Taken from "Purim in a New Light: Mystery, Grandeur, and Depth" revealed through the writings of Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner (1906-1980), author of "Pachad Yitzchok", Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, Kollel Gur Aryeh (Brooklyn, New York, USA) and Yeshiva Pachad Yitzchok (Jerusalem, Israel). Interpreted and adapted by Rabbi Pinchas Stolper (1931-2022), Section 1, Chapter 8, pages 55-58. (David Dov Publications, 2003).Presented by Rabbi Yitschak Rudomin
One of the most fascinating insights concerning Purim is that its "twin" is Yom Kippurim. This concept is found in the Sefer Likutei HaGra, the assembled writings of the Vilna Gaon (1720-1797), (Warsaw, 5549, page 308).
The Vilna Gaon bases his comment on the Talmud (Tractate Beitzah 15b): "The general structure of our festivals is that they follow a divided format: Half of each festival consists of obligations to God (such as prayer and doing special Mitzvot related to that day) and the other half of each festival is for our enjoyment (such as enjoying festive meals, resting, enjoying friends, wearing fine clothes, etc.)"
The Vilna Gaon then writes: Yom Kippur lacks this arrangement (of a divided format) in that there is no half set aside for our personal enjoyment. On Yom Kippur we stand before God simulating angels, totally putting aside the fulfilment of our bodily pleasures.
The activities of Purim are the opposite: Most of the day is devoted in some fashion to physical pleasure (such as enjoying festive meals, giving and receiving gifts of food, drinking wine and alcohol, wearing colorful and playful disguises, dancing, merriment and rejoicing etc.)
Purim and Yom Kippur, also called Yom Kippurim,therefore, are the opposite mirror images of each other. Each provides the missing half that the other lacks. This is even indicated by their names: "Yom Hakippurim" is a Day "Ki-Purim", "similar" to Purim. Together they constitute one complete festival. This united festival consists of "a half that is for God [i.e Yom Kippur] and a half that is for man (Jews) [i.e. Purim]" The exact phrase in Hebrew is:"חציו לה' וחציו לכם" - "Half for God and half for you."
In the Talmud (Tractate Pesachim 68b), there is a disagreement between two great sages, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua, about the proper way to observe a Yom Tov (festival): Rabbi Eliezer argued for extremes: You should either spend the entire day in spiritual pursuit (praying and studying) OR spend the entire day in physical enjoyment (eating and drinking). While Rabbi Joshua argued for a middle ground: He believed you should split the day. The "half and half" rule became the accepted practice (the halakha). The logic is that humans are composed of both a soul and a body; therefore, a holy day must honor both.
The Talmudic sages in Tractate Shabbos 89b debate the nature of God's ultimate reckoning with the Jewish Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), God will say "Your children [i. e. the Children of Israel/Jewish People] have sinned against me." Isaac will answer God: "Are they my children and not Your children?" The Talmud then discusses the sins and merits of the children, then "quotes" Isaac as saying: "If you (God) will bear all of their sins, it will be good. If not, the responsibility for half will be on me (Isaac) and half will be on You (God)."
The Patriarch Isaac's entreaty was interpreted by the great master of Mussar (Jewish ethics) Rabbi Yitzchok Blazer (1837-1907) who said that Isaac's response is explained in the pronouncement of the Jewish Sages, "Master of the world (God), it is revealed and known before You that our will is to perform Your Will. Who (or what) prevents us from doing so? It is the yeast in the dough (referring to the evil inclination in our hearts) and our subjugation to foreign regimes (since these gentile governments create obstacles to prevent our observing the commandments of the Torah. (Tractate Brochos 17a).
The above-mentioned obstacles are the basis for the division proposed by the forefather Isaac: "Half will be on me and half will be on You (God). " In fact, "the yeast in the dough" i.e. the force of the inclination to evil is the opposing force which You, God, set in motion." (Tractate Brochos 32b).
Why did the forefather Isaac also assume responsibility for half? Isaac said to God: "Indeed, it is I, Isaac who created (by fathering Esau the progenitor of Rome the epitome of foreign gentile powers) the second factor (of subjugation to foreign gentile powers) which PREVENTS the People of Israel's full fealty and loyalty to Your Will. I am responsible for the creation and birth of Esau the wicked who ultimately made possible the People of Israel's subjugation to the foreign gentile kingdoms (Babylonia, Persia, Greece and ultimately Rome). The exile/s and the subjugation/s of the People of Israel to foreign gentile governments is a direct result of the negative spiritual influence and power of Esau. Therefore, I (Isaac) accept responsibility for my son Esau the wicked and hence 'half is my doing!'" (This concludes Rabbi Yitzchok Blazer's comments.)
The above conforms to the words of the Vilna Gaon cited earlier. The two festivals, Yom Kippur and Purim are "half for God and half for you (the Jews)." In effect, they are two halves of one whole. This whole, this unity, represents a deep cry, a scream that rises from the depths of the Jewish soul of the Jewish people: "It is our desire to do Your Will (but we are prevented from doing so!)"
Both reasons that prevent Jewish People from serving God fully, the evil inclination and the enslavement of the Jews by other gentile kingdoms, must be rectified. This is the point where Purim and Yom Kippur join. The combination of these two festivals brings about the elimination of the two barriers.
Yom Kippur has the ability to remedy the first cause of sin which is the power of evil. On Yom Kippur the Jewish People stand before God shunning their physical needs. As a result of the Jewish People's emphasis on their spirituality over physicality, the impulse for evil loses its strength. Therefore, the angel who serves as "the prosecutor" in the Heavenly Court on Yom Kippur has no opportunity, meaning no "permission", to prosecute the Jewish People. (Tractate Yuma 20a).
On Purim, the second force preventing the Jewish People from fully serving God, that of the oppression by the gentile kingdoms and empires descended from and spiritually connected to Esau that have enslaved and continue to enslave the Jewish People, is eliminated. This happened in ancient Persia at the time of the Purim miracle whereby the Jewish People were saved from death and annihilation and overthrew their enemies: "The fear of the Jews overtook the Persian population" (Book of Esther 8:17). May it also occur on this Purim.
Thus between the two holidays, Purim and Yom Kippur, the two main obstacles to the desire of the Jewish People to serve God, meaning "Our desire is to do Your Will" is eliminated for all time!
Here one sees the real meaning of the word "Megillah" in relation to Megilat Esther. The word "Megillah" in Hebrew has roots in two meanings: A "scroll" and "to reveal". In the scroll of Esther we see that the deeds of Queen Esther and the salvation of Purim revealed the hidden potential desire of the Jewish People to do God's Will.
Rabbi Yitschak Rudomin was born to Holocaust survivor parents in Israel, grew up in South Africa, and lives in Brooklyn, NY. He is an alumnus of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and of Teachers College-Columbia University. He heads the Jewish Professionals Institute dedicated to Jewish Adult Education and Outreach - Kiruv Rechokim. He was the Director of the Belzer Chasidim's Sinai Heritage Center of Manhattan 1988-1995, a Trustee of AJOP 1994-1997 and founder of American Friends of South African Jewish Education 1995-2015. He is the author of The Second World War and Jewish Education in America: The Fall and Rise of Orthodoxy. Contact Rabbi Yitschak Rudomin at izakrudomin@gmail.com