In his weekly talk on Tuesday at his home, Morenu Rosh Hayeshiva HaRav Gershon Edelstein talked about Purim and the rules of conduct for bnei Torah during those days:
Purim is a time when one might stumble over one's obligations to his fellows. Sometimes someone has some resentment against someone and he waits for Purim to get back at him. One time someone had something against someone who had a bad intention to do something to someone in his family. In a Purim sheet he wrote words of ridicule against that person who was an odom choshuv and in the end he was punished in a horrible way for the bein odom lechavero harm that he caused.
There is also an issue of bittul Torah on Purim. There is no hetter for bittul Torah on Purim. On the contrary, it is a time to accept the Torah from love as it says, kiyemu vekibklu. We should increase Torah on Purim but instead there is bittul Torah. When we are busy with mishloach monos and other mitzvos of the day it is not bittul but there is also general bittul. This is prohibited bittul Torah.
There were cases of people who learned with diligence on Purim and they were zoche to yeshuos in that way. People who needed yeshua got it through learning Torah on Purim which is a very powerful zchus.
There is a general lack of responsibility on Purim. Some feel a lack of seriousness and tefillah is not up to its usual standard. This is not the way it should be. Purim is a day of kiyemu vekibklu, and we must do Torah and mitzvos, including the special mitzvos of the day, to increase love an brotherhood and friendship. This is the message of Purim and one who does the opposite of this is sinning.
On Purim there is no hetter to lower our standards of bein odom lechavero. On the contrary it is more stringent since Purim is a time of mishloach monos and brotherhood.
Yehi rotzon that we will merit to fulfill all the content of Purim besiyata deShmaya.
