Purim and the light of redemption
Welcome to NachDaily, covering the entire TANACH one perek at a time. I’m Rabbi Shaya Sussman, and today we’ll be discussing the everlasting holiday of Purim.
Chazal explain Purim is the only holiday that’ll be celebrated when Mashiach comes. Important holidays like Sukkos, Pessach and Shavous will no longer be celebrated.
What does this curious statement mean? And why won’t we observe Sukkos, Pessach and Shavuos, which are considered major holidays?
The shalosh regalim (Sukkos, Pessach and Shavuos) all are l’zecher yitseyas mitzrayim – commemorating the fact we left Egypt Mitzrayim. Hashem had shattered (showered?) the creation with 10 miracles, showing both His omnipotence and His inextricable bond with the Jewish nation.
Sukkos, Pessach and Shavuos all remind us of the fact God took us out of Egypt. Galus Mitzrayim, was our first exile. We had sunken to the lowest levels. Yet God revealed His majesty and the majesty of Am Yisrael.
It’s important to note, as great as the miracles that happened to us in our redemption from Egypt, it was still only a partial redemption. In a certain way it was lacking. Because here we find ourselves close to 4,000 years later still living in exile, with no Mashiach.
We keep looking back at that time period to get strength and Emunah, just as God saved us than He’ll save us now. Therefore, we have many Mitzvos also commemorating Egypt. When look back at all the good God did to us this is supposed to give us an increase of strength not to give up on the final redemption.
Now we can understand the statement we started with. That, all the holidays will no longer exist when Mashiach comes except for Purim.
Because when Hashem fully saves us from our current exile of Edom, we will no longer need to remember Mitsrayim. We’ll need to remember Galus Edom. We will do Mitzvos, l’zecher yitsyas Edom! Will look back in history and say “thank you Hashem for saving us from France, Spain, Germany and America!” All the places the Jews have been in exiled in since Egypt! So, the fact we were saved from Mitzrayim 4,000 years ago will be almost completely irrelevant! But the very fact God will have saved us from our position in life rite now will be totally relevant!
In fact, Rebbe Nachman explains in Torah 74 in the second half of Luketey Maharan on the passuk in Shemos chapter 23 a great roshey tavos acronym which explains the exact idea we’re saying.
אֶת־חַ֣ג הַמַּצּוֹת֮ תִּשְׁמֹר֒ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִים֩ תֹּאכַ֨ל מַצּ֜וֹת כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוִּיתִ֗ךָ לְמוֹעֵד֙ חֹ֣דֶשׁ הָֽאָבִ֔יב כִּי־ב֖וֹ יָצָ֣אתָ מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם וְלֹא־יֵרָא֥וּ פָנַ֖י רֵיקָֽם׃
You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread—eating unleavened bread for seven days as I have commanded you—at the set time in the month of Aviv, because you went out from Egypt; and no one shall appear before Me empty-handed;
The last part of the passuk m’mitzrayim v’lo yerahu panai reykom “I took you out of Egypt and you should not come to Me empty handed.” The first letter of every word contains the letters pey, vav, reish, yud and mem. Which spells Purim! Which hints to the idea, ultimately when Mashiach comes, we’ll all celebrate Purim and will no longer remember yetsiyas mitZrayim because it will be irrelevant.
So the very same passuk which tells us to commemorate Pessach by bringing korbanos, has imbedded in it, the hint to the future redemption, of Purim. Which will ultimately be the only everlasting holiday we’ll celebrate when Mashiach comes. When we’ll all recall how God saved Am Yisrael through our long Galus just like he did on Purim!
May we merit to taste from the amazing, exalted light that shines down on us every year on Purim. The light of Mashiach, the light of the final redemption. When all we’ll be migaleh the hester – reveal God was behind the scenes the entire time. Wearing this world like a costume to hide His presence.
Thank you for listening Have a wonderful day.
