Parshat Pekudei by the Esteemed Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a - "On Purim, It Is Revealed Who the Person Truly Is"

The words are in memory of Shmuel Isaac Magen ben Edel

On Purim, We Ascend to the Fiftieth Gate

"Reb Noson said that one must cry out for 40 days before Purim, 'Save me from the klipah of Haman Amalek': A person must grasp the secret of Purim, feel what Purim is, think about what Purim is. It is not just a holiday to get drunk and act wildly, but it is a holiday where we ascend to the fiftieth gate, to the head that is not known, we ascend to the fiftieth gate."

In Every Generation, There Is Another Haman Until We Do Teshuvah

"Everyone knows that we must strike Amalek, eradicate Amalek, kill him, but who is Amalek? Amalek is us! Within each and every one of us, there is an Amalek. As long as Amalek is within us, nothing will help, even if we kill Haman, Sisera will come, Titus will come, Vespasian will come, Hitler will come. As long as a person does not leave his breaches of the covenant, from his pride, then Haman lives, this Satan enters someone else. When they killed Haman, that generation was saved, but in every generation, new 'Hamans' arise."

"Haman is created from sins! From every sin, a Haman is created, a terrorist is created, from every sin, a Nazi is created, because when a Nazi comes to kill a Jew - I created this Nazi! I created this terrorist! If I do teshuvah, the terrorist will be burned, erased. So who is Haman? Who is Amalek? Amalek is me. As long as I am in the world, as long as I am alive, the redemption will not come until I transform myself and change myself. Nothing will help. And this is Purim - 'And it was turned around,' each one must turn himself from one extreme to the other."

On Purim, It Is Revealed Who the Person Truly Is

"On Purim, the sweetness of the river flowing from Eden is revealed, on Purim everyone ascends to Gan Eden, everything that is eaten and drunk on Purim is the preserved wine, the wild ox, and the Leviathan, it is all birds from Gan Eden, Leviathan from Gan Eden, wild ox from Gan Eden. Through the light of Purim, the 'Kedushat Yom Tov' says, it is revealed who I truly am. It is revealed specifically on Purim, when a person comes and sees where he truly is, he merits to see all his blemishes, all his sins, he sees that he is essentially Haman."

One Must Become Intoxicated to Avoid Falling into Sadness

"The 'Kedushat Levi' says that the moment a person sees his lowliness, where he is situated, he can fall into such despair, and specifically on Purim, he is in terrible danger because everything is revealed to him! He sees in what blemishes he is found, blemishes of the eyes, distance from emunah, and through this, he can fall into terrible despair. Therefore, on Purim, one must drink wine as it is written, 'Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those bitter of soul' to elevate the mind to sing and rejoice, because after it becomes clear to a person that essentially I am Haman, I am the greatest sinner, then he can fall into such terrible sadness. Therefore, the Sages instituted 'one must become intoxicated on Purim...' because through the 'intoxication' it will be fulfilled in him 'and it was turned around,' he will see that on the contrary, even a Haman like me, a wicked person like me, behold Baruch Hashem, I come to pray, I heard the Megillah on Purim, I even went to the mikvah, I even put on tefillin, I merited such mitzvot, so there is no greater Kiddush Hashem than this, because the further a person is, the greater his Kiddush Hashem and the greater the simcha, because cursed is Haman turns into blessed is Mordechai, specifically one who knows he is Haman can merit to blessed is Mordechai."

On Purim, a Great Illumination Shines That Is Not Present All Year

"The holy Ari says that on every Purim, the illumination of 'Yesod Abba' shines upon us, which does not shine at any other time. This illumination called 'Yesod Abba' is always covered, always hidden, and when the Megillah is read, a revelation occurs and the illumination of Yesod Abba is revealed, such great lights descend that each one can return in true teshuvah, Mordechai, who is Yesod Abba, is revealed in all his glory on Purim, because the illumination of Mordechai - the illumination of Yesod Abba, brings us miracles and wonders, this illumination is the emunah that there is none other than Him, that there is nothing besides Hashem, there can be Achashverosh, there can be Haman, they can make decrees, but in truth, they do not exist, they are only a fog, and all their words are only to awaken us to teshuvah."

Purim Is Only to Do True Teshuvah

"All of Purim is to return in teshuvah, Purim is not to act wildly, it is not to explode firecrackers, it is not to break things, not to vomit, not to harm anyone. Purim is truly to do true teshuvah, as was seen among the Anash in all generations on Purim, rivers and rivers of tears would flow during the reading of the Megillah. They would pour rivers of tears during the dances, and this is 'one must become intoxicated on Purim,' to become intoxicated is to be inspired, not to be completely drunk, to become intoxicated is red faces from enthusiasm, it is attachment."

Reb Noson says that on Purim one must 'keep one's head' more than on Yom Kippur

"Because on Yom Kippur, we are in the synagogue for 24 hours and sit glued to the chair, but on Purim, we must also drink wine, also rejoice, sing, and dance, and yet remain composed and be attached to Hashem. All the drinking of wine is to reach attachment, to see Hashem face to face, says the Shulchan Aruch, God forbid that a person should think that because of the drinking, he can skip Birkat Hamazon, or miss Maariv, or not pray with intention, to become intoxicated is not lightheadedness, to become intoxicated is only on the condition that you do not neglect even one blessing, one custom. The main mitzvah is that a person should be in simcha 'wine gladdens the heart of man' because wine has the power to ferment the blood, and when a person's blood is fermented, it is easier for him to dance, rejoice, it is easier for him to sing, it facilitates the simcha, it increases the simcha."

The Day of Purim Is Gratitude for the Entire Year

"Because a person must be happy all year, but a person cannot be happy all year with an extraordinary simcha, because one must remain sane, composed, be with the partitions of the intellect, because the intellect limits and constrains and guards the person, whereas wine nullifies the partitions of the intellect, God forbid. Therefore, all year, our Rebbe warned very much not to drink any wine or any intoxicating beverage, but on Purim, we want the opposite! To burn all the partitions of the intellect! And this is the special power of Purim, that then the wine does not harm a person if he drinks properly, because on Purim 'wine enters, the secret comes out' and then the love of Hashem is revealed in a person, and the fear of Hashem. Because if a person all year is full of love of Hashem and full of attachment to Hashem, then on Purim, it all bursts out! He merits to dance out of great love of Hashem and great attachment. And if a person is the opposite - far from attachment, and he is attached to bad traits, to belittling others, to lashon hara, then on Purim, his lightheadedness bursts out, and his belittling of others, because on Purim, the partitions of the intellect are burned and disappear through the wine."

"On Purim, we want to burn all the partitions of the intellect through the wine, so that truly the love of Hashem will be revealed and not other things, because a person who all year is ablaze with the love of Hashem and has no time to show it, then when Purim comes, he can show the love of Hashem for 24 hours."

Only Mordechai Is Called a Jew in the Entire Tanach

"Only Mordechai the Jew merited to be called Mordechai the Jew in the entire Tanach! No tzaddik and no person merited the title Jew in the Tanach! Only Mordechai merited the title Jew! And all because he 'would not kneel or bow down' from this Mordechai showed that there is none other than Him! From this Mordechai showed that there is nothing besides Hashem!, from this he showed that there is no Haman! There is no Amalek! He has no fear of Haman, no submission to Haman, but only the fire of the Torah burns within him! The fire of truth burns within him! The truth that there is none other than Him burns within him until he does not rise or move! He reached such a level of there is none other than Him that even Haman with all his terrifying appearance, his frightening appearance, did not move Mordechai even a hair's breadth, he 'did not rise or move'! Haman was considered by Mordechai like an inflated balloon that is about to burst at any moment, and therefore he was the only one who merited the title Jew."

The Work of Purim

"All the work of Purim is to reach 'there is none other than Him'! All the work of a person is to reach 'I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the nations, there was no man with me' alone in the winepress! There is none other than Him! Hashem is with me alone! One must see Hashem alone! Esther goes and says, as I have perished, I have perished, Esther goes alone! Esther goes in the aspect of 'I have trodden the winepress alone,' she has no personal touch, no personal desire, she is only with Hashem! She is with Hashem completely! Only if a person goes with this conclusion, as I have perished, I have perished, when it becomes completely dark for him, and completely hidden, he sees no light, and yet he goes with Hashem! As I have perished, I have perished, only then is Hashem revealed. Only when a person is in trouble, in suffering, in persecution, then he can truly see that there is no world, that there is only Hashem, a person goes through suffering, he suddenly sees that he has no helper in the world, no supporter in the world, usually a person thinks that he is respected, loved, suddenly he sees 'I have no acquaintance, escape has perished from me' (Isaiah 63:5) suddenly he sees that there is no one! But only Hashem is with him! Then he sees that there is none other than Him and Hashem has not abandoned him."

"All the work of a person is to rise above time, to know that there is none other than Him. Tzaddikim teach us that there is no time, and there is no world, and there is nothing, nothing exists, this world passes in the blink of an eye! What are we doing here in the world!? Besides Torah, prayer, and good deeds, there is nothing to do here in the world! There is no world here! This world is illusion and deception. The Rebbe already at the age of five grasped that it is all illusion and deception, he called this world 'the deceiver' that deceives us in this world, everything is illusions! A person is impressed by people, a person is impressed by various things, it is all illusion! Nothing will remain here! Not diamonds, not land, not dust, not pearls, nothing exists here, not the world! Not time! Everything passes in the blink of an eye."

"When a person thinks there is this world, desires, etc., and is impressed by this world, he draws upon himself a spirit of impurity, the moment he thinks there is a world, he is already under a spirit of impurity, under time. The essence of kedushah is to rise above time, to know that there is no this world, to know that there is none other than Him. A person must know that besides Hashem, there is nothing in the world, nothing in the world, there is none other than Him! A person can reach such a level of emunah, that he no longer sees anything! He no longer sees evil! He does not see wicked people! He does not see anything in this world! He only sees the 'there is none other than Him' he only sees sparks of divinity! He only sees pure and holy souls floating around him! He sees the whole world pure and holy. When he is insulted, he does not feel insulted at all! On the contrary! When he is disgraced, he says - it must have been words of honor, what... are people even capable of disgracing? Who is capable of disgracing? People only say words of honor, only honor, say words of encouragement, surely I did not understand well, my head is not right! He does not feel insulted at all, his neshamah (soul) has already detached from all body, he no longer hears any insults, he sees Hashem every moment before his eyes."

'A Person Receives Disgrace, at That Moment He Receives a Million Dollars'

It is told about Reb Zusha and Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk that they arrived at an inn, there were some drunkards there who started kicking each other until they saw Reb Zusha! He was deeper inside than Reb Elimelech, the drunkards started hitting Reb Zusha! Kicking! They almost broke all his bones! And then the 'Noam Elimelech' said to Rabbi Zusha – My brother! You take everything! You take all the blows for yourself! You take all the disgraces for yourself! I also want blows, disgraces, I also want the World to Come, what about me, am I not a person, don't I deserve a little? I also want to merit! Give me a little too! What, everything for you? For an entire hour, he pleaded with him, cried before him to switch places with him – finally, he convinced him. The 'Noam Elimelech' went inside so they would hit him, and Reb Zusha went outside, and as they switched, the gentiles said, the drunkards said, enough hitting one, let's hit the other outside! And they hit Reb Zusha again, - Reb Zusha said to Reb Elimelech, you see, everything is meant for me, no person touches what is prepared for his friend even a hair's breadth. With one insult, a person's sins of thousands of incarnations are atoned for, with one insult, a person's endless sins are atoned for, with one insult that a person is insulted, he can merit what he would not merit with thousands of labors, every disgrace is worth thousands upon thousands of fasts, thousands upon thousands of mortifications, it is instead of entering into the fire, instead of entering into fiery furnaces, a person does not know what these rectifications are - 'No eye has seen, O God, besides You.'"

When a person finishes the prayer with 'Aleinu Leshabeach,' he must know that this is the greatest praise there is! With this praise, they brought down the walls of Jericho 'for Hashem is God in heaven above and on the earth below, there is none else.. Hashem will reign forever and ever' the moment a person begins to sanctify himself, begins to purify himself, he can see Hashem before his eyes! He can merit to 'I have set Hashem before me always.' Many people who have just begun to return in teshuvah have seen the name of Hashem literally before their eyes! Some have seen the name of Hashem in the heavens, and some have seen the name of Hashem in a synagogue, some have seen it on a wall, everyone has seen the name of Hashem literally! They saw that there is none other than Him! People were in India doing meditations, suddenly they saw the name of Hashem hovering in the air, in the midst of idolatry, they saw the name of Hashem! They jumped, ran away in the middle, and returned in teshuvah, a person must know that besides Hashem, there is nothing, besides Hashem, there is nothing in the world.

The holy Ari says that on every Purim, the illumination of 'Yesod Abba' shines upon us, which does not shine at any other time, this illumination called 'Yesod Abba' is always covered, always hidden, and when the Megillah is read, a revelation occurs and the illumination of Yesod Abba is revealed, such great lights descend that each one can return in true teshuvah, Mordechai, who is Yesod Abba, is revealed in all his glory on Purim, because the illumination of Mordechai - the illumination of Yesod Abba, brings us miracles and wonders, this illumination is the emunah that there is none other than Him, that there is nothing besides Hashem, there can be Achashverosh, there can be Haman, they can make decrees, but in truth, they do not exist, they are only a fog, and all their words are only to awaken us to teshuvah. All of Purim is to return in teshuvah, Purim is not to act wildly, it is not to explode firecrackers, it is not to break things, not to vomit, not to harm anyone. Purim is truly to do true teshuvah, as was seen among the Anash in all generations on Purim, rivers and rivers of tears would flow during the reading of the Megillah, they would pour rivers of tears during the dances, and this is 'one must become intoxicated on Purim,' to become intoxicated is to be inspired! To become intoxicated is red faces from enthusiasm, it is attachment.

In memory of Rabbi Shmuel ben Sarah zt"l.