The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Mansour in a shiur on Purim available on www.learntorah.com. This shiur really resonated with me and I have attempted to reproduce highlights of the shiur to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Mansour.
In the beginning of the Megillah there is a recounting on the seven day party held by Achasverosh. just for the people of Shushan. There are many meforshim who castigate Achasverosh about his use of holy vessels from the Beis Hamikdash and further criticize the Jews for attending the party. But R' Mansour highlighted a pasuk which I never considered before. It states in Esther 1:8 that the party was for the old and the young. R' Mansour asked -- why make a fancy party and invite a mother to come with her kids in the stroller or high chair? You invite them for photo ops, but children don't normally get invited to a state dinner!
R' Mansour next quoted to medrashim which connected to this theme. The first medrash connected to Haman and his signing of the decree that resulted from the lottery. On the way out they bumped into Mordechai. He was walking slightly ahead of them and they saw him chasing after three children who had just left school. Haman chased after Mordechai to hear what his conversation with the children would be.
When Mordechai got to the children he asked each of them what pasuk did you learn today in yeshiva. Each child quoted a pasuk from the Utzu Eitza prayer which follows Aleinu. These three pesukim all are prophesies that Hashem will not allow the aggressor nations to overcome the Jews. When Mordechai heard these pesukim he became very happy. Haman then asked him - what did these children tell you that made you so happy? Mordechai answered - they gave me good news and we don't need to be afraid about your plot. Haman immediately became enraged and said that he would destroy the Jews, but start with the children.
R' Mansour then quoted a second medrash which discussed an event not written in the megillah which took place after Haman built the gallows. After completing the galllows, Haman went looking for Mordechai and he learned that Mordechai was teaching in yeshiva. The children saw Haman coming towards the school and they began crying. Haman walked into the school and counted the children and saw 22,000 students. Haman then took metal chains and locked the school with the kids inside and then he posted guards outside. He then proclaimed that tomorrow he would kill the children and then afterwards he would hang Mordechai.
The mothers of these children came to bring food and water to the kids who were locked in school. They said to their children, come have some food so that you don't starve. The children did not take the food and instead swore by "Mordechai Rabbeinu" that we will not eat! They began to cry and cry until their voices reached Hashem. Upon hearing them, Hashem arose from the chair of judgment and sat on the chair of mercy. Hashem asked - what is this noise? Moshe Rabbeinu responded to Hashem - these are the voices of your children who are fasting and tomorrow their enemy wants to slaughter them like goats. Hashem then took the decrees of Haman and tore them. Immediately afterwards, Achasverosh could not sleep and he was reminded of Mordechai's acts.
R' Mansour asked - what is Haman's obsession with the children? He answered that this is due to the plot of Amalek. And he proved it in a vort from R' Hutner in Pachad Yizchak.
The vort quoted a Mishna in Pirkei Avos which states that a teacher should be careful of his student's respect (Kavod). The same way that you demand respect, you should have respect for your students. The Vilna Gaon connects this Mishna in Pirkei Avos to the story of Moshe and Yehoshua when the Jews were battling Amalek in the end of Beshalach, the story we read on Purim morning. In Shemos 17:9, Moshe asked Yehoshua to choose for us men (B'char Lanu) by saying Lanu, Moshe was saying choose for "us" - we are equal.
R' Hutner asked - why did Moshe choose to show admiration for his student before the war of Amalek? There are times to teach lessons, but why teach this lesson before the war with Amalek?
He answered that Judaism is built on tradition which is passed over from generation to generation. The giving over of tradition from teacher to student, father to son, mother to daughter is essential for the perpetuation of the Jews and the ultimate redemption.
Amalek's mission was to try to disrupt the mesorah. R' Hutner gave an interesting pshat on the last pasuk of the Amalek story which showed this mission. The very last pasuk (Shemos 17:16) states that the war with Amalek will be M'Dor Dor. This is traditionally translated as from generation to generation we will be battling Amalek in one form or another. But R' Hutner explained that this is not about chronology. The battleground with Amalek is at the point when one generation attempts to transmit the mesorah from generation to generation. Amalek's goal is to interfere in the M'Dor Dor.
R' Hutner then quoted the pasuk in Bereishis 15:14 in the middle of Hashem's conversation with Avraham about what will happen with the Jews in Egypt. Although the prophesy is that they will be in Egypt for 400 years, Hashem uses the word "Dor Revii" the fourth generation -- these will leave Egypt if they have the mesorah.
R' Mansour tied this into the medrashim. Amalek knows that the geulah will come because of the mesorah. This is why he tries to jump in and interfere with the passing of the mesorah from generation. This is what enraged him when he saw Mordechai interacting with the students and they told Mordechai that Hashem will save them. Why should it bother someone of Haman's stature that school children told Mordechai they would be saved? Because he does not want that connection between Mordechai and the children. This is why he locked the school with the children inside after first seeking out and scaring the children. Because Amalek needs to disrupt the Dor Dor.
R' Hutner quoted a pasuk from Job (39) - "B'Asher Challalim Sham Hu" - where there is a gap, Amalek seeks to fill it. R' Mansour also tied this into the story about Hashem holding the mountain over the Jews at Sinai. At this point, the Medrash writes that Hashem said if you dont accept the Torah "Sham T'Hei Kevuraschem" - you will be buried there. Why the dramatic statement? R' Mansour explained that there was a gap and Hashem said to the Jews - if you dont fill the gap, you will be buried here.
R' Mansour commented that this disruption is similarly what Achasverus sought to do with inviting the kids to the party. After seven days of being at the palace party, would these kids want to go school the next day and learn Gemara? After seeing this opulence, they would be hard pressed to concentrate on their Torah studies.
The final point from the vort which I would like to summarize [the shiur was well over an hour and well worth listening to] gave the answer to why Moshe chose the war with Amalek to strengthen the connection with Yehoshua. He explained that this was the first point where the Jews encountered Amalek and its attempt to sever the connection between generations. Being aware of Amalek's plan, Moshe knew that now was the time to strengthen the bond between student and teacher. Because the first transmission of mesorah was going to come from Moshe to Yehoshua, Moshe needed to do his best to strengthen the bond and ensure the transmission of the mesorah.
When we celebrate Purim, we do our best to strengthen the mesorah at a time when Amalek wants to get in the way. This is why the holiday, unlike any other chag is all about the children. They hear the megillah, they get dressed up in costumes, they distribute shalach manos and eat at the festive meal. Its all about the children because they are the future and the future recipients of our mesorah.
Here's to iyh many Purims in the future filled with the transmission of Torah and happiness.
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