Purim: From A Chassidic Perspective
 Compiled by Shlomo Yitzchaki

A Compilation Of Stories About The Four Mitzvos Of Purim: Mishloach Manos, Matanos La’evyonim, Mikra Megilla, And Mishteh

MATANOS LA’EVYONIM
At a welcome-home farbrengen in his honor, R’ Zalman, who had just returned from Lubavitch, related what the Rebbe Maharash had said in the middle of a maamer, “When you sustain a Jew b’gashmiyus and give him food to satiety, the reward is both material and spiritual.”

When the Chassid R’ Chaim Ber heard this, he began to offer food to passersby or to the poor before davening.

(Seifer HaSichos, summer 5700, pp.161-63)
 

The Chassid R’ Shneur Zalman Chaiken, father-in-law of the gaon and Chassid R’ Baruch Schneur Schneerson, was one of the wealthiest men in town. His net worth was estimated at 25,000 rubles. R’ Shneur Zalman was extremely philanthropic, though his hospitality was done in a most unusual way. He would sit among the poor in shul so that the poor people who didn’t know him would think that he was one of them.

If one of the poor men would complain that he hadn’t eaten anything that day, . R’ Shneur Zalman would tell him that there was a man by the name of Zalman Chaiken, who distributes food from his house to those in need, and that he had eaten there.

After davening he would go with a group of poor people to his house, open the kitchen cupboards and take all sorts of food and place it on the table for them to eat.

(Reshimos Dvarim, Chitrik, Vol. 1, pp. 267-8)
 

When the Chassid R’ Pinchas Shklover passed away in Lubavitch, the Mitteler Rebbe attended his funeral and said, “The general of the Chassidim has died. In his possession they found accounts of funds he had given to tzedaka amounting to 90,000 rubles.”

(Shmuos V’Sippurim, Vol. 3, p. 236)
 

The Alter Rebbe demanded a lot of tzedaka from his Chassidim. He would tell a Chassid, “You can eat bread and water, but for my Yidden (referring to the tzaddikim and Chassidim who had traveled to Eretz Yisroel), I need krupnik (a dish made of groats). I am doubtful as to whether you daven and learn, but my Yidden certainly daven and learn. Regarding the coin given to tzedaka down below, the angels Above say, ‘May Hashem give a thousand times as much.’”

(Sicha leil Simchas Torah, 5707)
 

MISHLOACH MANOS
Although the Chassid R’ Shalom was known as R’ Hillel’s, he was not the son of the tzaddik R’ Hillel of Paritch. R’ Shalom had been born in Beshenkowitz and was a storekeeper. After a while, he left the business in his wife’s hands and he devoted himself to R’ Hillel. He became his pupil and was as beloved to him as his son.

One Purim, R’ Shalom brought R’ Hillel mishloach manos – a bottle of wine and an apple — and said to R’ Hillel, “‘Tapuach’ (apple) is an acronym for ‘tigalun pisgamin vi’tomrun chidusha’ (reveal sayings and speak a novel interpretation [of the secrets of the Torah]) and wine alludes to the statement of our Sages, “Wine enters and secrets go forth,” and he added a request to hear Chassidus.

After farbrenging, R’ Shalom burst into tears. R’ Hillel asked him why he was crying, to which R’ Shalom answered, “In this world you are always saying, Shalom, over here, Shalom, over there. But in the next world, who knows whether they will allow me to approach you!”

R’ Hillel wondered, “What can I do for you?” R’ Shalom requested R’ Hillel to promise him that after 120 years, when R’ Hillel would be in Gan Eden, and he – R’ Shalom – would be in Gehinom, that at least he would be able to listen to the Chassidus being said in Gan Eden from Gehinom.

R’ Hillel sat in profound meditation for half an hour or so and then guaranteed R’ Shalom that he would indeed be in his presence in Gan Eden.

(Reshimos Dvarim, Chitrik, Vol. 1, p. 247, also Shmuos V’Sippurim, Vol. 3, pp. 234-5)
 

MIKRA MEGILLA
On Taanis Esther 5681 (1921), the Rebbe Rayatz fainted. Dr. Landau was called and he said that the Rebbe fainted because he fasted despite his weakened condition. The Rebbe soon recovered and completed the fast. Then he asked the doctor, “When Chassidim and Anash come by the next day, would I be able to farbreng and say Chassidus? The doctor said he could farbreng, though not for many hours, and he could say Chassidus for only fifteen minutes, but he should not prepare for it.

The Rebbe’s face was pale during the reading of the Megilla, and despite his condition, he stood the entire time. He asked the person reading the Megilla to do so quickly and to repeat only the pesukim, “V’ish lo amad bifneihem, lifneihem,” and “V’laharog uli’abed.”

The Rebbe spent many hours the next day with Anash and said the maamer “Amar Rava, chayav ineish l’bsumei b’Puryia, etc.,” which lasted two and a half hours, aside from the farbrengen which also took a few hours.

(Reshimos Dvarim, Chitrik, pp. 187-8)
 

The Mitteler Rebbe once went on an errand for his father to Orsha, where he stayed for Purim, and had to hear the Megilla reading in the local shul. A plate was passed around for contributions known as Megilla gelt for the man who had read the Megilla.

The Mitteler Rebbe put five rubles on the plate when the sum total of all the other contributions didn’t even add up to a single ruble! The man who had read the Megilla told the Mitteler Rebbe that he didn’t deserve such a large sum of money, to which the Mitteler Rebbe said, “Yes, yes, you deserve it. I heard such a wonderful story, a story I had never heard before.”

The mashpia R’ Shmuel Gronem explained the Mitteler Rebbe’s words as follows: The Mitteler Rebbe had always heard the Megilla reading from his father, the Alter Rebbe, and had, therefore, only heard its sublime meaning. But, upon hearing an ordinary person read the Megilla, he heard the actual story for the first time.

(Reshimos Dvarim, Chitrik, Vol. 1, p. 93)
 

MISHTEH
One Erev Purim, R’ Yosef Yitzchok Rafaelowitz told the Rebbe Rashab that somebody had once asked the Alter Rebbe about the statement that the Sages killed the evil inclination for idol worship, and the Alter Rebbe responded, “They exchanged it for the evil inclination for money, and I don’t know whether that was a good thing.”

The next day at the Purim meal, the wealthy people of the city came to the Rebbe Rashab, and he told them, “Bring me money!” Then the Rebbe turned towards R’ Yosef Yitzchok Rafaelowitz and said, “Gold, silver, and copper are on the lowest level, yet they were used to build a Mishkan for Hashem.”

(Shmuos V’Sippurim, Vol. 3, p. 199)