The Secret of Purim: The Power of Dancing to Transform Descents into Ascents and Reach the Infinite Light
Lesson No. 135 | Night and Morning of Purim D'Mukafin (Purim of Walled Cities), 15th of Adar 5758
The holiday of Purim is a time of receiving the Torah anew through joy and absolute self-nullification. Through dancing and joy, a person shatters the illusion of worldly desires, strips away the physicality of the body, and merits ascending to the highest spiritual levels of Adam Kadmon (the Primordial Man, the highest spiritual realm), drawing down salvations and healings to the world.
On Purim, we merit the aspect of "Na'aseh V'Nishma" (we will do and we will hear), because Purim represents "kiymu v'kiblu" (they confirmed and accepted)—receiving the Torah anew. Therefore, we first read Parashas Zachor (the Torah portion remembering Amalek), exactly as Amalek attacked right before the Giving of the Torah. This is a transition from the hidden to the revealed, from "hearing" to "doing," and the transmission of tradition from generation to generation, from father to son, in the aspect of "and you shall make them known to your children and your children's children."
On Purim, we are commanded to engage in all kinds of laughter and "milsa d'shtusa" (holy foolishness). The purpose of this is to teach us that all descents are transformed into ascents. When the tzaddik sees us committing a sin, he, so to speak, bursts out laughing. Why? Because he looks from one end of the world to the other, and he sees how all sins are destined to be transformed into merits. All of our spiritual work right now is to elevate all the sins, because on Purim, all sins are transformed into merits through dancing and rejoicing. Through dancing and joy, all the descents of the entire year are transformed into wondrous ascents, and we merit true teshuvah (repentance) with a broken heart.
It is a Time to Act for Hashem; They Have Voided Your Torah
A person with great spiritual awareness knows how to descend into matters of "katnus" (smallness of mind) and engage in "milsa d'shtusa" (holy foolishness). This is the secret of Purim—the nullification of Torah is its very fulfillment. This is the descent that precedes the ascent. If a person sees that his mind is exhausted, he needs to know how to bring himself into matters of smallness, just as we find with Rav Hamnuna Saba, who would preface his Torah study with a "milsa d'shtusa" (a humorous remark).
"It is a time to act for Hashem; they have voided Your Torah."
Hashem decreed the reality of sin upon Adam HaRishon (the First Man). Why? Because Hashem saw that if man were to only ascend higher and higher without any descents, he would think he is an angel from heaven, and he might even think he is God. Therefore, every person goes through whatever he goes through, so that he will know he is not God. The entire spiritual work is to reach a state of self-nullification before the Infinite Light, to recognize that "you are dust, and to dust you shall return," and that a person has absolutely no power of his own, but only from Hashem.
Purim from the Word "Pirurim" (Crumbs)
The word "Purim" is related to the word "pirurim" (crumbs). On Purim, a person is turned into the tiniest of crumbs. After the 365 days of the year that have passed over him, they have made him into crumbs. Therefore, immediately after Purim comes Parashas Parah (the Torah portion of the Red Heifer), where a person is turned completely into ashes. We read about Amalek who came to cut off the Jewish people, and we also read about the Machatzis HaShekel (the Half Shekel)—so that a person will know he is only a half, that he is just one single crumb out of six hundred thousand. That is why a mitzvah a person performs in a large gathering of people is worth more than when he does it alone.
It is impossible to reach this self-nullification before the Infinite Light without drawing close to the tzaddik, who is literally the Infinite Light. The holy Arizal brings down that Mordechai is the mystical secret of Yesod d'Abba (the Foundation of the Supernal Father, representing pure, unblemished wisdom). The name Mordechai hints at "mira dachya"—pure myrrh, which is completely clear and clean. With Mordechai the tzaddik, there was never any shattering; he never stumbled in bad thoughts or evil contemplations.
The War for Purity of Thought
The entire war of a person in this world is only in thoughts and contemplations. Rebbe Nachman grasped this secret already at the age of three. He understood that the entire battle is solely over this matter—to shatter the lusts of the blemish of the covenant (immorality) and the blemish of the eyes. The Rebbe said: "I want only one thing—to shatter this lust, because this lust is just an illusion, just an evil spirit and a spirit of foolishness."
Lust is a burning fire of seventy infernos. Instead of drawing down a soul from the Infinite Light, a person falls into the seventy infernos of the Sitra Achra (the Other Side, forces of impurity) that burn up his mind, his heart, his portion in this world, and his portion in the World to Come. The Baal Davar (the Evil Inclination) offered Rebbe Nachman to work on the lust for eating or other character traits, but the Rebbe adamantly refused. He wanted to shatter only this lust until the very end, with complete self-sacrifice. He prayed, cried, and begged Hashem to help him be saved from this lust, until he merited to escape it completely and reach an immeasurable level of asceticism and purity.
People mistakenly think that it is impossible to live without this, but this is a complete error. A person can go through a hundred and twenty years without this thing entirely. Lust is like a crazy person banging his head against the wall—there is no substance to it, it is simply an illusion. As the Kotzker Rebbe said: "A lust lasts only five minutes, and after five minutes it passes." If a person becomes disgusted by this thing, he will see the Garden of Eden in this world.
Stripping Away the Body and Reaching Adam Kadmon
The entire spiritual work of a person is to strip away the physical body. This is the depth of the Talmudic statement regarding Purim:
"Rabbah arose and slaughtered Rabbi Zeira."
Rabbah wanted to strip Rabbi Zeira of his physical body completely. On Purim, such an immense light descends, the light of the Resurrection of the Dead. Through the power of the dancing on Purim, one can resurrect the dead and heal all the sick people in the world. On Purim, we ascend literally up to Adam Kadmon (the Primordial Man), up to the Reisha D'Lo Etyada (the Unknowable Head, the highest level of Divine Will)—the aspect of "until he does not know" (ad d'lo yada).
The wicked Haman thought that he possessed the fifty gates of impurity and sorcery, and that he would overcome the Jewish people who only had forty-nine gates of purity. But he did not know that on Purim, Mordechai ascends to a place that is beyond all comprehension. This is the secret of the "great golden crown" and the secret of the wine (Butzina D'Kardonusa, the spark of impenetrable darkness that is the source of ultimate light), which elevates the holy sparks up to the Mocha Stima'ah (the Concealed Brain) and to the Reisha D'Lo Etyada (the Unknowable Head).
This is the secret of the dancing that is revealed on Purim. The holy Baal Shem Tov revealed that one must dance every day after every mitzvah, in order to elevate it to Adam Kadmon (the Primordial Man), to the realm of Ta'amim (the highest level of Divine light). Through the secret of Purim and the dancing, we merit to draw down all salvations for the Jewish people, to heal all the sick, and to bring the complete Geulah (Redemption) speedily in our days, Amen.
Lesson No. 135