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Megillat Esther: An Introduction
Insights To The Megilla
Audio Megilla ReadingDo You Believe In Miracles?
Faith & Commitment
The Hidden Nature Of G-d Jewish Unity
Women Heroines: Esther & Purim
Jews & Antisemitism Behind The Mask: Insights Into Purim
God's War With Amalek
The Hidden Message Of Megillat Esther
A Divine Whodunnit
The story of Purim is a picture in miniature of all of Jewish history. The historic tale of Esther is a diadem portraying all of our history, our present and even our expected future.
As Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch aptly comments concerning the biblical use of "Vayehi" to denote sad events, the story of Purim begins "Vayehi Bemei Ahasverosh" (see Midrash Bereshis XLII and Megilla page 10b). How is this to be explained etymologically? We observe a past act as done and completed, but during its formation stage it required pain, duress, suspense, pressure. Note the act of childbirth, how much agony is involved! Afterwards, teething, with its accompanying aches, childhood with all its fears and tensions. This is followed by adolescence with its disrupting forces of rebellion and antagonism to adults. This is followed by the youthful manhood stage with its protracted stages of marital suggestions and disappointments, of high hopes and dashed dreams. Following which is the marital stage, its financial problems, its personal problems, its psychological adjustment problems. Following which is middle age with its weaknesses, its failures, its premature old-age. And of course following that is the culminating period of decline, mental and physical, requiring the aid of progeny or hired help. This is the story of man, replete with suffering and downfall.
Nevertheless at each and every stage man acquires the prize resultant. Childbirth brings to light a new being, a full fledged member of the human race. Childhood, with all its problems, brings agility in coping with life, a deeper and better comprehension of the world. Adolescence temper also gives a fine edge to the development of the individual. The marital stage causes that ability to merge, to compromise, to form partnership. Middle age causes the ability to deal with civic matters and communal activities. Old age causes a great deepening of the spiritual world. The pondering of that period causes wider dimensions and a more heartful appreciation of soulful values. But all of these advances are preceded by suffering and pain.
Therefore "Vayehi", the metamorphosis of coming into being, is also one of sadness. The counterpoint to the above is "Vahaya", the future tense not referring essentially to what will be, but to that future stage when that stage is already passed. "Haya" is already arrived and we retrospect upon it. That is the period of joy, "Vehaya" does not refer to the development stage but to its being already completed . Therefore it reflects no suffering at all.
Understanding this we can now see how all of our national life too is replete both by development and by suffering. All of advancement is erected upon stress.
From the time of our bondage in ancient Egypt, until our most recent contemporary political straits, we must pass a wilderness before we can arrive at Sinai and the promised Land. We must undergo the dismal night before the break of dawn and the subsequent sunrise. This opens up a new series of failures, crises and upheavals as we once again begin an uphill climb.
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai remarked, "three good gifts G-d granted us, and all via suffering" (Berachos 5a). To cite one biblical reference: "You shall consider in your heart, as a father chastises his son, so too does G-d unto you (Dvarim 8:5) - and immediately following: "For your Lord your G-d brings you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, fountains, depths and springs from valleys and mountains (Dvarim 8:7).
Immediately upon our leaving Egypt, we were assaulted by Amalek. This had nothing to do with our Torah observance, since this was prior to the acceptance of Torah at Sinai. So too in Persia, Haman viciously attacked us even though most of the Jews in that period were lax in Torah observance (Megilla 13b, "they slumber from keeping mitzvos"). At that period, intermarriage was legion, Sabbath desecration was widespread (book of Nehemya, chapter thirteen). There was really no valid point for Haman's instigating the destruction of the entire Jewish race. We were fully well integrated in the Persian culture. There was no medieval Jew tax or ghetto or limitation of Jews in public office. Mordechai the Jew was a full fledged courtier, later advanced to be King's advisor. No flaw was attached to the King having a Jewess as his wife and queen. Even after knowledge of her nationality, she continued as his Queen! What is this if not full political equality, complete emancipation.
Nevertheless, the Jews had to undergo the throes of a three day fast, "awful mourning, fasting and weeping and eulogizing, sackcloth and ash were distributed to the congregants" (Esther 4:3).
The lesson for us to learn from the above-mentioned is that in order to return to our second commonwealth, we had to undergo the trial and tribulation of near-death and annihilation. We had to see dangling over our head Haman's sword (his ten thousand shekel bribe was to hire the cruel mercenaries - Esther 3:9). We had to envision in our imagination the slaughter of tens of thousands of babes (Midrash Esther, end of Chapter 9) and only after passing this crisis could we better appreciate G-d's rescue, G-d's intervention.
If not for night, we would not grasp properly the blessing of daylight. If not bleak winter, we would not properly enjoy the wonders of the spring season. If not the period (hopefully short) of barrenness, we would not appreciate the granted child born afterwards. This is part of the life pattern so planned as to bring man to prayer, to cause a person to overcome physical lusts and material riches. This is all calculated so as to bring a person closer to G-d's presence.
The present difficulties that the Jewish nation encounters are not something novel and unexpected. Since ancient Amalek appeared on the scene to annihilate us, until the plots of present day foes, it is all one unfolding story of adversity with many, many villains, many actors. Yet we too have many, many heroes in every day and age. Those who espouse our Jewish cause with alacrity, with vigilance, with spirit and with implicit faith in our G-d. As then in Esther's age we were in dire predicament, yet we "lived to tell the story" so too till today we are absolutely confident in our promised "Geula". We will reach "Vehaya".
