Bet mo‘ed (House of Festivals)
Menaḥem Rava
16th Century
A Discourse on the Fast of Purim
No decree can be nullified, but one can be changed by the Cause of causes.
The matters of the fastings and their cry (Esther 9:31)
In the first chapter of tractate Megillah it is written:
R. Samuel bar Naḥmani took his opening text for this passage from here: Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle (Isaiah 55:13).
Instead of the thorn:
This is the evil Haman, who was an idol worshiper, as it is written: and upon all the thorns, etc. (Isaiah 7:19).
Shall come up the cypress [berosh]:
This is the righteous Mordechai, who is called the head [rosh] of the spices, as it is written: Take thou also unto you the chief spices, of flowing myrrh [mor deror] (Exodus 30:23). This is translated into the Aramaic as mari dakhe [“pure myrrh”].
And instead of the briar [sirpad]:
This is the evil Vashti, the daughter of the son of the evil Nebuchadnezzar, who burned the ceiling [saraf refidat] of the house of our God, as it is written: its top [refidato] of gold (Song of Songs 3:10).
Shall come up the myrtle:
This is the righteous Esther, who is called “Myrtle” (Hadassah), as it is written: And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, etc. (Esther 2:7), and it is written: And he stood among the myrtle trees (Zechariah 1:8).
And it shall be to the Lord for a memorial (Isaiah 55:13):
These are the days of Purim; for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off (Isaiah 55:13)—this is the reading of the Megillah [b. Megillah 10b].
When we reflect upon the nature of the Israelite nation, it is apparent that it is so very opposite in nature to the rest of the nations that even when Israel is engulfed within other nations, it does not mix with or congregate with them. And if the people of Israel ever do come closer to the other nations, they will be turned upside down, according to the law of opposites, which applies to opposites that come into close contact. Indeed then, the two will be turned upside down and will repel each other. For this reason, exile was decreed for Israel. This because when they were in their land, it occurred to them—due to the lust of sin—that it would be good to mix with the nations of the world, and that general unity would be a blessing for the world. This is evident from the actions of the people Israel during the days of the judges and kings, for this was their ridicule and their disgrace, since they sought to be together with them. But once they were exiled in the days of the evil Nebuchadnezzar, they sensed that their nature contrasted with the nature of the other nations and that their conjoining was unsuccessful, and they were turned upside down. Indeed, since the nations had always envied Israel, as they knew that Israel’s virtue was greater than theirs, they sought to take their virtue away from them. This was the case even after the people of Israel were sorrowful and swept away into exile, and the kings of the nations thought that Israel would never return to its high status. As Rava said concerning the verse: when King Ahasuerus was settled (Esther 1:2). “What is meant by when he settled? It means ‘after he settled his mind down’ [i.e., put his mind at ease]. He said: ‘Belshazzar calculated [the date of the coming redemption] and made a mistake; I will calculate and I will not make a mistake,’” etc. [b. Megillah 11b]. It still seems as though their focus was still on Israel; this is especially true of the great kings who only feared the reign of Israel and who were always worried, for they knew that Israel’s nature rises up in a miraculous way from complete destruction to complete fulfillment. Moreover, these kings knew that the nations who had caused troubles for Israel in the end got what they deserved; therefore, they were afraid to provoke them. However, they sought to make them sin so that the hand of God would punish them. This is what Nebuchadnezzar did when he wanted them to prostrate themselves before an image, so that Israel would not leave his control. But God prepared Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego against him, as they would not prostrate themselves before the image. Thus, his plot did not come to fruition. So it was with Ahasuerus; although he thought that Israel would no longer return to their own kingdom and for this reason, he rejoiced in the idea that his kingdom would be strengthened forever, and he made a feast for all of his ministers and servants (Esther 1:3).
Credits
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.
