Purim Round-Up 5785

The "bad news" is that I probably won't have time to finish my Purim article this year or write a Ki Tisa article before Shabbos. The good news is that I have plenty of other Purim content to share!

Mar 13, 2025

The Torah content for this week has been sponsored by my friend, Rabbi Dr. Elie Feder. His latest book, Happiness in the Face of Adversity: Powerful Torah Ideas from a Mom's Parting Words, shares the wisdom of Shani Feder a"h, a true Eishes Chayil. This is the kind of Torah I wish more people knew—ideas that directly impact our experience of life. Available now on Amazon.

Grok-generated image I used for *What I’m Thinking About This Morning: Arur Haman, Baruch Mordechai, ____ Trump.* What I LOVE about this image is that people are inevitably going to interpret the figure on the right as Haman or Mordechai, depending on how they view Trump.

Even though I have a history of hastily writing and publishing a Purim-related article in the 11th hour (a.k.a. right before the seudah starts), I’m going to be realistic and wager that I will NOT be able to do so this year, mostly because my seudah will start at 11:30am.

Instead, here’s a round-up of MOST of my articles, shiurim, and podcast episodes on Purim, by category, in reverse chronological order. (Not included are the episodes of Rambam Bekius and one or two blog posts I haven’t gotten a chance to edit.)

Also, just a heads up: since I’ve been so focused on Purim this past week, I haven’t given Parashas Ki Tisa its due, so I might end up writing about something in this parashah next week instead of Vayakhel.

Have a happy (and safe) Purim! 🥳

Full-Length Purim Articles

Purim 5784: Breaking News About Achashveirosh (and Possibly Haman)!
PAID SUBSCRIBER POST
Date: 3/25/24
Length of article: 4 pages
Length of audio: 13 minutes 48 seconds
Synopsis: I never thought I'd find a NEW pasuk in Tanach about Achashveirosh which sheds light on Haman's liability, but here we are! This is a half-baked idea but I want to share it in case it leads somewhere.
If you’re a paid subscriber, click here to access the audio and scroll to the bottom for a link to the PDF.

A Theory Connecting Purim to Yom ha’Kipurim Which is NOT Based on Specious Linguistics
Date: 3/18/24
Length of article: 2 pages
Length of audio: 7 minutes
Synopsis: Have you heard someone connect Purim to Yom ha'Kippurim? I used to dismiss such ideas as fanciful and lacking any basis ... until I found an actual basis!
Click here for a printer-friendly version of this article and click here for the audio.

Megilas Esther: How Esther Stayed Religious
Date: 3/7/23
Length of article: 2 pages
Length of audio: 8 minutes 5 seconds
Synopsis: Here's an article I cranked out over Taanis Esther and Purim day which offers insight into Esther's character via a set of bizarre midrashim about her observance of hilchos niddah with Achashveirosh.
Click here for a printer-friendly version of this article and click here for the audio.

Human Expectations and Divine Redemption
Date: 3/1/18
Length of article: 6 pages
Synopsis: This article analyzes Yeshayahu 55 (a.k.a. the Torah reading for fast days) as an introduction to Megilas Esther and its themes.
Click here for a printer-friendly version of this article; currently no audio.

Very Short Purim Articles (What I’m Thinking About This Morning)

WITATM 3/13/25: Arur Haman, Baruch Mordechai, ____ Trump

WITATM 3/6/25: Lacuna Matata

WITATM 3/4/25: Reading Trump as Rav and Shmuel

WITATM 3/22/24: Lying to Children About Purim Drinking

WITATM 3/19/24: Ralbag’s Purim Torah

Shiurim in Video and Audio Form

Insights from Esther's Tefilah (Targum Rishon to Esther 5:1)
available in video and audio
Synopsis: Tonight (3/12/25), in lieu of our Wednesday night tefilah shiur, we took up a Purim-related tefilah topic: Esther’s tefilah! "But wait," you might object, "where in the Megillah does it say that Esther davened?" The answer: it doesn’t—at least not explicitly. But the Midrashim and midrashic Targumim contain several references to her tefilah, and we analyzed the Targum Rishon on Esther 5:1, where her tefilah is spelled out in detail. I wasn’t sure if we’d arrive at an understanding, but one of the guys in the shiur offered a great explanation, which I supplemented with my own insights to help us implement Esther’s strategy in our own davening.

Ralbag's Lessons from Megilas Esther: Part 4 (#36-40)
available in video and audio
Length: 1 hour 23 minutes
Synopsis: Last night (3/6/25), in lieu of our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we continued learning the Ralbag's toalos ("beneficial lessons") on Megilas Esther, picking up were we left off last year, at the beginning of Chapter 6. Unlike last year, in which we JUST read the Ralbag, we decided to read and discuss the pesukim this year before learning the toeles. This resulted in a slower pace, but (I hope!) a richer learning experience. We only got through five toalos, but we delved into them deeper than we did last year, and came away with some really sharp insights into the Megilah and some nice practical applications.

Ralbag's Lessons from Megilas Esther: Part 3 (#27-35)
available in video and audio
Length: 1 hour 5 minutes
Synopsis: This morning (3/22/24), in our Machshavah Lab series for women, we continued learning through the Ralbag's toalos, continuing at the beginning of Chapter 4 and concluding Chapter 5. Whereas many of the toalos we discussed last time seemed ancillary to the main ideas of the story, the toalos we read today showcase the righteousness and strategic wisdom of Mordechai and Esther, and highlight some of the major themes of the megilah. My admiration and appreciation for the decisions made by Mordechai and Esther has never been higher. Next year (בג"ה) we'll aim to finish the toalos of the Ralbag on Megilas Esther!

Ralbag's Lessons from Megilas Esther: Part 2 (#15-26)
available in video and audio
Length: 1 hour 5 minutes
Synopsis: This morning (3/15/24), in our Machshavah Lab series for women, we continued learning through the Ralbag's toalos. After an introduction, in which we spoke about the difference between Chazal's "villainize the wicked" approach and the Ralbag's toeles method, we pressed on in the toalos making through chapter 3, which covers 26 out of the total 51. Lots of nice ideas, just like last time! We'll see if we end up trying to finish them next week or if we end up doing another Purim-related topic.

Ralbag's Lessons from Megilas Esther: Part 1 (#1-14)
available in video and audio
Length: 1 hour 18 minutes
Synopsis: This evening(3/14/24), during our regularly schedule Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we instead embarked on an exciting Purim-related journey. As is his style, the Ralbag concludes sections of his Biblical commentaries with "toalos" (a.k.a. lessons) in halacha, middos, and philosophical ideas which he gleans from the text. He concludes Megilas Esther with 51 such lessons. Tonight, we began learning through them! The most obvious goal was to learn the particular ideas he aimed to teach, but our larger goal was to learn his derech (methodology) in extracting these lessons from the text. Those who attended the shiur were just as surprised as I was the first time I learned through these lessons. Let's just say that this is NOT how you were taught Megilas Esther in Jewish day school. We plan to continue tomorrow, and hopefully finish all of them before Purim!

ABBREVIATED VERSION: My Current (Radical?) Understanding of the Mitzvah to Get Drunk on Purim
available in video and audio
Length: 56 minutes
Synopsis: On 3/1/23, I gave a special Purim shiur to my women's group on my current (radical?) understanding of the mitzvah to get drunk on Purim. That shiur ended up being 1 hour and 46 minutes long. Because I know that time is valuable, I wanted to do my best to produce a shorter version, and that's what this is. The difference is that last night we first learned through all the relevant sources about drinking INSIDE the text, whereas this morning I merely summarized them. Additionally, last night's shiur style was far more collaborative and I took up more questions, whereas my goal this morning was to convey the ideas as clearly and efficiently as possible. Bottom line: if you have the time, I recommend listening to the longer version (which is linked in the show notes of the YouTube video and podcast), but if you're short on time OR if you're familiar with all the sources inside, then this version is for you.

My Current (Radical?) Understanding of the Mitzvah to Get Drunk on Purim
available in video and audio
Length: 1 hour 46 minutes
Synopsis: In lieu of last night's (3/2/23) regularly scheduled Pirkei Avos shiur for women, I gave a special Purim shiur on a well-trodden topic. Each year I attempt to review ALL the halachic positions on Purim drunkenness, but only in the past couple of years have I formed my own view. In one sense, this is a synthesis of different ideas I've learned from various traditional sources. In another sense, it's a new approach inspired by a non-traditional source. Although I may have alluded to this view in various shiurim over the past 2.5 years, this is the first time I have presented it in its entirety. And if I may say so, I believe it was eye-opening for us all, and may very well change the way we see all the mitzvos of Purim. But you can be the judge of that.

Purim 5781: The Limits of the Human Intellect as a Theme of Purim
available in video and audio
Length: 50 minutes
Synopsis: In today's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (2/19/21) we learned a pischa (or pesichta) - that is, a midrashic introduction to Megilas Esther. We explained the main idea of the midrash and how it serves as a thematic framework for reading the megilah, and we concluding by connecting this theme (albeit with a speculative theory) to the obligation to get drunk on Purim.

The Stoic Jew Podcast Episodes

Purim, Providence, and 600 Days of Gratitude (Epictetus – Enchiridion 5,8,20; Discourses 1:6)
Length: 23 minutes
Synopsis: This past Shabbos was my 600th day of gratitude, and I decided to delay making an episode until Purim so that I could talk about the common themes. Unfortunately, I got zero sleep last night - yes, ZERO - which yielded a benefit and a detriment. The benefit is that I got to use last night's insomnia as an example of how the gratitude journal has changed my life. The detriment is that the quality of this episode is not up to my standards, and is a bit rambly. I decided to upload it anyway, in hopes that someone will gain something from it. If you feel you gained something after listening to it, please let me know, since this will increase the odds of me getting back into the routine of making episodes of TSJ again. Happy Purim!

Purim vs. Stoicism (Epictetus – Discourses 4:4; 2:6; Enchiridion 14)
Length: 19 minutes
Synopsis: In this episode I share some thoughts I had about how the ideas of Purim embody some fundamental differences between Judaism and Stoicism with regards to factors outside of our control. These thoughts were prompted by the writings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (a.k.a. the Rav). I’m sure my ideas can be developed, but I figured it would be better to get them out there before Purim starts. Happy Purim!

Seneca on Purim Drinking (Seneca: Letter #18 – On Festivals and Fasting)
Length: 12 minutes
Synopsis: On Asarah ba’Teves, our most recent fast day, we read Seneca’s Letter #18 and examined the differences between the Stoic and Jewish views of fasting. In today’s episode we focus on the “on festivals” part of his letter, in which Seneca advises his student Lucilius on how the philosopher differentiates his own behavior from that of the drunken crowd when celebrating Saturnalia. It turns out that the approach he advocates is not too dissimilar to how talmidei chacham (Torah scholars) ought to conduct themselves when celebrating Purim, even while drinking.

If you have a comment on a specific article, please comment on that article. But if you have any general Purim comments or requests for future Purim articles, feel free to leave a comment here!

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