חסידות אויף אסתר 3:8

In the Midrash Rabbah (Esther Rabbah 7:12) on the verse (Esther 3:8), "There is a certain people" - [Haman] said to [Ahasuerus], "Their teeth are big, as they eat and drink and say, 'Delight in Shabbat, delight in the festivals,' etc." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Evil one! You place an evil eye upon their appointed times - behold, I shall bring you down before them and add another holiday for them about your downfall, 'these are the days of Purim,' etc.": The idea is that Haman's eye was evil about this and he did not believe that any holiness could be found in the matters of bodily pleasure such as eating and drinking. For this grew out from the source of the Serpent, who seduced man with this. And there is a hint to this in the Gemara (Chullin 139b), "From where in the Torah is Haman? 'Have [you eaten] from (hamin) the tree' (Genesis 3:11). And that is that is written there, "eaten that which I commanded you that you should not eat from it." As this is the root of the husk of Haman, to be overwhelmed by the desire for eating for the sake of bodily pleasure, like the seductions of the Serpent. And likewise did they say (Niddah 31a) that the wicked Bilaam's eye was blinded on account of this thing. "He said (about sexual intercourse), 'Should He, who is pure and holy, and whose ministers are pure and holy, peek at this matter, etc.'" For he could not believe that holiness could be found in this matter. As it is known that that desire is also drawn from the blemish of the Serpent who cast impurity upon Chava (as it is written in Shabbat 146a). And it was about this that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him that he would make a new holiday from his downfall. And that is as they said (Megillah 7b), "A man is obligated to become inebriated on Purim until, etc." It is specifically with drunkenness with wine, which is with lack of knowledge, that the internality of the holiness of the Jewish people is clarified. For even their eating and drinking is with holiness, based on what they said (Sanhedrin 38a), "Add more wine for the young men, so that they will say something." When the wine entered, the secret came out. And they said (Eruvin 65b), "A person is known by three things, by his cup (when he drinks), etc." That is that specifically from drunkenness, when his knowledge is taken from him, the difference between the holiness of the Jewish people and the nations is recognizable and clarified. For with the Jewish people, also in the matter of the pleasures of this world, there is holiness in its internality. And it is like they said (Megillah 12b), "The seventh day was Shabbat - when the Jewish people eat and drink, they begin with words of Torah and words of praise; but. etc." And that is that with the Jewish people, the internality of their intention, which is only for the holiness that is found in eating and drinking, is revealed specifically by eating and drinking. And through that, they begin with words of Torah, as mentioned above.