Until One does not Know the Difference
Until One does not Know the Difference: the Transcendent Consciousness of Purim
Feb 9, 2021 08:00 PM Jerusalem
One of the mitzvot of Purim brought in the Gemara Megillah is "to get spiced (that is, tipsy) until you don't know the difference between 'blessed be Mordechai' and 'cursed be Haman.'" Actually, the difference between these two statements is not that great, and doesn't require getting very tipsy. But there is something deeper going on here. While so much of Torah is focussed on knowing and discerning subtle differences, why is the meaning of Purim expressed in terms of not-knowing? What is the state of mind that this mitzvah is pointing us to, and how do we experience it authentically? We will explore insights from the Gemara and kabbalistic and hasidic commentaries and meditate together to try to experience the transcendent consciousness at the heart of Purim.