"Meeshenichnas Adar marbin b'simcha - When Adar comes, we increase our joy" (Ta'anis 29a). What is the root of this tremendous joy intensifying as Purim draws near? Although many important approaches have been offered to this question, Rav Shimshon Pincus zt"l (Purim, first essay) develops an original theme concerning this concept highlighting an overlooked aspect of the festival of Purim. Here we present his main ideas with some small expansions and connect it to the mitzvos of korbanos about which we read in the parshiyos surrounding Purim in a leap year.
As a result of a rare decree in Jewish history machinated by Haman and Achashveirosh, brought about ultimately via a parallel Divine decree in heaven (Megilla 12a, Esther Rabba to 3:9), the entire Jewish nation was in danger of total annihilation. The scope and enormity of the impending doom which hung over B'nei Yisrael cannot be properly fathomed. Perhaps only those having lived through last century's similar decree in Europe could sufficiently appreciate the depth of such a disaster. But then ... total turnabout! "V'nahafoch hu asher yishl'tu hayehudim heima b'son'eihem! - and it was reversed; the Jews vanquished their enemies rather than their enemies destroying them! (Esther 9:1)" In a word, the entire Jewish people received a new "lease on life"; in a sense, they were resurrected, created anew.
This historical event of immeasurable significance introduced into the Jewish calendar a central theme, that of hischad'shus - renewal. Rav Pincus develops at length the fact that people always seek out newness, fresh ideas and experiences. The old, without effort at injecting enthusiasm, does not present the same attraction as the new. As an example, Rav Pincus presents a humorous scene of two Yeshiva boys one asking the other, "tell me a d'var Torah". To this request the second replies, "B'reishis bara Elokim eis hashamayim v'eis ha'aretz!" This is certainly a true "dv'ar Torah", Divinely dictated, letter for letter! But people are not inspired by the old; they are always looking for the new. The Talmud (Avoda Zara 19a, in the name of Rav Huna) stresses the importance of learning Torah a little at a time and thoroughly reviewing before proceeding. But it concludes (in the name of Rava): "this matter is known by the scholars and they violate it!" It would appear that the motivation to ignore this sound advice unfortunately is exactly the drive for chiddush. As is well known, chazara of an already learned Gemara is less exciting than learning a new one; hence, without a specific motivation, many just do not review sufficiently.
Even Hashem Himself, kiv'yachol, receives pleasure from hischad'shus. The Zohar comments that HKB"H is especially happy over chidushei Torah discovered by his beloved people. In addition, Kol-Bo, commenting on the phrase "shehasimcha bim'ono" recited before bircas hamazon at a sheva b'rachos, writes that G-d delights in the creations of thousands of new angels each moment.
Purim, coming at the end of the holiday year, in chodesh Adar, the last month in the Jewish calendric system of months with Nissan being the first, provides a spiritual window to tap in to the enormous power of renewal. The end of any great event can often lead to stagnation, sadness, or passivity. Divine Providence arranged that precisely at this point in the year, its conclusion, a festival conducive to developing the concept of renewal should occur. No one is doomed to be mired in his past failures or deficiencies. Everyone can make a fresh start and apply themselves properly to maximize their individual potential. Purim and Adar are an especially auspicious time to begin that journey.
However, much needs to be said about injecting enthusiasm into the "old" as well. Always seeking out new experiences can wreck all stability, relationships, and, in general, many facets of avodas Hashem. We are commanded to wear the same tefillin and tzitzis each day, pray the same Shemone Esrei three times a day, and celebrate the same holidays. Any stable individual does not switch families or careers constantly. A person does not come home from work each day at a different time or travel home a different way. Too much change can lead to lack of focus, not completing tasks and not tapping in to the full power of meaningful life activities.
However, one can and should inject an element of hischad'shus even into the "old". Developing new Torah ideas in addition to learning and re-learning the same text, adding different personal requests within the fixed prayer service, singing new zemiros at the Shabbos table are but a few examples. But hischad'shus is a theme which is relevant not only to engaging in new activities within the old. It is also applicable to injecting the old with new enthusiasm. Rav Kook zt"l, commenting on the enormous changes of last century and people "tiring with the old", coined an expression, "hayashan yischadeish, v'hachadash yiskadeish! - the old will be renewed, and the new will be sanctified." Doing mitzvos enthusiastically injects freshness into each mitzvah activity. Learning new insights into avodas Hashem and thinking of them as one does various mitzvos imbues newness into their performance. The prophet (Y'shaya 29:13) warns us against serving G-d "mitzvas anashim m'lumada", habitually, by rote. Clearly, the navi is not advocating changing the mitzvos; but he is adjuring us to inject freshness and enthusiasm into all of our spiritual activities. The same, of course, must be done in relationships and parenting. In order to keep excitement and connectedness, it can be necessary to inject various new activities even within the framework and stability of the old as well as maintaining and promoting enthusiasm for "regular" activities.[1] Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz (Sichos Mussar to Acharei Mos) adds a new dimension: constant growth in serving G-d assures that the old will not stale. When a person is always climbing the spiritual ladder, there will always be freshness to their service of G-d.
The avodas hakorbanos serves as a paradigm of this duality of fixed mitzvos done with enthusiasm and new activities within the fixed framework. On the one hand, the most famous of korbanos was the korban tamid, the twice-daily olah offering of sheep. Indeed a widely-quoted expression states "'es hakeves ha'echad ta'aseh baboker, v'eis hakeves hasheini ta'aseh bein ha'arbayim' - zeh k'lal gadol baTorah - the daily sacrificial order is a fundamental principle in Torah". Constant and stable avodas Hashem is not only virtuous and meritorious but is the key to any serious success. But lotteries were thrown to determine which kohein did what part of the service (Yoma Perek 2). Thus, it is unlikely that any kohein did the same avoda of the tamid too frequently. The ketores was never brought by the same kohein twice (with the exception of the Kohein Gadol) (ibid. 2:4). Even within the sameness, there was newness. In addition, "kohanim z'rizim heim" (Beitza 18a), the kohanim served with quickness and enthusiastically.
But many korbanos, arguably the bulk on any given weekday, were korbanos n'dava, optional sacrifices: the olah, the sh'lamim and the m'nachos. For the olah, many different types of animals could be brought - bulls, sheep, goats and birds. For the shl'amim, a male or a female animal could be brought also within the different animal types. Sometimes one would bring a toda instead of an ordinary sh'lamim, adding various breads to the korban. The fixed service of G-d thus blended in with the new.
The desire for the new and the fresh is a healthy drive implanted within mankind by our Creator. It pushes humanity toward invention, progress and growth both physical and spiritual. In a way, we all copy G-d in fulfillment of the commandment of "v'halachta bid'rachav". G-d created the universe, the greatest act of "chiddush"; we copy him by bringing chiddushim and hischad'shus into our lives. But the balancing act allowing for any meaningful growth as a person and as an oveid Hashem is properly blending chiddush, new activities properly rooted within the time-honored Torah principles, together with hischad'shus, performing the old with renewed enthusiasm for complete service of our Creator.
[1]See also The Nazir, N'si'im, and Nuances for a further development of this theme.