to a wider public, but on Purim justification
perhaps exists for presenting them as best we can.
*
"Whoever extends his hand, receives" — our teachers
tell us that this principle applies to requests for spiritual
as well as material assistance.
"With the imbibing of wine, secrets emerge" — part
of the purpose of becoming inebriated on Purim is to lower
spiritual inhibition and facilitate the expression of our
innermost yearning for cleaving to Hashem. This makes us
aware of the new heights and of the deep resources that lie
concealed beyond the limiting horizons that we perceive
throughout the year.
It is in this spirit that we undertake publication of the
following divrei Torah, taken from the sefer
Reshimos Lev.
Banishing the Wagon Driver — Purim 5729
Our tradition from the savants who knew how to serve Hashem
is that the Purim feast can be likened to the meeting of two
friends who learned together in yeshiva but who drifted apart
in later life. When they happen to meet up, years later, they
want to spend some time together but the wagon driver tries
to convince them that there is no time. They therefore give
him wine so that he will become drunk — and leave them
to act in accordance with their true wishes.
Yisroel too, gather together at the Purim feast and the wagon
driver — the yetzer hora — tries to
persuade them that there is no time left for them to stay
together. This is why we give the body wine to drink —
so that it should become drunk and stop interfering. (Thus,
"A mouthful of drink is a powerful thing for it draws those
who are distant closer" (Sanhedrin 103) — heard
in Eretz Yisroel, 5739)
The Purim feast strengthens love and friendship among
Yisroel. For example, the Bach is of the opinion (Orach
Chaim, end of siman 695) that when someone is
invited out for the Purim feast, both the guest and his host
are absolved from giving mishloach manos.
On a deeper level, the wagon driver tries to seduce the
friends sitting together at the Purim feast by asking them,
"Are you really friends?"
A drunkard (who has reached Lot's level of drunkenness) is
incapable of executing transactions — any sale or
purchase to which he is party is null and void (see the
Rambam at the end of perek 29 of Hilchos
Mechirah) — because he is tantamount to an
imbecile. We can judge a drunkard's actions but we cannot
fathom his thoughts.
This is why we drink and become inebriated at the Purim feast
— in order to draw out and discover our innermost
thoughts. Such thoughts only crystallize beneath the level
that deeds reach, at the depth of the pure awareness of each
Jew's responsibility for every other. It is these thoughts
that establish that we truly are friends.
Actually, the wagon driver's seductions are the source of
many of the hindrances to a person's ascent in serving
Hashem. The wagon driver calls to us: "Are you really fit for
such a level? You're getting involved in things that are way
over your head."
This type of thinking prevents a person from attempting to
attain even those levels that lie within his spiritual vista.
Although the bounds of his thoughts are not restricted by the
limits of his deeds, he mistakenly judges from his
[comparatively meager] deeds that the [more elevated and
ambitious] world of his thoughts is irrelevant. Such thoughts
blur the different realms [which he occupies]!
For this reason too, we become drunk "to the point of non-
comprehension" — to prevent the world of our thoughts
being hemmed in by the world of our deeds.
Know the Purpose that Wine Serves — Purim
5730
"`I praise joy . . .' (Koheles 8:15), this refers to
the joy of a mitzvah.
"`And as to joy, what does it achieve?' (2:2), this refers to
joy unrelated to a mitzvah.
"This comes to teach you that Hashem's Presence does not
reside in consequence of sadness, or of laziness, or of
laughter, or of levity, or of conversation, or of idle
chatter but only on occasion of joy relating to a mitzvah, as
it says, ` "And now, take a musician for me," and when the
musician played, the Hand of Hashem came upon him'
(Melochim II, 3:15)" (Shabbos 30). Rashi
comments, "It is a mitzvah to bring the Shechinah upon
him." In other words, not the joy of any other mitzvah
— only the joy of the mitzvah of bringing the
Shechinah to rest upon someone.
"`To Dovid, a song . . .' this teaches you that the
Shechinah first came to rest on him and then he
sang.
"`A song to Dovid . . .' this teaches you that first he sang
then the Shechinah came to rest on him.
"This comes to teach you that Hashem's Presence does not
reside in consequence of laziness, or of sadness, or of
laughter, or of levity, or of idle chatter but only on
occasion of joy relating to a mitzvah, as it says, ` "And
now, take a musician for me" and when the musician played,
the Hand of Hashem came upon him' " (Pesochim 117).
Dovid Hamelech sang two types of song: one as a result
of the Shechinah's resting on him and the other to
make the Shechinah rest on him.
We find that wine also has two similar types of effect: of
sometimes causing and of other times being the result of that
which it causes. On the one hand, "Wine stimulates the
appetite," (Pesochim 107). On the other, it sometimes
satisfies. See the gemora in Brochos (35) which
says, "Wine satisfies . . . But Rovo used to drink wine all
day on erev Pesach to arouse his appetite so that he
would eat more matzoh! A large quantity of wine
stimulates appetite, a little wine satisfies."
Wine thus sometimes arouses the appetite while at other times
it satisfies and facilitates digestion. (Ed. note: See
however the Maharal's comments in Gevuros Hashem,
perek 48 and Sefer Hazikoron, Reshimos #27 for a
different interpretation and its application.)
"There are some who drink wine and it is good for them and
there are other who drink it and it harms them"
(Brochos 57). Wine that stimulates can be either
beneficial or harmful, depending on the meal that it leads
into.
By contrast, the effects of wine that satisfies are known in
advance. If the meal that preceded it was good, the wine to
aid digestion will be good!
"To the mishteh (feast)" ( Esther 5:4). Rashi
explains, "Every meal is so termed [mishteh, a
drinking party] because of the wine that is its main feature.
The wine at the Purim feast is of the sort that satisfies and
is beneficial. Its spiritual parallel is when, "he sang then
the Shechinah came to rest on him . . . to teach you
that Hashem's Presence does not reside in consequence of
sadness . . . but only on occasion of joy relating to a
mitzvah."
The purpose of the wine is to enable us to absorb the joy of
this day.
However, it seems that white wine, over which the
brochoh `hatov vehameitiv ' is always made
(Orach Chaim 175:2), is always beneficial!
Lechaim!
Obliterating Amolek through Wine
"`Ovadiah's vision: "So says Hashem to Edom . . .' "
(Ovadiah 1:1) Why [was] Ovadiah [sent to prophesy] to
Edom? (Rashi — `[Why was he] not [given] a different
prophecy? Why was he chosen for this prophecy more than the
other prophets?') Ovadiah was an Edomian convert, hence
people say, `Wood is taken from the forest to make the ax
that cuts down its trees' " ( Sanhedrin 39).
"Eisov said, `Lo, I am going to die, why do I need the status
of firstborn?' " ( Bereishis 25:32) Rashi explains
that Eisov asked what the nature of the service performed by
the firstborns would be. Yaakov told him that it involved a
number of prohibitions, punishments and death penalties. For
example: "The following are punishable by death: serving in
[the Mikdosh] after drinking wine etc."
(Sanhedrin 83). Eisov said, "I'm going to die because
of it; what do I need it for?"
Eisov sold his status as firstborn and chose wine instead. We
therefore fulfill the mitzvah of wiping out Amolek by
drinking wine — "Wood is taken from the forest to make
the ax"!
Lechaim!
*
"And he brought him wine and he drank" (Bereishis
27:25) "A feast of wine" ( Esther 5:6)
"And hunt game for me . . ." "Rivka told her son Yaakov, `Lo,
I have heard your father speaking . . . "bring me game" . . .
please go to the flock . . .' And he brought him wine and he
drank . . ." (27:5-25).
Yaakov brought Yitzchok wine without him having asked for it.
The reason that Yitzchok didn't ask Eisov to bring him wine
is because, "No harm will befall the tzaddik"
(Mishlei 12:21). In several places the Maharal
explains (see Gevuros Hashem, Hilchos Pesach in short,
also Chidushei Aggodos, Shavuos 18b, and other places)
that wine has the power of drawing closer and it is fitting
that something with this effect should also serve to separate
where appropriate. Yaakov gave Yitzchok wine in order to
bring himself closer to his father and to separate himself
from Eisov!
Our teacher said that he wanted to draw all those present
closer with his own wine.
Lechaim!
Joy Through Wine — heard in 5720
"There is rejoicing only with meat...there is rejoicing only
with wine . . ." (Pesochim 109). This is because the
main task of tzaddikim in this world is to reveal that
there is truly nothing in the world that is merely optional,
but rather, "All your deeds should be for Heaven's sake"
(Ovos 2:12). Wine and meat are unique among foods in
that they are either beneficial to a person or harmful.
Chazal say "An ignoramus may not eat meat" (Pesochim
49) and that, "Some drink wine and it is good for them while
others drink it and it harms them" (Brochos 57).
Tzaddikim therefore celebrate with meat and wine, for
their eating and drinking shows that there is no optional
middle ground (reshus) in life.
Thus, "they did not undertake any prohibition against working
[on Purim]" (Megilloh 5). Were Purim's ordinary,
mundane status to have been sanctified by such a prohibition,
the possibility of revealing holiness within the mundane
would have been lost.
The Song that Rav Yisroel's Circle Sang
Our master zt'l said that although he didn't remember
the tune, he did remember the words of a verse that used to
be sung by Rav Yisroel's group:
"World, world, world, you are sweet and bright,
For he who wants nothing from you.
How bitter and dark you are,
For he who wants anything from you."
Today, as we sit together in love and friendship, "one family
with another" (Esther 9:28), which Rashi explains
means, "gathered together and eating and drinking together,"
we "want nothing from the world."
Lechaim!
One Family with Another
"And these days are remembered and observed in every
generation, one family with another . . ." Rashi explains,
"Gathering together and eating and drinking together." In
this way they undertook that the festival of Purim would
continue being observed by all future generations.
Chazal point to a difference between Yisroel's acceptance of
the Torah on Shavuos and their renewed acceptance of it on
Purim. At Sinai, "Hakodosh Boruch Hu hung the mountain
over them like a barrel and said, `If you accept the Torah,
well and good; if not, your graves will be there.' This is a
powerful declaration about the Torah [which lessens their
later guilt for having lapsed in its observance, since they
were compelled into accepting it]. Nonetheless, they accepted
it once again [this time willingly] in the time of
Achashverosh . . ." (Shabbos 88).
Lest we wonder whether there was not an element of coercion
in their second acceptance as well, due to their difficult
situation and the pressures they were under, Rashi writes,
"Gathering together and eating and drinking together; in this
lay their undertaking that this Purim festival would not
lapse."
When Hakodosh Boruch Hu hung the mountain over them
they said, "We will carry out and will listen to everything
that Hashem said" (Shemos 24:7). Upon their second
acceptance in the time of Achashverosh they said nothing
— all we have are Rashi's comments: "gathering together
and eating and drinking together; in this lay their
undertaking that this Purim festival would not lapse."
There is no pressure in such an acceptance; it is born of
love, friendship and Purim joy. That is our frame of mind!
Only on Purim!
On Purim there was a custom to go from door to door reciting
the rhyme, "Heint iz Purim; morgen is ois. Git mir a
trunk, und varft mir arois! (Today is Purim; tomorrow
won't be. Give me a drink and get rid of me!)"
A certain godol beTorah took exception to the verse
and we will explain why. Listen carefully for tomorrow you
won't understand!
"`The soul is never satiated' (Koheles 6:7) — to
what can this be compared? To a town dweller who marries a
princess. Even if he brings her the finest things in the
world they are of no significance to her — for she is
of royal birth. So it is with the soul. If a person offers
his soul the world's finest delicacies it feels no
satisfaction because it comes from the upper worlds"
(Koheles Rabba 6:6).
See Pachad Yitzchok on Pesach (#41), where the
trait of zerizus is explained. On a mundane level it
consists simply of avoiding delay and lateness but on a more
exalted level it derives from the fact that the
neshomoh is eternal and the company of the body, which
is under the influence of time, is difficult for it to bear.
This creates an urge to carry everything out with
alacrity.
This is the state of affairs all year round. But on Purim the
eternal nature of the body of Yisroel is revealed and the
neshomoh divines an aspect of the eternal within the
body itself. "Morgen iz nisht ois! Tomorrow it is not
the case that it won't be. It will still be there — for
on Purim the neshomoh tastes eternity in the body. And
it can sate itself!
Lechaim!
