Ish Yehudi haya b’Shushan HaBira u’shmo Mordechi… There was a Yuhudi man in the city of Shushan and his name was Mordechai… (Esther 2:5)

The Sefas points out a critical dynamic in the “Purim Story” that explains a lot of our behavior on the day of Purim. Mordechai was the great unifier of the Jewish People. How did he do it? By being a Yehudi! How does that help us understand anything? The Talmud says that the title Yehudi, which is the source of the name “JEW”, is designated for someone who denies idolatry. What does it mean to deny idolatry? How is that related to the name Yehudi?

The tribe emanating from Yehuda spells their name exactly the way HASHEM’s Name is spelled (Yud- Hey Vuv Dalet- Hey) but with a DALET near the end. It’s a Holy title to be a Yehudi because the DALET represents lowliness and is also a door. A Jew is an agent to carry the Name of HASHEM throughout history, and a door to let the light of HASHEM enter this lowly world.

At the time of when Mordechai was introduced in the Megilla he was the last one worthy of the title YEHUDI. He saw through all the political intrigue. He understood that there are no forces in this world independent of HASHEM’s will. The Chovos HaLevavos says that a person should internalize the notion that no one can help you or hurt you without HASHEM’s agreement. We are all one on ONE with HASHEM. This was all abundantly clear to at least one person and that was Mordechai. He was the Ish Yehudi! Everyone else was distracted by the power and majesty of Achashveirosh and Haman. Mordechai was unimpressed. That is how he turned out to be the great unifier.

There is a point at which we are all united and truly one. Not by the lowest common denominators but at the highest possible point.
Just like, for example, all of our cell phones are connected by a common carrier. There’s a satellite someplace from where all our calls are launched. In a deeper and more profound way we are all plugged in to a common meta-cosmic source, HASHEM.

Right before Haman had his miraculous downfall the entire Nation of Israel gathered together in prayer to forestall the impending doom. By connecting everyone to HASHEM we all became unified in that highest common denominator and we all became Yehudim as it is says in the Megilla, “LaYehudim haisa Ohra – To the Yehudim there was light…” Everyone now understood what Mordechai had always perceived.

Therefore we give gifts on Purim to recreate this phenomenon of unity and oneness once again. Reb Dessler points out in his Kutres HaChessed that we don’t give to the ones we love only but rather we love the ones to whom we give. When two separate atoms share an electron they form a new combination, like sodium and chloride join to create salt. On Purim the whole Jewish Nation all the Yehudim share money and food as never before. Just like a giant Cholent we start out looking like a group of separate beans, and garlic, and meat and potatoes, and spices but when the water begins to heat up neat stuff starts to happen. Some of the flavor of the meat is to be found in every bean and there is no part of the Cholent that is not improved by the garlic. Kol Yisrael Areivim zeh b’zeh. Jews are responsible for one for another and we sweeten each other.

By the time Purim is over, money and food from all over the planet has literally united all of Klal Yisrael in a palpable way. We become truly one!

This is all the credit and perpetual merit of Mordechai the Yehudi and this is the highly desired result of Purim and it happens when we realize that we are all in this crock pot together.