Esther and Kohelet

Well, my friends, we have finished Megillat Esther. After wrapping up the final details on the conclusion of the megillah in the text, we proceeded to delve into the deeper aspects of the megillah. In our pursuit of meaning, we read several stories that encompass different ideas and themes each author found prevalent throughout Megillat Esther.

The first source we studied was The Dawn, by Yoram Hazony. The passage we read focused on why the battle was necessary if "pachad Mordechai" was upon the other nations/people in Achashverosh's kingdom. Hazony believes it was crucial because it wasn't enough to have temporary power. The other people in the empire needed to see the Jews take a stand for themselves. The battle was essentially a "political necessity" for what happens in the Diaspora. The megillah is emphasizing the importance of taking a political stance and getting involved when faced with a threat, especially in the Diaspora. Megillat Esther is a model for leadership, particularly for us Jews not living in Israel. We need to make our voice heard, even if we're dispersed. And the more we call, the more unified it makes us.

In continuation, Hazony's approach contains major implications for  the issues underlying the Megillah. Megillat Esther is a story showing that, even in the Diaspora, where G-d's face is hidden, you can still have Jewish values and identity. You can aspire to anything and still be Jewish, you can take a stand and still be committed to Judaism. Therefore, the megillah is a story of how to be successful in the Diaspora. We CAN rise to power, and have political and military success. Look at Mordechai, he rose to be second in command. However, even when G-d doesn't reveal Himself, we still need to believe in Him.

The next source we looked at was Sanctuaries in Time by Rav Eliyahu Dessler. This excerpt discussed the theme of "v'nahaphoch hu" in the megillah, largely illustrated by the chiastic structure. Sanctuaries in Time teaches us that the megillah shows the hand of G-d. These "coincidences" or reversals throughout the megillah are really hidden miracles. Esther manifests the fact that G-d controls everything.

The last source we saw was Worldmask by Akiva Tatz. The passage we read from here teaches us that G-d was intentionally wearing a mask in the megillah (hester panim). OUR role is to uncover the mask. The Purim story wishes to tell us that G-d is everywhere. We need to uncover the mask and see G-d in the everyday, and His role in pulling the strings, even if we don't blatantly spot it. Therefore, Purim is designed to teach us that the "world" is a mask. Our job is to reveal the mask, a symbol, and see G-d.

All of these approaches were incredibly insightful and interesting, and I think can really complement one another. However, as I was reading through Sanctuaries in Time and Worldmask, I couldn't help but think of our old friend, Shlomo Hamelech and Kohelet. Essentially, Shlomo's conclusion in Kohelet was that in order to find meaning, we need to acknowledge that we are subservient to G-d, and that G-d, NOT man, controls everything. I think this is really similar to these two books, and to the core values of Judaism as well. As Jews, our purpose is to serve G-d. And although we can't see Him, we need to acknowledge that He is pulling the strings. That's how we find meaning in life. The more we uncover, the more we reveal, and we are able to see G-d more and more.

What do you think? What was your favorite approach, if any, and why?