Description
Purim Lite: A “Lite” Look At The Holiday Of Purim By Pinchas Winston
IF THE NUMBERS 25 and 36 are Chanukah numbers, then the numbers 70 and 50 belong to Purim. For starters, the story of Purim revolves around two prophecies:
So says God: “After 70 years of Bavel are completed, I will remember you and fulfill My good word concerning you, to return you to this place.” (Yirmiyahu 29:10)
I, Daniel, pondered in the books the number of years of the word of God that came to Yirmiyahu the prophet regarding the completion of the destruction of Yerushalayim: 70 years. (Daniel 9:2)
Today, such prophecies would be disregarded out of hand by leaders of foreign powers. In their time it was a completely different story:
[It says in Megillas Esther,] “In those days, when the king [Achashveros] sat [on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the capital]” (Esther 1:2), and this is followed by “in the third year of his reign.” Rava said: What is meant by “when [the king Achashveros] sat”? After he began to feel secure. He reasoned: “Belshazzar calculated [the 70 years] and made a mistake. I have calculated them and made no mistake.” (Megillah 11b)
The Babylonian leaders of that time believed in God. They believed the prophecies, enough to base national policy on them. If the prophesied 70 years had come and gone and God had not redeemed His people, then it was safe to assume, they thought, He never would. The massive royal party with which Megillas Esther begins was in celebration of this.
Why 70 years of exile? The answer is technical:
You shall perform My statutes, keep My ordinances and perform them. Then you will live on the land securely. (Vayikra 25:18)
It is through the transgression of [the laws of] Shmittah that the Jewish people are exiled, as the verse says, “Then the land will appease its rests [while you are in exile]” (Vayikra 26:34). The 70 years of the Babylonian exile corresponded to the 70 years of Shmittah that were not observed by the Jewish people. (Rashi)
On the other hand, if the number of verses are counted from when Haman rose to power until he was deposed, they total 70—the total number of days that he actually enjoyed his power. Is this too because of the number of violated Shmittah years?
Perhaps, until that is, the role of wine in both the story and celebration of Purim is recalled.
The story begins with a mishteh, a drinking feast. The highlight and most important mitzvah of Purim is the Mishteh, the seudah that revolves around the drinking of wine, which is intrinsically connected to the number 70:
Anyone whose mind becomes settled through [the drinking of] wine has the knowledge of his Creator…has the knowledge of the Seventy Elders. (Eiruvin 65a)
Kabbalistically, wine can spiritually enhance a mitzvah. It is used for Kiddush on Shabbos and Yom Tovim. It is part of the Bris Milah ceremony. Apparently though, how wine is used and by whom determines its spiritual impact:
Rav Chanan said: Wine was only created to comfort mourners and reward the evil [in this world]…Rav Kahana raised a difficulty: It writes “tirash” [for wine], but the word is read “tirosh.” [This teaches that] if one has merit, he becomes a “rosh” (i.e., a leader), and if not he becomes “rash” (i.e., impoverished). Rava raised a difficulty: It is written, “[and wine] yeshamach (i.e., makes desolate) [the heart of man]” (Tehillim 104:15), but it is read “yesamach,” (i.e., gladdens). [This teaches that] if one has merit, it gladdens him, and if not, it saddens him. (Sanhedrin 70a)
Thus, when wine is used respectfully it elevates a person. It can even bring him to the same intellectual plane of Torah leaders, whose da’as—knowledge—is Godly.
Apparently this is alluded to by the Hebrew word for wine, which is “yai’in,” spelled Yud-Yud-Nun and which has a gematria of 70. It turns out that the Hebrew word, “Sod,” which means “mystery,” another name for Kabbalah, also has the same gematria. Equating the two, the Talmud concludes:
When wine goes in, secrets go out. (Eiruvin 65a)
What does this mean? The secrets that come out from drinking wine usually are the kind that should have been kept in. Furthermore, what does this idea have to do with achieving Godly knowledge, or the miraculous Purim victory?
It is not immediately clear from the Talmud why the number 70 represents all of this, though the following is a step in the right direction:
God, Who has 70 Names, gave the Torah, which has 70 names, to Yisroel, which has 70 names and which originated from the 70 souls that went down to Egypt with Ya’akov. They were chosen from among 70 nations, to celebrate 70 holy days in the year. The Torah was transmitted to 70 Elders. (Midrash Yelamdeinu)
There are 70 facets to Torah. (Zohar, Bereishis 47:2)
The next step is to better understand the main antagonist in the Purim story, Haman the Evil. It will also help to first explain why the number 50 was such an important part of the quick and miraculous turn of events.
