The Talmud tells us that Purim and Pesach are adjacent to each other not only because of their calendar dates, but “…in order to place one redemption [Purim] adjacent to another [Pesach] – thirty days later on the 15th Nissan.” Both Purim and Pesach are festivals of redemption and both originally occurred at times of threatened mass assimilation and annihilation.
What can we understand from the Sages’ stress on their proximity? From Chassidut we learn that while Purim and Pesach share similarities, they are also very different. In the Megillah (Scroll of Esther – read publicly each year on Purim), we read that when the Jewish people heard about King Achashverosh’s terrible decree of annihilation against them – wicked Haman’s “final solution” – they actively united in prayer and fasting. The initial thrust towards salvation came from the Jews themselves. In contrast, the events of Pesach unfolded when the Jews in Egypt were at the absolute end of their ability to cope, and then G-d rescued them. All the energy for the redemption originated in Heaven. In Kabbalistic terms, on Purim the awakening was from below to above, while on Pesach, it was from above to below.
How do we apply this to our own lives? Whenever we try our utmost to deal with our difficulties through positive actions, G-d will respond (as He did during Purim) and aid us through natural, even if apparently “coincidental” means. On the other hand, if we have reached the limit of our capabilities, G-d will intervene directly to save us, perhaps even in a miraculous way (like during Pesach).
On another, less obvious level, Purim represents this world, and Pesach, the world to come. If we do our part now and initiate an awakening from below to above in spite of G-d being hidden from us, as during Purim (G-d’s name is not once mentioned in the Megillah), then G-d will do His part in setting in motion the final redemption, a redemption that will be like Pesach, brought about by the advent of Mashiach.
As the Sages have said, “In Nissan [the month in which Pesach falls] we were redeemed and in Nissan we will be redeemed!
May it be now!
Wishing you a kosher and joyfull Pesach!
Rabbi Shaul Leiter