Sins transformed into merits on Purim

כנוס כו' כל היהודים הנמצאים בשושן כו'.

"Gather… all the Jews who are found in Shushan…" (Esther 4:16).

The Sefas Emes opens with Esther's call to gather the Yidden of Shushan for fasting and teshuvah.

כי הבינו שהגזירה הי' ע"י החטא שנהנו מאותה סעודה של אחשורוש.

For they understood that the decree came about because of the sin of having enjoyed that feast of Achashverosh.

Bnei Yisrael recognized that Haman's decree was a consequence of their having partaken in Achashverosh's banquet.

ולכן נאמר לעיל עשה כו' לכל כו' הנמצאים בשושן כו' משתה כו'.

Therefore it is said earlier: "he made… for all… who were found in Shushan… a feast…" (Esther 1:5).

The same phrase "who were found in Shushan" appears at the original feast — the very gathering that caused the sin.

וכן כאן הנמצאים.

And likewise here, "who are found."

Esther deliberately echoes that wording, linking the teshuvah-gathering to the sinful feast it comes to repair.

שזה קאי על בנ"י.

For this refers to Bnei Yisrael.

The phrase "those who are found" specifically points to the Yidden.

כמו שדרשו חכמים בפסוק שתי בנותיך הנמצאות כו'.

As Chazal expounded on the pasuk: "your two daughters who are found" (Bereishis 19:15).

He cites the precedent that the word "found" (hanimtza'os) connotes those bound up with Klal Yisrael.

ובזה התענית תקנו זה החטא ושבו בתשובה שלימה.

And through this fast they rectified that sin and returned in complete teshuvah.

The three-day fast was the tikkun for having enjoyed the feast, and brought them to full teshuvah.

והוא פלא שבאותה המשתה עצמה נעשה ההצלה שנהרגה ושתי אז.

And it is a wonder that through that very feast the salvation came about, for Vashti was killed then.

Remarkably, the very banquet that caused the sin was also where the seeds of rescue were planted — Vashti's downfall opened the way for Esther.

וזהו כעין אמרם ז"ל בתשובה מאהבה.

And this is similar to what Chazal said regarding teshuvah out of love (teshuvah me'ahavah).

He connects this to the principle of teshuvah driven by love rather than fear.

הזדונות נהפכו לזכיות.

That the willful sins are transformed into merits.

Through teshuvah me'ahavah, even deliberate sins become zechuyos — the same feast that was a sin became the channel of salvation.

והקב"ה ראה שישובו בתשובה שלימה.

And Hashem foresaw that they would return in complete teshuvah.

Hashem already saw the full teshuvah that would come, which is why the salvation was woven into the very sin.

ונראה שלכך תקנו זה היום למשתה.

And it seems that for this reason they established this day as a day of feasting.

Purim is marked by a mishteh (feast) precisely to commemorate this transformation.

לאשר כי נהפך להם חטא המשתה על ידי התשובה כנ"ל.

Because the sin of the feast was transformed for them through teshuvah, as above.

The Purim feast celebrates how the original sinful feast was turned into a source of merit through teshuvah.

וי"ל זה פי' הפסוק ובכן אבוא אל המלך אשר לא כדת.

And one may say this is the meaning of the pasuk: "and so I will come to the king, which is not according to the law (lo k'das)" (Esther 4:16).

He now reads Esther's words on a deeper level, hinting at the path of drawing close to Hashem.

פי' שהתקרבות אל הבורא ית' יהיה ע"י החטא עצמו.

The meaning is that the drawing close to Hashem will come about through the sin itself.

Coming before "the King" — Hashem — happens davka by means of the very sin, once it is transformed.

והוא שלא כדת ע"י תשובה כנ"ל:

And this is "not according to the law" — meaning, by way of teshuvah, as above.

Ordinary "law" cannot turn a sin into a merit; only teshuvah me'ahavah achieves this paradox of drawing near to Hashem through the sin itself.

Summary: Bnei Yisrael recognized that Haman's decree stemmed from their having enjoyed Achashverosh's feast, and their fast brought them to complete teshuvah. Wondrously, the salvation was woven into that very feast — an illustration of teshuvah me'ahavah, where willful sins become merits. Purim is therefore celebrated with a feast, and Esther's words "I will come to the king, which is not according to the law" hint that one can draw close to Hashem through the transformed sin itself, by the power of teshuvah.