The Kosher Bookworm:Purim 5772 Majesty and Mystery

Among all Jewish holidays perhaps the most festive is Purim. In just about every aspect an atmosphere of joy envelops every activity, from liturgy to culinary.

Yet, underlining this festive mood are the numerous commentaries on the sacred writ that serve as the foundational mode of Purim. These commentaries serve as the theological basis of the holiday and are based upon the text of the Book of Esther which details the historical basis of the holiday.

This year a new commentary has been published featuring the teachings of Rabbi Norman Lamm compiled and edited by Dr. Joel Wolowelsky, titled, “The Megillah: Majesty and Mystery”[OU Press / RIETS Yeshiva University Press, 2012 ] . This work is a compilation of commentary on the Book of Esther as well as an extensive commentary on the Maariv evening service that frames the night reading of the Megillah based upon the teachings of Rabbi Norman Lamm, Rosh Yeshiva of RIETS / Yeshiva University.

Much of what I found in this work is original in both content and presentation. The language is easy flowing and informal which reflects a very user /reader friendly tone.

From the very outset, Rabbi Lamm sets a firm marker as to what he wishes to teach us concerning his concept as to the theme and purpose of the Megillah, that being the practical lessons to be gleaned from the behavior of all involved. Rabbi Lamm starts out with a question. Consider the following teaching:

“Who is the real hero of the Megillah? Of course, if we refer the question to the folk-consciousness of our people, there is no doubt that the answer is either Esther or Mordecai. Remarkably, however, if we refer to the Megillah itself, we discover that the name mentioned most frequently throughout the entire book is that of King Ahashverosh. One 19th century Jewish scholar went to the trouble of counting the number of times that the term melech, king, appears in this little book. His study showed that the name appears no less than 187 times.

“King Ahashverosh is a central figure, the axis of the whole plot. All revolves around him, nothing occurs without him. At almost every point we are apprised of the feelings and emotions of Ahashverosh:

the king is happy, the king is angry;