07 Mar A Collection of Short Purim Insights

A Collection of Short Purim Insights  

 

 

PURIM; Addiction, Recovery and Choosing Life

The Law to ‘CHOOSE LIFE’ is more than the superficial idea of life vs death. Anytime we sin, we bring into ourselves and the world an amount of death.

 

On Purim, the influence to drink can present a challenge to those in addiction recovery, for those who may be taking mood modifying medications, alcohol contra indicated medications and/or those dealing with stressful life or psychological issues,

 

It is a popular belief that a person should drink on Purim… this is not necessarily true for many. Anyone who causes harm to himself or another or his relationship with G-d as a result of being intoxicated has NOT fulfilled a mitzvah. In fact the opposite, he has sinned. CHOOSE LIFE!

 

Where it has been written that one should be INTOXICATED on/with Purim, this may be interpreted as being ‘SPIRITUALLY INTOXICATED’. Those in recovery from addiction and others who may be physically, emotionally or spiritually compromised by substance or behaviour should avoid drinking alcohol and avoid those places where alcohol is being served. For those in recovery, it is recommended to find a recovery friendly Purim Party.

 

Choose Life… physically, spiritually and emotionally.

 

 

‘Purim; ‘…may come to transgress’

 

A person who will come to transgress due to drinking, should not drink.’

 

Perhaps a most significant day of transgression and an obstacle to bringing Mashiach is Purim. The essence of Purim is to reveal the concealed of Godliness in the world and especially the concealed Godliness within each of us.

 

The remembrance of the time of a transgressive celebration (the seuda) ; the time of the Megilah, is only a part of the mechanism to bring our a greater tshuvah to tikun… the gift of a powerful self revelation. Having a seuda (meal) and becoming intoxicated is NOT AN END IN OF ITSELF.

 

Where a person might engage in the process of revelation by drinking wine, he should prepare much in advance of the Chag. He should be immersed in the learning and liviing of Torah. He should do a Cheshbon Hanefesh (personal inventory), and should be prepared for the revalation that may be granted to him and be prepared to act upon such a revelation.

 

To celebrate Purim in the manner as they they did at the time of the Megilah, ie to become intoxicated with no plan of acquiring the great gift of a vision with a commitment to ignite those revealed sparks of holiness through tshuvah, is sacrilege.

 

Where a person does not drink, he may become intoxicated with the spiritual joy of the Chag.

 

 
Paradox of Purim; Sanctify or Sacrilege
A person who becomes intoxicated on Purim without the proper and holy intent of the entire mitzvah, which includes previous to the chag the efforts ofo removing the blockages (klipot) to reveal and do tshuvah of his concealed issues of character, becoming intoxicated will serve only his desire for the counterfeit pleasure.

 

 

Paradoxically, one who has a deeper understanding of being ‘intoxicated’ on-or with Purim will be able to harness the powers of a ‘Holy Journey’ of personal revelation and his efforts will be meritorious.

 

 

The purpose of becoming ‘intoxicated’ is to reveal , on this designated day, the negatively impacting ‘secrets’ (of our character) within, and to recognize the necessary tshuvah that needs to follow, so one must still have the clarity to recognize and harness the revelation at that moment.

 

 

To engage in the rectified practice of being intoxicated on Purim in a holy way can be sanctifying… a Holy act.

 

 

To engage in the practice of being intoxicated on Purim without proper preparation including being immersed in Torah learning and aquiring a Holy mindset, can be damaging to the individual, and to The Nation of Israel… it can be sacrilege.

 

 
Purim; Being Prepared
The verse translates as; One should become intoxicated on/with Purim, meaning that one may become intoxicated with wine , or it may also be interpreted as one may become intoxicated with ‘the available spiritual loftiness of Purim’. It is also warned that drinking that leads to sin (inappropriate conduct) is prohibited.

 

The purpose of the day is to reveal the concealed insights of the secret(s) of our heart. One should be prepared to recognize this revelation and be prepared forthwith to work on the relevant character traits accordingly. If one is to drink wine on this day, it is said that he should prepare for Purim; ‘he should immerse himself in Torah study and be engaged in a regular cheshbon hanefesh (personal inventory of his character).’ This is done so one is properly prepared for moment of the revelation.

 

The historical time of Purim was a time of drunkenness and a time of transgression. If Our Purim is nothing more than a drunk fest, we will have sadly repeated the historic transgressive ways of the past.

 
Purim 502; An Important Gematria
What does it mean… ‘when we can’t tell the difference between ‘Cursed be Haman’ and ‘Blessed be Mordechai’ ?

 

In brief, a goal of becoming intoxicated on Purim may be to drink until you can’t tell the difference between ‘Cursed be Haman’ and ‘Blessed be Mordechai’ each having the same equal gematria (numrical value) of 502.

 

When a person has immersed himself in the study of Torah and has committed himself to the development and refining of one’s character, he then will have formed a foundation to elevate himself on this day even to reveal the concealed and dedicate himslef to further the process of his enlightenment.This is what one may then consider ‘Holy Drinking’.

 

With the appropriate Torah focus,drinking of the wine in a Holy way may have the intende holy positive effect and will allow the concealed (masked) weaknesses of character, aka one’s yetser hora, to be revealed. When drinking is done in an innaproprite way, the result can be sacriligious.

 

When done in a Holy, sanctifying way, a person may reach a lofty spiritual state become where the powerful positive sparks of holiness concealed within the darkness as ‘Cursed be Haman’ becomes revealed and rectified, and ‘Blessed be Mordechai’ are equal and become unified as one; a state o f Yichud-Onenesss, The evil darkness no longer exists. In fact the gematria for these 2 phrases is exactly the same; 502. This is a Messianic and Kabbalistic concept… all evil has been rectified… All is One, All is G-d.

 

 

AMALEK; How it Works

Amalek was first a nation, and then a force. It had not been impressed by the the miracle at the Yom Suf and they became emboldend. It was following the miracle at the Yom Suf when Amalek struck the Nation of Israel.

 

Where all other Nations had been impressed and nullified by Hashems miracles, Amalek only saw that the Nation of Israel had an experience of the wisdom of the mind (intellect, Chochma) but did not connect the mind experience to the heart (emotive, understanding, Binah) by interincludingh the mind and heart into action as avoda (service).

 

Amelak learned the weakness of this disconnect as an opportunity to know how to effectively ‘attack’ Israels ability to strengthen and unify. This is the way and purpose of Amalek.

 

The force of Amalek can permeate our efforts to succeed in our personal and National Tikun- rectification in concealed or overt ways. The remedy for rectification all the worlds blemishes, is to connect Torah Wisdom of the intellect (chochma) and Torah Wisdom of the heart (binah) into action.

 

 

Purim; Amalek, Zachor, Social Media

Purim is a time when we are strongly reminded about the Jewish Nations arch enemy Amalek. Although Amalek is no longer a nation, Amalek remains as ‘a negative force’ that continually undermines the Jew and his mission of Tikun Olam; rectifying ones self and the world. The force of Amalek can be overt, or in a more cunning and subtle way, causing our focus to be taken away from our goal of Tikun (rectification).

 

Today’s world offers an abundance of opportunities for Amalek to proliferate, especially through the power of social media where lies, allegations, derogatory speech and misleading information is abundant.

 

Our interest in politics, health information and other social concerns may cause one to beccome weakened and vulnerable to these prohibited practices of ‘leading others astray’. The power of words create reality.

 

Amalek is cunning, and will by its nature find ways compromise our success at every turn.

 

 

Purim; Secrets of the Magillah

Numerical relationships of words and letters are uniquely found in the Torah and can reveal many secrets.The Megillah of Esther is filled with abundant prophecies and insights. Here’s one….

 

“Starting from the first instance of the letter alef (the third letter of the first word of the Torah; בְּרֵאשִׁית‎ – Bereishit), and count an interval equal to the number of the letters in Megilat Esther which is 12,196 letters, you will arrive at a letter samech. If you continue another 12,196 letters you get to a letter tav. If you keep going for another 12,196 you will land on the letter reish. And we reveal, alef-samech-tof-reish spells Esther! Is this not amazing?” (Chabad)

 

Leib Getzel (Lawrence) Lax
Addictions and Counseling (Hnrs)
www.LawrenceLax.com
LawrenceJLax@gmail.com