From Rabbi Bergman:
The Talmud (Taanit 29a) states: Mishenichnas Av mamitin b’simcha, when the month of Av begins, we curtail joy. Mishenichnas Adar marbin b’simcha, when the month of Adar begins, we increase joy.
The Magen Avraham states that in Av we not only curtail joy, we eliminate it as that was the month when the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed.
According to Rashi, in Adar we increase joy in commemoration for the miracles of Purim which took place in Adar and in honor of the miracles of Pesach which took place in the following month of Nisan.
The Mitzvot of Purim teach us how to increase in our joy this month. On Purim itself we have a feast with good food and wine. We also deliver Mishloach Manot (food packages) and Matanot L’Evyonim (gifts to the poor).
While it's understandable how a feast can increase our joy, how is our joy increased through the giving of Mishloach Manot and Matanot L'evyonim?
In Parshat Trumah, B’nai Yisrael are asked to bring gifts to contribute to the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). They are asked to give their most precious possessions knowing that they can’t be replaced in the desert. We see in Parshat Vayakhel that in fact both the men and women go above and beyond what is expected of them and contribute enthusiastically beyond what was needed for the Mishkan. The contributors while giving away material possessions, were rewarded with the spirituality that would rest in the Mishkan.
The same can be said when giving Mishloach Manot and Matanot L’Evyonim. Although we are physically giving something up, our reward is the satisfaction in knowing that we are bringing joy to others, and in so doing, elevating the holiday.
Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler, in "Strive for Truth" beautifully states: “Man has been granted the sublime power of giving, enabling him to be merciful, to bestow happiness, to give of himself. That which a person gives to another is never lost. It is an extension of his being. He can see a part of himself in the fellow-man to whom he has given. This is the attachment between one man and his fellow to which we give the name ‘love’. When a happy person is attached to God, they want to do good and make others happy.”
On Purim, each one of us is commanded to be both a giver and a receiver. As Rav Dessler explains: “He is the giver whose giving flows from the goodness in his heart and whose receiving immediately fills his heart with gratitude – in payment for whatever he receives.”
May we all access the joy of Adar by tapping into the power of giving to others.
Shabbat Shalom!
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