Beyond All Reason – The Purim Discourse

Beyond All Reason – The Purim Discourse Purim — destined to be a day of celebration even in the Messianic era is a time of unbounded joy which unmasks the true reality, revealing G-d’s guiding hand in our everyday lives. This adaptation of a discourse on Purim originally presented in the classic work, Torah Or, by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe, probes the deeper meaning of this mysterious day. What is the reason for our becoming intoxicated (with joy and drink) on Purim, and why will this holiday, which seems less sacred than the major Jewish holidays, survive for all time when most others will cease to be? Rabbi Schneur Zalman answers these questions by exploring the Jewishnation’s deep bond of commitment to G-d, reaffirmed on Purim, and how its communal willingness to undergo Bittul (self-nullification) even in the face of potential annihilation elicited a Divine response in kind. This discourse, presented here for the first time in English, was referred to by the Tzemach Tzedek (the third Lubavitcher Rebbe and the grandson of the Alter Rebbe), as the definitive Purim Discourse,because it captures the essential theme of Purim. Beyond All Reason is the first installment in a series of selected discourses published as part of The Torah Or & Likkutei Torah Series.