Last week I said I was going to speak this week about the historical context of Purim. I think it is important to understand the context to get the real meaning of Purim. But I failed to keep my promise. It was too difficult for me (and Micha Berger suggested that a shiur should be meaningful, not history – which is a fair point).
So instead I take an idea of Rav Tzadok and develop it. He points out that unlike Shabbat (which is sanctified by G-d) and festivals/Rosh Chodesh (which is sanctified by Yisrael) Purim was chosen (and thus sanctified) by Haman and his lottery.
He discusses the meaning of lottery, and explains that someone who perceives G-d as acting randomly with the world will in return have G-d act with him in that way. (This is similar to someone who does not believe in the resurection of the dead who will therefore miss out on the resurrection of the dead.)
I look forward to your comments.
Here is the audio shiur (and the pdf sheets to download if you want).
(Right click and then ‘download as’)
Your feedback is welcome and appreciated. If anyone is interested in sponsoring a shiur (either l’ilui nishmat someone, or just for no reason) please contact me.