Purim-2016

· Yuma 86b - Resh Lakish says there are two levels of Tshuva

o Tshuva shel Yira – Repentance that is done out of fear – Then Intentional sins (be Mazid) are counted as Unintentional sins (Shegagos)

o Tshuva shel Ahava – Repentance that is done out of love – Then Intentional sins (be Mazid) are considered as Mitzvot

· On Purim the Jews collectively rose to the level of doing Tshuva shel Ahava.

· There is a palpable feeling of Ahava on Purim:

o Bain Adam Le Chavero (between us and other people)

o And Bain Adam Le Makon (between us and Hashem)

· Towards the end of the Megilla (8:16):

o For the Jews there was light, joy, happiness and splendor. 

· As we give and receive Meshlach Manot, and dress up and get a bit tipsy, there’s a feeling of celebration and love.

· That’s because the Jewish people celebrate having reached the tremendous madgreda of doing collective Tshuva Shel Ahava, a Tshuva of Love.

· We feel an outpouring of love towards each other and with Hashem.

· Shabbos 88b (about Matan Torah at Har Sinai): “Hashem suspended the mountain above them like an inverted cask and said, 'If you accept the Torah, fine; if not, here will be your grave.' They reaffirmed their acceptance of it in the days of Ahashverosh, as it is written (Esther 9:27), 'The Jews observed it and accepted (Keemu Ve Keeblu) it upon themselves'

· The Midrash Tanchuma explains in Parshat Noach:

· (The Jewish people, by saying Naase Ve Nishma), acceped the Torah Be Ksav (written Torah).  It was regarding the Torah She Bal Pe (Oral Torah) that Hashem threatened them… for only he who loves Hashem with all of his heart and all of his soul and all of his might is willing to study it, as it says, 'Love Hashem with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might' (Dvarim 6:5)….These words which I am commanding you today must remain on your heart.

· At Har Sinai, with the barrel over their heads, they accepted the Oral Torah out of fear, out of Yira.

· On Purim the words Keemu Ve Keeblu mean the Jews accepted the study of the Oral Torah with Ahava.

· How did we manage to accomplish the great Madrega of Tshuva shel Ahava on Purim?

· During the first half of the Megilla we went through a Tshuva Shel Yira – great fear.  We were afraid of annihilation.

· Evil Haman’s ‘existential threat’, his plan for destroying the entire Jewish people, chas ve shalom, scared us to our roots.

· Megilla 14a – “When the king removed his ring (of power and gave it to Haman) it was more effective than the forty-eight Neviim (prophets) and seven Neviot (prophetesses) who had prophesied to the Jews.  For all these Neviim were not able to turn the Jews to go in a better direction”

· But the removal of the ring woke them up, and they then turned in the right direction and did Tshuva.

· This was Tshuva Shel Yira.

· Persia controlled practically the entire world – 127 Medinot – from India to Ethiopia.

· Achashveros agreed to Haman’s plan to eradicate the entire people, chas ve shalom.

· Things looked extremely bleak. But then there was a ray of light.

· Esther just ‘happened’ to become queen.

· And Esther and Mordechai called on the Jews to fast for three days and do Tshuva.

· That was Tshuva shel Yira – with trembling fear – beseeching Shamayim for a Yeshua, Redemption, to save them from extinction.

· Then this Tshuva Shel Yira seemed to be accepted by Shamayim, and all of a sudden things turned around, flipped from horrible to wonderful.

· Megilla – Chapter 6 –

o The king woke in the night and read from the book of Chronicles.

o He read that Mordechai had not been rewarded for notifying him about a plot against his life.

o The king asked, "What honor has been given to Mordechai for this?"

o Just then Haman had come to the outer courtyard to tell the king to hang Mordechai on the gallows he had prepared for him.

o The king said to Haman, "What should be done for a man whom the king wishes to honor?

o Haman said to the king, "Let them bring a royal garment, and a horse upon which the king has ridden, and lead him through the city square, proclaiming, 'So is done for the man whom the king wishes to honor!'"

o The king said to Haman, "Hurry! Do this for Mordechai the Jew who sits at the king's gate. Do not leave out a thing from all that you suggested."

o So Haman led Mordechai through the city square and proclaimed before him: "So is done for the man whom the King wishes to honor!"

o Haman hurried to his house, miserable, and told his friends and his wife Zeresh about all that had happened to him.

o His friends and Zeresh told him, "If this Mordechai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail over him, for you will certainly fall before him."

· The Jews realized that their prayers and Tshuva had been answered.

· Then the Tshuvua shel Yira was transformed into Tshuva shel Ahava.

· To use an analogy, there are two types of Atomic bombs.  The bomb used in 1945 in Hiroshima and Nagazaki was a Uranium bomb.

· Seven years later, in 1952, the United States developed the Hydrogen bomb, that was 1000 times more powerful.

· The Hydrogen Bomb needs an ignition to start it – that was done with the Uranium Bomb.

· They used the Uranium Bomb to ignite the much more powerful Hydrogen Bomb.

· On Purim first came the Tshuva shel Yira – like a Uranium bomb.

· When Hashem accepted the Tshuva shel Yira, the Jews were able to use it to ignite the much greater power of Tshuva shel Ahava.

· The question is: can we do Tshuva shel Ahava directly, without going through the very painful Tshuva shel Yira first.

· Messechet Sanhendrin 97b: (When the time of the Redemption comes) if the Jews don’t do Tshuva, they will be redeemed anyway.  Hashem will set up a king over them, whose decrees will be as cruel as Haman's.  The Jews will then do Tshuva, and the cruel king will bring them back to the right path.

· Hashem would love for us to do Tshuva shel Ahava directly.

· Perhaps the outpouring of love on Purim is meant to inspire us to go directly to the glorious power of Tshuva shel Ahava, without first going through the scary and painful period of Tshuva shel Yira.

· Today Iran is threatening us again, just as it did 2500 years ago. And there are more threats in the world, waiting in the wings.

· Let’s spare ourselves the pain, and go directly to Tshuva shel Ahava.