Page 31 - HaMizrachi #7BackgroundwithJIF-Purim

Rav Kook's Teachings

Rabbi Chanan Morrison

The Mystical Scythe

of the Kabbalists

ne of the central themes of external sign of purity (split hooves), the 25. If we add kaf-hey (25) to ma’akeh –
Purim is hester – G-d’s hidden camel’s sign of purity is on the inside, if our guardrail has only approximate
O Presence in history. G-d’s chewing its cud. The camel’s inner instructions (הכ – like this) – this can
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name does not appear in the entire Book purity will one day be revealed. Like the lead to Amalek, a state which allows
of Esther. The miraculous deliverance story of Purim, its inner holiness will be doubts and spiritual missteps. This
of the Jews of Persia is a neis nistar, a uncovered and elevated. is the essential danger of Amalek,
hidden miracle, as there are no explicit who attacked the Israelites when they
miracles in the story. The very name of We similarly elevate the physical acts of doubted G-d’s providence (Exodus
the leading protagonist – Esther – means eating and drinking through the mitzvah 17:7-8).
hidden. of feasting on Purim. The letters megillah
can once again be rearranged to make The assurance against this situation is
Therefore the central theme of Purim is the word legimah, the imbibing of strong the crystal-clear prophecy of Moses.
revealing G-d’s Presence and discerning drink, an act which is elevated on Purim Moses spoke in exact terms – “This is the
His providence even in the darkest of through the mitzvah of drinking more matter that G-d commanded” (Exodus
times. The letters of the word Megillah than usual. 15:15). The Torah of Moses is stable and
– a rolled-up scroll, hiding its inner secure, not like the faltering prophecy of
contents – can be rearranged to form the A Guardrail Against Falling Balaam, the source of curses, who would
words magal (ל ָּג ַ מ) Yud-Hey, – a scythe fall to the ground when he received
of G-d. This refers to a spiritual scythe, However, with all this elevation of prophecy.
the material world, we require clear,
used to uncover the world’s hidden normative boundaries. Recognition of
Divinity. 2 Over time, Saul’s error was rectified
future holiness does not have practical through his descendant Esther. Esther
This scythe is a tool of those harvesting ramifications for how we relate to its defeated Agag’s evil descendant, Haman.
the field. Who are these harvesters? current state. Not everything is holy, Despite our intellectual mistakes, time
They are the Kabbalists, learned in the certainly not yet. will overcome all failings.
secrets of Torat HaNistar, the hidden, This was King Saul’s fatal error in
inner Torah, who labor to uncover G-d’s taking pity on Agag. Saul perceived a (Adapted from Olat Re’iyah vol. I,
hidden Divinity in the world. spark of holiness hidden deep inside p. 437-439. Background information
from Mo'adei HaRe’iyah, p. 251, 258.
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the soul of the Amalekite king. Saul’s
The מ, ג and ל of Megillah can also Explanation of sources from “Ma’amar
be rearranged to form the word gamal viewpoint was from an elevated position. Mehatzdei Hakla” by Yonatan Raziel)
– a camel. The camel is not a kosher The Jewish king had heard Samuel’s
animal. It has only one of the two prophecy and was anointed king while
signs of kashrut; it chews its cud but he stood on the roof (Samuel 1, 9:25- 1 Even the word history appears to share the
does not have split hooves. And yet 10:1). According to the Malbim, the root hester.
The Divine Name Yud-Hey is the first half of
the Sages taught that seeing a camel prophet Samuel revealed Divine secrets 2 the Tetragrammaton. The Kabbalists explain
to Saul from those spiritual heights.
in a dream is a good sign. A camel is a that this holy Name corresponds to the alma
symbol of deliverance, as it says, “And I But such an elevated position requires d’itkasya, the higher, hidden realm of G-d’s
will also bring you up” (Genesis 46:4) a guardrail, a boundary to protect one holiness, the inner Divine ‘soul’ which gives life
– G-d’s promise to Jacob to return his from falling – physically and spiritually. to the world.
descendants to the Land of Israel. (The “You must place a guardrail (ma’akeh) 3 The name Agag is like gag (roof), indicating
words “gam alah” – also bring up – around your roof” (Deuteronomy 22:8). some elevated spark of holiness.
sound like gamal, camel.)
In fact, the word ma’akeh is almost
This teaching hints to a future era, when the same as Amalek; the words share Rabbi Chanan Morrison is the author of
the camel will ascend and become pure. three common letters. The numerical several books on Rav Kook's writings
Unlike the pig, which bears only the difference between the two words is www.RavKookTorah.org

Background illustration of Rav Kook courtesy of www.gedolimcanvas.com 31