Learning Community - Lesson 34

Purim: From the Story to Its Spiritual Essence

Selected Excerpts from the Sources

Megillat Esther [the rollo of Ester]

15. RABASH. Article No. 391, “The Creator Did Not Try Job”

Baal HaSulam said that the meaning of the Megillah [Purim scroll/book of Esther] means that then was a time of Hitgalut [revealing]. Haman said about this that we must walk in the manner of knowing. This is the meaning of “and do not do the king’s laws.” Conversely, Mordechai argued that the revelation comes only in order to withstand the test and to take upon themselves the concealment.

16. Baal HaSulam. Article No. 37. “An Article for Purim”

The meaning of Megillat Esther [the scroll of Ester]. There seems to be a contradiction in terms here, since Megillah [scroll] means that it is Galui [revealed] to all, while Ester means that there is Hastara [concealment]. However, we should interpret that the whole disclosure is in order to give room to choose concealment.

17. RABASH, Article No. 911. “The Meal of a Wicked One”

The meaning of the Megillah [scroll] of Ester: They are two opposites, where during the concealment, there is coercion, and during the disclosure, it is a time of goodwill.

The Way of Mordechai

3. Midrash Rabbah, Esther, 6:2
“There was a Jewish man in Shushan, the capital.” Why was his name “Jewish,” since he was a Benjamite? It is because he unified the name of the Creator before all the people in the world. And because he unified the name of the Creator, he was called Yehudi [Jewish] - Yechidi [unique]. Some say he was equal to Abraham in his generation. As Abraham had given himself into the furnace and He brought him back, and he showed the people the greatness of the Creator, similarly, Mordechai, in his days, people acknowledged the greatness of the Creator, as it is written, “And many among the peoples of the land became Jews.” He unified the name of the Creator and sanctified it; therefore, he was called Yehudi [Jewish], as it is written, “A Jewish man,” do not pronounce it Yehudi [Jewish] but Yechidi [unique].

4. RABASH, Article No. 11 (1987), "Purim, and the Commandment: Until He Does Not Know"

The way of Righteous Mordechai is to work only in order to bestow upon the Creator, which is called “bestowing.” By this we can later come to the degree of wholeness, when he comes to a degree where he can already say to the Creator, “I want You to give me delight and pleasure because I want to observe Your desire: to give to the creatures delight and pleasure. Now I am ready to receive the delight and pleasure because I know that I do not want this due to self-love, but in order to bestow.”

Now, with the aim to bestow, reception of the King’s gift is in wholeness. That is, there is no shame there because the reception is because of his desire to assist the Creator, for the purpose of creation to be revealed, so everyone will know that the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations.

The Way of Haman

5. RABASH, Article No. 11 (1987), "Purim, and the Commandment: Until He Does Not Know"

Haman’s way is not to look at the correction of the Tzimtzum that was placed on the vessels of reception. Rather, he says, “Since the Creator created the world in order to do good to His creations, and we see that in our nature there is a desire to receive delight and pleasure, then why did the Creator create this desire if not to use it? Did He instead create in us a desire and craving to receive pleasure and said not to use it but be tormented by it?”

It therefore follows that this is the opposite way.

6. RABASH, Article No. 11 (1987), "Purim, and the Commandment: Until He Does Not Know"

Haman claimed that since the king, meaning the Creator, created the will to receive, He must want us to receive and enjoy. And all the king’s servants kneeled, meaning surrendered to Haman’s view because he argued that this will to receive—which Mordechai says not to use—is incorrect because the Creator did not create it in vain, but rather to be used. And Mordechai says “No,” as it is written, “And Mordechai did not kneel and did not bow.” This is the meaning of what is written, “And the king’s servants, who are at the king’s gate, said to Mordechai: ‘Why are you defying the king’s commandment?’”

Baal HaSulam said about this that it means that the king’s servants said to Mordechai: “Haman is telling us that his going in his way and not in Mordechai’s way is because this is the path of truth.” This is the meaning of their asking Mordechai, “Why are you defying the king’s commandment?” meaning the Creator, for Haman said that so the king had commanded him, meaning the King of Kings.

This means that since the will to receive and to crave for self-love is the King of all Kings, He has created this force in the creatures. This is why the whole world supports Haman’s view and mind.

2. RABASH, Article No. 21 (1991), "What Does It Mean that We Read the Portion, Zachor [Remember], Before Purim, in the Work?"

The preparation for Purim is […] the feeling of the evil of Haman, who wants to destroy and to kill and annihilate all the Jews, from youth to old, infants and women, in one day.

Therefore, one must pay attention to the Haman in his heart, how he wants to destroy anything related to Kedusha [holiness], meaning anything that can yield something that is regarded as Kedusha. Regardless of the measure of the matter, even if it is the smallest, he wants to destroy it. He regrets that he hasn’t the power to overcome the sensation of evil of Haman, who wants to destroy all the Jews.

We should interpret that “all the Jews” means anything that has some relation to “for the sake of the Creator,” this he wants to destroy. This is called “recognition of evil,” which is a Kli and a lack. Afterward, we can receive a filling for it, called “light,” which comes to fill the lack that is in the Kli. Hence, afterward, Israel were rewarded with “and it was turned to the contrary, so that the Jews governed their enemies,” and they were rewarded with receiving the Torah.