חייב אדם לומר בשבילי נברא העולם A person is obligated to say that the world was created for him. Everyone is born with their one of a kind unique talents and strengths and likewise, with their tailor made inadequacies and weaknesses. Each person is sent on a mission through whom he was appointed by Hashem to be His ambassador to bring glory to His name. Many times an individual can undergo misfortune and tragic experiences, whether it is sudden financial loss or the death of a family member ch”v. Instead of complaining to Hashem over one’s compromised circumstance, one should rather realize that this rug pulled out from under his feet is part of his life’s mission and are tools that he must use in his journey to fulfill his destiny. Achieving success in one’s mission requires a life of striving to reach this goal with all one’s might, emunah and mesirasnefesh.
Let us take for example Esther the heroine of the Purim Story. After Vashti’s execution, Esther was chosen as Queen. The chances of that happening naturally, is off the charts, one in a zillion. Obviously a person like Esther who was raised in Mordechai’s the tzadik’s house would clearly understand that this is not happenstance but rather the heavenly calling of Hashgachas Hashem and something humungous is planned and awaiting for her in the future.
Then the decree of Haman appears on the scene, a plan to completely annihilate the Jewish Nation. Mordechai tells Esther that she must go to the king and bring salvation to her people even though it involves risking her life. The danger which was associated with this mission is that there is a big probability that she could be executed for coming without a prior invitation as the rule of the Kingdom states. Subsequent her orders from Mordechai, many thoughts about her mission could have now been running through her mind. It could have been then that Esther realized that the fact that she miraculously became the Queen amongst all the maidens in the land, Hashem set her up for this mission. Nevertheless, she could have had second thoughts about her possibility of dying when at the present time she was safe from being included in the decree, as no one in the palace was aware of her true identity as a Jew. It would have been natural for Esther at that moment to begin doubting herself and regret why she didn’t do something inappropriate or trip up somehow during the beauty pageant which would have eliminated her immediately from the competition of becoming a candidate for the future queen? After all, what was a daughter raised by the Gadol Hador doing in such an environment void of any spirit in the first place?
Such thoughts might have triggered within herself doubt about her state of righteousness because of her wavering emunah and her relationship with Hashem. Mordechai did want Esther to possess even the slightest weakening towards her mission but rather to strengthen herself with mesirasnefesh by making it clear that it was 100% the will of Hashem. He therefore told her אם החרש תחרישי בעת הזאת רוח והצלה יעמוד ליהודים ממקום אחר ואת ובית אביך תאבדו ומי יודע אם לעת כזאת הגעת למלכות. If you will be silent at this time and not fulfill what I am asking for you to do, then you and your father’s house will be lost forever. What is meaning of Mordechai’s cryptic words when he said you and your father’s house will be lost forever? Was he instilling her with fear by threatening that a tragedy will befall her if she refuses to fulfill her mission and risk her life? However, it was to the contrary. Mordechai was strengthening her resolve to undertake this mission by demonstrating to her the HashgachasHashem way before she was born. As the gemarah (Megilla 13) relates when your mother conceived you your father died. As soon when you were born your mother passed away. Left as an orphan from birth it was a terrible tragedy. What could be Hashem’s plan leaving you without no parents at all? It is because only someone in your tragic circumstance can merit to eradicate Haman and to stop the genocide. Aisav possessed an outstanding merit on his side that he excelled in the mitzvah of KibudAv in a madraigah which even Chazal envied. This merit was passed down to Haman. The only way for AmYisrael to survive this annihilation is to have someone who had never experienced a shortcoming in the fulfillment of this mitzvah in order to counteract Aisev’s merit. Only one such person in this generation can make such a claim, and that is one who was a complete orphan from birth. Hashem by making you parentless prepared you alone to rescue AmYisrael from vanishing from the face of the earth.
Hashem’s preparation for your role in saving the Jewish Nation was planned way before you possessed any ability of bechirah to maneuver yourself outside the Hashgacha with claims of would of, could of, and should of. If you refuse to undertake this G-d given mission now את ובית אביך תאבדו the early demise of your parents whom did not even have a chance to raise you was in vain. Your suffering of not having a father and mother in your lifetime will not bear the fruit of meriting the precious redemption of Yisrael. With these words of Mordechai, Esther now understood very well how she was chosen for this sacred mission of salvation beyond any doubt. Even prior to her birth the refuah was already planted and set into place preceding the “maaka” the decrees of Haman on AmYisrael which would come at a later time.
Chazal tell us (Megillah 15b) that a much unexpected episode happened to Esther on her way to the palace after the city of Shushan fasted on her behalf for three days and nights. As she passed some idols she felt that the Shechinahwhich was with her up until the present left. She began davening אלי אלי למה עזבתני (Tehillim 22,2) Hashem why did you leave me now? One might ask, why did Hashem distance Himself from her after all her past suffering during her life, no parents, then marrying the king who was a goy and decadent, and now she was risking her life for AmYisrael? What is Hashem’s intention at this particular time of tzaros to leave and make her feel abandoned?
The answer is that in order to save Am Yisrael she had to sacrifice her life for them. However, from the moment that Mordechai explained to her that the reason she was orphaned was for the purpose of saving the Yidden from annihilation, true mesirasnefesh to before the king uninvited was now robbed from her. With a new confidence she probably thought to herself that her fate cannot be sealed to death when her destined role is to save Yisrael, and Hashem already prepared her as living proof, the refuah before the maakah. In order to strengthen her resolve for real mesirasnefesh, Hashem therefore concealed Himself from her, right as she came to the palace for her encounter with Achashveirosh as if to declare that there are no guarantees for all prearranged deals. It was then that Esther lost her new found confidence that Hashem will be by her side to help her. Esther then realized that now even Hashem has abandoned her and she is totally alone. This new concealment from Hashem stirred within Esther a new dedication to fulfill her mission and she girded herself with true sacrifice and entered the king’s presence risking her life for her people. This mesirasnefesh of hers merited Klal Yisrael to be redeemed and Haman killed. This is hinted in the acronym of the name המן which stands for הצלה מסירת נפש protection from Haman comes with mesiras nefesh.
Balak and Billam planned behind the scenes to curse Yisrael and thereby end Jewish History forever. However, Hashem was behind the scenes as well and blocked their curses turning them into the opposite, berachos instead of curses. Mordechai had the insight to realize Klal Yisrael’s matzav at Purim was parallel to that of Billam’s will to destroy AmYisrael. Hashem behind the scenes also turned around the curse of annihilation of AmYisrael by Haman into the opposite with by delivering the beracha of redemption and the increase of even more spirituality ליהודים היתה אורה ושמחה ששון ויקר, with a new acceptance of the Oral Torah.
The sefarim say that מרדכי is gematriah בלק בלעם. Even though Yisrael were not aware of Hashem’s salvation throughout the Balalk Billam episode, it was revealed later that retroactively Hashem did not permit the destruction of His people. So too in the story of Purim, Am Yisrael were not aware of Hashem’s planting of the ישועה before the צרה. Only retroactively they realized how Hashem put in motion their salvation even before the tzara came about.
Everyone has their life mission of Kiddush Shem Shamayim. Sometimes it comes after tragedy and sometime it comes after fortune. Hashem knows what is best for each individual to attain their shelaimus since we are His creations. We must believe and trust in Him always. –
– Rav Brazil
Gut Shabbos
