Beyond Orthodox Conversion to Judaism

By Rav Moshe Sternbuch

KABBOLAS HATORAH WHILE EXPERIENCING HESTER
PONIM

Har Sinai was accompanied by kollos uverokim, miraculous thunder and lightning.
The heavens opened up and we were privileged to see the greatest revelation of Hashem’s Yet, despite the obvious benefit of such an open display of Divine glory to elevate our faith in the Almighty, there is also a disadvantage.

Chazal tell us, “Modah rabba le’oraisa. We seemingly have an excuse to free ourselves
from our acceptance of Torah.” Klal Yisroel can say that we only accepted the Torah because we were privileged to these open displays of glory. There were no kabbolas
haTorah for future generations when the Almighty’s Presence would be hidden by the
guise of teva, nature.

Purim is characterized by nissim nistarim, hidden miracles. Hashem’s Name is deliberately not mentioned once in the entire story, for He wished to show us His interaction in the world through the vise of hester ponim. As a result, the Megillah tells us, “Kimu vekiblu haYehudim.” After the hidden miracles of Purim, we reaccepted the Torah even during a time when the Almighty’s Presence was hidden from us.

THE SIMCHA OF PURIM

The Vilna Gaon adds another dimension to the simcha of Purim. He explains that on Yom
Kippur, when we received the second set of Luchos, we should have celebrated with great joy. However, since Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and repentance, that was not possible. How did Hashem make this up? He gave us a second opportunity for Kabbolas HaTorah on Purim. On Purim, we can express our great joy that we were given the Torah.

Chazal tell us, “Chayov inish levesumei bePuria ad delo yoda bein arur Haman
uboruch Mordechai - A person has to celebrate on Purim until he can no longer recognize the difference between the fact that Haman is cursed and Mordechai is blessed.” On a simple level, Chazal meant to express a very high level of joy.

However, we can understand this halachah on a deeper level as well. The Zohar writes
that the festival of Yom Kippurim is Yom K’Purim, a day like Purim. In fact, it is the mitzvah of drinking on Purim that makes it like Yom Kippur.

When a person gets drunk, his real essence comes out. This true display of self is the same level of truthfulness that we are meant to reach on Yom Kippur, when we admit our sins in front of Hashem and accept that we will not commit them again. Once we have reached this level of clarity on Purim, we can understand the level of truth we are meant to achieve on Yom Kippur.

UNITY

Drinking wine is one of the mitzvos of Purim Matanos la’evyonim and mishloach manos
play important roles in creating the nature of the day. How do these mitzvos contribute to the Kabbolas HaTorah of Purim?

When we received the Torah, the Jewish people were in a state of complete unity,
ke’ish echad beleiv echad, like one person with one heart. In order to accept the Torah again, we need to return to that state. The mitzvos of matanos la’evyonim and mishloach manos help create this state of perfect unity on Purim day.

AMALEIK

Amaleik’s basic assumption is the opposite of what we have described. Only teva,
nature, has true existence. Anything that does not fit into this framework is discounted. The Rambam (Sefer Hamitzvos 188) writes that the mitzvah of destroying Amaleik is to eradicate their descendants from the world.

The Targum Yonason (at the end of Parshas Beshalach) tells us that during Acharis
Hayomim, at the End of Days, the strength of Amaleik will approach world domination.
Their power will grow almost overwhelmingly, until, suddenly, Moshiach arrives and they will disappear entirely. This is comparable to a flame, which blazes brighter with a final spark just before it is extinguished.

Today, we are witnessing the fulfillment of this vision of Acharis Hayomim. The flame of Amaleik blazes stronger daily, and it appears as if their ascendancy is all but unstoppable. Hashem’s Presence seems to be increasingly shrouded and hidden, and those who doubt His existence seem to be gaining greater influence.

AN END TO ALL HOLIDAYS

Chazal tell us that all chagim will come to an end with the exception of Purim (Medrash Shachor Tov 9:2). We know that even after Moshiach comes, the commandments of the Torah will not change at all. How are we to understand this statement of Chazal? In truth, all of the festivals will remain intact as they are now. However, there will be a significant change vis-a-vis the way we celebrate Purim and the other chagim. This difference once again revolves around the nature of the festival of Purim.

Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos are all based on Yetzias Mitzrayim, the exodus from Egypt.
Miracles that will accompany the messianic era will dwarf the revelations of leaving
Egypt. Thus, while we will still celebrate these festivals, it ill not be with the same excitement as now.Purim, however, celebrates the nissim nistarim, the hidden miracles that Hashem has performed throughout the ages. When Moshiach comes, we will be shown why everything had to happen - the destruction of the first and second Botei Mikdosh, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, and all of the other seeming tragedies that we have experienced throughout the ages. Understanding the good behind these outwardly tragic events will be a reason for great joy.

The Ramban at the end of Parshas Bo writes, “A person does not have a portion in
Toras Moshe until he recognizes that everything is miraculous, that there is no such thing as nature in the world.” These words of the Ramban set the tone for the Yom Tov of Purim. Purim is about looking for the Almighty when He does not seem to be there and recognizing that He alone is behind the scenes, setting the stage for the grand finale, the final revelation in the days of Moshiach.