becomes ; is Haman to be found in the Torah or sanctioned by a loving and compassionate God ?
In Israel today many are searching for light in the tormenting dark . We are searching for God who is absent from the Megillah and perhaps in far too many events . Godless periods of indescribable horror and suffering . The “ Purim Torah ” in the tractate of Chulin is inviting us back to the very beginning , the Genesis or Bereishit of humankind , to try and figure out what else was planted in that universe , what else was part of God ’ s plan . There is a macabre playfulness in connecting Haman to the Tree … of Knowledge of good and evil , both of these aspects of the oft tragic human condition were seemingly exposed and became potent through the sin of Adam and Eve . A sin that no longer appears to be that original …
The quest to find Esther in the Torah reinforces these insights : ר ת ס א
… י נ פ ר י ת ס א ר ת ס ה י כ נ א ו ( ח י , א ל ם י ר ב ד ) ן י נ מ ה ר ו ת ה ן
מ
From where in the Torah can one find an allusion to the events involving Esther ? He replied to them that Deut . 31:18 states : ‘ Then My anger shall be kindled against them on that day , and I will forsake them , and I will hide My face from them , and they shall be devoured , and many evils and troubles shall come upon them .’ 34
Purim evokes Yom Kip-pur-im . That day too we are seeking God and in our efforts to find Him to return to Him , God makes that journey to find us too . Purim becomes the “ dress rehearsal ” for a period of searching , of contemplation , yemei zikaron , days of remembering , and yes days that we also celebrate our independence , our pride of who we are and must continue to strive to become . A people that constantly
34
Chulin 139b
46