At the open of the sixth chapter of the Megillah, king Ahashverosh is unable to sleep: “בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא נָדְדָה שְׁנַת הַמֶּלֶךְ/balayla hahu nadida sh’nas hamelech/On this night the sleep of the king was disturbed” (Esther 6:1) The halachah is that the one who reads the Megillah publicly should begin to recite the text more loudly at this point, because this moment of the king’s awakening is a pivotal turning point of the story.

The Midrash teaches that while the disturbance of the king’s sleep refers on the simple level to Ahashverosh, it alludes on a more mystic level to the ultimate King, Hashem. As such, this moment of the King’s awakening is a prophecy of the time when God will “awaken from His slumber,” so to speak, and save us from all of the wicked Hamans throughout history who have been pursuing our destruction. We raise our voice at this point in the story in hopes that this will finally be the moment of awakening and salvation.

Yet the Lubavitcher Rebbe asks how it is possible to say that God has been asleep. In Psalms, it is stated clearly that “הִנֵּה לֹא יָנוּם וְלֹא יִישָׁן שׁוֹמֵר יִשְׂרָאֵל/Behold the Guardian of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalms 121:4). In answer, the Rebbe cites the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov on the phrase “ָיְ-הֹוָה צִלְך/God is your shadow” (Psalms 121:5) – that just as a shadow mimics the movements of a person, so does the conduct of the heavens mimic the conduct of man below. When we are “asleep” to God, then He, so to speak, appears to be asleep to us.

The Rebbe then quotes the Zohar, which states that “an awakening below elicits an awakening above” ( Zohar, Tetzaveh 184b). Further, “the upper world only communicates to (the lower world) according to the condition in which it is found at any given time. If it shows a smiling countenance, light and joy from the world above pour down upon it; but if it be sad and downcast, it receives the severity of judgement” (ibid).

As we celebrate Purim and read the Megillah, we raise our voice as we mention the awakening of the king. This should stir an awakening within each of us, and as we rouse ourselves from our slumber, we know that this will cause a reciprocal “awakening” of God to rescue us from the modern Hamans who assail us.

As the Zohar teaches, our awakening and our calls to the King must be with great joy. When we show “a smiling countenance,” then “light and joy from the world above (will) pour down” upon us. But how are we to be truly joyous at a time of conflict when we are under attack by those who pursue our annihilation? We can do so by reminding ourselves that God is the One and only true King, and it is solely His will that determines our fate. When we call to the heavens with this complete faith and confidence, we are assured of God’s love, protection, and salvation.

— Pnei Hashem is an introduction to the deepest depths of the human experience based on the esoteric teachings of Torah.  www.pneihashem.com

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)