Shabbat, March 15, 2025

The battles fought between the Jews and their enemies, which took place on Adar 13 throughout the Persian empire (see "Today in Jewish History" for that date), continued for two days -- Adar 13 and 14 -- in the capital city of Shushan, where there were a greater number of Jew haters. Thus the victory celebrations in Shushan were held on the 15th of Adar, and the observance of the festival of Purim was instituted for that day in Shushan and all walled cities. (See Laws and Customs below).

On this date, in the year following the Holy Temple’s destruction, G‑d tells Ezekiel to take up a lamentation for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and for the Jewish nation’s other enemies, foretelling their ultimate downfall.

Read the prophecy here: Ezekiel ch. 32

Adar 15 is "Shushan Purim" -- the day on which Purim is observed in Jerusalem and in other ancient walled cities, in commemoration of the fact that in the ancient walled city of Shushan the original Purim celebration was on this date. (see above, Today in Jewish History).

When Shushan Purim falls on Shabbat -- as it does this years -- a unique phenomenon results: the "Triple" or Three-Day Purim (Purim Meshuleshet). Because a number of the Purim mitzvot cannot be performed on Shabbat, the observances are spread over a period of three days: the megillah reading and Giving to the Poor on Friday; Al Hanissim -- the special Purim addition to the daily prayers and Grace After Meals -- on Shabbat; and Sending Food Gifts to Friends and the Purim meal -- on Sunday. For the details of these laws, see summary and links in yesterday's Laws & Customs.

For more on the Three-Day Purim, click here.

(The Three-Day Purim phenomenon is unique to Shushan Purim, since the regular Purim -- Adar 14 -- cannot fall on Shabbat in the present-day configuration of Jewish calendar.)

There are forty-nine gates of human understanding. The fiftieth gate is entirely beyond any living being.

It is so high that, looking down from there, all things are equally nothing. There is no good, no evil, nothing can be added or taken away, the righteous are dust, the wicked are dust, nothing is of consequence, all is but dust.

That is why Haman erected a gallows fifty cubits high upon which to hang Mordechai. To say: G-d does not care. He is beyond all these things. There is no good or evil, it is all a fiction of the petty human mind.

Drunk with the joy of Purim, a Jew soars higher and yet higher until he reaches that gate. Upon entering, the Jew defiantly proclaims that the oppressed must be saved, the wicked overthrown, and light, joy, happiness, and peace must rule throughout the universe.

“As for this high place,” the Jew declares, “I am not impressed. It too was created for the purpose of our joy below!”

Yes, it is true that the higher you go, the less things matter. So why does anything at all exist?

Because an infinite, can-do-anything God chose that it should exist with joy, with love, and with goodness. He chose light over darkness, good over evil, liberty over oppression, the joy of Purim over the evil machinations of a powerful megalomaniac.

He chose, and that choice became the very fabric out of which this universe was formed, the theme of every story it tells, the meaning of every life, the message of every mitzvah we do.

Its secret exposed, the fiftieth gate itself is redeemed. It, too, has served its purpose.

So that, in the end, Haman was hanged on his own gallows, fifty cubits high.