Rabbi Eli Spinner
Chabad of Glenhazel
It is a colourful drama of Jewish survival comprising many individual events coming together to a climactic ending with Haman’s downfall and the Jews’ victory. Despite there being no open miracle with a sea splitting or the sun stopping, the series of fortunate events belie the hand of G-d saving His people. Who can say which event of the narrative is most crucial?
Without any one of the scenes, the whole play would be a failure, with the Jewish people paying the ultimate price!
Yet we are told that the Baal Koreh (reader of the Megillah) must raise his voice at the words “On that night, the king’s sleep was disturbed”, as this is the height of the miracle. Why is this moment more important than say Esther being crowned queen?
Perhaps this sentence sheds light on the whole Purim story. The king whose sleep was disturbed, refers not only to the physical king Achashverosh, but additionally to the supernal King of the universe.
Why would Hashem be sleeping? What does it even mean that Hashem could be sleeping? We are taught that G-d reciprocates our behaviour. If we are generous, so is He. If we are forgiving, so is He and so on. If we sleep, so does He.
Sometimes we find ourselves in a dreamlike state, not in touch with reality. We lose sight of what’s important, instead focusing on the trivial.
It can become our obsession, devoting all our life and energy to something that holds no meaning or truth, like a fantasy that doesn’t really exist, but in a dream becomes the most vivid reality.
This is what happened to the Jews collectively leading up to the time of Purim. They began to lose touch with their identity and what was important to them as Jews, instead, becoming fixated with blending in to a foreign culture, attending the king’s feast to proclaim their allegiance as true Persian citizens.
Who can blame them? It had been almost 70 years since the destruction of the first Temple, and their future was uncertain, without G-d’s miracles to light the way as before.
Yet G-d behaved in kind. He acted as if they were no longer His priority, His chosen nation, allowing a terrible decree to threaten their very existence. He too pretended to be dreaming, losing focus of reality. After all, He is only mimicking the Jews’ attitude.
And here’s where the biggest miracle occurred: G-d “wakes up”. The Jews are back to being treated as the chosen nation, and there is no power that can dare harm them. Automatically, the rest of the story falls into place, with Haman being killed and the Jews being saved.
As we recount this beautiful story, let us wake up to the reality of who we are and what priorities we set for ourselves, and not get caught up with trivialities, and let Hashem respond in kind, bringing our redemption speedily. L’chaim!
