All in Purim

We are blessed to be a part of a religion that values and places great emphasis on happiness and joy. A common refrain is that one must be b’simcha whilst in the service of God, with Tehillim’s rather famous dictum of ivdu es HaShem b’simcha (100) as just one example. Indeed, a fundamental aspect of all holidays is that one must experience joy, with Purim being a day dedicated exclusively to just that...

The mitzvah of “ve’ahavta le’reacha kamocha” (Vayikra 19:18) is spelled out explicitly in the Torah. According to Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvos, and Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzer, it is counted as one of the positive commandments. It is an emotionally-driven *mitzvah* that is immediately preceded by two other emotion-based mitzvos: “lo sitor v’lo sikom,” the prohibition of bearing a grudge or taking revenge...