My veteran readers will remember that sometimes I imagine a simulated, fictional interview with the Yeitzer Hara to give us an inner look into the machinations of the one whose mission is to cause us to sin. So, I hope you find it enjoyable and inspirational.
Rabbi Weiss: Reb Yeitzer Hara, I haven’t run into you for a long time.
Yeitzer Hara: Every time we meet, I end up spilling some of my secrets to you.
RW: The Torah says, “Hachaim v’hamaves nasati l’fonecha, u’vacharta bachaim – Life and death I put before you, you should choose life.” It seems to me that many times there is a polarity in our choices and there is almost a black-and-white difference between good and evil.
YH: (Chuckling!) You just noticed that now? Take the mitzvah of mishloach manos, sending gifts on Purim as an example. It’s such a lofty opportunity that Rambam waxes rhapsodically, “Kol hamarbeh mishloach manos, harei zeh m’shubach – Whoever increases the amounts of gifts they send is to be praised.” So important is the spirit of promoting rei’us, friendship on Purim! Yet nowadays, I’ve convinced people to go all the way in the opposite direction. They buy two fancy gifts and for everyone else they send postcards “in lieu” of shalach manos. That’s like saying you gave tzedakah instead of having a sumptuous Shabbos meal.
RW: You’ve piqued my interest. Any other Purim examples?
YH: Sure! You know that Purim is a very special day for prayer. We are taught, “Kol haposhet yad, nosnim lo – Whoever stretches out their hand for tzedakah, you should give them [without any inspection].”
RW: So, what does this have to do with prayer?
YH: Baal Shem Tov interprets this differently. “Whoever stretches out his hand to Hashem on Purim, his request will be granted to him.” We also know that Yom Kippur is called Yom ki’Purim, it is a day like Purim. That means that as much as Yom Kippur is an intensive all-day time for prayer, so is Purim!
RW: Yes! And the hero of Purim, Mordechai, is introduced as, “ben Yair, ben Shimi, and ben Kish.” The Gemara homiletically interprets this to mean, “ ‘Ben Yair,’ ben she’hei’ir eineihem shel Yisroel bi’sfiloso – [Mordechai is called] ‘son of Yair,’ a man who illuminated the eyes of Yisroel through his prayers… ‘ben Shimi,’ bein sh’shama Keil t’filaso – [He is called] ‘son of Shimi,’ a son whose prayers were listened to by Hashem… ‘ben Kish,’ she’hikish al sha’arei rachamim v’nif’t’chu lo – [He is called] ‘son of Kish,’ who banged on the doors of mercy and they were opened to him.” So, we see that Mordechai reversed the deadly threat of Haman through the power of prayer.
YH: The very name Purim, and the letters that spell the word Purim, are an anagram of ram piv, the exaltation of his (Mordechai’s) mouth.
RW: But, where is the polarity that you were talking about?
YH: What do you mean? People get so drunk on Purim that many hardly have any kavannah in their regular Mincha and Maariv. Forget about devoting time to extra Tehillim and extra requests!
RW: But there is an actual mitzvah to drink on Purim!
YH: Here I go again spilling my secrets! In today’s world, where so many people are prone to addictive behavior or are looking for ways to escape from reality, over-drinking is just asking for trouble.
RW: Yes. My Rebbe’s minhag, Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, zy”a, was to do like the Rema, the posek for Ashkenazi Jewry, and just drink a little bit more than usual and take a nap. Now I see what you mean that, with all the craziness on Purim, the last thing on people’s minds is to utilize the day for intensive prayer.
YH: If you want an almost comical example of polarity, take the modern-day corruption of the minhag of to’ameha on erev Shabbos.
RW: What do you mean?
YH: Well, the Yerushalmi says, “To’ameha chaim zachu – One who tastes the food before Shabbos will merit life.” This means checking the food as to whether it has enough salt, enough pepper, or whether it needs some other doctoring to make it taste better. But just a taste! For, on erev Shabbos we are supposed to eat sparingly so that we should come to our Friday night meal salivating and with a strong appetite. The Kitzur Shulchan Orech says that we should skip one meal each week to give our digestive system a rest, and he recommends that it should be Friday lunch to ensure a ravenous appetite l’kavod Shabbos.
RW: Ok. Where’s the polarity?
YH: Ah!!! Today, we have sumptuous to’ameha, a repast with buffalo wings, franks and blankets, a selection of cholents, and a full smorgasbord with all types of whisky. Talk about corruption of a minhag! By the time people come to the Shabbos meal, they can’t put food in their mouths; they’re so full. Besides the fact that they walk into shul or come home tipsy!
RW: Yes. I always knew that you are the master of con artists. When I think of polarity, I think of a wife who wears a shmata when her husband comes home but gets dressed to the nines when she goes out with her lady-friends!
May it be the will of Hashem that we not be misled by the Yeitzer Hara. May this Purim be a day where we bring joy to many others and find time to pray for all those who are in need. And in that merit, may Hashem bless us with a very merry Purim, long life, good health, and everything wonderful.