Purim

Throughout the Torah, we find that it is always better for a person to do a mitzvah himself, rather than through a messenger.

There is one exception to this rule, and that is the mitzvah of Mishloach Manos, sending gifts to others on Purim. Not only it is preferable to send it with a messenger, some opinions maintain that you may not fulfill the mitzvah if you deliver it yourself.

Rabbi Moshe Goldberger recently suggested a beautiful insight into why this is so.

The miracle of Purim occurred through hester Panim, with God remaining “behind the scenes.” It was a miracle, but the events seemed to transpire naturally; God's Hand was hidden.

A primary lesson of Purim is that whatever happens to us is also from Hashem. The person harming us, offending us, damaging us or helping us is not really the one impacting us, he is just a messenger of Hashem.

Mishloach Manos is meant to reinforce this message. We send it with a messenger – he is the one delivering the package, but he is not the giver of the gift.

May we always be blessed as the beneficiaries of Hashem’s kindness – and may we always recognize His Hand and thank Him for all He does for us.

A Freilichen Purim