A person is obligated to drink on Purim until he no longer knows the difference between ‘Cursed is Haman’ and ‘Blessed is Mordechai.’”
Why is reaching a state of “not knowing” so important on Purim?
The Rambam famously writes that the highest form of knowledge is realizing that we do not truly know. The Baal Shem Tov z”l explains that if so, one might ask: if the end result is “not knowing,” why bother learning and striving to understand at all?
The answer is that there is a huge difference between not knowing that comes from ignorance and that which is a result of earned humility. Someone who never learned doesn’t know because they are uninformed. But someone who learned deeply and honestly reaches the realization that Hashem is ultimately beyond comprehension — that realization itself is the greatest spiritual achievement and perception in and of itself.
Hashem is infinite. No human mind can truly grasp Him. Anything we “understand” about Hashem cannot be His true essence. The very fact that He cannot be fully understood is a sign of His absolute greatness. If Hashem were fully understandable to the limited human mind, that would actually diminish Him.
Dovid Hamelech says in Tehillim: “Your testimonies are wondrous; therefore, my soul guards them.” Human beings are drawn not to what they fully grasp, but to what is wondrous and beyond them. True devotion to Hashem begins only when a person realizes that Hashem is far beyond their intellectual reach. That realization ignites a deep longing to surrender to Him.
The great Kabbalist the Maharash MiKinon said that after all the deep mystical intentions in tefilah, he would abandon them and pray like a child. Why? Because coming to prayer armed with explanations and systems can create the illusion that we “understand” Hashem. There is no greater insult to a king than a servant who thinks he understands him. True honor to Hashem is standing before Him in simplicity, openly acknowledging our lack of comprehension.
This is why Amalek represents false knowledge — “impure intellect,” as the Ari z”l tells us. This is understood with the Baal Shem Tov’s above explanation that real holy knowledge is knowing that we do not truly know Hashem. Thinking we can grasp even a small piece of Hashem’s true essence is spiritual corruption.
This concept also applies to understanding how Hashem runs the world. Sometimes we seem to believe in Hashem as long as life makes sense to us. But when tragedy strikes or suffering appears, we may begin questioning Hashem’s justice. But that would mean believing in a Hashem we are limiting to the grasp of our own mind and logic.
In truth, Hashem must be beyond our understanding. How could it be otherwise? The One whom even the Heavens cannot contain cannot possibly be fully understood by human intellect.
Likewise, true faith in Hashem is reached precisely when His actions no longer make sense to us. At that moment, a person recognizes that Hashem’s ways are far beyond human logic and willingly surrenders themselves to His guidance.
This is why Purim is the final Yom Tov. Each Yom Tov reveals another layer of understanding of Hashem — Pesach, Shavuos, the Yomim Hanoraim, Chanukah — each builds spiritual knowledge and perception. After all those revelations, we arrive at Purim, the ultimate realization: the highest knowledge is knowing that Hashem is infinite and completely beyond comprehension.
That is why we drink on Purim until we do not know. It is not about drunkenness for its own sake, but about symbolizing the deepest spiritual truth of the day — that Hashem’s greatness is so overwhelming that all knowledge and comprehension dissolves, and we stand before Him in humility, awe, and complete surrender.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 72 Purim.
