From Sinai to Purim

“The Jews fulfilled and accepted” (Esther 9:27) “they fulfilled on Purim that which they accepted at Sinai” -Talmud (Shabbat 88a)

Haman’s decree "to annihilate all Jews, young and old, infants and women" was neither the first nor the last such attempt by our enemies. But this was the only time that the threat was so immediate and encompassing, the extinction of all Israel on a single day. Every Jew on the face of the earth living in the Persian Empire from India to Ethiopia was directly affected Haman’s evil decree.

Besides the physical threat to Jews, there’s also a spiritual drama underlying the Purim events that profoundly affected our relationship with G-d. Paradoxically, Purim represented both a nadir in terms of Divine Revelation as well as a "moment of truth" that galvanized our covenant with G-d.

At Mount Sinai G-d chose us as His people, and we committed ourselves to observe His Torah. Yet nearly one thousand years were to pass before this covenant was consummated. The validity of our contract at Sinai was contestable until we bonded with G-d on Purim.

At Sinai, Israel "stood beneath the mountain." The Talmud explains that "G-d held the mountain over them, saying: ‘If you accept the Torah, fine; if not, here shall be your grave."

A contract made under duress is not binding. Hence our initial ‘forced’ commitment at Sinai could be contested. But in the events leading up to Purim, the Jews reaffirmed their acceptance of Torah by volunteering without coercion. “They fulfilled and accepted," validating and confirming that which they accepted earlier at Sinai.

The Dark Ages
At Sinai, G-d revealed His essence. "G-d descended upon Mount Sinai" and we "saw the G-d of Israel." On that day, we "were shown to know that G-d is the Supreme Being--there is none besides Him," "Face to face G-d spoke, on the mountain, from within the fire."

In terms of Divine revelation, the Purim era was the diametric opposite of Sinai. At that time Jerusalem’s Holy Temple lay in ruins, its rebuilding halted by Royal decree. The era of prophecy, G-d’s direct communication to man, was coming to a close. We were in exile at the mercy of our enemies, and G-d seemed oblivious to our fate.

Even the miracle of Purim was so enclothed in natural events, that G-d’s guiding hand was shrouded by the illusion of coincidence. This is why there is no mention of G-d’s name in the Book of Esther.

Ironically, this spiritual blackout spurred us to the greatest demonstration of our loyalty to G-d. For eleven months, Haman’s decree of annihilation hung over each and every Jew. That whole year, identifying as a Jew meant that one’s life was free for the taking by imperial decree; yet not a single Jew broke ranks from his people to assimilate into the pagan populace.

There is deeper significance of the "coercion" at Sinai and the validation of our covenant with G-d achieved on Purim.

At Sinai, we were overwhelmed by the awesome revelation of Divine truth that left no room for doubt or dissent. In effect, we were "forced" to accept the Torah; completely enveloped by the divine reality that left us no alternative but to accept our heavenly ordained mission and role.

But a thousand years later, we reaffirmed this commitment under very different conditions, when the divine presence did not hover over us, and was not compelling. We were on our own, our commitment stemming wholly from within, from an inner choice to cleave to Him regardless.

The Torah was a binding commitment between us and G-d also during the 950 years from Moses to Esther. As the Talmud interprets the Book of Esther, "They fulfilled what they had already accepted," Purim fulfilled and corroborated the truth established at Sinai.

We were "compelled" to receive the Torah at Mount Sinai because a consciously chosen commitment could not express the true extent of our acceptance of the Torah. Our covenant with G-d extends beyond the finite world of our conscious desires, embracing the infinite expanses of our supra-conscious self--the supra-conscious self that always "sees" G-d and is unequivocally aware of His truth.

At Sinai, this supra-conscious self was revealed. Our conscious self, comprising but a minute corner of our soul, was overwhelmed and its "choice-making" mechanisms were stifled and silenced.

We remembered Sinai as a time when we were overwhelmed by the divine truth and compelled to accept it. Did this come from within ourselves, from a place in our souls not accessible by the conscious self? Or perhaps it came from without, from an external force which coerced us, against our own true will, into our covenant with G-d?

Then came Purim, with its eclipse of perceivable G-dliness. To remain loyal to our covenant with G-d was not influenced by supra-conscious revelations. By choosing to accept the Torah under such circumstances, we affirmed that this is our true will. We affirmed that our "coercion" at Sinai was not against our will, but consistent with what we truly desire.

The Willful Mitzvah
Purim thus revealed a new dimension in our Torah observance, establishing it as a freely chosen way of life, as opposed to a set of compelling duties. This “upgrade” is also reflected in the mitzvot of Purim.

On Purim we exchange Mishloach Manot food gifts to promote fellowship and love. Another Purim mitzvah, Mattanot La’evyonim, is to give charity to at least two paupers.

But to "love your fellow" and to give charity are already year-round Mitzvos. What makes these distinctly Purim observances?

The answer: Torah does not obligate us year round to initiate gestures of friendship or seek out the needy. The commandment "Love your fellow as yourself" only mandates that when you encounter your fellow, you treat him with love and respect. The law of charity mandates that when a needy person approaches us for help, we must render assistance.

What is unique about Purim is that we actively seek out opportunities to fulfill these mitzvot.

Purim emphasizes our strong desire to volunteer. Also one who performs only out of a sense of duty may do the deed properly and wholeheartedly. Conceivably, two people may do the same thing, one of them out of a deep-felt desire to do so, and the other because he feels dutifully obligated. We may not be able to tell the difference between the two.

But what if no obligating circumstances exist? Does one pursue the deed and seek to obligate oneself? Here is where the difference is revealed--this is what distinguishes the willing, desirous performer from the merely obedient one.

The Purim mitzvot of mishloach manot and mattanot la’evyonim highlight the voluntary aspect of our relationship with G-d: a relationship that is not only by duty, but enhanced with the bond of good will.