Rav Grossman looks at certain sections or themes in the megillah and presents the idea that there is a surface and a deeper meaning to each idea. The surface acts as a facade, while the deeper ideas present the true aspects of Megillat Esther. The first section, attitude towards the monarchy's, surface is that Achashverosh seems to have all the power and is in complete control, as a wealthy and powerful king. The deeper meaning lies in the fact that the power/monarchy is scorned. The reality is that the king had no power and had to rely on his advisors for each decision. Moreover, G-d is in control as opposed to the human king. The next idea, attitude towards the women, looks be degrading and demeaning towards women. However, when delving into the megillah more, women are the protagonists, and the megillah manifests the progressive rise of women.
The third section, attitude towards honor, examines the idea that everyone was seeking honor, because with honor, came power. However, real power doesn't come from the external honor or rank you are given. The fourth section, attitude towards exile, presents ideas that each of the approaches we studied seem to grapple with. On surface level, Mordechai being second in command is an incredible feat, and shows that Jews can succeed in the Diaspora. However, on a deeper level, the reality was, that Mordechai didn't bring the Jews to Israel. Rather, the Jews were dispersed throughout the land.
The fifth section, attitude towards faith, seems to view, on a surface level, that events occur by chance and are random (the Amalek philosophy). However, the series of "coincidences" that are spread throughout the megillah can be explained with G-d pulling the strings so intricately. The last section, attitude towards G-d, evaluates, on a surface level, as the people of the megillah being secular, irreligious, who do not even mention G-d. However, everything is controlled by G-d, and we have to seek Him out.
So, now, let's summarize. Hazony holds Mordechai, as well as Yosef, as a model for leadership in the Diaspora. We CAN be powerful in a secular world. We CAN find G-d and be religious but the avenue shifts to man while in the Diaspora. Zecharia suggests that the exile was over and the people should have returned to Israel and the Beit Hamikdash. As a result, the story is a punishment for the fact that the people didn't go back. The Worldmask/Rav Dessler approach claims that G-d name is intentionally left out of the Megillah to teach us that we have to seek Him out even if He is "hiding." The "coincidences" are written in such a way that we don't actually see them as merely coincidences, but rather as the hand of G-d. We have to reveal the mask and find G-d. Finally, Rav Grossman says that the literary analysis shows us that the megillah is crafted to have a surface meaning and a deeper meaning.
After discussing this, we each wrote down what the megillah means to us (i.e. what themes resonate with each of us). As I thought about it, I realized that Megillat Esther pertains to our lives in immeasurable ways, especially in the Diaspora. We struggle with the same aspects and challenges that our ancestors faced thousands of years ago, ranging from culture to recognizing G-d's control. I think that by examining the story, or even any piece of Tanach, and realizing the lessons, we can learn a lot from them and apply them to our daily lives.
As a concluding question, what does Megillat Esther mean to you?
In response to your question, Noga, I think that Megillah Esther serves as a sort-of warning to us. This isn't really the most positive perspective on the Megillah, but whatever! I think it is teaching to be careful with how much we assimilate into society today. We don't even realize, but we adopt the fashion, food, language, and overall culture of the society we live in. In order to escape the impending doom that the Jews of thousands of years ago had to face, we should take a minute, perhaps on Purim when reading to the Megillah, to reflect on how much we want to assimilate into our way of life now.
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