Looking at a Mitzvah More Closely

Every Purim we have a mitzvah to listen to Megillat Esther. When I heard that we would be learning that megillah, among others, this year, I got really excited to look deeper into the megillah itself. I was not only excited to look deeper into the meaning, but also into the "pshat" of the pesukim. All I have ever done is listen, now I feel that by reading it I am fulfilling a whole different mitzvah.

Last week we started the megillah by reading the first four perakim, and by just reading through it briefly I learned so much. I was sitting there focusing on every word, because we had to translate. I kept asking Mrs. Perl what different words meant, and she kept telling me that those were names of Achashverosh's officers. I would have never known that by listening to the megillah every year. Those names are a vital part of the megillah, and by reading, my knowledge of the book has grown.

Just from reading through the perakim, I learned so much more, and got a bigger insight into what is happening in the story thus far. I am given more characters, which gives me more perception on the book. This can teach us that diving into a book, that is normally a mitzvah to just listen to, can expand our understanding of that mitzvah with hands on learning.