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Adapted from Sefer
Maamarim 5719, p. 630 by Yehoshua Metzinger
There is a memorable incident in Megillat Esther
during which the king cannot sleep. Wondering what was keeping him awake, he
concluded that it must have something to do with his conduct. He looked in his
diary and noticed that two people had attempted to assassinate him; Mordechai
notified him, thereby saving his life. He realized then that he would not be
able to sleep until he repaid Mordechai for his good deed. The king called in
his chief advisor and infamous enemy of the Jews, Haman, and asked him how he
should repay a person who had the king's best interests at heart. Haman
arrogantly assumed that the king was referring to him and suggested that the man
be placed on the royal horse and led around the capital city, Shushan.
This incident is the beginning of the downfall of
Haman and the miracle of the Persian Jews' survival from the harsh decree. In
fact, when chanting the Megilla publicly, the reader has to raise his voice in a
triumphant tone during the section when he describes the king's sleeplessness.
Why should the king's sleeplessness be considered such an important part of the
miracle of Purim?  | | " Sleep is like our exile..." | | |
Looking at the incident more deeply, the Lubavitcher
Rebbe points out that sleep is like our exile. When a person sleeps, his
internal powers, such as digestion, function to a greater extent than the
external powers, such as hearing. But what does it mean that the king was awake
that night? And according to the interpretation that "the king" (when no
personal name is mentioned) symbolizes G-d, how can we say that G-d sleeps at
all, since He constantly sustains His creation.
When G-d's will is not done, it is as if He is asleep.
If the Jewish people act according to His will, He is awake, and when this
happens, the barriers created by exile are broken. This will happen when the
inner dimension of the soul is revealed; redemption requires awakening the King.
How can the King be awakened? Through self-sacrifice,
such as demonstrated by the Jews at the time of Purim. Any Jews who wanted to
escape the deadly decree during the year that it lasted could have done so by
denying their Jewish identity and swearing to give up Jewish observance.
However, not a single Jew in Persia took this option, and this integrity and
self-sacrifice woke up the king. | | " Esther played a pivotal role in waking up the king of the world..." | | |
On a spiritual level, self-sacrifice reaches a higher
level than the concealment of divine light, even higher than the source of the
soul itself. But if the world is asleep, how can such a service reach a level
that is higher than the source of the soul? And how is this connected with
Esther?
Of course, Esther played a pivotal role in waking up
the king of the world. According to Kabbala, the names "Esther" and "Hadassah"
are part of the highest worlds and also exist in all the souls of Israel.
Hadassah, the original name of Esther, corresponds to the aspect of tiferet
which includes all ten sefirot as well as itself, especially chesed
and gevura, from which tiferet itself is derived. | | " Malchut is characterized by concealment...also the aspect of revelation..." | | |
The name Esther corresponds to malchut, the
aspect of concealment. Although malchut is the lowest of the sefirot,
it is actually the gateway between worlds, and, in the aspect of Esther, has its
source in the highest world, Atzilut, which is beyond all distinctions
and limitations. So even though malchut is the lowest level, it is part
of the highest world, Atzilut, and just as malchut is
characterized by concealment, as a gateway between worlds, it is also the aspect
of revelation. | | " Every Jew can reach a spiritual level that is beyond barriers..." | | |
Malchut of Atzilut is the source of all the
souls of Israel which have a spark of the Creator. Because every soul is
ultimately from Atzilut, the level beyond limitations, every Jew can
reach a spiritual level that is beyond barriers. In other words, he or she can
wake up the King. How does this relate to the self-sacrifice mentioned earlier?
There are many ways of serving G-d: with one's heart,
with one's soul, and with one's might. One works up from one level of service to
another. At first, one may connect with
G-d on an emotional level, and finally,
one may dedicate his or her entire life to serving G-d. But if the world is
asleep, how can one reach these levels of service?
In truth, sleep or exile cannot affect the inner
dimension of the soul which shines through the darkness of confinement. This
light is even brighter than the light of the pure souls before exile, and it is
what enables a Jew to give up his life for G-d even if he is not that aware of
G-d or knowledgeable about mitzvot. The enthusiasm of self-sacrifice reaches a
higher level than an intelligent, calculated ascension of levels. This
expression of the essence of the soul reveals the highest levels and wakes the
King up from his apparent slumber.
The service of self-sacrifice which reveals the very
essence of the soul is more apparent in all generations at Purim than at any
other time of the year. This joy of Purim will last even after the Redemption
arrives, G-d willing, in our generation.
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