Office Of Rabbi Sacks

Chag Purim Sameach! Find more Purim resources from Rabbi Sacks here: https://rabbisacks.org/purim/ TRANSCRIPT There’s something very strange about Purim. It is notably a festival of joy, “Yameimishtei b’simcha”. And not only is the day itself a joyous one, but uniquely, we begin that joy two weeks beforehand: “Misheh nichnas Adar marbim b’simcha” means that from the very beginning of Adar we begin to increase our joy. And it is not only in the weeks leading up to Purim. This joy is present throughout the year. Every motzei Shabbat, during the Havdallah service, we remind ourselves of that line from the Megillah, "Layehudim haitah orah v’simcha," meaning, “For Jews there was light and joy”. Yet what exactly are we celebrating on Purim? The mere fact that we survived? That Haman's decree of genocide was not enacted? That the evil decree: L’harog u’lehabed u’lehashmid, to kill, destroy, and exterminate every single Jew, young and old, men and women, on a single day, was averted? That is not a cause for joy,