We are now in Shushan Purim. For most of our listeners, Shushan Purim has no major impact because we aren’t living in Eretz Yisrael or in cities that were walled from the times of Yehoshua Bin Nun. Practically speaking, our prayers are a little shorter because we don’t say Tahanun, but otherwise there is no major difference.
Regarding Shushan Purim, it’s brought down in Halacha that normally if a person inserts something in the Amidah that doesn’t belong, it’s considered a hefsek/an interruption, and the person would possibly have to repeat the Amidah as a result. So, if for example, on a regular weekday, a person decided to say Yaaleh Ve’Yavoh, or some other added portion, they’d have to start over. Yet it’s brought down, in Mishnah Berurah and other sources, that if a person says Al Hanisim on Shushan Purim, it’s not considered a hesfek- it’s ok. It’s still Al HaNissim territory.
That is one indicator that there is still something special about Shushan Purim, even outside the walled cities.
Furthermore, it’s brought down in some sefarim that some people have a little extra Seudah on Shushan Purim. So what exactly is the significant of Shushan Purim?
Rav Avraham Schorr, in his sefer Halekach V’HaLivuv, on Purim, says that we find that when Queen Esther made the first party, she told Ahashverosh,
ומחר אעשה כדבר המלך
Tomorrow I will do what the king requested.
Simply speaking, what she was saying was, “Today I can’t what do what you’d like, but tomorrow I’ll do it.” Now this sounds a little strange. What does this mean?
Isn’t she the one asking the king for something?
At this first party, Ahashverosh wanted her to drink. But as we know, she was fasting at that party, so she was telling him that tomorrow she would be able to drink when she was longer fasting.
That’s the simple explanation. As we know there is a deeper meaning to the megilah. At times when it says Melech, (the king) it refers to Ahashverosh, and in other instances where it says Melech, it’s actually referring to Hashem.
When Esther said,
ומחר אעשה כדבר המלך
Tomorrow I will do what the king requested,
Rabbi Schorr explains that Esther’s words made an impact forever that if for some reason you didn’t have the ability to wipe out Amalek on Purim itself, or to reach your bitachon level, or think about your own Hashgacha Pratit,
ומחר אעשה כדבר המלך
you still have tomorrow to do something.
Don’t look back on Purim and think that you blew it, because you were too busy with the Mishloach Manot, or you got stuck in traffic, or because you drank too much, or because your wife got upset that you came back from the party at 10pm and riled up the kids.
Don’t worry.
ומחר אעשה כדבר המלך
You still have tomorrow. We still have Shushan Purim to do things. Of course, we can’t fulfill what we missed out on, but the point is that there is still something there on Shushan Purim.
Furthermore, Rabbi Schorr says that since the term קווי hope is used regarding Purim, he applies this thought, regarding Purim and Shushan Purim, to the famous Pasuk:
קוה אל יהוה חזק ויאמץ לבך וקוה אל יהוה
Hope to Hashem, strengthen your heart, have more courage and hope to Hashem (again)
This means that sometimes we hope to Hashem and it doesn’t work. But don’t despair. Don’t get down. Pick yourself up and hope to Hashem again. This concept of resilience is found throughout our religion. If you weren’t answered the first time, the Gemarah says, pray again.
So Shushan Purim is this concept. We created the tomorrow. If I messed up today, I can pick myself up tomorrow.
And it’s interesting to note that when Bnei Yisrael went up against Amalek, it says, “let’s fight them tomorrow.”
So we have this theme of tomorrow running through Amalek and Purim.
There is always tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day.
If you didn’t do it right today, do it tomorrow.
That’s our Shushan Purim lesson ( Thank you, Rabbi Schorr) and beH we will take what we can from this special day.