Esther’s Purim Part Seven: Of Dogs and Lions
Transcribed and prepared by Anna Beller: There’s an unbelievable Gemara about Esther. The psalm 22, is the psalm of Esther going into Achashveirosh to seduce him and when he stuck out his scepter it wasn’t his scepter. Had she gone in before Mordechai asked her to no one would’ve known, it had to be said that Esther wasn’t the one to save the Jewish people. As long as she was told she was needed then everyone would say she was doing it and not God. and Esther was the only one who knew something would happen and she was waiting. She didn’t get upset when it happened she said to Mordechai forget it. This woman has so many layers, she’s considered the greatest woman in the bible, she said so.
It says that as she walked into Achashveirosh’s the divine inspiration left her, so she felt abandoned by God- and she says my lord my lord why have you abandoned me? So he says to her you refer to him as a dog. Right before the verse says he a dog, and the Gemara says he was, he was fat, hairy and he smelled bad. Then the passuk says she says I’m sorry, she says saves me from this dog, but when she changed it to save me from the lion the ruach ha kodesh came back.
What this is doing is, okay but he’s a dog and holding her nose and do it, and God says don’t do me any favors and think that I need you, you have to understand that this is so much your moment you have to see him as a lion, you have to love the moment so much he’s a lion, whatever goes into your moment has to be precious. It’s frightening!
Purim is the moment that provides you with the strength and passion to live your life. You know I have a spiritual diary, the most awesome transformations take place after a good Purim. It’s frightening. I remember… I never write, but Purim 1981, between Purim and Pesach I wrote like 25 pages on something on Chumash. Its just Purim gives you incredible stuff, but you have to work on it and daven for it before hand. If you drink and get high, not drunk and learn, and talk about Purim etc. then that’s when you receive these insights.
Shaloch maanot is two ready to eat food to one person. And matanot le evyonim has to be twice as much as you give to shalach manot. The whole idea of giving to who gives you or caring how fancy it is, defeats the idea of purim.. is anti-Purim. You should send to those you want to fix with.