It was Taanis Esther, hundreds of years ago, and the city of Amsterdam was in great distress. Fish had clogged up a certain dam, potentially resulting in a disastrous flood and placing the lives of thousands in grave danger. The king sent a message to the Rokeach, the Rav of the Jewish community at that time, stating that if this danger continues in three days’ time, all the Jews will be permanently expelled from Holland. Surprisingly, the Rokeach wasn’t fazed. He told the king that he could meet this demand, on condition that the king provided many crates of wine, and everything the Jewish people would need for a huge Purim feast!
The king was infuriated by this request, presuming that the Jews were rebelling against him. He thought the Jews would be fasting and wearing sackcloth, yet instead they asked for a large amount of wine for their party! The Rokeach reiterated that this is the only way that they could meet the request so the king complied and gave the Jewish community everything they needed to have the biggest Purim celebration they ever had.
Purim in Amsterdam was always joyous but that year the simcha was on a whole new level. The community rejoiced like never before.
Not long after Purim, the king sent a message to the Rokeach that the fish no longer clogged the dam, ending the impending danger!
The Rokeach knew how powerful the simcha of Purim was and what it could accomplish. He therefore instituted that his community celebrate Purim like never before, helping arouse great Divine Mercy. We have no idea what we could accomplish through simcha on Purim!
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 72 Purim.
