(יח) כָּל סִפְרֵי הַנְּבִיאִים וְכָל הַכְּתוּבִים עֲתִידִין לִבָּטֵל לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ חוּץ מִמְּגִלַּת אֶסְתֵּר וַהֲרֵי הִיא קַיֶּמֶת כַּחֲמִשָּׁה חֻמְּשֵׁי תּוֹרָה וְכַהֲלָכוֹת שֶׁל תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה שֶׁאֵינָן בְּטֵלִין לְעוֹלָם. וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁכָּל זִכְרוֹן הַצָּרוֹת יְבֻטַּל שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה סה טז) "כִּי נִשְׁכְּחוּ הַצָּרוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת וְכִי נִסְתְּרוּ מֵעֵינִי". יְמֵי הַפּוּרִים לֹא יִבָּטְלוּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (אסתר ט כח) "וִימֵי הַפּוּרִים הָאֵלֶּה לֹא יַעַבְרוּ מִתּוֹךְ הַיְּהוּדִים וְזִכְרָם לֹא יָסוּף מִזַּרְעָם":
(18) All the books of the Prophets and all the Writings will be annulled in the days of the Messiah, apart from Megillat Esther. It will continue to be binding like the Five Books of Moses and the entire Oral Law which will never be invalidated. Even though all memory of our suffering will be erased…still the days of Purim will not be annulled.
( בעולם הזה ובעולם הבא, שכל המועדים עתידים בטלים, וימי הפורים אינם בטלים לעולם, שנאמר (אסתר ט כח): "וימי הפורים האלה לא יעברו מתוך היהודים". אמר רבי אלעזר: אף יום הכיפורים אינו בטל לעולם, שנאמר (ויקרא טז לד): "והיתה זאת לכם לחוקת עולם לכפר על בני ישראל מכל חטאתם אחת בשנה".
All of the holidays are to be nullified in the future but the days of Purim will not be nullified, as it is stated (Esther 9:28), 'And these days of Purim will not be rescinded from the Jews.'" Rabbi Elazar said, "Also Yom Kippur will forever not be nullified, as it is stated, 'And it will be to you for an everlasting statute to atone for the Children of Israel from all of their sins once a year.'"
(כ) אֵ֣ין אֶסְתֵּ֗ר מַגֶּ֤דֶת מֽוֹלַדְתָּהּ֙ וְאֶת־עַמָּ֔הּ כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה עָלֶ֖יהָ מָרְדֳּכָ֑י
(20) Esther had not yet made known her identity nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her;
ואנכי הסתר אסתיר, “and I will hide Myself even further;” our sages derive from this line that the Purim story i.e. the scroll of Esther and Mordechai are of Biblical authority [Esther’s real name having been Hadass, Ed.] i.e. that even during periods of exile when we do not feel the presence of God around us, He nonetheless watches over us and intervenes in our fates decisively when we are under attack. [Although His name does not even appear in that scroll, Haman did not succeed in killing a single Jew. Ed.]
וְהִיא יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, וּכְשֶׁמִּתְקַשֶּׁטֶת לְפָנָיו בִּלְבוּשִׁים יָפִים, שֶׁהֵם לְבוּשֵׁי כַפָּרָה, הִיא נִקְרֵאת הַצִּיץ שֶׁלּוֹ, הַמִּצְנֶפֶת שֶׁלּוֹ, הָאַבְנֵט שֶׁלּוֹ. הִיא כְלוּלָה מֵאַרְבָּעָה בִּגְדֵי לָבָן מִצַּד הַיָּמִין, וּמֵאַרְבָּעָה בִּגְדֵי זָהָב מִצַּד הַשְּׂמֹאל. בְּאוֹתוֹ זְמַן שֶׁמִּתְקַשֶּׁטֶת בַּלְּבוּשִׁים הַלָּלוּ שֶׁל כַּפָּרָה, נֶאֱמַר בָּהּ וַתִּלְבַּשׁ אֶסְתֵּר מַלְכוּת, וּבָהֶם נִכְנֶסֶת לִפְנַי וְלִפְנִים. זֶהוּ שֶׁכָּתוּב וַתַּעֲמֹד בַּחֲצַר בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ הַפְּנִימִית, וּבָהֶם נָשְׂאָה חֵן בְּעֵינָיו, וְסוֹד הַדָּבָר - וּרְאִיתִיהָ לִזְכֹּר בְּרִית עוֹלָם, וּמִיָּד אדנ''י שְׁמָעָה אדנ''י סְלָחָה אדנ''י הַקְשִׁיבָה וַעֲשֵׂה אַל תְּאַחַר.
פּוּרִים נִקְרֵאת עַל שֵׁם יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, שֶׁעֲתִידִים לְהִתְעַנֵּג בּוֹ, וּלְשַׁנּוֹת אוֹתוֹ מֵעִנּוּי לְעֹנֶג, וּמַה שֶּׁהִיא שְׁכִינָה אָסוּר בּוֹ נְעִילַת הַסַּנְדָּל, בְּאוֹתוֹ זְמַן נֶאֱמַר בָּהּ מַה יָּפוּ פְעָמַיִךְ בַּנְּעָלִים בַּת נָדִיב, וְעֹנֶג וְשִׂמְחָה, וְכַמָּה טוֹבוֹת מְזֻמָּנוֹת אֵלֶיהָ, וְזֶה יִהְיֶה בִּזְמַן הַגְּאֻלָּה בִּמְהֵרָה
Zohar Tikunei HaZohar 21 57b
On Yom Kippur [the high priest] would adorn himself with beautiful clothing, the clothing of atonement. [The priest] would wear jewelry, a turban, and a sash. From the right side, he would be covered in white, from the left side with gold. In the same way, Esther dressed in "royal clothing."Just as the priest would enter in the inner sanctum, so too did Esther enter into the court yard of the King's palace. She dressed this way to be pleasing to the King. The secret meaning: When God sees us in our special clothing, God remembers the covenant, and listens to our prayers for atonement, and God acts immediately without delay.
The name of Purim is parallel to the name of Yom Kippur (Yom Ha-Ki-Purim). For in the future, when Yom Kippur is celebrated, it will be changed from a day of humbling oneself to a day of celebration. In the presence of God, it is forbidden to wear leather sandals [on Yom Kippur] (see Exodus 3:5), but we learn in scripture "How beautiful are your steps in sandals, O prince's daughter! (Song of Songs 7:1). This is to teach that at the time of redemption, [Yom Ha Ki-Purim] will become a day of celebration, joy, goodness, and the eating of all sorts of delicacies [just like Purim].
מיד לקח המן הלבוש והסוס והלך אצל מרדכי ושאל לו בשלום, אמ' לו מרדכי אין שלום אמ' יי לרשעים, אמ' לו המן קום לבוש פורפוריון של מלך, אמ' לו רשע אין אתה רואה כי אני לבוש שק ויושב על האפר ממה שעשית לי, אלא הוליכני לבית המרחץ ואחר כך אלבש פורפריון של מלך, . . . . . הלך הוא בעצמו בעל כרחו ונכנס עמו לבית המרחץ וגלח את ראשו ויצא והלבשו אמ' עלה ורכוב על הסוס
Haman took the royal clothing and horse, and went to Mordecai. Haman said to him. Get up, and put on the purple clothing of the king. Mordecai said: Villain! Do you not see me? I am wearing sack cloth and ashes, the clothing of a mourner. [I am doing so because you pronounced the death of my people]. Take me to the bath-house, and then I will put on the kings purple clothing. Haman washed him and dressed him. Then, Haman said to him: Get up on and ride the horse. Mordecai said to him: I have been fasting; I have no strength to ride a horse. Haman lowered himself, and Mordecai put his foot upon his head, and mounted up upon the horse.
“It is a mitzva...to dress up on Purim” - Indeed, it is a great mitzva, because in this way one cannot tell the noble man from the poor. And therefore they [the rabbis] instituted the mitzvah of gifts to the poor on Purim, because when people dress up, the mitzvah of tzedakah may be performed in its most appropriate manner [כתיקונה]. One does not know then to whom they give, and the one who receives does not know from whom they receive, and thus no one is embarrassed to appear needy and dependent on human kindness. This is the best manner of anonymous giving, when one gives while in costume to someone else in costume.
אמר רבא מיחייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי רבה ורבי זירא עבדו סעודת פורים בהדי הדדי איבסום קם רבה שחטיה לרבי זירא למחר בעי רחמי ואחייה לשנה אמר ליה ניתי מר ונעביד סעודת פורים בהדי הדדי אמר ליה לא בכל שעתא ושעתא מתרחיש ניסא
Rava said: A person is obligated to become intoxicated with wine on Purim until he is so intoxicated that he does not know how to distinguish between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordecai.
The Gemara relates that Rabba and Rabbi Zeira prepared a Purim feast with each other, and they became intoxicated to the point that Rabba arose and slaughtered Rabbi Zeira. The next day, when he became sober and realized what he had done, Rabba asked God for mercy, and revived him. The next year, Rabba said to Rabbi Zeira: Let the Master come and let us prepare the Purim feast with each other. He said to him: Miracles do not happen each and every hour, and I do not want to undergo that experience again.
In the Jerusalem Talmud, the parallel text says: "Cursed is Zeresh, Blessed is Esther, Cursed are all the Wicked, and Blessed are all the Jews" This phrase is a song that would presumably be sung as a drinking game, and when one couldn't remember the lyrics to the song, he would have fulfilled his drinking requirement
[1] And Esther the queen, seized with deathly anxiety, fled to the Lord;
[2] she took off her splendid apparel and put on the garments of distress and mourning, and instead of costly perfumes she covered her head with ashes and dung, and she utterly humbled her body, and every part that she loved to adorn she covered with her tangled hair.
[3] And she prayed to the Lord God of Israel, and said:
Lord, thou only art our King; help me, who am alone and have no helper but thee,
[4] for my danger is in my hand.
[5] Ever since I was born I have heard in the tribe of my family that thou, O Lord, didst take Israel out of all the nations, and our fathers from among all their ancestors, for an everlasting inheritance, and that thou didst do for them all that thou didst promise.
[6] And now we have sinned before thee, and thou hast given us into the hands of our enemies,
[7] because we glorified their gods. Thou art righteous, O Lord!
[8] And now they are not satisfied that we are in bitter slavery, but they have covenanted with their idols
[9] to abolish what thy mouth has ordained and to destroy thy inheritance, to stop the mouths of those who praise thee and to quench thy altar and the glory of thy house,
[10] to open the mouths of the nations for the praise of vain idols, and to magnify for ever a mortal king.
[11] O Lord, do not surrender thy scepter to what has no being; and do not let them mock at our downfall; but turn their plan against themselves, and make an example of the man who began this against us.
[12] Remember, O Lord; make thyself known in this time of our affliction, and give me courage, O King of the gods and Master of all dominion!
[13] Put eloquent speech in my mouth before the lion, and turn his heart to hate the man who is fighting against us, so that there may be an end of him and those who agree with him.
[14] But save us by thy hand, and help me, who am alone and have no helper but thee, O Lord.
[15] Thou hast knowledge of all things; and thou knowest that I hate the splendor of the wicked and abhor the bed of the uncircumcised and of any alien.
[16] Thou knowest my necessity -- that I abhor the sign of my proud position, which is upon my head on the days when I appear in public. I abhor it like a menstruous rag, and I do not wear it on the days when I am at leisure.
[17] And thy servant has not eaten at Haman's table, and I have not honored the king's feast or drunk the wine of the libations.
[18] Thy servant has had no joy since the day that I was brought here until now, except in thee, O Lord God of Abraham.
[19] O God, whose might is over all, hear the voice of the despairing, and save us from the hands of evildoers. And save me from my fear!"
[8] Then Mordecai prayed to the Lord, calling to remembrance all the works of the Lord. He said:
[9] "O Lord, Lord, King who rulest over all things, for the universe is in thy power and there is no one who can oppose thee if it is thy will to save Israel.
[10] For thou hast made heaven and earth and every wonderful thing under heaven,
[11] and thou art Lord of all, and there is no one who can resist thee, who art the Lord.
[12] Thou knowest all things; thou knowest, O Lord, that it was not in insolence or pride or for any love of glory that I did this, and refused to bow down to this proud Haman.
[13] For I would have been willing to kiss the soles of his feet, to save Israel!
[14] But I did this, that I might not set the glory of man above the glory of God, and I will not bow down to any one but to thee, who art my Lord; and I will not do these things in pride.
[15] And now, O Lord God and King, God of Abraham, spare thy people; for the eyes of our foes are upon us to annihilate us, and they desire to destroy the inheritance that has been thine from the beginning.
[16] Do not neglect thy portion, which thou didst redeem for thyself out of the land of Egypt.
[17] Hear my prayer, and have mercy upon thy inheritance turn our mourning into feasting, that we may live and sing praise to thy name, O Lord; do not destroy the mouth of those who praise thee."