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PURIM READING

Rabbi David Aaron

Secrets Behind

the Holiday Mask

n the Purim story, there are no To that Mordechai says something Mordechai? They both serve the Divine
miraculous interventions, no sea bizarre: “If you don’t do this Esther, the plan. Haman, with all his foul machi-
Isplitting. In fact, G-d’s name is not salvation of the Jews will come from nations, initiated the process of repen-
even mentioned. This is a tremen- someplace else.” tance which saved the Jewish people
dous revelation of G-d’s omnipotence: What kind of argument is that? Is that from assimilation and eventually made
within the natural world, within the free going to spur her into action? Morde- them worthy to return to the Land of
choices of human beings, G-d’s plan is chai should have said to her, “If you Israel and rebuild the Temple. That’s
being completely fulfilled, step by step. why the sweet treats of the holiday are
don’t do it, the Jewish people will be
G-d has written a script and we are destroyed. This will be the end of Jewish “Haman’s ears.” Because that bitter,
the actors in that drama. The question history.” destructive man turned out to be the
isn’t whether we are going to play our Instead he says, “If you don’t do it, the source of sweetness and nourishment
parts, but how we will play our parts Jews will be saved anyway, but you’ll for Jewish survival.
– whether consciously and willingly, lose out on the starring role.” That’s Haman’s greatest punishment: to
or obliviously and with resistance. realize he saved the Jewish people. The
Whether we choose to work for G-d’s Mordechai was teaching Esther the Talmud teaches that G-d’s praise comes
plan of growth, love and oneness, or secret of choice. In terms of G-d’s great out of Gehenom the same way it comes
against it. plan, it doesn’t make a difference what out of Gan Eden. In other words, the
you do. But in terms of your own life, evil ones also end up serving G-d’s plan,
It is our choice.
it makes all the difference in the world. albeit against their own will.
Again, we see this illustrated dramat-
ically in the story of Esther. Through Do you want to actively, consciously On Purim, we’re celebrating that every-
participate in G-d’s plan, or not? If you
a strange set of circumstances, Esther, thing is going according to G-d’s plan.
who is secretly Jewish, marries the King don’t sign on, it will still happen. But Whether we see it or not.
of Persia. (Sound like fate at work?) you’ll lose out. You can be the star, or
an extra on the set. That’s your choice.
Soon after, Haman the Prime Minister
begins to execute his plot to destroy the And Esther decides to do it. The Jewish
Jewish people. So Mordechai, Esther’s people are saved, with Esther in the
uncle, says to her: “We’ve got to save the starring role, because she chose to play
Jewish people. Perhaps G-d has orches- her part.
trated things in this very manner so you On Purim, we try to reach a drunken
could be queen and be in a position to state in which we don’t perceive a dif-
save the Jewish people.” Rabbi David Aaron is the Rosh Yeshiva of
ference between “Blessed Mordechai”
Esther isn’t convinced. She tells Morde- and “Cursed Haman.” In gematria, the Yeshivat Orayta, founder of Isralight and an
author.
chai, “You know the rules of the palace. numerical equivalent of each phrase
If I go to the king without being invited, is the same, 502. In what way is the A member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
he could have me killed!” evil Haman equal to the righteous mizrachi.org/speakers

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