Pragmatic Purim | Rabbi Shmuel Goldin | February 24th 2026

We uh all inside I think. Okay, we're going to start. Let me first open by uh thanking Iris Rothman for dedicating this year in memory of father Yeescal Pesak Benedak who was Nifar 33 years ago on Purim. Remember him at this time. >> I'm not being clear now. Better >> that's better. All right, I was co too close. Okay, the we're about to deal with one of my favorite topics and that is the festival of Purim. It's one of my favorites because you you probably realize by now that I like to take things that are familiar and find the depth within them or the messages within them. I believe that most of us understand Porum only superficially and that the very important messages that emerge from the festival are are generally lost. Let's take a look at uh the opening riddle. But before we do that, I also want to say that the material we're covering today optimally would be over two sharim, but I'm going to try to fit it into one. So, let's see if we can do it. All right. So I'm going to start with an opening riddle as we did last week. The riddle has to do not with this year but with years when purim takes place on a leap year. Now a leap year has two months of adar. Right? So the question is the rabbis ask which month of adar do you use? Do you use the first month or the second month? And two it's in the gabbor two possible opinions only two can be two opinions are forwarded the first one is rebelzario who says one does not pass over mitzvot you're not allowed to you're not allowed to pass you're not allowed to pass over mitzvote and therefore it should be celebrated in the first month of ador along comes and he says no no it has to be celebrated in the second month of ador [snorts] to maintain proximity with the festival of pesak and you have to wonder hold on a minute why these two festivals are very very different aren't they one of them is biblical one of them is rabbitic one of them celebrates uh Jewish history in totality one of them celebrates a particular particular event. Why is it that we are [clears throat] um ignoring what is a usual a usual rule? The usual rule is you don't pass over a mitzvah. Why are we ignoring that? To keep porium in proximity to pes. Think about it. We'll have an answer hopefully by the end of the sh. Now what we need to do is we need to peg purm I believe as a paradigm not just as an event a holiday that celebrates its own event but a but a that serves as a paradigm for the future and the way to understand that is first you have to take a look at where porm occurs on the historical timeline of the Jewish people. I have a very brief timeline for you. If you look at section nine, you'll see that Porim emerges at a particular moment. And that particular moment is when the exile of force becomes an exile of choice. when the Babylonian exile has ended in terms of being forced to stay in Babylon and the opportunity to return to Erit Israel has begun and as we know very few made use of that opportunity most of them stayed in Babylon now that's a pivotal point in history and we're going to talk why later but I just want to point out when I say that porum is a paradigm turn to page two and you'll see that we have understood Purum as a paradigm across the ages. Every time a different community through history suffered a very serious threat and was miraculously redeemed or saved, they had a day to celebrate it. And what do they call it? Porm. So you have and this is just a partial list. You have the porm of anona of the bandits of burglar of Cairo etc etc and you have families who had purim of rabbanz purim of rabman heler very important figures in Jewish history but they celebrated an event and they therefore called it purim. Soaporeim now is beginning to emerge as I said not as its own celebration but as a celebration that that sets the stage for similar celebrations throughout history. Now what I believe happens is the following Baraku turns to B Israel. I mean, I don't know what he's thinking, but I I'm going to suggest it. At the moment, when most of them decide to stay in Babylon and he says to them, "That's the world you're choosing. I'm going to show you what it's really like. I'm going to show you what you are opting to choose instead of going back to Erit Israel." and he creates an event which has a number of particular features that are specific to his message. And what are those features? Let's take a look one bottom of page two. a turbulent uncertain vulnerable experience is one of the phrases that people take out of the migilla. It's a song to make it into a song. What is vinu it overturned he means the opposite in an instant is saying your fate will change totally. You can be celebrating in Akash Rosh's palace one day and the next day you'll be threatened with extermination and it'll and this and this isn't only specific to this moment or to this place is saying it's going to happen over and over again. Now given where we are and our time now the concept of that kind of turbulence is the way we live our lives. What what what's changed over the past number of months you years specifically and completely what isn't changed what's going back what's happening here are we fighting are we not fighting everything is turbulent and that's the first feature that aeshbu wants us to realize when we choose gulos when we choose the option of remaining in in gulos and what we should know I by the is that it's also not a paradigm and this is why it's important for us not only a paradigm for individual communities of gulos but it's a paradigm for Israel within the community of nations meaning when we deal with that element when we deal with the outside world with the community quote community of nations the turbulence will be will be there too and vinu you can't rely what's who's going to be the next president what's going to happen how's it going to Don't know don't you can't predict the future. Next, the second thing that is specific to this moment in history is that and we've spoken about this a bit before. This marks the end of the prophetic era of the national period. Basically what happens when we get to the time of purim about the time of purim stops talking he doesn't tell us he doesn't there's no and what has to happen we have to find god within the context of what happens that the rabbis ask a very interesting question that's a famous question they say how can I find in the Torah a hint for to the con to Esther. Now, wait a minute. Again, I'm a pushup shot man. The the Torah was given centuries before Esther was born. H why how would why they want why would they want to find or why would they think they can find in the Torah text a hint or an illusion to Esther? It makes no sense. So, no. What's their answer? God says there will come a point where I will hide my face. Esther a see the similarity between the words. Aier means to hide. All right? And therefore we have an illusion to Esther. Now what are the rabbis saying? Not just a game of words. It's a statement. This is the time when God's hiding his face. This is the moment when God is saying, "Okay, you're on your own." Now, that phrase refers to a real hester upon him, which I was a kind of events that took place during World War II where God completely hid his face from us. But nonetheless, he's hidden now, too. Not in that to that extent, but nonetheless. All right. One considered, they weren't considered. No, they're not Nim. No. Well, they're not considered Naveim. And if they would be considered Naveim, which I don't think they we don't know why they have any NVIR, right? In fact, let's remember that in the migill there is no mention of God. Baraku does not appear once in the mill. And that's part of this. That's because Baraku is challenging Esther and Mori and those who live at that time to find him within the context of the events that unfold which becomes our responsibility throughout the years. So there's no NVO at this point. Nava has stopped. The next thing I actually wrote about in in the most recent Torah tidbits, but um in case you didn't read it, there is a statement that's made in the Talmud that makes that's very very that creates a lot of problems and that is a person should become so intoxicated that he can no longer discern the difference between Mori. Blessed be Mordei and cursed behav. Wow. All right. So what does that mean? And what before we even get let's talk about the practicality. There are numerous sources that indicate that that does not to be taken literally to the full extent. The Ram who is Moshe is the Ashkanazic commentary on the Sh commentary the Ashkanazic text of the Shokan. In other words, he has notes in the he says one way of doing this is to drink a little more than than usual and fall asleep. And when you're asleep, you won't know the difference between uh Morai and Hmon. Certainly uh certainly and I've would say this over and over again the kind of excesses that we see taking place for the fulfillment of this particular statement are antithetical antithetical to what a what aes wants. No question in my mind. I mean we we usually go on pour him to my sister in Harno kids all over the young people drunk all over throwing up in the street. This is not what aesu wants from us. So so we take this we not totally literally but the real question is why does that statement exist at all? In other words, why do the rabbis think that I should get to a point where I can no longer discern good from evil? So the answer, I think, is they want us to realize the nature of the world in which we live. It is a world of lies. It's a world where the distinction between good and evil has disappeared. Right. Uh terrorists become freedom fighters, we become colonists. Uh just go on and on and on. So >> that's the way >> what >> there probably a zillion ways to do it. But this way >> well like I said, we don't I the Rama would say yes, just drink a little more and go to sleep. In other words, don't become drunk. That's that's his and that that I believe that's the way I handle it. And and certainly in other words what they're saying is you should get to a point on Purim where you feel the nature of the world in which you live. And what's the nature of the world in which you live? This is the philosophical idea. What's the nature of the world in which you live? It's a world where the distinction between good and evil doesn't exist. And and you've got to know it. You've got to see it. I saw something very interesting. I heard I forget who it was who was talking. He said, "We have to stop stop trying to make them like us." Right? We have to stop because they're not going to like us no matter what we do. We just got to stop. We've got to do what we need to do and we got to do it with pride and those that will respect us will respect us. But we've got to stop thinking that, oh, if I do this act of to the world, they're going to say, oh, look at the great Jews. It's not going to happen. Yes, >> I would think that we should know the difference between good and evil that I'm born because we went to the banquet of etc, etc. that instead of not understanding the world we live in we as Jews >> okay that's what we should do all okay so I'll take the I'll repeat the question the question is is this really what we should do on purum and this similar to your question is this really what we should do on purim we should purm specifically we should know the difference so my answer to you is no that's what we should do year round every day every day we should know the difference and we should be able to say when somebody is saying a lie, you're saying a lie. But we need to understand that those lies exist. We need to understand one day feel what it is like to be in that world because that's the world you're in. So that's a suggestion. In other words, yes, we need to know difference between good and evil, but that's something that we should do every day of our lives. Porm is unique. It's a good question though. Yeah. >> And you also say possibly the sun is now that maybe it means connected to napu that you should get drink a little so that you finally understand a little that the world could turn around in a second. >> All right. So what you're saying it could become cursed and something else could become. >> Okay. No question about it. You're saying this ties into theu idea which is you live in a world that's turbulent that's changes and that can be part of this. Okay, I'll take one more question and then we got to move. >> I learned that in the time that did the that was when and got mixed up the same thing with Ham. >> That's very interesting. Very nice. Very nice. All right. She for those in the listening audience uh she said she's suggesting that um tovara became confus well there's a whole s way to understand that I think but tovara dates back to theas tovara and to kavo stepping over the boundary and that's similar to this >> yeah very good okay all right um finally two more two more features. A fragmented nation. We should listen to our enemies because they often tell us things that we should realize. What does what does Hmon say to Akash when he comes to him? They are they're spread out. They're all over the place. What does that mean? they're not united. It means that you they're vulnerable because they're not together. And as a proof that this is part of the message of Porim, Porm, aside from Yomtoolio, which is another issue in terms of its inception is different strokes for different folks, right? You celebrate it one way in, you celebrate another way outside. It's the only festival that and the and the town the Mishna says that there are even more possibilities dependent on coming into the town for the for this to to receive um supplies etc etc. They could move it up to the 13th to the 14th different. This is the only one. Right? So it's the it's showing us how fragmented we've become. >> What >> we want to be he says. Very good. Saysar correct. Correct. But that maybe he maybe it's a Freudian slip. I don't know. All right. Let's go to the to D. Oh, that's D. Let's go to E. And this one is is very very interesting. It's uh the gamarra doesn't has a conversation that almost I'm going to be a little irreverent. Seems like purm Torah. Why? What is Let's go. What's the rule? [snorts] The rule is that cities that are walled or werewalled celebrate Shushanpur. cities that were unwalled celebrated. Why is that? Why? Because we want to remember Shushan particularly because it was walled. And since it was walled, a walled city like Shushan should celebrate like Shushan. Fine. >> What? >> The wall with >> what? >> That's how the wall was. The wall >> the wall >> was on the >> Yeah, there was right in the >> That's correct. All right. So that's right. And in in the McGill, it talks about those who are spread out outside walls celebrate one way or those who now issue. >> Why is that an issue? We'll get to it. Stay with me. So the Gomorrah asks a question. The Gomorrah says, "At what point in history does a city have to be walled to be considered a walled city on Porin?" So what would you suggest just off the top of your head? >> The time of what? >> Time of poreim would make sense, right? The time of porima would make sense. Shushan, that's along come the rabbis and say no and and that is one and that is one opinion cited in the Gomorrah. But the rabbis rule differently to the other opinion. What's that? The city has to be walled from the time of Yahushua. But then the Gabar asks a question. Shushan was not walled at the time of Yahushua's conquest and the Gomorrah answers Shushan's an exception. So think and that's why I say poor because of the nays happening there. Now as I said it it almost you're creating a rule in which the basis of the rule is the exception to the rule. Right? doesn't but what's the message you should mark your time by Israel you should even when you're in Golos your eyes should be to Jerusaleim and if we're going to decide when a should be celebrated it'll be based on Israel and when you conquered it not on Shushan and so the very very powerful lesson that emerges in that statement. Okay, now we're going to go. Yeah, I'm sorry. >> Yes, weed. >> In time of Yeshua, we were united. Good point. All right. Which is the antithesis, right? So, maybe that's another reason. All right. Very good. >> Shushan. >> Shushan. Where is Shushan? In Iran, I think. [laughter] >> Or Iraq. One or the other. >> Iraq. Iraq. >> Iran. All right. In fact, I think in Iran there's there's a the Kev that they say is a Kev of Mori, >> right? So it's all right. So history is coming back full circle, right? Okay. Now I we're this is the second part. So, so what we're suggesting now is that there are features to this festival that are specifically rise out of its point in history and serve as a paradigm, right, for what's going to happen over and over again. Let's let's take all questions and comments at the end because now I got to move. Now, [snorts] I believe also Hmon and Morai and Esther and were real people, real story. It happened. But they are also paradigms. They are those four characters are paradigms of people that we will be or meet across history. >> What? Let's start. Let's start with Hmon. All right. So, what did the rabbis say? The me the migillas says homagogi aogi. All right. The agite. Now who is a go? >> What? He was the last king of of Ammo who was spared by Sha and then and Shal remmonstrates him and he eventually kills Zagog. But apparently at some point there Aog had was able to reproduce and Hmon is a descendant of Aog. Now what is what is Hmon? What what would you say? What how would you describe Amoleik? >> Incarnation of >> what? Sorry. >> Incarnation of evil. But even more than that, hatred with no basis. Right? In other words, right? Let's take a look. And that's what look at what happens in the migillo. Morai is not bowing down. A normal villain would say what? Hang Mori. How do you make the leap from Mori not bowing down to kill them all? That's a moch. That's a moch. A mole is senseless, baseless hatred across time that threatens the Jewish people. And over and over again and that there's a whole discussion about Amorite. Do we we can't recall speaks about the fact that if you look at the sources, you cannot recognize an Amalachite today biologically. You can only recognize them philosophically. In other words, there's Amolech the physical and Amolech the the psychological or philosophical. And that's what's happened here. Now, Morai, what's Morai the paradigm of? >> He's a paradigm of the Jewish hero. He's a Jewish hero, right? In other words, he he says, >> "That's right. >> Can't b out." Now, let me ask you a question. What's the halo? If I live in a a a country and there's a king, do I bow down to the king or I don't bow down to the king? >> You do. You respect the government. >> So what is Morai doing here? He is going against what is normative it would seem because the king is assigning this guy to be his viceroy. So you should bow down to him. And he's not only >> the king. >> No, he's not the king, but he's a he's the appointed man of the king, the government. If he wants you to bow down, you bow down to him. So what's going on here? So the answer is the Jewish hero has to recognize the red lines over which you can't cross. And that's what's happening with Morai. Mor is saying at whatever cost you don't bow down to the likes of and that's what's happening here and that's why I say that he's the Jewish hero because he's the paradigm of of what what will be yes >> doesn't change if it's a if it's a situation of danger >> yeah does at that point but at that right changes when it's a time of oppression but at the time when Morai refuses to bow down. It's not an oppressive moment and nothing's happened that's oppressing the Jews and he and he is putting in danger not only himself but the entire Jewish world. So what's going on here? So that is the fact you can I some point I'm going to reach a red line where even if it means my I'll take comments at the end. All right. Sorry. Um, even if even if it I'll even if I lose my life, that's a red line over which I can't cross. And [clears throat] the people my nation has to know that under any circumstances, you don't bow down to the likes of Hmon. All right. Now, finally, esther. What is who is Esther the paradigm of? Jewish heroine. >> Jewish heroine. I think uh a little more than that sacrifice for her >> the Jewish martyr. She is the Jewish martyr. Let's understand at the end of the Purim story everybody is celebrating in Shushan, right? Where's Esther? >> She doesn't get she doesn't get out. And that there's a point where where she herself says, "I'm I'm going to cross a line that I won't be able to retract." When Morai says to her, "You have to go to speak to Akashro to save the Jews." And she says, "No or whatever. I can't." And she says finally agrees and she says and the rabbis say you should have a tear in your eye when you hear that. What is avad? As I am lost to you Mori I will be lost to to the world to the Jewish world. And she becomes a Persian queen. and and and we and we according to some interpretations, the king who allows us to return to rebuild is really her son or her son is somewhere in that line. But anyway, the point being that that's that's the third paradigm, the Jewish martyr. But now we're going to get to my favorite Akash Akash is the rabbis have a debate. The rabbis say one rabbi says in the Gmorrah Akash was a tip was a fool the way most of us understand him and the other says no he was cunning as a fox. We're going to take a look. I want to show you the evil of Anakash veros. Let's start. Look at page uh part four on page five. The the uh the messengers went out with the with the news that you can at such and such a date you can rise up and kill the Jews, right? Now, those words are very specific. They're sitting down and having a party. And what's happening outside, not just the Jews are in turmoil, meaning what? Everybody's in turmoil. Why? Because think about it. Imagine you're in a place where they say you can kill the Jews on such and such a date a couple of months from now. How do I deal with my neighbor? Do I ask her for a cup of sugar? She's going to kill me. What what is the what is there? They are everyone is upset. And what's the image of Akash Ro? I'm partying in the I'm partying in the palace. What happens outside stays outside. Next. All right. Vo Mori finds out about this vo. He comes up into the gate of the king, right? Because you can't go into the gate. Bush sak. What does that mean? >> Keep it outside. You're in mourning. Keep it outside. Your problem does not come here. Keep going by. All right. Peric. This the last paragraph on page five. [snorts] What does Esther first say to Morai when Morai says you have to save the Jews? She says, she says, "Anybody who appears before the king that he didn't summon, what do you do? It's he'll kill him unless you'll kill that p the kill person will be killed unless he extends his scepter." Wouldn't it be nice to wake up in the morning and say the only people I want to see today are A, B, and C. If D shows up off with their head, I I don't want to see them. I I want to live in a world where I am mandating who I see and under what circumstance I see. So what's emerging is a king who at all costs is keeping things out. any any problem or any sorrow is what outside the palace and what's in the palace is this fabricated environment that I can control as king let's go on take a look at the next page next page okay the next one is is is sort of a an aside but it is it is oh basic ically it is perhaps another indication what happens when the king's asleep he wakes up what what does he want to have done read him bedtime stories come and read come and read right king is so that is an indication of something what I believe it's an indication of is the more you try to be like that where you're trying to create your own environment the more paranoid you become and and then the more the more you've got to work hard to make sure that nothing happens. Now take a look at the end and this to me is the is the point in the migillo where through a series of events the real akash ro comes out what happens there at the second party and Esther says there is a person who wants to destroy my people da da da and he says me who's right who is this person the a who Alo lias. Who is who is this man? So what does Esther say? It's him. It's Omar. What's the first thing the king does? >> He runs away. He goes out of the room and he goes into the garden. He gets Why? This is the worst nightmare for him. This is this is this is impossible. What? I've been trying to keep all this outside and now it's invading my palace. He comes back in and he sees Hmon prostrating herself on the before Esther and what and he turns to what does he say to Hammon? Are someone not only you're doing things that she said but are you trying to seduce my wife? Now let's wait a minute. Is there anyone who would suggest that at that moment Hmon would really be trying to seduce Esther? Is there is is it possible that the king really believes Hmon is trying to seduce Esther? I don't think so. But what's he doing? He is taking a global problem and he's minimizing it to one person. As long as I kill Hmon, you see that that big problem is very hard to solve. I can't. But I can deal with this, right? And he re redefineses remakes the problem. It's no longer Hmon's trying to kill the Jews. It's hummons trying to seduce my wife. I can handle that. I can handle that. I can just get rid of her. I'm sorry. Get rid of him. The miracle is The miracle is that he doesn't get rid of her. We'll get to that. So, what happens? She as soon as they hang Hmon, Esther comes back. And if you take a look at page number se seven, Esther spoke before the king. Joseph Esther again before the king fell down at his feet. Right? Love she cries and she begs. She's she what's happening here? What's happening here is Akash Ro wants to stop the issue. The issue is done. I killed Hmon. The fact that Hmon is go made this mandate and that I agreed to the mandate to kill all the Jews. That's not the issue. And [snorts] Esther turns and she says, "No, I'm not going to leave you alone." She begs and she pleads and it shows the shows the depth of Akash's philosophy that she has to plead this way. Right? In other words, she should typically be able to say, you know, king, you didn't do what you're supposed to. She's she has to beg because Akash veros doesn't want to [snorts] deal with it. So, Akash then so then says what? Okay, I'll deal with it. But there's a problem. Any instruction that comes from the king cannot be reversed. Why? The king doesn't make mistakes, right? King doesn't make mistakes. So, what will I allow you to do? I will allow you to fight back. Now, wait a minute. war. >> Civil war on the streets of Shushon throughout the empire. Civil war. And what is Akashiro saying? As long as it's there, as long as it's outside, it's okay. It's okay. Kill yourselves. You kill them. You kill them. Everything will be fine. And and and that solves the problem. So he is solving the problem by mandating civil war in his own country. If that's not a a dimension of evil, I don't know what is. What what is emerging is the paradigm of a monarch who, as I said, creates an insular environment at the cost of keeping everything out that that's that threatens it and creates his own world. and his own world can allow that to happen. Can allow the his citizens to kill each other as long as he isn't touched. [snorts] And uh the um the whole point of this is aasher ro I believe if you ask me what aasher is, it's the world that did not help us during World War II. Okay. >> It's the world that will allow genocide to occur, real genocide in Sudan and and various other places in the world and is doing nothing about it. But when it comes to Israel, right? So this is Hmon is the villain but Hmon could not exist unless he's in an Akash ro and and therefore Akasho sets the sets the stage and you have to realize that you know everybody reads this but you don't really think about it to realize the depth of the evil of a king who would say to his subjects go ahead and kill each other. All right with me. Come back. I'll I'm going to leave time because I got time. Okay, let's go next. This is this is a final frightening reality. And again, this is something I see in the middle. I'm not sure it's right. But what what happens when Mori comes to Esther the first time? What happens when Morai comes to Esther the first time? She says, "I can't go." Right? >> [snorts] >> How does Mori respond? He responds, "Don't think you're safe. Don't think that the h people in Jews, someone in like you in the house of the king will be spared." And then he says and perhaps this is the reason you became queen. But I would that first argument don't think you're safe. I wouldn't think that Esther would think she's in other words would Esther does Morai really believe at this point that Esther would ignore the danger to others because she won't be safe. [snorts] Why is he giving that argument as the first argument? I think because and I may be wrong. I think because he's afraid that Esther's changed. And that what happens what the McGill is telling us is that if you live in the world of Akash Ro, there are two two possible problems or dangers. One danger is you become a victim. The other danger is you become a perpetrator. >> You become a perpetrator or you become like them. You live it's like load and sodom. You live in stone. You're going to become a stomite. Whether you like it or not, it's going to happen. And he's afraid that that might have happened to Esther. Turns out that it didn't. And it turns out that she's retained her identity. But the fact is that if he even had an a inkling of a possibility that she would have said, "Okay, I'm safe. You guys worry about it yourself." It's an indication that he thinks perhaps the time spent in the palace of Akash Ro has changed by Esther. And that's a possibility as well. And that's what I call a frightening continuing reality. Not only do we have to fight against a world by fighting for justice against injustice that we have to fight against that world so that we don't become like that world and that's very very significant. Okay, I'm finished. I'll take comments.