Transformation
Increased Joy
As we enter into the joyous month of Adar, it is appropriate for us to reflect on the concept of joy as it pertains to this month specifically. This is the month—and the only month— about which it is stated in the Talmud: “When we enter into the month of Adar we increase our joy.”
This statement implies that even before we enter into this month we have a need to be joyous. In the month of Adar when we celebrate the joyous holiday of Purim, we are obliged to “increase” our joy.
Now the reason why the entire month is a joyous month, although the miracle of Purim occurred in one or two days, is because the Megillah (the Book of Esther) describes this month as, “the month in which their sorrow was transformed into joy etc.”
Why is this Month Different from All Other Months?
But here again the question returns, why did the Megillah designate the entire month as a month of joy?
To paraphrase the Passover Haggadah: “Why is this month different from all the other months?” Why don’t we say the same about the month of Nissan, for example, when we observe the festival of Passover, or the month of Tishrei, in which we celebrate the joyous holiday of Sukkos and Simchas Torah?
One answer to the question is based on the Talmudic narrative that when Haman decided to annihilate all the Jews he cast lots (hence the name of the holiday, Purim, which means lots) do determine in which month he should implement his nefarious plan. When the lots determined that it would be the month of Adar, Haman rejoiced because he thought it was an unlucky month for the Jewish people since Moses passed away in the month of Adar. Little did he realize that this was also the month in which Moses was born. Hence it was truly a fortuitous month for the Jewish people.
From this story it is evident that the choice of the month of Adar by Haman was the catalyst that made the miracle of Purim happen.
Moreover, it symbolized the way G-d took the very basis for the plot against the Jews (i.e., Haman’s belief that Adar was an unlucky month for the Jewish people) and transformed it into a blessing.
Thus the selection of Adar as a joyous month is based on the theme of transforming darkness into light and curses into blessings that punctuated the month of Adar then and we pray will occur now as well.
Joy beyond limits
We can now also shed light on the fact that the festival of Purim is unique in yet another respect. On this day we must take our joy beyond the normal limits.
The Talmud states that we are supposed to drink on Purim to the extent that we no longer know the difference between “cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai.” And while there are many interpretations of this statement (no commentator interprets it literally to curse Mordechai and bless Haman, G-d forbid), the common denominator in all of the interpretations is that on Purim our joy must be unconventional, out of the box.
And here at least two questions arise. Why is this holiday so unique with regards to joy?
Second, why this strange way of expressing boundless joy, that we no longer know the difference between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai?
However, in this statement lies the uniqueness of Purim. It is the holiday that takes the curses (Haman) and transforms them into blessings (Mordechai). And therefore our joy must also be so great that it expresses the notion of this transformation of darkness into light.
This also explains why it is such an unconventional holiday.
Besides the psychological basis for the enhanced joy that we experience when it is preceded with and converted from sorrow, there is also a profound spiritual reason for this unparalleled joy.
Evil: Testimony to G-d’s Power
In the teachings of Kabbalah we are told that the existence of evil is testimony to G-d’s infinite power to create something so remote from Himself. In other words, evil contains a spark of G-dly energy that is simultaneously singularly powerful and utterly concealed. When evil is thus transformed into goodness, it does more than just add more good to the world; it adds a new and infinite dimension of goodness and light that leads to unbounded joy.
This new dimension of goodness and joy is the one that we will all experience in the Messianic Age when all of the past sorrows and pain, darkness and evil, will be transformed into “light, joy, happiness and glory.”
From the book Light from the Future: Purim by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
