I like to ask my children which Yom Tov is their favorite. Some say Pesach, some Purim and some Sukkos. Truly, each yom tov has its own flavor that makes them smile.
One commonality among the yomim tovim is that they all contain a measure of physical simcha (rejoicing) with culinary delights, fine clothing and quality time spent davening and performing the mitzvos of that yom tov. The Gemara1 records a dispute on whether Yom Tov should be a day totally dedicated to prayer and Torah study, or else a day totally dedicated to physical simcha. One verse says “l’Hashem,” a day dedicated to Hashem. Another verse says it should be “lachem,” dedicated to you personally. The Gemara concludes, like the opinion of Rebbe Akiva, that we should split our time on Yom Tov— half for Hashem and half for our enjoyment.
However, two yomim tovim don’t fit the mold: Yom Kippur and Purim. Yom Kippur is a day that’s exclusively for serving Hashem, while Purim is a day dedicated primarily to physical enjoyment. The Vilna Gaon explains that they are really not exceptions. Yom Kippur and Purim are really one holiday split between two different days on the calendar. Yom Kippur is the half dedicated to serving Hashem, while Purim is the half dedicated to physical simcha.
But how are Yom Kippur and Purim considered one holiday? Rav Dovid Kohen,2 rosh yeshiva in Chevron, explains that they share something in common. Both were days the Jews accepted the Torah. The Gemara says Yom Kippur was the day Moshe came down from Har Sinai with the second set of luchos, after the Jewish people said, “na’aseh v’nishma.” In effect, they were accepting the Torah on faith. After living with the Torah, Purim was the day the Jewish nation re-accepted the Torah out of love. In this way, Purim became the completion of Yom Kippur, with a joyful embrace of Torah.
But why the dichotomy, with one so spiritual and one so defined by physical enjoyment?
The Alshich3 notes that the first and second luchos were different. In the first, Hashem carved the blocks of stone, whereas in the second set, Hashem told Moshe to do the carving.
Indeed, there was something major that changed with the Jewish nation’s re-acceptance of the Torah after the Purim miracle. At the original giving of the luchos, the words were etched on the physical tablets. Later on at the Purim miracle, the Jewish nation themselves became the tablets / body of the luchos by willingly accepting all the requirements and restrictions with their bodies and souls.
We learn this from the mitzvos of Purim, which are actions of simcha for the body. One of the mitzvos, drinking wine, which frees the mind, exemplifies the body itself becoming holy on Purim. This is the opposite of Yom Kippur, where we use our minds to try to repent and plan our spiritual improvement for the coming year.
I would like to suggest another reason for the connection between Yom Kippur and Purim. The luchos consisted of two tablets. The first half contained the mitzvos between man and Hashem, and the second half contained mitzvos between man and man. Yom Kippur represents the first half of the luchos, as the day of Yom Kippur is spent focused on man’s relationship to Hashem. Purim, on the other hand, represents the second half of the luchos, as the day is spent focused on the relationships between man and man; for example, giving mishloach manos, matonos l’evyonim and making others happy. Purim is the yom tov in which the Jewish nation fully accepted the second half of the luchos. May our observance of the mitzvos of Purim truly reflect our love for our fellow man.
Wishing you and your families a happy Purim!!
Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim is the associate rosh yeshiva of Passaic Torah Institute (PTI)/Yeshiva Ner Boruch, where he leads a multi-level Gemara learning program. PTI has attracted adult Jews of all ages from all over northern New Jersey for its learning programs. Fees are not charged, but contributions are always welcome. Rabbi Bodenheim can be reached at [email protected]. For more info about PTI and its Torah classes, visit www.pti.shulcloud.com.
1 Beitza 16b?
2 Yemei Purim
3 Parshas Teruma / KI Sisa?
