During HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein’s sicha on Wednesday night, he spoke about Purim, strongly condemning any leitzanus, emphasizing that the kedusha of Purim, which is greater than Yom Kippur, makes such actions reap dire consequences.

“On Purim, there are those, if they bear a grudge toward someone and they want to pain him, they wait for Purim and then they write an “article” about him and put it on the bulletin board,” the Rosh Yeshivah said. “Or they stam want to have fun, be mes’ameach the tzibur so they put on a skit.”

“So they take someone, an important person or someone less important, and they do badchanus on incidents that happened. Or some people stam want to take nekama for something that happened and they wait for Purim – these people are punished in a very meshunah (unusual or strange) way,” the Rosh Yeshivah warned.

The Rosh Yeshivah was referring to the practice of “Purim Rav,” when yeshiva bochurim perform skits on Purim impersonating Rabbanim in yeshivah, with efforts to do so in a respectful manner.

“Purim is a time for ahavas ha’briyos, mishloach manos ish l’reiyahu, it’s written: “Orah, simcha, sasson, v’yakar,'” HaRav Edelstein emphasized. “Purim is written as כפורים, Yom Kippur is like Purim, Purim is even more than Yom Kippur – it’s a shaila what the p’shat in this is.”

“In any event, it means that just like a person reaches great spiritual levels on Yom Kippur through teshuvah and fasting, a person also reaches higher levels on Purim, more so than on Yom Kippur – that’s how it is.”

“So at this time [on Purim], when a person reaches greater levels of ruchniyus, he should occupy himself with things like this [leitzanus]? – that’s against seichel, against din and against good middos? Something like this is not shayach, it’s a devar pashut.”

Earlier this week, HaRav Edelstein called for bochurim to remain in yeshiva over Purim and not wander the streets or fundraise in people’s homes.

The Rosh Yeshivah added that “those who are oseik b’Torah on Purim have success and siyata dishmaya throughout the year because the zechus of Torah is greater than all other zechuyos. The Torah lends success in all matters, specifically at a time that there are difficulties and it’s harder to learn. If one is misgaber and toils to be oseik b’Torah despite the difficulties, this provides great zechuyos.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)