At my Purim Seudah this year, I was lucky enough to sit next to a great Rabbi that lives a few blocks away from me. During the meal, he told me a thought he shared with his students the past week. Our Sages compare the holidays of Purim and Yom Kippur and state Purim is a greater holiday (because Yom Kippurim can also be read as Yom K’Purim – which means a day like Purim. Although Yom Kippur is a holy day, it is only a day “like” Purim, but not as great as Purim.) This Rabbi asked his students how is it that Purim is greater than Yom Kippur? The answer is both holidays are ways to rise closer to Hashem – on Yom Kippur we rise through abstinence, while on Purim, we rise through enjoying the materials of this world. According to many religions, the holier way to live is to be like those who are abstinent, like Yom Kippur. But in Judaism, Purim is the holiest day for us because we believe the greatest level is when a person can take the benefits of this world and make them holy.

In the beginning of this week’s parsha, it discusses the making of the Ki’or – the washing cup used by the Kohanim when they used to do their Service in the Temple. The Ki’or was made from mirrors brought by the women that they used to beautify themselves when they were slaves in Egypt. When Moshe saw the mirrors, he wanted to reject them because they are such a secular item, but Hashem told him these mirrors are extremely holy items in His eyes. The men would come home after a hard day of slave labor feeling very dejected, and they wanted to divorce their wives. They felt, “what’s the use in staying married if life is so terrible.” But the women beautified themselves for their husbands in these mirrors and made their husbands fall in love with them again. The men “remarried” their wives and their spirits were lifted. These mirrors kept the Jewish nation alive during our years in slavery; they were used for a very holy purpose. When something mundane can be made holy, Hashem sees it as extremely special.

To become great in Judaism, we need to look at the world around us and make it holy. I recently heard a story that a man was waiting at a check-out line in the grocery store when Rav Avigdor Miller walked by him. The man stepped aside so Rav Miller could go in front of him to pay for his groceries. Rav Miller replied he was not actually buying anything. He only came into the store to see Hashem. The man gave a puzzled look, so Rav Miller explained. He looked at the fruits to see their beauty and the miraculous way they are grown (a small seed in dirt makes such a beautiful, tasty treat), and would increase his Awe of our Creator. Rav Avigdor Miller, of blessed memory, was a Gadol (great Jewish leader of his generation). This is the way to become a Gadol! Look at the world around you and see the holiness in it. When we live this way, we make everything around us holy and live a much more spiritual and happier life.

Good Shabbos!
-yes
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