Purim- The Hidden Spark

Insight of the Week

The Gemara in Masechet Megillah (12a) tells that the students of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai asked him why the Jews at the time of Mordechai and Ester deserved the decree of annihilation. Rabbi Shimon challenged them to suggest their own answer. They proposed that the Jews deserved to be destroyed because they participated in Ahashverosh’s feast. Rabbi Shimon noted that if this were true, then only the Jews of Shushan deserved the decree, because the king’s feast was only for the city’s inhabitants. But what about the rest of the Jews? Why were they also condemned to annihilation? The answer, Rabbi Shimon said, is that השתחוו לצלם – the people had bowed to the statue of the Babylonian emperor Nevuchadnetzar. For this misdeed, G-d decreed that they should be killed. Rabbi Shimon’s students then asked him why the decree was ultimately rescinded. If they were indeed guilty of bowing to an idol, then why were they not destroyed? Rabbi Shimon answered, הם לא עשו אלא לפנים אף הקב"ה לא עשה עמהן אלא לפנים . This means that since they did not really intend to worship the idol, even though they appeared to, Hashem similarly made it appear that they would be annihilated, whereas they were in fact spared. What is this exchange all about? How does this discussion add to our understanding of the Purim story? The answer is found in a pasuk in the Book of Vayikra (16:16) that says about Hashem, השוכן אתם בתוך טומאתם – He resides among us even in our state of impurity. The Rabbis explain that no matter how low a Jew falls, he has a spark of sanctity within him that continues to burn. We have an element of kedushah (sanctity) inside us that remains even when we sin, even if we sin repeatedly, and even if we sin severely. This spark is like the pilot light of old gas stoves. Even if the burners were all turned off, they could be easily ignited because the pilot light always remained on. Similarly, even if we fall into a state of impurity, we can be “ignited” again because of the spark of spirituality within us. There is, however, one exception to this rule, one “Kryptonite” that can extinguish that inner spark. And that is false or distorted beliefs. If people act wrongly and fall into bad habits due to their normal human weaknesses, the “pilot light” will still burn. But once they subscribe to foreign ideologies, and reject Torah beliefs, that inner spark could, G-d forbid, be extinguished. This concept lies at the heart of the discussion regarding the Purim story. If the people were guilty of excessive or inappropriate indulgence, participating in Ahashverosh’s decadent feast, this would not extinguish their spark. Rabbi Shimon’s students understood that if this were the people’s sin, they could recover and have the decree rescinded because of the spark of kedushah that remained within them. But if their sin was idolatry, bowing to a statue, then how could they be forgiven? False beliefs and ideologies destroy everything. Why were the people saved? Rabbi Shimon answered that the Jews of that time did not actually embrace idolatrous beliefs. They bowed down to the idol due to the pressure applied by the people around them – which was wrong – but deep inside, the “pilot light” continued burning strong. This explains the time-honored custom to dress up in costumes on Purim. This is not just silliness. It contains a very profound message – that we are far more than what we outwardly appear to be. True, we are far from perfect, we often make mistakes, and we do things wrong from time to time. But all this is just a “costume.” Our true selves, concealed deep within our beings, are pure and sacred. Our failures don’t define who we are. Our true essence is holiness and spirituality. We are sometimes lured by external pressures and temptations, but deep inside, we are pure and righteous. This might also be the symbolism of the hamantaschen treat that we customarily eat on Purim. The outside is plain dough, but inside there is a sweet filling – because deep inside, we are all “sweet.” Our inner greatness and purity are often hidden – but on Purim, we remind ourselves that of who we really are. Purim assures us of our potential to be great, to shine, and to excel. We must not feel discouraged by our mistakes and failures, because they do not represent our true selves. We must always remember that our core essence is pure and sacred, that we have a spark that is waiting to be ignited into a giant, raging flame of spiritual greatness.