909. Revealing the Concealment
Ester said to Mordechai, “Go, gather all the Jews who are in Shushan, and fast over me and do not eat… And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.” We should ask why specifically those in Shushan, since there were Jews in Persia and in Madai, as well. Why did she say “gather” specifically about Shushan?
To understand this, we need to know that Ester refers to Malchut, as our sages said, “Ester from the Torah, where is she from? It is as was said, and I will surely Astir [hide] my face” (Deuteronomy 31:18).
However, we can say that concealment pertains to where one wants to see and understand but does not see or understand. At that time, we can say that something is hidden from him. Moreover, the measure of concealment is measured by the need to know. Hence, when a person has no need for knowledge, it cannot be said about that person that he is suffering from the concealment.
For example, if a person has to work somewhere only half an hour every day and receive his salary once a month, he must believe that he will be paid although he still did not see anyone being paid. Hence, he believes in the company although it is hidden from him whether or how the company will pay the salary, since no one knows this company where he wants to work.
If he wants to work more than half an hour, he has a greater need to know that the company pays the salary on time. Thus, if he heard bad rumors about the company, he suffers more from the concealment. And if he wants to work day and night, he certainly feels a greater concealment because he has a greater need to know whether he will receive his salary as promised.
Since the kingdom of heaven is above reason, everyone suffers from the concealment. However, for those who want to work for the sake of the Creator, the concealment is greater because they have a greater need to know, since the body keeps asking “What is this work for you?” It follows that this question is always understood according to how much a person wants to work completely for the sake of the Creator.
The answer to the question is “Blunt its teeth.” Baal HaSulam said that Malchut is called “a Shoshanah [lily],” as it is written, “As a lily among the thorns,” and this is called Shushan.
Accordingly, we should distinguish between Jews who are in Shushan and Jews who are in Persia or Madai.
Paras [Persia] means Prisa [slicing] in half, as in sliced in the morning and sliced in the dusk, which are considered “Anyone who joins ‘for the sake of the Creator’ with another thing.” That is, we do not need to do everything for the sake of the Creator, but half is for the evil inclination and half is for the good inclination. Madai is called Dai [enough], “Who said to His world, Dai [enough]! Spread no farther.” This means that the fact that he has fear of heaven and Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] is enough for him and he settles for this.
To those people, Ester did not say “Gather,” but only to those who are in a state of Shushan, whose work is in the state of “Blunt its teeth.”