Pearl Borow on the Hidden Messages of Megillat Esther

to everybody. It is so good to be here. It is so good to see old friends and I want to share with you that there are a few women sitting in the middle over there uh that I know from St. Louis where my husband was a rug for many years for 35 years and I am honored beyond any description that they're here. Thank you so much for coming. It is wonderful to see you [clears throat] and may there only be for everybody. Um and may it be really um I'm not sure how much time I have. If I go beyond my time, please forgive me. There's so much to say about the migila that it is hard to know where to stop. So basically on a very simple level I want you to know that of the four mitzvot that we are commanded to do on purm it is really the mitzvah of hearing the mgil that ushers in the it is the first mitzvah that we perform that really sets the scene and it sets the scene in an amazing way because everybody is happy everybody in shul is happy. There's giggling. There's laughter. Many of us put on some kind of costume, at least a funny wig, and we come into Shu where there's an air of gayity, a lighthearted air, and we look at each other, we look at the costumes, we look at the children and what they're wearing, and we really get very happy and very, very excited. Very exciting. You know, we then settle down. And we take our seats and we feel that Purim is really coming upon us. We are a bit serious because remember the mitzvah is to hear every word of [snorts] the migila. Isn't that interesting? We are supposed to hear every word of the migila. There is really silence. It is amazing. People are so cooperative because we need to hear every word and so we listen. The balor usually will help us by trying to add some interest to the crea and we listen to the migila and we take for granted that it's a very very strange book. a very strange book. It's written like a little bit of a comedy or perhaps we should say a satire, but do not allow yourself to be misled for even a moment because it is an extremely serious story about Amy Israel living in Galud and what very often happens to them. It could not be written in any other way in the kingdom of Persia at the time. But there are questions. Does this story really belong in Tanakh with all our other holy books? Did it ever really happen? People ask the question, did this story ever really happen? And if so, when can we put the migila in some historical context? So, you've probably heard everything that I'm going to say a hundred [clears throat] times, but I ask you to bear with me because it always is good to review. The kag is coming and we need to review. So, when did it happen? Oh, the mgila tells us right the very beginning you have the source material ro right you know when the mgila happened it happened in the days of aash ro who aash ro you know who he is aash ro he's the one ham moleu vatush he ruled from India to Ethiopia Erim umea Medina different countries. He was an emperor over the known world. the entire world that was known at the time. We read in those days when the king was sitting on his throne that was in the capital city of Shushan. In the third year of his reign, he made a party for all of his princes and his servants, the armies of Paras, Persia, and Mediaim. He made a party and what he wanted to do with that party is he wanted to show off. It tells us right here he wanted to show off oer malfuto the wealth and glory of his kingdom the ter and the preciousness of the again glory of his greatness. I'm gonna put the microphone down for a minute because I can't put my glasses on and I can't see so it helps. Excuse me. Okay. At any rate, we know that after that big party for all the princes and the army and every people, all the great people, he made another party and it tells us a little bit about the party that there was. The hangings were of different colors. And we hear the word, right? Boots that were held with ropes of linen and linen and royal purple on Galile on rolls of silver. It sounds very lavish. It sounds very beautiful, but does it not sound just a little bit familiar? And of course, hash be a and they were drinking with golden goblets. Okay, so we just learned we know now when the story take place. It's in the third year of the king Akasheros who was a Persian king. We we just learned that the entire first chapter is set in Shushan and Ner a Jew is mentioned in the entire first Perk. It just doesn't have it. But we need a little historical background of Jewish history. When did this story start? Will you find the name Akashro any place else beside in the migila? Yes, you will not find it in a list of Persian kings. In Persian kings, you will not see the name akasheros. However, in sephilo, we see the name akash, but it's not our it's one that ruled before. You see, Danilo is speaking about an early period, but he puts us in context because you see Danil was exiled from Erat Israel before the destruction before the Quran of Bayrish. Before the destruction of the first Betham Mikdash by the Babylonian army, the Babylonian kings were overthrown. Several years later, it was Nebuchadnar who exiled Amrael. His son Eile Marodak ruled and then his son Belchazar. Belchazzar was overthrown by a Persian king and a me a Midian king Mai. The Persian king was Koresh Cyrus the great and the me was Daraveesh Darius the son of >> Akash but it's not our it's an earlier one but our Aasheros took that name to give himself legitimacy make himself a historical figure. So we have a little bit of information and we pick up the story and I think it's very interesting. I hope you'll agree with me. In Safer Ezra, we pick up the story when Koresh Cyrus the Great became king. And you have it in your source material safer Ezra Perk Alf the very first chapter. He tells us [laughter] in the first year of Cyrus the great koresh the king of poras hashemahu in order to fulfill the word of hashem from the mouth of yeryahu. What was the word that was fulfilled from the mouth of yeryahu? Yahoo had predicted >> when he gave his who said that >> 70 years after 70 the the exile the galot would last for 70 years and after 70 years promised that was going to redeem Israel and bring them back to Eris Israel and so Ezra tell tells us it's really happening it's happening because Hashem, Hashem woke up the spirit of Koresh, the king of Paras. And he had messengers announcing publicly that this is going to happen. And he also sent letters, written letters amaras. So says the king of he say it says hashem gave me all the kingdoms of the earth. He gave me and not only did he give me all the kingdoms of the earth he commanded me to rebuild his house in Jerusalem. Yes. name. He says, "And he gave me the command live." He gave me the command to build him a house in that is in Yehuda. And so he announces anybody, all the Jews, anybody who wants to go is hereby invited to go. People who don't want to go need to help supply the people that are going. Give them money. Give them whatever they might need [cough] and go. Excuse me one second. I'm going to take a little drink [cough] [clears throat] and build the house of Hashem in Jerusalem. Great announcement. And we see then in Peric of Ezra the Medina and he gives us a list of the people that went at that time when Ezra made this when excuse me Koresh made this decree. He gives us a list of people. It's a very interesting list. Notice each person came back to his city. It tells us they came in Zerubu. Zerubu was the leader of the delegation. He was of royal seed. He was from Malutid. This Zerubu, a grandson of Yho Yahen, otherwise known as Yahua, who was a Cohen. And he is going to be the first kohhen and the second beta mikdash. And then other leaders he's naming here the leaders of the delegation rallia mori balan. [clears throat] Yes. When Cyrus the Great gave permission to the Jews to go back to and rebuild the Bethame Mikdash, among the delegation that went back was Morai. Morai Balshan Balshan is Balonote. He knew many languages. He was part of the Sanhedrin Morai and then a whole list of other people that went with the delegation. Ezra actually is very good at lists. He gives us a lot of information. He's called Ezra Hassair. And he tells us there were 42,360 people that went back to Yehuda with Zerubabel. They got to by the way, that's not very many people. It was not a very big percentage of the people that were living there in Shushan and throughout the Persian um empire, very small. They got to Yushaim and the first thing they did is they built a misbeak and the conditions were terrible. The land was desolate. The land was destroyed. Nothing could grow. People went back very often to their homes to the place that was their nala. That was the place that that they had lived before. And they found that they had a very hard time planting settling in. And then the enemies around them began to make trouble. You see, they did not want the Jews to rebuild the Ba Mikdash and to resettle Yehuda. And we are told that there were people that wrote Sikna, anger, hatred, destruction to Akash veros, the king of the mgila, who stopped the work on the beta mikdash until [snorts] the second year of Daraveesh Darius II, who was the son of this Akasher. We have just tukim. This is peral and Ezra at the beginning of his kingdom. Remember the party took place in the third year. At the beginning of his kingdom, Katbu Sidna, they wrote hatred, hateful letters about Yosh Yehuda, the dwellers of Yehuda and Yushim. And then Ezra switches to Aramaic right here at the end of at that time. Then they stopped the work on the house of aeshbu and it was not worked on for many years until the time of the second Darius Darius II the son of a ro and by the way the son of >> Esther as well yes there's a question >> so who who are these people writing angling letters to the king Very good question. When it says, I understand that we are talking about Hammon and his sons. From the text, it seems that the people writing these letters are the people that live in the area. There were the Shomonim and the Coutim who still lived there from the time that the northern kingdom had been destroyed and they did not want Ami Israel to get a foothold into the area again. And so from the text from the we understand that it was those enemies of the Jews who started writing letters. But then it became a popular [clears throat] thing to do and it spread within Shushan itself and that these people who wrote the letters were mainly the sons of Hammon but that as I said that's medashik that's the u that that's kazal so it would seem that this who is the very king that stopped the building. In fact, the tarumi on absolutely says it right out when it says who the tarum says. You know which this is? It is the very that stopped the building of the beta mikdash as it's mentioned in Ezra and it did not start again until his son became king the second year that his son was king. So basically the thing that's a little frightening is that we understand because we are now going to turn back to the migila and say wait a minute where are the Jews that are living in Shushan? We are going to understand that these Jews are living in Shushan that they participated as you just heard when Shir was speaking. They participated in all of the parties of Akash and all those lavish celebrations at the very time that many of their relatives and friends were living in terrible conditions in Yehuda. They had returned to Yehuda. They wanted to help build the beta mikdash and they were suffering. They were told they couldn't build. They were povertystricken. Nhemia writes that some of them were so poor that they were selling their children as slaves. It was a terrible time for Israel. And yet we see no mention of this in the migila. Absolutely. The historical significance that I've just shared with you and I hope I didn't confuse you totally is very important in understanding the true messages and perhaps the hidden messages of migillate. Underneath the satire we have one of the motifs, a very strong motif that is interwoven throughout the narrative is the disparity, the huge gap between the Persian exterior, the celebrating and the Jewish perspective from which the migil is written. Wide wide gap between them. So following Ezra and we would list the kings the Persian kings just to put it in context as Koresh Cyrus his son Kamisus and then an interloper who was not of royal seed. is aashro who took the name of an ancestor and after a ro of course we have his son basically in the gamila we're told that akash ro was very well aware of the fact that uh Yahu had predicted that the exile would be over in 70 years. And he counted he counted out the 70 years. He said, "Other kings before me counted and they made a mistake. I'm going to count and I'm going to be correct." And it helped that he stopped the work of the Beta Mikdash. And when he saw that nothing was happening and the 70 years had already passed according to his um counting then that was when he decided to make his party. What was the party celebrating? that he felt that he had bested the God of Israel and what Yeryahu had said was not going to happen. So basically it was reason for a big party and if he had vested the God of Israel then they could certainly use the tools. They could certainly use the hangings that we recognized when we heard and argal tell us that he was wearing the clothing of the coen [laughter] when he was sitting on his throne and he could use the kaleim the golden goblets and vessels to drink wine. There is no doubt that the author of the migila is contrasting the debauchery, the unlimited drinking at the feast with the kaim of the beta mikdash that we used for such a different per purpose. And so we have a hidden message. We have a hidden message about what was going on with the Jews and a hidden message about the difference between the lifestyle of Amy Israel, the ideal the ideal lifestyle of what goes on in Aris with what was going on in the Persian kingdom. We then go to Perbet chapter two of the migila. We know what happened during the party get angry at Vashi, right? He had Vashi killed or eliminated in some way. We're not too sure. It doesn't tell us clearly. And at the beginning of Pericat, he's having some reconsideration, some doubts about what he had done. and he missed her. And some of his officers give him a good idea. We're going to make a huge beauty contest. We're going to go through the entire empire. We're going to find all the beautiful women and we're going to take them all to Shushan. And then, oh great king, you will be able to choose a new queen for yourself. And of course, the king liked the idea. And then come those words, those historic words. There was a man from Malhuda, the kingdom of Yehuda who lived in Shushan Ben Shimi Benish. His name was Morai and he gives us some of his background. Ish yi a man from shet binyamin wait a minute didn't I tell you that mori went to arisel with rub isn't he listed at the beginning of Ezra very interesting according to khazal mortai did indeed go with the delegation that left to build the beta mcdash but Mori was a man who got nva he is listed as one of the 48 nim and seven neiot of amorai is listed Esther is one of the nieote it is in Gmorra mila that's where we learn about the nimote and Mori was a man who got a reel say he got a rem he got a hint he wasn't Israel he was working with the people that were trying to rebuild the beta mikdash and he got a Remes. The remedies was that he got a message that a cousin of his died leaving a pregnant wife and then the wife had the baby and she died in childbirth and there was nobody to take care of this baby and Morai felt that it was a sign that he was needed back in Shushan and that this baby had some role to play in the history of We have this very often in the Torah that people get [snorts] some kind of rees, a feeling of being chosen for a particular task and that was a feeling that Morai had and that is why he is in Shushan at this time and he's a very suitable person for being in Shushan which you know because Morai is from the seed of Bey Yemen from the seed of Kish. And Kish is the father of Sha, the first king of Israel, whose big error was that he did not kill a Gag, the king of Amalik. And Haman is introduced to us as Haman >> Hagadi. Morai is a descendant of Shu. Hmon is a descendant of a god. There is a wonderful lesson that I can't go into. A wonderful lesson. I'll tell you the lesson. It's a wonderful piece of garra. It teaches us how does not take his eyes away from it. Sadik, you know, Sha made mistakes, but Sha was a very big sadik. and says the Gamarra in the merit of the more than modesty my friends more an entire way of looking at the world where you don't think of yourself first in the merit of that of he merited via Manu the reward for Sha's modesty and I I don't like to use the word modesty because I'm not sure his he merited anes who allowed a descendant of his to fill to complete the job that he did not complete. And this is Mori and Esther. We learn here that Mori went into the Lord, right? Mori went into exile before the last king. The last king was he went out with Yana. We mentioned that also went out before the last king. atasta and he was raising, we learned about it. He was raising this niece of his That's the hint in the regular she didn't have a father and mother and when she was left alone Mori took her into his home and I'm sure that you all know that say that they might have been married a little bit hidden because the story had to be written like that in Persia. Hashem is bringing the rafu before the mahala. He's bringing the healing before the problem. Because here we are. Aasher is looking for a new queen. And here's Morai and here's Esther. And they are descendants of Sha who allowed there to be a Haman many generations later. We learn of course there's a whole beauty the ludicrous beauty contest and Esther is chosen in a way that's really very strange. And we have her chosen. And we have a very cryptic, very cryptic statement that we're not sure about. It tells us in perimu was born and who her people are, right? Just like commanded her. And everything that Morai told her to do, she did exactly like she did when he was taking care of her. Very interesting because it doesn't follow up. It just has that statement and then we just go on with the story. And the story of course is Peric Gimmel where the plot starts and I have to ask you a question that has an obvious answer and that is do you realize that if this were just a story of the Jews being saved that we didn't need peraliff the whole story about the party? We didn't need it. It's extraneous. We didn't even need the whole story about the beauty contest. It could have started with perkiml that aeshbu made, excuse me, dealhu was behind everything. But akash made Ham the second in command. He gave him all of this and Haman decided when when Morai wouldn't bow down to him that he was going to not only kill Mori but he was going to kill all the Jewish people and it could have the whole story could have started there and it would have been finished but we would not have had that background of the Jews being in exile and the Jews behaving the way they do in exile which is that they get very comfortable that they participate in the country that they forget some of their background that they forget their brothers in other countries like it happens and we would not know that a keshbar who had prepared the saviors in a way that makes it exact taking making better a mistake that a person made centuries before this we wouldn't have All those messages about being behind the scenes and leading the world. And we have of course that Hammon cast lots the name of the Kagil Pur he cast lots before the king. The 12th year of the king's reign. And I'm only mentioning it to give you a little context because remember everything started in the third year of the king's reign and now it's the 12th. So just to give you a little context about what's going on, they are deciding to kill the Jews almost a year later in the month of Adar. And we know that Morai goes to speak to Esther because he knows everything that's going on. And he puts two and two together. Esther tells him, "You can't come here wearing sackcloth." [clears throat] And Mori says sends a message. Don't even think that you're going to be able to escape the troubles that are coming because you're in the king's palace. Because if you will be silent at this time, There will be a saving. There will be a help for the Jews from another place. But something terrible will happen because atu you and your father's house will be lost. You will not take the opportunity to save the mistake that your father's house the house of Sha made. You will not be able to make good that error that Sha made you will be lost and Esther comes to the fourth. And we now see why before we were told that she always listened to everything Morai said because we have an amazing thing that happens because Esther rises to the four. Esther takes on a leadership role that is absolutely amazing because it tells us she says go and gather all of the Jews that are found in do not eat and do not drink for three days and I and my servants will also fast shalat and strengthen by the tilot of all of the Jews and strengthened by my own and strengthened by the days of s three days In the merit of our getting the Torah on the third day on the third day has a lot of good luck attached to it. She says, "In the merit of Israel receiving the Torah, in the merit of our dabing, I will go to the king even though it's against the law of. And if I will be lost, I will be lost. This is something that she understands that she must do." And we know, did you see this? Because right afterwards there's that line passed by and he did everything that Esther commanded him instead of the opposite. So we have here an amazing picture of a person who has remember how she must have been frightened. She's taken into a king's palace. She's led a fairly sheltered life and she rises to the four. She takes that leadership role and she does exactly what she needs to do. But she realizes herself that it is not just her that she is going as a representative of Ami Israel. And the very fact that they do all fast and they do all is a sign to us that there is a chuva going on that many of the people are returning to Hashem. We learned kimu kiblu. They accepted the Torah. Again, just a little bit more because I know I'm taking up a lot of your time. So, I'm just going to mention a few more things. You know that there was an exchange of letters. Morai wrote letters to all of the people explaining this holiday and what the hal should be. You have the source in peret. We have a Mori wrote down the whole story and he sent letters to all of the Jews to keep this holiday. And we also see in that same source vatala doesn't just say Esther. It says, "It would seem that after Morai wrote letters, then Esther takes it upon herself as queen Esther Amala with the power of the kingdom behind her to instruct the Jews to actually keep this holiday. And there's even more Esther wrote to the time who were of course initiations. Establish this holiday for all generations. It is a very important holiday that teaches a lot of lessons. The migila that Mori wrote teaches a lot of things to the Jews. It is very important. And then she wrote to them when they agreed to make the holiday kit. Leto wrote, "Write me down for all generations." Not just the holiday, but the mila. The way Morai wrote it with all the seeming gaity that what goes on in the mila with all the hidden messages. It is a very important book and it should be included in Tanakh and she was able to convince them. Another amazing thing and then I promise you I'll leave to take a deep breath. She's almost finished. There's an amazing thing that really uh I didn't even know myself but a mutin of one of my children showed me this and I thought it was so interesting. He showed me that in safer, please remember that was one of the leaders who also came after they were permitted to rebuild the beta mikdash and he heard that the conditions were still terrible. And he describes what he heard and how people were living in poverty and they were not getting the work of the beta mikdash done. And at the time this leader of the Jews was the winebearer for the king. The king is called by two names here. He's called Daraveesh and he's also called Artakshashta. And it may be that Artakshashta was like a royal name like parro. All the kings were parro. Artakshashta. If you listen, you might even hear a hint at some of the Persian kings names. Art of Xerxes Art Shashta. They tell us that this daresh was either art of Xerxes or Xerxes, one of those kings that are listed in listed Persian kings. And so this Nhema decided that he had to go to Eat Israel. And not only that, but he was going to go to the king and he was going to ask the king to provide him with money and food and all kinds of tools that the Jews needed. And so we went to the king in his usual role of bringing the wine. And the king said to him, "You have a very sad look on your face. You weren't allowed to appear before the king with a sad look. You had to always look happy if you were coming to the king." And Nhema said, "How can I come before the king happy when my brethren are suffering in Ezra?" And the king said to him, this is one of the last sources [clears throat] you have, he said to the king, Omar, it's all first person. I said to the king, "If it's good in the eyes of the king, please send me to Yehuda, to the city where my fathers are buried. Excuse me, I shouldn't have stepped there. The king said to me and the consort were sitting next to him, "So, how long are you going to go? When are you going to come back? Give me some details and then I will allow you to go." And our wonderful friend Maldim tells us. What we learn in the puk is the king and the consort who was sitting next to him both asked him the same questions and both at the same time gave him permission to go and it gives us some examples about when it says vom singular and really means two people and here we go in the opinion of Ben Est. According to the opinion of Hashe, this king was Dyesh the son of Estamar. And it is possible to say Galhaz that this consort. We know that in the ancient world the position of queen mother was a very respected position. And the queen mother usually had a throne right next to the king from the time of Schlommo. And who was sitting next to the king? When came before him, Esther. And when he came before the king, it was Esther who convinced her son to allow Nhema to go back to Yehuda to bring all kinds of food and all kinds of money and all kind more kaim from the beta mikdash and to really allow the building of the beta mikdash to continue. Not only that, but the hint from Khazal is that Esther really took a very important role after the story of the migila and was a very influential person in the kingdom. So those are some of the hidden messages. I hope that I didn't bore you or confuse you. I I love the migila and uh I thank you very much for giving me the opportunity. [applause]