(יב) אם על תודה יקריבנו. אִם עַל דְּבַר הוֹדָאָה עַל נֵס שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה לוֹ, כְּגוֹן יוֹרְדֵי הַיָּם וְהוֹלְכֵי מִדְבָּרוֹת וַחֲבוּשֵׁי בֵית הָאֲסוּרִים וְחוֹלֶה שֶׁנִּתְרַפֵּא — שֶׁהֵן צְרִיכִין לְהוֹדוֹת, שֶׁכָּתוּב בָּהֵן יוֹדוּ לַה' חַסְדּוֹ וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם וְיִזְבְּחוּ זִבְחֵי תוֹדָה (תהילים ק"ז)
(12) אם על תורה יקריבנו IF HE OFFER IT FOR A THANKSGIVING — i.e., if he brings if on account of (על) a matter that requires thanksgiving (תודה): on account of a miraculous deliverance that was wrought for him, as being, for instance, one of those who have made a sea-voyage. or travelled in the wilderness, or had been kept in prison, or if he had been sick and was now healed, all of whom are bound to offer thanks-giving, since it is written with reference to them, (Psalms 107:8, 15, 21, 31) “Let them offer thanksgiving to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”
(ז) רבי פנחס ורבי לוי ורבי יוחנן בשם ר' מנחם דגליא: לעתיד לבא כל הקרבנות בטלין וקרבן תודה אינו בטל. כל התפלות בטלות ההודאה אינה בטלה
(7) Rabbi Pinchas, Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Yochanan [said] in the name of Rabbi Menachem from Gallia: In the time to come, all sacrifices will be annulled - but the sacrifice of thanksgiving will not be annulled. All prayers will be annulled, but the prayer of gratitude will not be annulled.
(28) And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.
(א) בן זומא אומר:...איזהו עשיר? השמח בחלקו, שנאמר: (תהלים קכח ב): "יגיע כפיך כי תאכל אשריך וטוב לך".אשריך, בעולם הזה .וטוב לך, לעולם הבא.
(1) Ben Zoma says: ...Who is the rich one? He who is happy with his lot, as it says, "When you eat [from] the work of your hands, you will be happy, and it will be well with you" (Psalms 128:2). "You will be happy" in this world, and "it will be well with you" in the world to come.
המן מן התורה מנין (בראשית ג, יא) המן העץ
Where is Haman indicated in the Torah? In the verse: Is it [hamin] from the tree?
The commentators point out that Hashem gave Adam dominion over the entire world. Everything that a person could ever want, Adam had access to...except for one thing - he was forbidden to eat from the tree in the center of the Garden of Eden. Just one tree, and he still was unable to refrain from transgressing. Adam stumbled in part because, on a certain level, he felt that if he could not have everything, then it was as if he had nothing. Similarly, explains Rabbi Yissachar Frand of Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, Haman also had it all. He was the second in command to King Achashveirosh, ruler of 127 provinces, the entire civilized world. The Talmud tells us that Haman himself was one of the wealthiest men that ever lived, and yet with all his power and fame, his wealth, his subjects, his many children, and his enormous mansion, it all meant nothing to him as long as this one Jew Mordechai didn't bow down to him.
That is human nature. A person can have everything, so much to be thankful for, and yet gripe and complain over what he does not have. By finding the source for Haman in the verse reprimanding Adam for partaking of the single forbidden fruit, the sages are pointing out that the destructive character trait of not being satisfied with what one has, no matter how much it may be, did not originate with Haman in the Purim story. It finds its source, to some degree, even in Adam in the Garden of Eden.
The Torah gives us a mitzvah to eradicate the nation of Amalek (from which Haman
descends), which we read about in this week's special maftir Torah reading. Asks Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner, the late rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Yeshiva Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn, how do we perform this mitzvah today when we don't know who is a descendant of Amalek? He answers that we do this mitzvah by destroying the Amalek character traits within us. Perhaps it is to destroy this Haman within us, to eradicate the disgusting trait of being a malcontent, of being an ingrate. If we constantly focus on what we lack instead of on what we have, we'll never be happy with all the wealth, fame, and power this world has to offer. That is what Purim is all about; it teaches us to be happy with what we have.
Purim and the korban todah, say the rabbis, will always be with us. Why? Because they both teach the same lesson - to be grateful to Hashem for everything. The obligation to show gratitude never ceases - it is timeless. The korban todah, through which we show gratitude to Hashem for saving us, makes amends for the sin of Adam who was ungrateful on his level. On Purim we seek to eradicate the Haman within us and to serve Hashem with a full loving heart in gratitude and happiness.