A businessman from Wisconsin went on a business trip to Louisiana. Upon arrival, he immediately plugged his laptop into the hotel room port and sent a short e-mail back to his wife, Jennifer Johnson, at her address, JennJohn@world.net. Unfortunately, in his haste, he mistyped a letter and the e-mail ended up going to JeanJohn@world.net, a Jean Johnson in Duluth, the wife of a preacher who had just passed away and had been buried that day. The preacher’s wife took one look at the e-mail and promptly fainted on the floor. The e-mail read, "Arrived safely, but sure is hot down here!"     Confusing, intoxicating, masquerading, dancing, drinking, giving, singing, collecting, etc. are all components that comprise the beloved holiday of Purim. The day passes all too soon leaving behind memories, hangovers, and a lot of chometz to start cleaning. We always think of Purim as a fun day for children and adults alike when everyone gets a share of the action. However the greatest masquerade of Purim is in the depths of the holiday itself. The spiritual greatness that is fused into the essence of Purim is so deep, yet it cloaks itself in a blanket of pleasure and enjoyment. Thus, the tremendous power of the holiday remains hidden and generally unknown.     The Chiddushei Harim explained the greatness of Purim with the following story: There was once a man who saved up money his whole life to perform a very expensive sin. For years he dreamed of the enjoyment and gratification he would have from the sin and it strengthened him each time he dropped a few more coins into his savings box. After many years, the man felt he had enough money and he set out on his way. As he was walking he heard piercing cries. A young man was sitting on the side of the road bawling in obvious anguish and pain. The man ran over to him and asked what was bothering him. The younger man poured out his tale of woe, saying that all his life savings had just been robbed from him and he was now left destitute and broke. "What shall I tell my wife and children?" he bemoaned. The first man was moved by his story. "Here," he said as he handed over the bag with all of his saved money, "You can make better use of this than I can." He then turned around and went back home. The man was happy with what he had done and soon forgot the whole incident. But in heaven there was a tremendous tumult and upheaval. The Angels wondered, "How shall we reward such a man? He was on his way to perform a terrible sin, a sin he had hoped and longed to perform for so many years. Yet in a moment, he gave it all up to help a fellow Jew. How can such an amazing selfless act be repaid?" Finally it was decided that the man would be granted a special power that anything he decreed would come to fruition. But there was a problem. For this man was a simple and foolish peasant. He could decree for the Messiah to come before his time or to annul decrees that had to be fulfilled. Therefore they decided that they would also give him an urge to drink. He would become a happy drunkard, carefree and joyous with his life, and he would not be able to decree anything. So it was that the man became known as a drunkard who staggered around the city. One day the Governor of the city passed an evil decree that caused the Jews untold anguish. The saintly Ba’al Shem Tov told his disciples to find this drunkard and catch him at a moment when he was sober and get him to annul the decree. The students did as they were told and the decree was repealed. The Chiddushei Harim explained that this is part of the reason why there is such a great mitzvah to become intoxicated on Purim. The Shulchan Aruch states that although normally during the year when one solicits money for charity we check into his cause to ensure his validity, on Purim, "Kol haposhet yad, nosnim lo- Anyone who stretches out his hand, we give to him." Chazal explain that this law is not only true in the physical world, but also in the spiritual worlds. Anyone who prays and stretches out his hand in supplication is granted his request on Purim. However in heaven they were afraid that such a great power would be abused. Therefore the mitzvah of becoming intoxicated was enacted and the holiday was cloaked in simplicity to drive us away from the depths of the holiday.     Though the holiday of Purim can be represented in many ways (e.g. wine, hamantashen, Shalach Manos, costumes, etc.), in the Torah it is represented with Megillas Esther. The story of the Megillah, though repeated every year, still fills every heart with joy and anticipation. (In my yeshiva we have the ‘custom’ to clap loudly when we read in the Megillah the words that say Haman was hung and killed.) The Gemarah (Megillah 21b) states that although normally two people may not read from the Torah together because it will confuse the listeners, two people may read Megillas Esther simultaneously. The Gemarah explains the reason, "Since the Megillah is beloved, people concentrate harder and make sure to hear every word." The obscure and hidden depths of this awesome holiday are represented by the inherent paradox of the very name "Megillas Esther." The word ‘Megillah’ comes from the root-word, ‘ligalos- to reveal’ while the name Esther comes from the root-word, ‘lihaster- to hide.’ What exactly is happening in this Megillah; are we hiding or revealing? And how does this strange name fit into the storyline of the Megillah and the holiday?      In my life, one of my greatest joys was heading off to camp each summer. After ten months filled with pressures, deadlines, assignments, and nasty looks from angry teachers, I would pull out my bathing suit, a tube of suntan lotion and toothpaste (that I didn’t use anyway as I would always "forget" my toothbrush), one change of clothes and my Tefilin, and I would head up to the mountains. There, in the sweltering heat while being nibbled on by mosquitoes and other insects I didn’t know existed, I was free to run around and act in ways that would land me in a mental ward outside of the parameters of camp. All of us in camp loved the opportunities to channel our energy and build, draw, sing, scream, play sports, swim, etc. Every year as the summer drew to a close, the administrative-staff would remind us to take advantage of our last few days in camp and enjoy them before we would head back to ‘The Real World’. As a youngster (not that I’m so old now…) I always wondered what ‘The Real World’ was. I didn’t think life was any more real outside of camp than in camp. At the time I thought they must have meant that we would be returning to the pressures and deadlines of the rest of the year. But what made that ‘The Real World?’ I figured that ‘The Real World’ must be a place where there was a great deal of ‘Reality’ so I went to find a dictionary to look up the word Reality. The Funk and Wagnalls standard desk dictionary listed four definitions: 1. The fact, state, or quality of being real or genuine. 2. That which is real; an actual thing, situation or event. 3. The sum or totality of real things. 4. Philos. The absolute or ultimate, as contrasted with the apparent. The first three definitions really didn’t help me much. [If someone asked me what garbage was I don’t think I would say the state of being garbage.] However the fourth definition gave me a bit of the direction I was looking for in understanding what Reality is. The way I understood it, Reality is a revelation of an ultimate purpose, aspiration, or direction as opposed to a mere façade that one strays after until he becomes cognizant of his fallacy. Any deep thinker will have to agree that the essence of a person is his soul. We can’t merely be bodies alone because there comes a time when we depart from our bodies though our souls live on. What is a soul? Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan zt’l explains in the first chapter of his extraordinary book Encounters that the essence of a person is his soul that is comprised of his values, thoughts, morals, ethics, ideals, memories, aspirations, goals, and hopes. [The aforementioned essay is one of the greatest works of literature I have ever read in my life. Rabbi Kaplan had a unique ability to take abstract and deep concepts and present them in a simplistic manner that even laymen can comprehend. Utilizing different proofs, he demonstrates that even during his lifetime, the essence of man is his values and aspirations.] If this is true, then the Reality of a person would have to be his ability to be in contact with those innermost feelings, thoughts, and ultimate direction.     The Mesillas Yeshorim explains that our lives are so bombarded by pressures and deadlines that we lose focus of our true goals and aspirations. We lose perspective of what we want our true accomplishments to be in a sea of pursuit of money and time schedules. This was Pharaoh’s secret of how he enslaved a nation of some fifteen million people without fearing revolt. They were so overworked that they could not think. They were no longer in touch with their true Reality. They did not pray or hope for G-d’s salvation and therefore they were doomed to remain in servitude. It was only when they finally ‘remembered’ G-d that G-d, so-to-speak, ‘remembered’ them and finally redeemed them. Our society suffers from this same ‘Pharaoh syndrome’. We are too caught up in the pursuit of freedom and happiness, to ever be able to achieve true freedom and happiness. Why is that? Because true happiness and peace of mind can only be achieved when one hearkens to the yearning and striving of the soul. Our body merely cloaks and encompasses our true essence, i.e. our soul. If we do not seek to fulfill the ‘desires’ of our soul, eventually we will feel a sense of yearning that we cannot satiate. This is why half of America spends its time in the offices of Psychologists and Psychotherapists. They feel that inner yearning and can’t control it. All of their pleasures and joys in life fade away but that inner voice and lack of inner peace continues to nag. There is only one way to quell that inner voice and that is by being in touch with one’s true Reality. It is only then that the soul will feel it is accomplishing something beyond the limitations of this world. The soul that came from and will ultimately return to the celestial worlds will then feel it has something to carry with it and show G-d when it re-ascends to the heavens after its body dies and rots. With all this in mind, leaving camp hardly brought me back to ‘The Real World’. In fact, most of our lives are filled with our involvement with things that do not connect us to our true Reality. It is only those fleeting moments that we spend in prayer, learning, dealing with our family, and contemplating the purpose of life that we connect to our inner self. There has yet to be a grave that bears the words, "He truly loved his money and sought to amass as much as he could."     Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach a’h would say that a true heartrending and soul-warming niggun (song) can carry a person from where he is to where he wants to be. These simple words portray a deep insight. Often Shabbatones and other such kiruv functions end with a ‘kumzitz’. The lights are dimmed and the crowd congregates around a few candles. There in the glow of candlelight, moving stories are gently related. Songs are sung together in sweet voice and perfect harmony. It is not uncommon to find people lost in the song and even with tears streaming down their face. Often those who don’t seem to have such feeling within them display the greatest emotion. The explanation for this phenomenon is simple. There in the darkness where no one could see them, divorced from the hassles and temptations of the world, they are able to get in touch with the inner Reality that they always seek to bury and push away. That inner voice is unleashed and screams from within, the heart crying to be heard. The person senses the cries of his soul and it moves him. The foolish individual leaves the kumzitz and reburies that voice and returns to his impurities. But the wise person remembers the longing of his soul and he tries to hear its call.      Chazal explain that there are four levels of life in this world: The inanimate, plant life, animal life, and man. The Kuzari explains that there is a fifth level called "Yisroel". A Jew is not merely a typical man with added responsibilities but he is a different being completely. In the heart of every Jew there is a longing desire to be close with the Almighty. Our holy forefathers who could not satiate their love for G-d imbedded their spiritual feelings in their children for all of eternity. The Rambam (Hilchos Gayrushin 2:20) explains that although any form of acquiring or breaking an acquisition must be done with sound mind, if one refuses to divorce his wife the court must beat him and force him until he acquiesces to divorce her. The Rambam explains that in the heart of every Jew there is a clear desire to do what is right and what the Torah expects of him. The only reason we often do not do so is because our evil inclination overpowers us. However, if the evil inclination is beaten out of us, our true desire will resurface. Beating the stubborn husband will bring him back to his senses and he will truly agree to divorce his wife of his own free will.      In the time of Achashveirosh, Klal Yisroel felt distant and forlorn from G-d. Not only were they guilty of the explicit sins of bowing to the idol of Nevuchadnetzzar and attending the improper feasts of Achashveirosh, but they were also guilty of becoming lax and weak in their Torah observance. Haman’s decree brought out their true feelings. In the face of adversity and complete annihilation, they repented and rekindled their love for G-d and desire to be close to Him. Purim came about because Klal Yisroel were able to re-connect themselves with their Reality. Everything about the holiday has a deep connection to this lofty idea. During the year this Reality becomes concealed by the bustle of daily life but on Purim we have the power to unleash those feelings if we recognize the true essence of the day. The very name of the Megillah that represents the holiday teaches this lesson. The crux of Purim is to be ‘M’galeh hahester- to reveal the hidden.’ On Purim day we must focus on connecting ourselves with our real desires and aspirations. The very holiday of Purim hides behind a mask of simplicity because that is the lesson of the day: Don’t accept things at face value! Don’t think all the things we are so busy with during the year that seem to comprise ‘the Real World’ really have any connection to true Reality.     This is the underlying idea of why we dress up and masquerade on Purim. The whole miracle of Purim can easily be written off as a series of coincidences. The name of G-d does not appear once throughout the Megillah. Though It is alluded to constantly, it can only be found by one who seeks to be M’galeh hahester. The name "Purim" means ‘lots’ and refers to the lottery Haman cast to determine the day to destroy the Jews. Lotteries seem to be the greatest form of luck and coincidence. After all, ‘All you need is a dollar and a dream’. Haman had the money and he surely had the dream. But he made one miscalculation. Haman forgot that lotteries too are decided by G-d. The lottery that seemed so superficial and natural determined that the holiday of Purim fell out on the exact date set aside to be the future holiday of Purim.     The holiday of Purim warrants no abstention from work, as do the other major holidays because this too is part of the secrecy and seeming simplicity of the day. It is a holiday cloaked in the mundane of everyday life. The great mitzvos of sending gifts to the poor and presents to our friends were enacted to enhance and build the feelings of unity and friendship in Klal Yisroel. The true essence of a Jew to perform mitzvos and keep the Torah greatly involves how one deals with his friends (aside from the fact that many mitzvos require the participation of others). Therefore those friendships had to be strengthened and further developed, because in the essence of every Jew there is an embedded love for all Jews.     With all this in mind, we can begin to understand the beloved mitzvah of drinking and becoming heavily intoxicated on Purim. In fact, it is especially drinking, which seems to be so mundane and unholy, that becomes the hallmark of Purim. The Shulchan Aruch states that the mitzvah of getting drunk is specifically with wine and not other alcoholic beverages. The Ze’ev Yitrof explains that grapes are different than other fruits. The juice of all other fruits is merged and mixed with the entire fruit. When squeezed the juice oozes out from all sides of the fruit. However the juice of a grape does not sit in the skin of the grape. Rather it has its own place in the center of the grape and is actually separate from the rest of the grape. When squeezed the juice of the grape is released and comes out from the same place. [I am not a farmer so I’ll have to take his word for it.]     The idea of bringing out one’s inner self on Purim is represented by wine. Grape juice is encompassed by the grape, though it is divorced from the actual grape itself. So too, the soul is encompassed by the physical body though it too is a separate entity. Wine is therefore the drink of the soul and that is what Purim is all about. The Shulchan Aruch says the obligation to become intoxicated on Purim is not fulfilled until one cannot tell the difference between "Cursed is Haman" and "Blessed is Mordechai". Perhaps part of the meaning behind this vague and unusual obligation is to prove to us that no matter how inebriated a Jew may become he can NEVER become so confused that he won’t know the difference between Haman and Mordechai until his mind completely ceases to function or he falls into a complete drunken stupor. The true depth of Purim is to signify that deep in the heart of every Jew is a clear knowledge and understanding of what is right and wrong. Deep in the spiritual greatness of Purim lies the key to Reality and the essence of the real world, i.e. the world our soul longs to connect with, high above our completely fake world. As is my yearly custom, I leave you with an interesting piece of literature I came across this year to ponder over Purim. Once again allow this to be my "Mishloach Manos" to you, dear reader. Enjoy, and have a happy Purim! Signs from here and there:     In the front yard of a funeral home: "Drive carefully, we’ll wait!"     On an electrician’s truck: "Let us remove your shorts!"     Outside a radiator repair shop: "Best place to take a leak!"     On a maternity room door: "Push, Push, Push!"     On a front door: "Everyone on premises is a vegetarian except the dog!"     At an optometrist’s office: "If you don’t see what you are looking for, you’ve come to the right place!"     On a taxidermist’s window: "We really know our stuff!"     On a butcher’s window: "Let me meat your needs!"     On a fence: "Salesmen welcome. Dog food is expensive!"     At a car dealership: "The best way to get back on your feet…miss a car payment!"     Outside a muffler shop: "No appointment necessary. We’ll hear you coming!"     In a dry cleaner’s emporium: "Drop your pants here!"     On a desk in a reception room: "We shoot every third salesman and the second one just left!"     In a Veterinarian’s waiting room: "Be back in five minutes. Sit! Stay!"     At the electric company: "We would be delighted if you would send your bill. However if you don’t, you will be!"     In a beauty shop: "Dye now!"     On the side of a garbage truck: "We’ve got what it takes to take what you’ve got!     In a restaurant window: "Don’t stand there and be hungry, come inside and get fed up!"     Inside a bowling alley: "Please be quiet. We need to hear a pin drop!"     In a cafeteria: "Shoes are required to eat in the cafeteria. Socks can eat any place they want!"