Purim and Yom Kippurim

The Zohar suggests that there is a connection between the holiday of Purim and Yom Kippur, which in the Torah is called Yom HaKippurim. At first glance the two days are as different as can be. Yom Kippur is a solemn day of fasting, while Purim is a joyous day of feasting. Yet upon closer examination one will note a number of similarities. First, both holidays commemorate the drawing of lots. In Megillat Esther we read how Haman chose the date on which to annihilate the Jewish People by drawing lots. In the Torah we read how on Yom Kippur the Kohen Gadol would draw lots to determine the fate of the two identical goats: one would be offered LaHashem as a sacrifice on the Mizbeaich, while the other goat, La’Azazel, would be thrown off a cliff in the Judean wilderness. Second, both Purim and Yom Kippur are specially mentioned as being “forever” holidays. Midrash Mishlei teaches (9:1): “All of the holidays are to be nullified in the future but the days of Purim will not be nullified, as it is stated: “And these days of Purim will not be rescinded from the Jews.” (Esther 9:28).  Rabbi Elazar said: Also Yom Kippur will forever not be nullified, as it is stated, “And it will be to you for an everlasting statute to atone for the Children of Israel from all of their sins once a year.” (Vayikra 16:34). Perhaps this Midrash is teaching us that we will always need opportunities to feel God’s Presence in an acute and poignant way, like on Yom Kippur, but also in a more ambiguous and hidden way, such as in the Purim story. Lastly, both holidays focus on standing before a royal figure. In Megilat Esther we read how Esther risked her life by appearing before the king in his inner sanctum without an invitation. And Yom Kippur was the one day of the year on which the Kohen Gadol would enter into the inner sanctum of the Beit Hamikdash. The Kodesh Hakodoshim is understood to be the location in which the Presence of Hashem, the King of kings, was most imminently perceived. This royal connection between Purim and Yom Kippur is appreciated more in light of the tradition that while God’s name is nowhere in the Megillah, it is alluded to through every mention of “the king”. While on a literal level the king in the Megilah is Achashverosh, on a deeper level we are supposed to recognize the role that Hashem plays behind the scenes throughout the Purim story. The Talmud (Shabbat 88) teaches that since at Sinai the Jewish People accepted the Torah under a degree of duress, it was important for us to accept the Torah a second time- which is what happened in the Purim story and is alluded to in the Megilah by the words “kiymu v’’kiblu” “The Jews ordained and took upon themselves” which is understood to mean “the Jews ordained (on Purim) what they had already taken upon themselves (at Sinai).” Yom Kippur commemorates a second receiving of the Luchot. In this week’s Parsha we read how Moshe broke the first Luchot in response to the sin of the golden calf. 120 days later Moshe came down with the second set of tablets- on Yom Kippur. While the first Luchot were “written by God” the second were written by Moshe. Hashem is teaching us that if we want something to be permanent and to remain important to us, then we must invest our energies into it. This is also the lesson of Purim. Unlike most other holidays, where Hashem did most of the work and performed miracles, Purim commemorates a story in which human beings took the risks, took the initiative, and exhibit bravery and self-sacrifice. Purim and Yom Kippur are forever holidays because they both celebrate human effort and human initiative. Whether it is our relationships, our professions, our shul, or our Jewish identity, we love and treasure those things in which we invest and toil.