How can one possibly achieve such a level of sublime joy, even in the face of challenge and adversity?
The key lies in the continuation of G-d’s message to Aharon, “To distinguish between the sacred and the profane, and between the contaminated and the pure. And to teach the Children of Israel all the decrees that G-d had spoken to them through Moshe.” Proper Torah study and performance of mitzvos generate within a person a feeling of inner joy and satisfaction. In the words of King David, “The commandments of G-d are upright, gladdening the heart” (Tehillim 19:9). When one passionately performs the Will of G-d with devotion it engenders within him a realization that he is special and different. It is that feeling of true joy that Aaron had to feel upon entering the Sanctuary to perform the service.
True happiness does not result from things or events, but from a feeling of inner satisfaction and pride in one’s own value and sense of mission and purpose.
Chazal relate that when Moshiach comes all of our current holidays will become nullified because they will be superseded by greater holidays. The holiday of Purim, however, is eternal (Medrash Mishlei 9:2).
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach noted that while it may be true that the holiday of Purim itself will not be nullified, there is one aspect of the day which will indeed become nullified, i.e. the obligation to drink excessively to the point of intoxication.
He explains that the joy of Purim does not come from drinking, for such joy is not sincere or soulful. The reason for the obligation to drink excessively on Purim is because we often have a hard time accessing the joy in our hearts due to the many worries that consume us. We drink to free ourselves from those anxieties so that the spiritual joy within our souls can manifest and express itself without restraint on Purim. But in the future when our lives will be free of worries and burdens we will no longer need to drink to reach that level of euphoric joy.
As the holiday of Pesach rapidly approaches, we must ensure that we hold onto the joy of Purim and use it to segue into the great holiday of redemption. Just prior to the onset of the Pesach holiday, the Korbon Pesach was offered in the Bais Hamikdash. The offering could only be brought if one was ritually pure.
The special reading of Parshas Parah details the process of purification from ritual impurity via contact with a corpse. As long as one is impure one may not approach the Temple nor partake of any sacrificial meats. It is only after one undergoes the purification process that one may, once again, to “touch holiness.”
Our goal in life is to always seek to purify ourselves. A corpse is what remains after the spiritual soul has departed from a body. Wherever there is a loss of spirituality there is a certain measure of death and impurity that inevitably sets in its place. The most profound level of spiritual loss is at the moment of death, and therefore contact with death requires an extensive and punctilious purification process. On the flip side, whenever there is an added level of spirituality and striving for holiness there is greater purity and greater inner joy.
The joy of Purim is the inner joy of our souls exploding from within, all barriers torn away. To preserve that joy we must persist in our pursuit of greater spirituality and purity. The more we purify ourselves and yearn for greater growth the more we will be able to keep the joy of Purim manifest throughout the year.
