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The Baal Shem Tov - The Power of Prayer on Purim Katan and Purim " In the times of The Baal Shem Tov there was a terrible decree against Am Yisrael, everybody prayed to
Hashem and did various Mitzvot, but nothing changed, the decree was stil in place. Final y The Baal
Shem Tov instructed one of his fol owers to go to a distant land and find a certain drunkard and bring him
back. The messenger was instructed not to al ow the drunkard to drink any alcoholic beverages
whatsoever, so that he would be sober by the time he was brought to The Baal Shem Tov.
The drunkard was found and brought in front of The Baal Shem Tov. The Baal Shem Tov asked the
drunkard for a Beracha that the decree should be abolished. The drunkard gave that Beracha and
immediately the decree was annul ed.
The Baal Shem Tov explained to his close fol owers that this person had done an unbelievable Mitzvah of
saving a young girl, which is the Great Mitzvah of Pidyon Shivuyim. In Shamayim they were so moved by
this great act, that it was decreed that whatever this person would ask for would be granted immediately.
Then in Shamayim there was a big debate, how can a simple person be given such an unbelievable
power of blessing, maybe this simpleton wil use this power for the wrong things? So they then decreed
that this person would be a drunkard al his life, so that he would not realize this awesome power that was
given to him.
Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter - The first Gerrer Rebbe known as the Chiddushei HaRim explains on Purim we
have a Halacha ‘Kol Haposhet Yad Notnim Lo’ ‘Anyone who puts out his hand, you must give him’.
This rule also applies in reference to Tefil ah. When one prays to Hashem on Purim, the Almighty must
answer our prayers. So our Great Hachamim were concerned that one might use this power and pray for
the wrong thing, so they instituted the Halacha of drinking on Purim, to counter this unbelievable power of
our prayers have the ability of being answered on Purim.
The Chiddushei HaRim continues, “If one feels that he wants to outsmart our Hachamim and not drink on
Purim and instead sit and pray to the Almighty the entire day of Purim, he is acting in error for not listening
to the commandment of our Great Hachamim.”
Now in reference to the first Adar when we have a leap year (in a leap year we have two Adar’s, Purim is
celebrated on the second Adar). There is a Mishnah in Megil ah that states, ‘Ein Ben Adar Rishon LeAdar
Sheni, Shenei Ele Kerias Megillah Umatanot Laevyoynim Bilvad’ ‘There is no difference between the
first Adar and the second Adar only that on the first Adar, one cannot fulfil his obligation of reading
the Megil ah and giving gifts to the poor’.
So on the first Adar, the awesome power of our prayers having the ability to be answered also applies and
is exactly the same. But on the first Adar, our Rabbis did not command us to drink. So basical y we have a
day with Tremendous, Awesome Powers of Prayer and no obligation to counter it with drinking.
We must surely take advantage of this rare and awesome opportunity which only comes once in every
three years.
This year (which is a leap year) Purim Katan, which is 14 Adar 1, falls out this Friday February 14,
2014. Please let us not waste this Amazing Day!!!!

Source: http://g-ddirecttorah.com/PDF/Purim%20Katan.pdf