The True Meaning of Purim

The Queen of Purim - Esther/Madonna just came out with a new book spiritual book called "Madonna: Inspiration" which doesn't seem to offer any practical advice or explain what's really going on in the world - hey - if Madonna knew what makes things tick she wouldn't be having all these hubby problems - she would know that her main spiritual role is to support her husband in his spirituality and not make everything revolve around her as usual. And one final tip - that is why women involved in serious spiritual attainment dress modestly like Queen Esther is dressed here in the picture so as not to distract the men even for a second from their important work.

Oh well - as you can see the following presents all the deeper meanings of Purim concepts including the name Esther that comes from the word hidden. Just so you know - the terms Israel and Jewish have different meanings in Kabbalah then here in our world so don't think this article is talking about a certain religious group or holy place.

I'm a tea totaller myself but just so you know it's a big mitzva to drink yourself into oblivion tonight:

The Inner Purim

Purim – the holiday of opposites – joy vs. grief, concealment vs. disclosure, Mordechay vs. Haman, genocide vs. redemption.

What is the true story behind this holiday?

Which forces act in the open and what goes on behind the scenes of this juicy holiday?

A Kabbalist is a person who seeks deep inside the causes for the events in his life. It is evident to him that whatever it is he is about to discover, already lies within him, waiting. All he has to learn is how to come in contact with the force that makes things happen. That force will lead and guide him to control the future events of his life, his personal happiness and the bounty that will flow through him to the whole of mankind.

In the eyes of Kabbalah, Megilat Esther tells of the forces that unfold in the innermost parts of man. Forces that tell of what one discovers with one’s relationship with the Creator, the forces that guide the events of everyone’s life. These forces are called Mordechay, Esther, Haman, etc.

The story of Purim unfolds before the building of the second temple, shortly before the immigration to the Land of Israel. It tells of the last battle before the final correction (Gmar Tikun). At this stage, the people of Israel - which symbolize our inner aspirations to spirituality - live calmly and peacefully in the kingdom of Ahashverosh.

Mordechay, the inner force within a Jew, which wants nothing more than to cling to the Creator and worship Him, lived happily and the kingdom was at peace.

The people of Israel represent the majority of the desires that want to go straight (Hebrew – Yashar) to (Hebrew – El and also God) the leader of the world and to learn from him the law of the universe and how to enjoy it.

Indeed, in the beginning of the story, the narrative insinuates that there is something wrong: “There is one nation that is scattered among the nations”. It is this nation, that is supposed to be united against all other nations that want only their own gratification, this nation, whose strength comes solely from its unity, that is dispersed. It is a sure sign that man has not yet fulfilled its destiny, for only the people of Israel can lead mankind to its goal, bonding with its Creator.

The evil Haman, who represents the egotistical in us, the opposite of the Jew, wants to exploit the situation for self gain. He eventually wants to overthrow the king from his thrown.

He believes that the fact that the Jews are dispersed testifies to their weakness, confusion and lack of faith. Therefore he finds the situation to be a first rate opportunity to eliminate the Jews from the face of the earth, as they are the sole force standing between him and exploiting the Creator.

What Haman fails to understand, however, is that the Jews are dispersed for a reason. It stems from the fact that the people of Israel have risen to a higher level now.

That higher level means a direct and open contact with the Creator. A bond so open, no one will be able to deny. Indeed we see the truth of it when at the end of the story, all peoples reform. The meaning is that all the desires in man, called Peoples, accept the main force that leads to confidence and happiness, called Israel.

The Jew in a man is limited. That limitation can only be overcome by the evil Haman. That is why we need to find the Haman within us.

The beginning of the story tells how Mordechay the Jew saved the king from the two assassins Bigtan and Teresh. Naturally, we would expect the king to pay him for his deed, perhaps a raise, or any other kind of reward.

But things aren’t quite that simple, for Mordechay is the Israel in man, it wants nothing but to be in contact with its maker. It wants no personal gain; therefore you cannot give it any gift, for it will not accept it.

Thus, to our surprise, we read that it isn’t Mordechay who’s honored, but Haman who out of all candidates gets the honors, when the king appoints him head of all the ministers. Haman gets total domination of the kingdom and all the king’s slaves are ordered to bow before him. That means that the egoism has now risen to its maximum proportion.

Of all the people, only Mordechay refuses to bow before anyone but the king himself. The reason for that is that there is always a voice in man that tells him who the real king is and to whom he remains loyal regardless of the cost. Even is he’s the only one who still remembers it, even when the whole town of Shushan is bewildered and confused. Even when his life is threatened, the loyal Israelite chooses loyalty to his king before anything else.

It is only through magnifying Haman’s ego to the proportion it grew that the people could realize how right Mordechay’s way was.

The difference between the road Haman takes and that of Mordechay is the core around which the story revolves.

Haman wants to exploit the king and use him to take over the kingdom. He thinks only of himself and epitomizes the most vile force in man his desire to rule the world at all cost, even that of his own destruction.

Mordechay’s only goal, on the other hand, is to unveil the true leader of the world and to learn from him how to conduct himself. Therefore he cannot be bribed in any way. He can stand at the king’s castle and guard the gate while everyone bows before Haman. There is no price to his loyalty. He knows that the day will come when everyone realizes it, but he also understands that he cannot impose his mind on others.

Haman gets control of the kingdom, precisely for the purpose of increasing his desires. The egoism is revealed so that man will realize the destructive forces that dwell within him. Haman decides to utilize the power he’s been given in order to carry out his plan to destroy his primary enemy – the Israel within us.

He carefully plans his actions, prepares the tree and the rope, confident that in a few moments, the person standing between him and fulfilling his dream, will have been eliminated.

Haman is then asked – what is to be done with the man the king holds dear? Being certain that it is him the king holds dear, he suggests that he’d be seated on a horse (the inner force in man) and publicly declare: “Thus will be done with the man the king holds dear”).

At this point the people of Israel unite. Their collective prayer for the success of Esther’s mission, representing the force of faith, mends what at first appeared to be a separation amongst the people. That correction allows her to address the king directly, which is the great miracle of Purim. Prior to that, no one could address the king that way. Only the united force of the people, in prayer for help, gave her the necessary defense to come out of hiding (Heb: hester) and into the revelation of the king’s face. She reveals the king’s true aim – to bestow to all the creatures.

Then Haman (the egotistical force in man) discovers the fraud, but it is too late for him. He discovers that the purpose of man’s work is to reveal the king’s domination and benevolence. He realizes he was but a tool in the hands of the king, whose true desire was to cultivate Mordechay.

But at this point he cannot change the sentence he himself had passed.

It is but for the great desire of Haman to rule the kingdom, that Mordechay gets the honor and publicity he deserves.

Thus the desires of man to discover the king’s intent to bestow to its creatures and the right way to reach Him prevail, the way of the Israel within:

• Israel is the desire in man to be in perpetual contact with He who runs reality, with the King.
   

• Israel is he who remembers at all times who governs our lives and utilizes every opportunity to fortify the bond with Him.
   

• Israel is he who never despairs when facing grave difficulties along the way, for he is certain that they only rise so as to reveal the King’s benevolence.
   

• Israel is he who finally sees the justice of his way come out into the light through the unification of the forces for the purpose of his life.
   

• Israel is he who turns concealment into revelation and writes with his deeds the story of Esther.

Tags: kabbalah, Culture, israel, jewish, women, madonna, purim

Comments

[Me myself & I]

You're so critic of others and their behavior. I don't get it... are you really a Kabbalah student? You seem to have so much anger inside. I wonder if the Rav approves of such vain and purposeless criticism. Where are you trying to go?

[Josia]

hmmm - you may have a point but no one in the world will be happier than me when Madonna discovers the truth.

All the $60 bangles http://www.cultnews.com/index.php/2006/03/13/madonnas-kabbalah-center-has-new-bangle/ in the world won't get her any closer to heaven.

[denise galante]

One of the 1st principles a Kabbalist learns is not to materialize the abstract (this includes assigning our own abstract perceptions & definitions to another’s words). How is it possible to grasp the intent of the writer’s words if they’re analyzed through the individual’s perspective which is based in this world? The sooner we all discover the truth, the better!

[yaakov kirschen]

fascinating stuff.
i've never read any more interesting take on Megilt Esther or the hag itself.
thanx
Dry Bones
http://drybonesblog.blogspot.com
Israel's Political Comic Strip Since 1973

[Josia]

I just *knew* there were celebs visiting my blog --- now I know for sure :)

Thanks for stopping by Yaakov!

J.

[Esther Kustanowitz]

Very interesting insights, Josia. And thanks for being such a regular visitor over at "my place..."

[Sherry Lapp]

I did not get it!

[Josia]

The article about Purim? You may look at it again tomorrow and get it perfectly - look at it a week later and not get it again - Kabbalah is not about intelligence - it's about opening and ultimately altering your heart.

It involves a very complicated process where things are constantly revealed and hidden from us. ...

So maybe you're already on your way!!

[Sherry Lapp]

Would you please give a kabbalah definition of purim? I have been studying kabbalah for almost a year and I am amazed at what I have come to understand and likewise amazed at what I do not understand. I appreciate your responses very much. Thank you.
Sherry Lapp

[Josia]

It's really better for you to ask serious questions about the material on the kabbalah.info forum where you'll get answered by the men - but since you asked I will attempt to shed some light :)

All Kabbalah or biblical texts are similar in that the characters you read about - it doesn't really matter if those things actually happened with those actual people - if there were a group of Jews wandering in the desert etc. - what matters is what these things represent - all the characters in the bible and the characters in the story of Purim represent certain states that we need to go through on our way to becoming corrected - so when we reach a certain stage in our correction we will feel the Haman part of us - when we reach another stage - we will feel the Esther inside of us and so on and so forth - that's why it's called the hidden wisdom because everything happens inside you and only you can check what's going on.

Everything you see in our world - Arabs, Jews & Muslims etc. - all those are actually states inside of us and when we bring our inner selves into balance with nature by becoming corrected we won't see all this chaos around us anymore.

I hope you read it again with that in mind and hopefully you'll begin to understand that the story of Purim actually portrays our entire process of correction.

Hello, Your site is great. Regards, Valintino Guxxi