General Question: What wisdom does the story of Esther have to help Hillel professionals put on a successful Purim party?
(א) וַיְהִ֖י בִּימֵ֣י אֲחַשְׁוֵר֑וֹשׁ ה֣וּא אֲחַשְׁוֵר֗וֹשׁ הַמֹּלֵךְ֙ מֵהֹ֣דּוּ וְעַד־כּ֔וּשׁ שֶׁ֛בַע וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים וּמֵאָ֖ה מְדִינָֽה׃ (ב) בַּיָּמִ֖ים הָהֵ֑ם כְּשֶׁ֣בֶת ׀ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֗וֹשׁ עַ֚ל כִּסֵּ֣א מַלְכוּת֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּשׁוּשַׁ֥ן הַבִּירָֽה׃ (ג) בִּשְׁנַ֤ת שָׁלוֹשׁ֙ לְמׇלְכ֔וֹ עָשָׂ֣ה מִשְׁתֶּ֔ה לְכׇל־שָׂרָ֖יו וַעֲבָדָ֑יו חֵ֣יל ׀ פָּרַ֣ס וּמָדַ֗י הַֽפַּרְתְּמִ֛ים וְשָׂרֵ֥י הַמְּדִינ֖וֹת לְפָנָֽיו׃ (ד) בְּהַרְאֹת֗וֹ אֶת־עֹ֙שֶׁר֙ כְּב֣וֹד מַלְכוּת֔וֹ וְאֶ֨ת־יְקָ֔ר תִּפְאֶ֖רֶת גְּדוּלָּת֑וֹ יָמִ֣ים רַבִּ֔ים שְׁמוֹנִ֥ים וּמְאַ֖ת יֽוֹם׃ (ה) וּבִמְל֣וֹאת ׀ הַיָּמִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה עָשָׂ֣ה הַמֶּ֡לֶךְ לְכׇל־הָעָ֣ם הַנִּמְצְאִים֩ בְּשׁוּשַׁ֨ן הַבִּירָ֜ה לְמִגָּד֧וֹל וְעַד־קָטָ֛ן מִשְׁתֶּ֖ה שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים בַּחֲצַ֕ר גִּנַּ֥ת בִּיתַ֖ן הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ (ו) ח֣וּר ׀ כַּרְפַּ֣ס וּתְכֵ֗לֶת אָחוּז֙ בְּחַבְלֵי־ב֣וּץ וְאַרְגָּמָ֔ן עַל־גְּלִ֥ילֵי כֶ֖סֶף וְעַמּ֣וּדֵי שֵׁ֑שׁ מִטּ֣וֹת ׀ זָהָ֣ב וָכֶ֗סֶף עַ֛ל רִֽצְפַ֥ת בַּהַט־וָשֵׁ֖שׁ וְדַ֥ר וְסֹחָֽרֶת׃ (ז) וְהַשְׁקוֹת֙ בִּכְלֵ֣י זָהָ֔ב וְכֵלִ֖ים מִכֵּלִ֣ים שׁוֹנִ֑ים וְיֵ֥ין מַלְכ֛וּת רָ֖ב כְּיַ֥ד הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ (ח) וְהַשְּׁתִיָּ֥ה כַדָּ֖ת אֵ֣ין אֹנֵ֑ס כִּי־כֵ֣ן ׀ יִסַּ֣ד הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ עַ֚ל כׇּל־רַ֣ב בֵּית֔וֹ לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת כִּרְצ֥וֹן אִישׁ־וָאִֽישׁ׃ (ט) גַּ֚ם וַשְׁתִּ֣י הַמַּלְכָּ֔ה עָשְׂתָ֖ה מִשְׁתֵּ֣ה נָשִׁ֑ים בֵּ֚ית הַמַּלְכ֔וּת אֲשֶׁ֖ר לַמֶּ֥לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרֽוֹשׁ׃ {ס}
(1) It happened in the days of Ahasuerus—that Ahasuerus who reigned over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Nubia. (2) In those days, when King Ahasuerus occupied the royal throne in the fortress Shushan, (3) in the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all the officials and courtiers—the administration of Persia and Media, the nobles and the governors of the provinces in his service. (4) For no fewer than a hundred and eighty days he displayed the vast riches of his kingdom and the splendid glory of his majesty. (5) At the end of this period, the king gave a banquet for seven days in the court of the king’s palace garden for all the people who lived in the fortress Shushan, high and low alike. (6) [There were hangings of] white cotton and blue wool, caught up by cords of fine linen and purple wool to silver rods and alabaster columns; and there were couches of gold and silver on a pavement of marble, alabaster, mother-of-pearl, and mosaics. (7) Royal wine was served in abundance, as befits a king, in golden beakers, beakers of varied design. (8) And the rule for the drinking was, “No restrictions!” For the king had given orders to every palace steward to comply with each man’s wishes. (9) In addition, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for women, in the royal palace of King Ahasuerus.
Discussion Questions:
1. Why do you think the king invited "all the people... high and low alike," especially he had already had 180 days of parties with the officials and courtiers?
2. What do we learn about the king based on this opening?
3. What do we learn from the addition of Queen Vashti's party?
4. What about this party would we want to emulate in the Hillel context? What would we want to avoid?
Excerpts from Al Kein Karu, a maamer by R' Menachem Mendel Schneerson 5713 (1953)
Ch. 1
"For this reason, these days were called Purim, in commemoration of the lot" (Esther 9:26). Based on the well-known concept that an entity's name reflects its nature, it is understood that the reason these days were called Purim is in commemoration of the lot is because the fundamental dimension of the festival of Purim is the lottery. ("Pur is [the Persian term for] lot.") Explanation is required: On the surface, the lottery was not the [fundamental dimension of] the Purim miracle. Moreover the lot which Haman cast (was not only not part of the miracle; on the contrary,) it was an element that led to Haman's decree. [To quote the Megilah: "He cast a pur, i.e., a lot, to annihilate and destroy them."] From the fact that these days are called Purim, recalling the lot, it appears that (casting the lot) constituted the fundamental miracle of Purim, to the extent that the miracle is recalled with this name.
Discussion Questions:
1. What question is the Rebbe trying to answer here?
2. What is the confusion?
Ch. 2
[Context: The Rebbe is comparing Purim to Yom Kippur (ie. Yom k'Purim - a day that is like Purim)] To explain the connection between the two common factors shared by Purim and Yom Kippur [that both feature a lottery, and both access a level above G-d's name Havayah]: The matter can be understood by prefacing the concept that a lottery access a level above intellect. Generally, a person makes decisions intellectually or emotionally. He does what he understands is best for him or feels most attracted to. Making a decision by casting lots implies that he is not relying on his understanding or emotions. On an obvious level, doing so relegates the decision to mere chance. From a deeper perspective however, the fact that one relies on the lottery implies that he is going beyond his mind and his heart. For by and large, a lottery is employed when both the two matters are the same to him, and thus the person has no intellectual or emotional motivation to select one over the other.
Discussion Questions:
1. What is the purpose of casting lots (or something similar like flipping a coin)?
Ch. 3
The lofty quality of a lottery is well know. It transcends not only intellect, but also the power of will that transcends intellect. For when a person casts a lot, he decides that the lot will determine his will. This indicates that a lottery reaches a level higher than will and thus the lottery can determine the person's will.
Ch. 5
What then was the intent of Haman, the wicked, in casting the pur, the lot? Haman was aware of the mystic consequences of his conduct. Why did he perform an act that drew down such positive Divine energies?... Therefore, he cast a pur, a lot, i.e., he wished to access a level of G-dliness above the structures that define Seder HaHishtalshelus... Therefore, Haman thought that by accessing the rung of a lottery, which transcends Seder HaHistalshelus, there would be a possibility for him to prevail, Heaven forbid, over the Jewish people.
Discussion Questions:
1. What was Haman hoping for?
Ch. 8
The difference between a lottery and free choice is that when a person casts a lot and decides that his desire will be determined by the way the lot falls, that person's desire does not come from his own self, but is determined by the way the lot fell. When, by contrast, a person chooses, he - his inner, intrinsic self - is the one who chooses... It is possible to say that free choice possesses two dimensions: a) the level in the soul that transcends intellect, in relation to which the two alternatives are equal - the level of a lottery, in which the person is removed and b) the fact that he chooses what he wants, and invests himself [even though both alternatives are equal]. Instead it comes from the essence of the soul. Through choice, Divine energy is drawn down from [G-d's] Essence to the level of a lottery. As a result, even the lot (which, in and of itself, could fall either way), falls in a manner representative of G-d's choice.
Discussion Questions:
1. Why didn't the lot go Haman's way?
2. What are things we can "leave up to chance" which allows our students to access their free choice in those moments?
3. Where can we find the divinity in seemingly dark (perhaps boring/tedious/tired) places?