Purim Katan

Purim Katan is tonight, Thursday night and tomorrow, Friday.

The Dvar Torah below, emailed to me by a friend of mine, is from Rav Avraham Schorr Shlita regarding the power of tefillah on Purim Katan.

He quoted a Chidushei Harim that explained a reason for the mitzvah of "chayav inush lbisumei bepuryah", the mitzvah of drinking on Purim.

He told a story that happened in the times of the Bal Shem Tov. There was a terrible decree against the Jews, everybody prayed and did various mitzvos but nothing changed and the decree was still in place. Finally, the Bal Shem Tov instructed one of his followers to go to a distant town and find a certain drunkard and bring him back to the Bal Shem Tov. The messenger was advised not to allow the drunkard to drink so that he would be sober when he was brought to the Bal Shem Tov. When the drunkard was brought to the Bal Shem Tov, he asked the drunkard for a bracha that the decree be abolished, he gave a bracha and immediately the decree was annulled.

The Bal Shem Tov explained to his close followers that this person had done an unbelievable mitzvah of saving a girl; the mitzvah of Pidyon Shevuyim and in shamayim they were so moved that it was decreed that whatever this person would ask for would be granted immediately. Suddenly in shamayim there was a big debate, how can a simple person be given such unbelievable power of blessing? Maybe he will use it for the wrong things! So they decreed that he would be a drunkard all the time so he would not even realize this power that was given to him.

"The Chidushei Harim explained that on Purim there is a law that "kol haposhet yad nosnin". Anyone who asks, you have to give. This is true also regarding praying, when we daven to Hashem he has to answer our requests. So to counter this unbelievable power of prayer, the chachomim made the law of drinking on Purim so that we don't use the day for praying for the wrong things. The Chidushei Harim continues that if somebody feels that he wants to be smarter then the chachomim and he won't drink and will sit and daven all day long, he is wrong for not listening to the chachomim." (I am not getting into the issue of drinking vs. not drinking on Purim over here. I am just repeating the dvar torah the way it was sent to me. :))

There is a mishna in megillah that says "ein bain adar rishon l'adar shenie ele krias megillah umatonas levyonim bilvad"; there is no difference between the first adar and the second adar only that you can not do your obligation of reading megillah and presents for the poor.
The power of prayer remains exactly the same; however, by the first adar the rabbis did not make an obligation to drink.

So here we have a day that has the tremendous power of prayer and the chachomim did not counter it with an obligation to drink.

Let us use this Friday to daven to Hashem for all the right things, klal yisroel is living through difficult times and there are many things to daven for...we should be all be zoche to see moshiach bmihera byomeinu.

Today is a powerful day. May you use it well and may Hashem answer your tefillos.