Megillah Esther: Celebrating Rest, Simcha vs Mishteh, and Matanot LaEvyonim

This shiur provides a detailed analysis of Megillat Esther Chapter 9, verses 17-19, focusing on how the Jews celebrated their victory and the establishment of Purim (פורים). The lecture begins by examining why the celebration occurs on the day of rest (Yom Asher Nachu) rather than the day of battle itself, which is unusual since most Jewish holidays commemorate the actual day of the miracle. Rabbi Zweig explains that this reflects a pattern found in other holidays with a din of lo ta'aseh (prohibition of work) - Shabbos (שבת) and Yom Tov - where we celebrate the menucha (rest) that results from the event rather than the event itself. The celebration focuses on the effect the miracle had on us, specifically that we became part of Hashem (ה׳)'s malchus (kingdom), rather than just celebrating the miracle itself. A significant portion of the analysis centers on understanding the switch between 'mishteh v'simcha' and 'simcha v'mishteh' in different verses. The Rambam (רמב"ם) in Hilchot Megillah is cited to explain that simcha refers to eating meat (basar) while mishteh refers to drinking wine. The shiur proposes that when the Jews first celebrated their victory that year, they were emotionally dead (emotionally like in aveilus) from months of anticipation of death, so they needed wine first to restore their emotional state, then food for physical celebration. However, when establishing the permanent holiday observance, the order switched to simcha v'mishteh because healthy people celebrating a Yom Tov follow the normal Torah (תורה) pattern of 'ein simcha ela b'basar v'ein simcha ela b'yayin' - first physical sustenance (meat), then spiritual elevation (wine).