The Eternal Merit of Charity: Understanding the Mitzvos of Purim
There are four requisite Mitzvos of Purim; to hear the Megillah, Mishloach Manos, Matanos L’evyonim, and a joyful Purim meal. What is unique about Purim that Chazal, at the behest of Mordechai and Esther, incorporated Mishloach Manos and Matanos L’evyonim into the holiday. While charity is an important component of every Jewish Holiday, (see Rambam Laws of Yom Tov 6:18) it is not an outright obligation 1. Moreover, sending food to others is mentioned in the Nechemia for Rosh Hashanah (8:10) 2, some see it as a custom, and almost all don't view it as a halachic requirement. Why on Purim were these two Mitzvos established?
Rav Tzvi Elimelech Spira of Dinov ZT"L (1783–1841), known as the author of Bnei Yissaschar, answers based on an idea found in Sefer Kisay Dovid of Harav Chaim Yosef David Azulai (1724 – 1806), commonly known as the Chida. The Gemara in Sotah 21A 3 states that while aveiros extinguishes the merit of a mitzvah, but a transgression does not extinguish the merit of the Torah. The Chida, quoting other sources, adds that while that is true for most mitzvos, the merit of Tzedakah and Chessed in this respect are akin to Torah and their merit carries on. The Chida explains that this is based on a verse in Tehillim (112:9) 4 He distributed, he gave to the needy; his charity endures “forever”. Says the Chida, if the merit of charity endures forever, it must be that it is never lost even if a person transgresses.
The Bnei Yissaschar expounds that when Haman made a decree to annihilate the Jewish people, many wondered how this was possible, as every single Jewish person does many mitzvos. Even if the Jews transgressed by going to the Achashveirosh’s banquet, why aren't their mitzvos protecting them? It must be that transgressions can extinguish the merit of mitzvahs. On the day that we commemorate the miracle of Hashem and the salvation of the Jewish people, we want to prevent another decree that calls to exterminate the Jewish people from ever happening again. For this reason, the Rabbis enacted that we add in tzedakah and chessed on this day, to ensure our merits remain even if we regrettably transgress in the future.
This idea is supported by another Gemarah in Maseches Megillah 13B says that Hashem knew that in the future Haman was going to offer 10,000 talents of silver sheqalim to Achashverosh to be permitted to enact his decree against the Jewish people. To give the Jewish people an everlasting merit, Hashem arranged that the Jewish people would give half shekels in the Beis Hamikdash to precede the sheqalim of Haman 5. Why couldn’t Hashem command some other Mitzvah? According to the explanation of the Beni Yisoschar and the Chida we can have a better understanding of Chazal’s reasoning for adding the mitzvos of Mishloach Manos and Matanos L’evyonim on Purim. Chazal followed the lead of Hashem and replicated what he did. Just like Hashem gave a mitzvah of tzedakah to prevent Haman’s decree from being enacted, so too the Rabbis created a mitzvah on Purim of chessed to prevent any future decree from taking place.
On Purim it is important not to lose sight of a primary objective of the day. While no Mitzvah is more or less important, is well known that the Rambam (Megillah 2:17) writes that it is better to increase the amount one gives to Matanos L’evyonim even more so than for the Purim seudah or Mishloach Manos 6. Additionally, there is a custom that on Purim anyone who puts out their hand for assistance should not be turned away empty-handed. As the miracle of Purim came through the merit of charity, we seek to give as much as possible on this special day.
Many of us are aspiring to, or already practicing a career, which revolves around doing Chessed throughout the year. It is important to be mindful when caring for patients that these are opportunities of chessed, in which as said in davening “a person enjoys the fruits in this world while the principal remains for him in the world to come” 7. Moreover, even if one does transgress, the merit of chessed remains. At a time when the Jewish people, both in Eretz Yisroel and abroad, need much protection, the chessed we do on Purim and throughout the year will surely be a merit acting on our behalf.
1.
וכשהוא אוכל ושותה חייב להאכיל (דברים ט"ז) לגר ליתום ולאלמנה עם שאר העניים האמללים. אבל מי שנועל דלתות חצרו ואוכל ושותה הוא ובניו ואשתו ואינו מאכיל ומשקה לעניים ולמרי נפש אין זו שמחת מצוה אלא שמחת כריסו, ועל אלו נאמר (הושע ט') זבחיהם כלחם אונים להם כל אוכליו יטמאו כי לחמם לנפשם, ושמחה כזו קלון היא להם שנאמר (מלאכי ב') וזריתי פרש על פניכם פרש חגיכם.
רמב"ם הלכות יום טוב ו:יח
2.
ויאמר להם לכו אכלו משמנים ושתו ממתקים ושלחו מנות לאין נכון לו כי קדוש היום לאדנינו
ספר נחמיה פרק ח' פסוק י
3.
דבר אחר: עבירה מכבה מצוה, ואין עבירה מכבה תורה סוטה כא ע"א
4.
פזר נתן לאביונים צדקתו עמדת לעד קרנו תרום בכבוד
תהלים פרק קי"ב פסוק ט
5.
״אם על המלך טוב יכתב לאבדם ועשרת אלפים ככר כסף וגו׳״, אמר ריש לקיש: גלוי וידוע לפני מי שאמר והיה העולם שעתיד המן לשקול שקלים על ישראל, לפיכך הקדים שקליהן לשקליו
תלמוד בבלי מסכת מגילה דף יג עמוד ב
6.
מוטב לאדם להרבות במתנות אביונים מלהרבות בסעדתו ובשלוח מנות לרעיו. שאין שם שמחה גדולה ומפארה אלא לשמח לב עניים ויתומים ואלמנות וגרים. שהמשמח לב האמללים האלו דומה לשכינה שנאמר (ישעיה נז טו) "להחיות רוח שפלים ולהחיות לב נדכאים":
משנה תורה, הלכות מגילה וחנוכה ב׳:יז
7.
אלו דברים שאין להם שעור. הפאה, והבכורים, והראיון, וגמילות חסדים, ותלמוד תורה. אלו דברים שאדם אוכל פרותיהן בעולם הזה והקרן קימת לו לעולם הבא. כבוד אב ואם, וגמילות חסדים, והבאת שלום בין אדם לחברו, ותלמוד תורה כנגד כלם:
משנה פאה א׳ א׳