We are fast approaching the beginning of another new moon on the Hebrew calendar, but this new moon brings on a bit of a twist on the traditional calendar for strangely enough, it marks not the beginning of the 12th month but rather the beginning of the 13th month. This unusual phenomenon requires a bit of an explanation. As we explained in our previous article (Adar Aleph –The First Month of Adar) approximately once every three years we have an additional month of Adar added to the calendar which makes the year 13 months rather than the traditional 12 months. This is done in order that the lunar calendar and solar calendar stay in sync and that the festivals occur around the same time each year. This year, the year of 1582, is one of those years.
In Jewish circles the month of Adar is most widely known for the festival of Purim which comes on the 14th of the month, but that produces a dilemma…in which of the months of Adar do we celebrate this joyous festival, Adar I or II? The sages relegated that the 14th of Adar I be marked as Purim Katan or small Purim and designated Adar Beit, the second month of Adar, for the big celebration because it is closest to the month of Nisan, the month of the grand redemption! Like Nisan, Purim also carries with it a theme of redemption as we shall see…and they wanted to connect “redemption to redemption.”
The Story of Purim – an Eternal Story
The story of Purim is an eternal story, for it goes on and on through every generation. It could be said to be the story of our lives. Like Queen Ester in the Purim story, we each have a mission to fulfill…one that takes strength, courage and moral integrity. . .Exodus 17:16 speaks of the ongoing battle against evil embodied by Amalek and his prototype Haman who continue to come against HaShem and His children as a “hand against the throne.” If we look around, it becomes quite obvious that this “hand” is very much at work in our world today. And it is up to each of us to fight this battle and uphold righteousness for we are all in this together!
According to the Jewish sages when Adar comes we are admonished to increase our joy, our simcha. It is in this month that we celebrate the Festival of Purim which is considered the most joyous of all the holidays! But how does one go about increasing or even finding joy when on the surface there is so much darkness and foreboding? Do we have a “joy button” we can press?
No, but we can gain strength in reminding one another of the amazing story of Purim which is recorded in the Book of Ester. The story of Purim is one filled with miracles…hidden miracles to be sure…ones that are masked or concealed within the events of the story…miracles that when revealed burst forth like sparks that have been hidden beneath the surface…miracles that have the potential to bring joy immeasurable!
In order to understand the fullness of this joy, we must begin at the beginning and delve into the background of the story and the events leading up to it…the story behind the masks… the whole “megillah” as it is called.
The Scroll of Ester is unique in that it is the one book of the Torah that does not mention the Name of HaShem…not even once! He is ‘unseen’ throughout the entire story, yet the story is all about Him and His Hand, the Yad Tova…the Good Hand, directing and guiding from behind the scenes. He appears to be hidden, but to the seeker He beckons to be found.
The amazing promise from HaShem given through the prophet Jeremiah comes to mind here…”And you shall seek Me, and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart. And I will allow myself to be found by you (Jeremiah 29:13-14).
Judaism teaches that the whole world is a garment for the Creator, a garment which He wears to disguise His Presence through everyday events…events that at first glance may appear to be random, but are they?
Like a father playing hide-and-seek with his children, Hashem wants us to seek Him…He waits for us to find Him and gives us many clues in the form of “sparks “ which we are privileged to experience in all those joyous “aha” moments throughout our journey. In the story of Purim, once uncovered, these moments come one after the other!
This is the source of the simcha, the joy of Adar which builds into its crescendo on Purim…it is the knowledge that in the midst of the chaos and the confusion and doubt and yes, even in the midst of the darkness, the fear and the sadness, we are not alone…Hashem is with us and waiting for us to find Him and fight for Him! The question is…are we looking? Are we seeking Him with all our hearts…all our modecha, all our everything? If we are, we are promised that we will find him.
Introduction to the Story and a Family History
The Book of Ester takes place in Persia in approximately the year 357 BCE during the time of the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people from their homeland. It recounts the story of a very brave and courageous young Jewish woman named Hadassah or myrtle in Hebrew. After having lost her parents she was raised by her cousin Mordechai. By a series of seemingly random events young Hadassah was taken to the palace of King Achashverosh where she was chosen to be his wife in place of Vashti whom he had ordered to be killed after she refused to obey his summons. Young Hadassah became Queen and became known as Ester in the Persian court.
Ester, like her cousin Mordechai was from the lineage of the tribe of Binyamin. And who we ask was the mother of Benjamin? It was Rachel, our beloved matriarch. Rachel and Ester have some notable family traits which turn out to be quite relevant in this story. Ester is described as being “beautiful of form and appearance,” which was also a description of Rachel (Genesis 29:17). According to the Talmud Ester is considered one of the four “beauties” of the world, (Megillah 15a).
Ester, like Rachel had the ability to hide a secret. Rachel if you remember was able to successfully keep a secret and switch places with her sister Leah on her wedding night without Jacob knowing. Ester was able to hide her Jewish identity from the King and his court.
Soon after Ester became Queen, the king’s wicked adviser Haman persuaded King Achashverosh to hold a public execution for Mordechai because of his refusal to bow down to him. He also influenced the king to declare an edict that all the Jews in the realm be exterminated. Warned of this plot by Mordechai, this amazing young woman Ester, singlehandedly was able to save her people at the risk of her own life and secretly turn the wicked plan of Haman on its head by having him along with his 10 sons hung on the same gallows that he had planned for Mordechai. Remember that little monkey, that little kuf introduced in Adar Part 1?
Shabbat Zachor
This wicked plan to exterminate the Jewish people is brought to mind every year on Shabbat Zachor (the Sabbath of Remembrance) which immediately precedes Purim. The theme is “remembering to forget “Amalek, the grandson of Esau, the named arch enemy of the Jewish people from generation to generation, who as we mentioned before, is referred to in Exodus 17:16 as the “hand against the throne”, the same one who once again reared his ugly head in the personage of Haman, the villain in the Purim story. In Deuteronomy 25:17 Moshe recounts the evil deeds of Amalek, and strongly urges the people to “blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven, “and then adds…”Thou shalt not forget.” So oddly enough we are to remember to forget!!!
Children of Rachel vs Amalek
It is thought-provoking to note that each time the Jewish people confront Amalek, the archenemy of the Jewish people, the battle is led by a descendant of Rachel’s sons Yosef or Binyamin. In the first battle the Jewish people when faced by Amalek after leaving Egypt (Exodus 17:9) were led by Joshua, the son of Nun, from the tribe of Ephraim, the son of Yosef. The second time (I Samuel 15:3)was fought by King Shaul, the son of Kish, from the tribe of Binyamin. And in our story, Ester along with her cousin Mordechai, from the tribe of Binyamin, confront Haman, the Amalekite and are victorious!
In fact, Rabbi Hirsch in his commentary on Genesis 49 holds that this scenario will repeat itself in the final battle. He states that “Aggadic tradition has it that Amalek, the archenemy, will not be overcome by Judah, but by the sons of Rachel, who have the least power of all.”
Ester’s Challenge and her Courage
After having made her decision to risk her own life and go before the king without being summoned to plead in behalf of her people, she then enlists their help by asking them to join her in a 3 day fast for her success which they do.
There is a gripping story in the Talmud about her walking down a long corridor on her way to the throne room to see the King. It tells of the formidable tall wooden statues that reach to the ceiling on either side of her. Towering over her, these idols of the king whisper to her over and over, “you are going to die, you are going to die!” What did she do?
Have you ever been gripped by fear? If you have, you are aware that fear can paralyze…
Kabbalah teacher, Shimona Tzukenik tells a story in her lecture regarding Purim that illustrates Ester’s dilemma quite graphically.
She asks you to hold that thought of Queen Ester walking down that formidable corridor in your mind…and then imagine yourself walking down a pathway with foreboding and fear in your every step, but you continue on for you are on an important mission that you have promised to undertake.
Your path is not along corridor of formidable tall wooden statues that whisper threats that you are going to die, but another path; it is a path just as frightening for you are in the middle of a jungle…. All of a sudden, you stop dead in your tracks…frozen…because directly ahead of you is a giant black panther perched on a rock, appearing as though he is just seconds away from taking a giant leap right at you! What do you do? Do you turn your back and run which would mean sudden destruction or do you stand your ground and face that fearsome creature? You squeeze your eyes shut momentarily and breathe a prayer…and when you open your eyes, the panther has vanished along with your fear!
Now go back to Queen Ester as she walks down that long corridor with the tall wooden idols towering over her on either side of her telling her she is going to die…What do you think is going through her head? She knows that if she retreats, she and all the Jews in Shushan will perish under the wicked decree of Haman. Perhaps she is thinking of Mordechai’s gripping words to her a few days earlier…
“Do not think in your heart that you shall escape in the king’s house any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, then shall relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from elsewhere; but you and your father’s house will perish; and who knows whether you have not come to royal estate for such a time as this” (Ester 4:14).
She knows that has no choice but to face her fears and continue on her mission. Perhaps she too squeezes her eyes shut momentarily, goes inside herself as her own words reverberate in her head, “I will go before the king even though it is against the law and if I perish, I perish.”(Ester 4:16)
Perhaps she recalls the comforting words of King David when he was fleeing for his life from his son Absalom, “Thou O G-d art a shield about me, You’re my glory, You’re the lifter of my head;” (Psalm 3:4-5)…or the poignant promises of Psalm 91 that speak of dwelling in the shadow of the Almighty, being able to take refuge and be covered under the shadow of His Wings!
Only then is she able to draw on her emunah (faith) and fortitude, as she calls to mind the adeir, the strength and power inherent in the very name of the month of Adar…the strength and power that her G-d has promised to give her. She walks forward armed with the knowledge that her G-d is with her…the king extends his golden scepter to her and she bravely reveals her hidden Jewish ancestry, exposes Haman and his evil plan and is able to reverse the edit of the King against the Jews and save her people from annihilation, thus fulfilling her purpose!
Ester had to walk through fear and darkness and uncertainty to find HaShem’s will and to fulfill the unique mission He set out for her to do. She had to continue going forward without the benefit of open miracles and signs, huge flashes of inspiration or insight. No plagues, splitting of seas, pillars of clouds and fire…just inner faith and courage and the knowledge that her G-d and Creator was right there beside her, within her to help her accomplish her purpose…Like Rachel of old weeping for her children to bring them back home, at the risk of her own life, surely Ester must have wept along with Rachel to save her fellow brothers and sisters from annihilation! Yet what joy she must have felt when saw that in following her destiny she could help save her people and reveal some of those ’hidden sparks beneath the surface” through the Hidden Hand of HaShem behind the scenes!
The story of Purim and this courageous young woman have so much to teach us. Like Queen Ester we each have a unique mission in life. Can you find yours? Can we together break through the darkness into the glorious light? Can we together stand up against the present day Amalek that is trying to undermine our morals, our values, our very way of life. HaShem is calling His children back home…can we hear that clarion call and follow Him? Are we ready to enter into His Loving Arms and enjoy the serenity and the JOY of PURIM, the joy of feasting and loving friends and family… are we ready to release more of those hidden sparks within each of us and within one another and the world around us…those hidden sparks that lie just beneath the surface!
”The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor” (Ester 8:16)… So may it be for us!
More on Queen Ester and the Hidden Message of Purim…The Whole Megillah to follow in our next article!
by Elisheva Tavor aka Betty Tabor Givin
