A wonderful and comprehensive article in honor of the upcoming days of Purim by our teacher, the great tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a: How does Purim atone for the sin of the Golden Calf? What is considered the sin of the Golden Calf in our days? How do we slaughter the Sitra Achra without harming others, and what is the connection to drinking wine on Purim? What did Rabbi Natan mean when he said a person should throw himself into mud and mire?

Abomination to Hashem is Every Haughty Heart

"And this is the aspect of Mordechai and Esther, and Haman, aspects of Purim, the aspect of the lot that Haman cast, the aspect of the barley offering. For Haman is the aspect of idol worship, as our sages, of blessed memory, said (Megillah 10b), that he made himself an idol" (Likutei Moharan 10). Purim comes to atone for the sin of the Golden Calf, and therefore, generally, Purim falls during Parshat Ki Tisa, [the parsha of the calf, the giving of the Torah, the first and second tablets]. The calf is mentioned three times: "and he saw the calf," "and he took the calf," "and this calf came out," three times the calf equals "Purim" [the calf = 108 plus 4 letters = 112 × 3 = 336 = Purim], Haman is the calf, as it is written, where is Haman from the Torah? "Is it from the tree," because the calf is the Tree of Knowledge. "And Moses saw the people were unrestrained because Aaron had let them loose to their shame among their enemies." This is the matter of unrestrained, on Purim we do the true unrestrained to nullify idolatry, Moses our teacher was buried opposite Beit Peor because "Moses" in gematria is "wrath" (Likutei Moharan 10).

Baruch Hashem today there are no calves but there are worse than calves!

And this is what our holy Rebbe says (Likutei Moharan 215): "And this was the work of Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, all his life, and even after his death, for he endeavored to bring the mixed multitude closer to make converts, and even in his death he was buried opposite Beit Peor, to sweeten the idolaters so they would become converts. And therefore he passed away on Shabbat at Mincha, which is a time of favor. To sweeten all twenty-four courts, to make converts, because all of Moses' work was to sweeten the wrath of the idolaters to favor, and therefore Moses stands between destruction and favor." Moses our teacher came to nullify the wrath, our Rebbe says what is the idolatry of our days? What is the calf of our days? Baruch Hashem today there are no calves but there are worse than calves! Because in the act of the calf they saw a calf, they knew who to fight against, but today the idolatry is "Abomination to Hashem is every haughty heart", and our Rebbe drew out the words "every haughty heart" 'the Rebbe drew out' [= the Rebbe drew out] 'every haughty heart' whether in Torah, whether in prayer, a person finishes praying he feels such pride I prayed well. Finished learning I learned well, he gave a lesson I gave a good lesson, one must know that the serpent swallowed him, the Sitra Achra swallowed him.

And on Pesach we slaughter the Sitra Achra (Chad Gadya), what does it mean to slaughter the Sitra Achra, to cut the Sitra Achra in two, to separate the "Sitra" from the "El", there is the spark of the word El and now the Sitra Achra swallowed the El, the serpent after the sin of the Tree of Knowledge swallowed the El, fell to the Sitra Achra and it needs to be cut in two, and one must know how to cut it, and this is the matter of Purim and Pesach that we cut the Sitra Achra, Purim and Pesach are one matter and the miracle of Purim was on Pesach, indeed this is the matter of slaughtering Rabbah to Rabbi Zeira, that Rabbi Zeira would enter with his body into the fire, but this is still nothing, one must cut the person in two, and after they slaughter him, like the Sitra Achra, one must revive him afterwards to connect him, this is the true rectification.

The Illumination of the Preserved Wine

The holy Ari writes, in Pri Etz Chaim, that Rabbah did this thanks to the drinking of wine, wine is such a great thing that it can cut the Sitra Achra in two, to separate the El from the Sitra Achra, the Sitra Achra is pride, "Abomination to Hashem is every haughty heart," the true tzaddik is nothing at all he is the ultimate nothing, he reached such nothing, and this is the secret of Yehoshua bin Nun that we do on Shushan Purim walled cities from the time of Yehoshua bin Nun. Rabbah through the preserved wine achieved the intellect of the fiftieth gate, the intellect of the resurrection of the dead, and this is what he wanted to show that it is possible through the preserved wine, to cut a person completely, not only to enter the fire and come out alive, and after cutting him completely, it is possible to reconnect him and remove the last spark that remained from the Sitra Achra, and this is the power of Purim.

The Merit of Dancing

On Purim there are two matters: A. to cut the person and revive him B. dancing and simcha (joy) and this is what the Gemara in Ketubot (Ketubot 17a) says that there were tzaddikim who surpassed Rabbi Zeira, there was Rabbi Shmuel bar Yitzchak who danced on three myrtle branches, Rabbi Moshe Margenshtern explains in the book Midrash Moshe, the great-grandson of the Kotzker, the secret of the dancing, that Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzchak danced on three, Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai, danced only with one myrtle he did not merit the pillar of fire, Rabbi Shmuel bar Yitzchak was an Amora, and merited the pillar of fire, he danced on three, he danced before the bride and groom, and Rabbi Zeira was ashamed what kind of work is this dancing?, here I enter into the fire, Rabbah cut me on Purim and revived me anew, and there is no spark of the Sitra Achra within me, Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzchak came and revealed a completely new work, he did not want to enter the fire, he did not want to cut the person in two. Indeed Purim is a great festival and it is possible to revive the dead, but it is also possible without cutting the other. Without insulting the other, without embarrassing the other, to reach all the achievements in the world. This was renewed by Rabbi Shmuel bar Yitzchak and this is the true secret of Purim.

There is No Despair in the World at All

Rabbi Natan explains in Likutei Halachot what is the meaning of what our Rebbe said (Likutei Moharan II, 5) that a person should throw himself into mud and mire? He dances, he jumps, he is happy, this is the meaning of entering into mud and mire, and through this one achieves insights that even Moses our teacher did not achieve, through dancing through simcha (joy) one reaches such insights that even Moses our teacher did not achieve, a tzaddik who has it good, a tzaddik who has it bad, "and Mordechai knew all that was done" he achieved all the insights. Only because of this did Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzchak merit what even Rabbi Zeira did not merit, he merited that the pillar of fire separated between him and the people and there is no pillar of fire except for one in a generation or two in a generation, Rabbi Zeira did not merit the pillar of fire, and Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzchak merited the pillar of fire, Rabbi Nachman bar Yitzchak merited only in concealment, and Rabbi Shmuel bar Yitzchak merited openly that everyone saw him, and the pillar of fire separated between him and the people. Rabbi Natan explains the secret of Purim that we fight and continue onward, in war there is no falling into any despair in the world, because a person fights once, and falls into despair, but there is Purim that a person fights and fights, fights endlessly and without investigation he has no despair, and he has no weakness. The evil inclination waits for a person, there is one whom he brings down at the age of twenty, one at the age of thirty, one at the age of forty, one at the age of fifty, at the age of sixty-seventy, he does not despair, as long as a person is alive as long as the spirit of life is in his nostrils. The true Breslover is the Sitra Achra, he never despairs, for him there is no such thing as despair, he waits for a person patiently until the moment he can catch him, and bring him down into his net, one moment a person has some weakness of mind, one second, he has already fallen into his trap, one second of pride, of "every haughty heart," he is already in his trap.

The Humility of Yehoshua bin Nun

The Midrash explains the merit of Yehoshua bin Nun, the servant of Moses, everyone would come to Moses' lessons, hear the lessons, rise in divine insights face to face, and Yehoshua was in simplicity, after the lesson he would dance, sing songs, arrange the benches, and he would kiss the hands and feet of Moses our teacher they said about him is this a student of Moses our teacher? Is this a student of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov? Is this what Moses our teacher wants? "This fool," until everyone called him a fool, that "fool" he continues for us the illumination of Shushan Purim, the main Purim.

You Ascended on High, You Captured Captives

Haman knew they were going to build the Holy Temple, they were going to reach the insight of face to face, and this is the whole matter of Purim, the insight of face to face we receive the Torah anew, brings "the Joy of the Elders," he is the connection between Bava Kama and Bava Metzia, two holding a garment, who are the two holding a garment?, this matter that two hold a garment, come to the court and argue over the garment, is not common at all, who are really these two holding a garment, it is Moses and Hashem, "You ascended on high, you captured captives" you took gifts among men, there is a chamber in the heavens called "Marom," there Hashem stored the tablets, it is a chamber that no angel, and no seraph, can enter this chamber, and Moses reached up to the chamber called Marom, grabs the tablets, Hashem sees he wants to steal the tablets, He also grabs the tablets, they both start to argue over the tablets. And this is the explanation of two holding a garment, Moses our teacher and Hashem. With whom does the tzaddik argue?! "In my zeal for my zeal" with whom does the tzaddik envy?, he does not envy anyone, only with Hashem Himself. And this is what "Midrash Rabbah" says in "Ki Tisa" that Moses held two handbreadths from below, and Hashem two handbreadths from above, and two handbreadths remained space in the middle, two holding a garment Moses shouts all of it is mine, and Hashem shouts all of it is mine, they start to argue, before the court of angels, Hashem says you judge, Moses our teacher, he is the tzaddik, overcomes Hashem grabs the tablets from Hashem's hand, but this is in court what do you do in court everyone learned in two holding a garment this is only if he grabs before the court, but in court already you cannot grab, Moses did not care, within the court grabs the tablets from Hashem, and descends below.

The Torah of the Ancient Hidden

"The Joy of the Elders" brings the Maharsha, that the whole argument between Moses and the angels in the heavens, was only about the secrets of the Torah, about the Tree of Life, about the Zohar. About the revealed Torah there was no argument. The Joy of the Elders asks where is the proof of the Maharsha? The proof is this Midrash, since Moses our teacher already held two handbreadths, then what he already holds there is no argument about, as brought in the discussion of two holding a garment, that the argument is only about what remains in the middle, but what he grabbed he grabbed. Moses our teacher grabbed the first two handbreadths this is the revealed Torah, about this there is no argument the revealed Torah anyone can learn, it is revealed to everyone, the argument was about the hidden Torah, about the middle two handbreadths, Moses our teacher won the argument with the angels, and merited the hidden Torah. The argument remained about the last two handbreadths that are in Hashem's hand, this is the Torah of the Ancient Hidden, this is the Likutei Moharan, this is the Torah of Mashiach. And on Purim the last two handbreadths that Hashem held in His hand are revealed, there is one day a year when these two handbreadths are revealed, that Hashem held them in His hands. And this is the matter of Yehoshua bin Nun, the holy Ari explains, there is the foundation of the father, which is surrounded by the mother, this is the matter of surrounded by a wall, on Purim of the unwalled cities the lights of the mother are revealed, and on Purim of the walled cities the surrounding lights of the father are revealed.

Every Generation Has a Shell Opposing the Tzaddik

On Purim we rectify all sins the sin of the Golden Calf, that three times "the calf" in gematria is Purim, and the sin of Saul who spared Agag, for Agag king of Amalek in gematria is Saul, everyone has the shell against him, Moses plus ten sefirot in gematria is Pharaoh, and against Elijah was Jezebel, because Elijah with four letters = fifty in gematria is Jezebel. The Chiddushei HaRim asks and could Elijah not kill with the breath of his mouth Jezebel, the officer of fifty with his fifty he killed with the breath of his mouth, then another officer of fifty with his fifty also he killed with the breath of his mouth, fire descended from the heavens, but Jezebel herself was the root of the Sitra Achra, and to subdue her requires only through work and prayer, there are no tricks and advice, the moment Israel despised Elijah, after he brought down fire from the heavens they wanted to kill him, when he reached Mount Sinai, if he had fulfilled "Be silent to Hashem and wait for Him," and had not said "I have been very zealous" he would have subdued the shell of Jezebel, there would have been redemption, and resurrection of the dead, and the Holy Temple would have been built. Since he said "I have been very zealous" Hashem said to him you have returned everything backward anew, we were already at the threshold of redemption, also Nebuchadnezzar in gematria is Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, he was exactly the shell of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah. Every tzaddik in his generation has a Sitra Achra against him, whether it is Jezebel, whether it is Nebuchadnezzar, whether it is Pharaoh, whether it is Agag king of Amalek, all were the gematrias of those tzaddikim who were in those generations, and so says the holy Ari that Mordechai in gematria is three times Haman, because Haman reached three times calf, and three times calf in gematria is Purim, and three times Haman in gematria is Mordechai.

The Merit of Purim of the Walled Cities

The holy Ari says that Yehoshua and Caleb, were above all the spies, the spies were the sparks of Moses our teacher, and Moses our teacher sent them to subdue the Sitra Achra that is in Eretz Yisrael, he told them either you will subdue the Sitra Achra in Eretz Yisrael, and then Moses our teacher would enter Eretz Yisrael, and there would be resurrection of the dead, and the building of the Holy Temple. And if you do not subdue God forbid, the rectification will be postponed, and therefore it is said send for yourself men from yourself, from your sparks, these ten were the sparks of Moses our teacher, but Yehoshua and Caleb were more than sparks, one was against the navel, and one was against the foundation, and we were inclined to say that Yehoshua would be against the navel, which is higher says the holy Ari exactly the opposite, Rabbi Chaim Vital heard two versions, and wanted to decide the version, that Caleb is against the navel, because it is a faint light, and it must be said that the strong light is Yehoshua, who comes from Joseph, the spies were supposed to subdue the Sitra Achra and bring the redemption and they spoiled, and on Purim it must be again the moment of redemption, Yehoshua bin Nun continues for us the illumination of walled cities, the lights of the mother, this is the secret of wall walls, because Mashiach walls this is Rachel who is the mother in small face and on Purim we must reach and bring down these lights.

To See Mordechai and Esther

This is the secret and all the women will give honor to their husbands, then Haman says whom would the king delight to honor more than me, and afterwards he goes and proclaims who is the man whom the king delights to honor, the "Joy of the Elders" says what is the secret of "honor" this is the secret of the 310 worlds, that all Purim we merit the 310 worlds, whoever merits to see Esther and Mordechai in the Megillah, a person must cry out forty days before Purim, "save me from the shell of Haman Amalek" because a person thinks he must break and slaughter people, like Rabbah slaughtered Rabbi Zeira, he does not know that it is possible to sit in inner chambers, where no one sees you, like Rabbi Yibbi [they called him "Rabbi Yaakov Yosef ben Rabbi Yehuda"]. It is told when his wife was sweeping the room, she would hear the angels saying Holy Holy, if his wife was on such a level one can understand what is the merit of Rabbi Yibbi himself. He would practice on Purim not to leave his house, like Rabbi Avraham ben Rabbi Nachman who on Purim would disappear after Shacharit until the evening did not go wild, did not jump, did not play with people, he served Hashem saw Mordechai and Esther. Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz had a great dispute with Rabbi Yibbi, no one understood what, people of small minds, do not grasp, what divine insights are here. One year he cries out, in the middle of the dances whoever wants to see Mordechai the Jew, go to Rabbi Yibbi, they lived together in Hostra, the students thought because Purim he is all intoxicated therefore he says this, they knew there is a dispute may Hashem have mercy, a person sees with his eyes, Hashem sees to the heart, he cried out a second time, whoever wants to see Mordechai the Jew go to Rabbi Yibbi, a third time, one student decided, what is there to lose if he runs to Rabbi Yibbi, it is in the same city, he ran and when he arrived he saw an old Jew coming out of his house, the student entered the house, his daughter said to him all Purim he danced for hours with an old man, we always sit alone me and my father, and this year an old man came, and danced with my father, the student understood that the old Jew, was Mordechai the Jew. If a person merits he can dance all Purim in his room, with Mordechai the Jew, he can dance with Mordechai himself, see Mordechai himself, if he guards his intellect.

Longing and Yearning for the Kedushah (Holiness) of Purim

Mordechai went out with a great golden crown. The Pri Etz Chaim says this is the crown of the primordial man, a person can merit to receive insights of the primordial man, to be with Mordechai himself, if a person cares about Purim, such a revelation of Purim, it pains him about the time that passes, he waits for Purim, he waits to see Mordechai the Jew, he can see Mordechai in the Megillah, dance at home with Mordechai.

A Person Can Be a Tzaddik but a Fool

The "Joy of the Elders" explains, this is the secret "who is the man whom the king delights to honor" because there are two tzaddikim, there is a true tzaddik who merits twice 310 worlds, this is what is merited on Purim, to 310 lights, and it is possible to merit twice 310 which is a crown, every person who descends to the world, Hashem does not decree if he will be a tzaddik, or a wicked person, He decrees if he will be poor, or rich wise or foolish, but not tzaddik, or wicked, the Kotzker says a person can be a tzaddik, but a fool. The first thing one must ask is to be wise, a person becomes a Breslover, knows the true tzaddik, and sees that the studies do not go, the mind does not open, one must shed tears like water to be wise, because it could be decreed upon him to be a fool, but on tzaddik, it was not decreed. Purim is given to receive intellect, such intellect that was never before, the intellect of Hashem, the two handbreadths that Hashem held in His hand, that He did not want to give to Moses our teacher, but Moses our teacher brought it down nonetheless by force. And the revelation of this, is only in the days of Purim. A person can be a foolish tzaddik, and what is the advice for this? Act on Purim in all the dances, our people when they danced they cried, they shed tears like water, "and Esther fell before him and pleaded and fell before his feet," Esther falls at the feet of the king, and pleads before the king and does not stop crying, and pleading, she wants all the intellect. On Purim is the time to receive intellect And when her father and mother died Mordechai took her as a daughter, she has no father or mother, she has no, not the intellect of a father, not the intellect of a mother, on Purim such great intellect is received, a person sees he has no, not the intellect of a father, not the intellect of a mother, he knows how to go wild, he knows how to be a Breslover, he thinks all Purim is just to go wild, he is a foolish tzaddik, it was decreed upon him to be a fool, and he became a tzaddik, he became a foolish tzaddik. He loses, all the wonderful lights of Purim. Purim is to receive the greatest intellect, the two handbreadths that Hashem held in His hand, that cannot be revealed all year, only in the days of Purim. And this secret explains the "Joy of the Elders" and all the women will give honor to their husbands, to whom did Haman want to give honor, honor, this is the 310 worlds, indeed for each and every one prepared intellect, also for the wicked, and also for the tzaddik, every neshamah (soul) that descends is prepared for it 310 worlds, and how will it receive the 310 worlds, this is the matter of Purim, this is the difference between the wicked, and the tzaddikim, we see who is a tzaddik, and who is wicked, on Purim everything becomes clear, the tzaddikim take the 310 worlds of the wicked, as it was with Mordechai and Haman, that Haman said "the man whom the king delights to honor" and the king said to him, go do so to Mordechai the Jew as you have spoken, call him "so shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor" Haman goes through the streets and the city squares and calls "so shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor" twice honor, twice 310 worlds. When the days of Purim arrive, a person can receive his 310 worlds, and of others, until he receives a great golden crown, he ascends to the primordial man, he receives all the intellects in the world, and through this we will merit complete redemption speedily in our days.

(From a lesson given on Purim 5753)