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Why will all festivals be nullified except Purim (פורים)? The shiur develops that Purim reveals the deepest level of our relationship with Hashem (ה׳)—we are not His subjects but partners in His malchus through hester panim. The essence of this partnership, modeled by the Achashverosh-Esther dynamic and rooted in the pasuk "ki rav hu," is that Klal Yisrael relates to Hashem as a wife gives honor to her husband—a covenant between equals, not domination.
This shiur presents a profound exploration of Purim (פורים)'s unique status and eternal nature through the lens of malchus (sovereignty) and the relationship between Hashem (ה׳) and Klal Yisrael. Rabbi Zweig opens with several perplexing questions: Why will all moadim be nullified except Purim? Why is drinking commanded on Purim when intoxication seems antithetical to Jewish values? Why does the Maharsha note that the Gemara (גמרא) compares the era of miracles to nighttime when elsewhere Chazal say this world is day and the next world is night? And why does the Baal HaTurim cite the seemingly trivial pasuk "venishma pisgam hamelech ki rav hu" as the source that megillah reading overrides Torah (תורה) study and avodah? The shiur develops a fundamental yesod by analyzing the Megillah's storyline. Achashverosh and Vashti were both sovereigns—co-equals in power. Vashti was heir to Nevuchadnezzar's throne, not merely the king's wife. When she refused his command, Achashverosh faced a crisis: he couldn't punish an equal sovereign. Memuchan (Haman) understood that the issue wasn't just personal—it represented the fundamental principle that in any sovereign relationship between male and female, the wife must give honor (yikar) to her husband. This becomes the key to understanding the entire Megillah.
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Megillas Esther; Parshas Tetzaveh
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