Holding Onto the Waves of Purim by Rabbi Benny Berlin

Sparks of Light Holding Onto the Waves of Purim

By Rabbi Benny Berlin

Purim is often synonymous with costumes, mishloach manot, the seudah, and other requirements. How often do we sit down and truly reflect on the opportunity that Purim presents to us? In Rav Hutner’s sefer Pachad Yizchak, section kuntrus reshimos, he details an idea that he shared at a Purim seudah. He explores an enigmatic pasuk, Tehillim 89:10: “You rule over the pride of the sea; when it raises its waves, You calm them.” Rav Hutner expands on this to explore why the word “t’shabcheim” is translated here as “calm” when the word shevach literally means “praise.” In other words, why is the root term that usually refers to praise translated in this context to mean calm down?

He explains this with a beautiful concept – think about a wave building up steam as it races towards the shoreline. If a wave had a mind, it would understand that it was about to crash onto the beach, ending its glorious and grand existence. And yet, the wave rises and falls, again and again, each time crashing with the same force and bravado. And so, “t’shabcheim” involves both praises for the wave and calming of it as well! The praise of the wave is that it knows it is going to be decimated (its bravado calmed\humbled), and yet, the wave rises undeterred and gives its all.

On Purim, we feel connected, as if we are riding a wave of spirituality. But what happens when Purim is ending, and we head straight towards the shore of chol (the regular week)? On all other holidays, we have something to take with us: On Rosh Hashana, we take yirah (fear of Hashem) with us. On Yom kippur, we take teshuvah with us. On Succos, simcha. On Pesach, a sense of refined freedom. On Shavous, we take Torah with us. But on Purim, we are not supposed to take befuddlement with us (ad d’lo yada\Nahafochu), which are the

We can tell what kind of Purim we have had by what we take with us after we leave the holiday and whether we are noticeably changed afterward.

themes of the day. Even though we ride that wave with gusto on Purim, we leave those within the confines of Purim to regain our senses back and engage in a thoughtful relationship with G-d once again.

While reflecting upon the piece in the Pachad Yizchak, I was also drawn to a piece by Rabbi Elya Lopian in his sefer, Lev Eliyahu. He writes that people can be noticeably changed by an experience and that it is noticeable by how they act afterward. He brings an example from Parshat Va’yakhel where, after Bnai Yisrael encountered Moshe Rabbeinu, the Torah

comments, “The entire community departed from before Moses”

Why does the Torah have to include the words “M’lifnai Moshe”? It could have just said that they left!

Rav Lopian says it is because they were walking away from that experience noticeably changed.

Similarly, it is true on Purim that we engage in a mindful connection to Hashem, but we can tell what kind of Purim we have had, if we tapped into the kedushas haPurim, by what we take with us after we leave the holiday and whether we are noticeably changed afterward.

In other words, Purim does not just have to be about things like bilbul, silliness and drinking that we leave behind until next year. If we get in touch with a deep part of ourselves on Purim it would be chaval (a shame\waste) to leave that behind. If we have done Purim correctly, someone should be able to look at us after the holiday and say, “You are a little bit different.”

Wherever the stirrings of the simchas Purim lead you, it should help you find your next steps in your service of Hashem. If you had deep stirrings of prayer on Purim, let that lead you to focus on davening more. If you had a deep desire to learn more, go commit to attending more shiurim or taking on more learning projects. If you realized there were areas you need to work on yourself, let it inspire teshuva.

Purim is a springboard that can lead to a lot of personal growth if we harness its power and let it lead us on a path out of its gate and not just ride its wave as it crashes us to the shore and leaves us grounded there until we ride its crest the next year. Whether we drink or introspect, the bilbul and simcha that is stirred up in us by the nahafochu of Purim can whisper to us how to grow in our next steps of avodas Hashem if we let it.