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By Rabbi Menachem Cohen.
Prepared By Schneur Noiman

Will All Holidays Be Canceled in Yemos HaMoshiach? What Is the Uniqueness of Purim?

Purim is unique in that it will remain fully valid even in the time of Geula, as Rambam says regarding the eternal nature of Purim: “Even though all memory of troubles will be eliminated, as it is said ‘For the former troubles are forgotten and hidden from my eyes’ – the days of Purim will not be canceled. As it is written, ‘And these days of Purim shall not pass from among the Jews, and their memory shall not cease from their descendants.’”

Similarly, the Medrash states that “All festivals are destined to be canceled, but the days of Purim will never be canceled.” One of Rambam’s great commentators, Rabbi Dovid ben Zimra (known as the Radvaz), explains that these words are not to be taken literally – the festivals will not actually be canceled, but Purim will still be given special importance during the Geula.

In his words: “You asked me about what is found in the Medrashim, that all festivals will be canceled but the days of Purim will not be canceled, as it is said ‘And these days of Purim shall not pass.’ This raises a significant difficulty: Isn’t it written, ‘You shall not add to the word, nor shall you subtract from it!’ Who would say that even one letter of the Torah will be canceled?

“Answer: My straightforward opinion is that these Medrashim and similar ones speak of Yemos HaMoshiach, when goodness, joy, tranquility, and pleasure will increase to such an extent that all days will be equal for people as if the festivals were canceled, with no difference between weekdays and festivals. Not that the mitzva will be canceled, chas v’shalom, but the days of Purim will be remembered and observed, even though they are not from the Torah, because Israel will remember the suffering that befell them at that time. And if you ask: Why won’t they remember the servitude in Mitzrayim? One can say that they already forgot it during the time of the kings and the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, but the days of Purim were not forgotten during Bayis Sheini, since their redemption was not complete. This is straightforward, and as the verse testifies: ‘And their memory shall not cease from their descendants.’”

We find a similar explanation in the sichos of the Rebbe in several places, and in his words:

“The intention is not that the festivals will be completely canceled, ch”v, that there will be no joy of Yom Tov, but rather – that the joy of Yom Tov will not be significant in the future era, because simchas Yom Tov – ‘moadim l’simcha’ – is limited joy; and consequently, in the future era, when there will be great and unlimited joy – ‘simchas olam’ (a term indicating eternity; i.e. eternal joy) – the limited simchas Yom Tov cannot add anything.

“This is similar to ‘what use is a candle in daylight,’ where the emphasis is on ‘what use,’ because the light of the candle exists, but it doesn’t effect anything (to illuminate its surroundings). Therefore, the phrase ‘festivals are canceled’ is used – since the joy doesn’t effect anything (‘what use’). From this it follows that the chiddush of ‘the days of Purim’ (which are not canceled in the future) is that the joy of Purim is so great that it is not canceled even when ‘eternal joy is upon their heads.’”

If in the era of the Geula a light so great will shine that all festivals will be ‘canceled’ – why specifically will Purim remain eternal and ‘shine’ even in the Geula?

The Rebbe explains that the reason for this is that on Purim, the mesirus nefesh of the Jewish people was revealed, and they accepted the Torah by their own free choice, as stated in the Megilla “the Jews confirmed and accepted.” This virtue awakens such a lofty divine holiness that it is not inferior even in relation to that supreme light that will illuminate the world in the future.

Sources: Responsa Radvaz, Vol. 2, Siman 821. Farbrengen of the Rebbe Purim 5745, Ch. 20. Torah Ohr Megillas Esther 90, 4. 119, 2. Chullin 60b. Shabbos 63a. Medrash Mishlei 9:2.

A Scroll in Danger of Extinction?

Beyond the eternity of the holiday of Purim – the Megillas Esther, which we read on Purim, will also maintain its eternal status in Yemos HaMoshiach, despite the fact that the other sifrei Neviim and Kesuvim are destined to be ‘canceled.’ Thus Rambam writes: “All books of the Prophets (Neviim) and all the Writings (Kesuvim) are destined to be canceled in Yemos HaMoshiach, except for Megillas Esther, which will remain extant like the Five Books of the Torah and like the laws of the Oral Torah that are never canceled.”

Confronting these statements about the cancellation of all books of the Kesuvim, the Radvaz also raises an objection: “Weren’t they supposed to sing songs over the korbanos, and these are from the book of Tehillim?! It is difficult to say that the rest of the book will be canceled from being read except for these songs that are recited over the korbanos!”

Therefore, the Radvaz explains that the intention is not that the books of the Neviim will actually be canceled, ch”v, but rather “in Yemos HaMoshiach, the study will be from the A-lmighty as it was in the days of Moshe Rabeinu, and there will be no doubts, but ‘so said so-and-so in the name of so-and-so’ up to ‘from the mouth of the A-lmighty…’ and they will not need then to learn anything from tradition, which are the Neviim and Kesuvim, but everything will be explicit in the Five Books of the Torah… from which we will learn everything and all its details from the mouth of the A-lmighty.”

The Alshich explains similarly, and he adds and explains the uniqueness of Megillas Esther in two ways: “In Yemos HaMoshiach, when the earth will be filled with knowledge, we will fully understand from the Torah all that is in the Neviim and Kesuvim, and therefore they will be canceled, because we will have no need for them. But this Megilla, which is also alluded to in the Torah… nevertheless will not be canceled… because it is a mitzva of the Torah to write it, and therefore just as the Torah is not canceled, also what it commanded to write will not be canceled, which is not the case with all the books of the Neviim and Kesuvim that the Torah did not command to write.

“And it may be that the matter is because on this Megilla depend the world and Yisrael who sustain it, and the Torah through which they are sustained as is known… And indeed, the miracle of reading the Megilla was that Yisrael, the Torah, and the world would have been canceled then, had not the L-rd done all His wonders, in a way that if not for this miracle, they would not even reach the Yemos HaMoshiach.”

The Rebbe quotes in his sicha from these statements, and elaborates to explain in detail the inyan that the Megilla will not be canceled – since there is a mitzva to write it in a book.

The Rebbe adds and is mechadesh that this is actually the interpretation of Esther’s request “write me for generations”: she asked that it be written not only as part of the “Kesuvim” and nothing more, but “write me for generations” – a writing that has the legal status and obligation of a written work, which then does not get canceled, but exists for generations.

Chassidus explains the special divine level of Megillas Esther and thus says the Mitteler Rebbe: “The intention is not about the cancellation of prophecy in Yisrael, G-d forbid, on the contrary, the spirit of prophecy will increase in Yisrael… but it means to say that the aspect of the revelation of divine light in the ‘Neviim’ will be very small in proportion to the intensity of the abundant revelation of light that will be in the future, to the extent that it will be nullified like the nullification and inclusion of the sun’s radiance in the sun itself.

“But the Megillas Esther and the halachos – their root is above the aspect of radiance and light, rather in the aspect of the luminary itself, which is in the aspect of the essence of the Emanator which is compared to the body of the sun… which has no nullification and interruption because it is eternal, in the aspect of the eternity of the essence of the Infinite Light… and with all the above, it will be understood why they said that Megillas Esther will not be canceled in the future.”

Sources: Rambam, end of Chapter 2 of the Laws of Megilla. Yerushalmi Megilla Ch. 1, Halacha 5. Radvaz in his Responsa No. 666. Massas Moshe to Megillas Esther 9:28. Shaarei Orah, maamar “Yaviu Levush Malchus.” Likutei Sichos Vol. 26 Zachor-Purim (Glosses on Rambam).

Half or Whole Shekel?

One of the mitzvos incumbent upon every Jew is to give an annual ‘half-shekel’ for the needs of the Beis HaMikdash. From this money, the korbanos tzibbur (daily offerings, additional offerings, and more) were purchased for the entire Jewish people throughout the year.

Today, it is customary to give tzedaka before Purim as a ‘remembrance of the half-shekel.’

The Rebbe explains that this mitzva is inherently connected with Geula, since in the Geula there will be the perfect unification of the children of Israel with the Holy One, blessed be He (and in the language of the Zohar: “Yisrael and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one”), and thus all the Bnei Yisrael together will unite as one person with one heart.

And these two unities are hinted at in the mitzva of the ‘half-shekel,’ which reminds us that we are only half and we need to unite with the other half – Hashem, and with another Jew. And thus we will reach completeness – a whole shekel.

Interestingly: There are opinions that in the time of the Geula we will be obligated to give to the Mikdash – not half, but a whole shekel!

These opinions are based on a piyut that some have the minhag to recite on Shabbos Shekalim, which includes, among other things, the following passage: “Lift up the light of Your face upon us, O L-rd, and I will offer a shekel in the great and lofty house,” indicating that when the “great and lofty house” is built, we will set aside a whole shekel for the Beis HaMikdash.

The author of Maaseh Rokeach on Meseches Shekalim bases this chiddush on additional evidence, saying: “The reason for naming the mesechta ‘Meseches Shekalim,’ and additionally there is the seeming difficulty regarding Rabeinu HaKadosh, in that throughout the mesechta he does not mention a ‘half-shekel,’ only ‘shekel’ or ‘shekalim.’ In my humble view, it seems that they hinted in this that in the future, upon the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, indeed each one will give a whole shekel.”

What is the reason for the change? He explains: “Because shekel in At-Bash letters is ‘BDK,’ which in gematria equals 26, the numerical value of the Divine Name (YHVH), and in our exile, in our sins, the Name is not complete, therefore the Torah commanded that each one give a half-shekel to atone for them in that they caused by their sin that the Name is not complete, and therefore in the future when the Name will be complete, each one will indeed give a whole shekel.”

Another explanation is that today a Jew needs to remember that he is only half without his fellow, but in the future “HKBH, will uproot the evil inclination from our midst (and the unity will be perfect), and then ‘I will offer a shekel’ because each individual Jew will be a complete stature and a whole person in his own right.” (The sefer Taamei HaMinhagim and others).

However, the Maaseh Rokeach himself and other commentators bring another possibility that even in the Geula they will give only a half-shekel as commanded from time immemorial, and the reason the paytan says “and I will offer a shekel” and also that in Meseches Shekalim it always referred to as ‘shekel’ as mentioned, is because in the time of the Mishna the ‘sela’ (= two shekels) was equal in value to the ‘holy shekel’ of the Torah; while the ‘shekel’ of the Mishna, which is half a ‘sela,’ is equal in value to the ‘half-shekel’ of the Torah. Therefore, even in the Geula we will continue to give half a Torah ‘shekel,’ which is equal to a whole Mishna ‘shekel.’

How will we offer the first korbanos tzibbur in the Geula, from the moment of the revelation of the Rebbe immediately, until the half-shekel is collected from all the public? The korbanos will be from donations of individuals who will give their donations completely to the tzibbur.

Sources: Rema siman 694, seif 1. Rambam mitzvas asei 171. Sichos Kodesh 5752 sicha 24 Adar seif 3-4 and 25 Adar seif 8-10. Likutei Sichos vol. 31 p. 132 and on. Sefer Maaseh Rokeach on Mishnayos beginning of Meseches Shekalim. Divrei Mahari (Rav Yehuda Asad) parshas Shekalim p. 96. Taamei HaMinhagim os 871. Ramban on Torah Shemos 30:13. Likutei Sichos vol. 16 Sicha 1, footnote 90. ■

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