Purim 3: The Joy of Atonement
Part of the joy that develops from the first day of the Hebrew month of Adar, the month of Purim, is that we can be forgiven for all our sins on Purim just as we are on Yom KiPurim,
the Day of Atonemnet, – the day Like Purim. The joy we experience determines the level of atonement. (Segulot Yisrael, Appendix #68)
Mordechai and Esther realized that they could reso on the 14th of Adar, because there were no accusers against Israel. This makes the day greater than Yom Kippur, when we silence or appease the accuser with the Scapegoat. (Ma’or Vashemesh – The Messages of Purim)
The difference between atonement and forgiveness is that the latter is when to people are angry with each other and they work it out, and repair the relationship. It takes time and work. The former, atonement, is when the husband and wife look at each other and realize how much they love each other, and anything that separates them is nonsense. That look and reconnection is atonement. That is the powerful gift available on Purim when we experience the joys of our relationship with God. (Machberes Avodas Hashem)