Esther's wisdom

noreply@skynetblogs.be (Bernadette Schaepdryver) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:21:45 +0200

The Megillah of Esther

(Book of Esther)

A study done by Bernadette Schaepdryver

In memory of my late mother

Feel free to shnooze around by starting here and following the category links on your right. There is one for every chapter of the book.

Thank you for your visit, and may G-d bless you and your family.

Book of Esther: Chapter 10 (Updated study)

noreply@skynetblogs.be (Bernadette Schaepdryver) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 17:34:58 +0100

(Note: To read the third chapter of this book, please click on the following link: http://www.breslov.com/bible/Esther10.htm#10. This way I hope that you will be able to follow, and understand the study much easier.)

We may believe, or we may not believe. Whatever we decide regarding the book of Esther, the most important message sits them within its depth, not its clothing. The more we study it, the more we will come to know what drove the people of the region to do what they did, and surviving the ordeal that was about to take its toll. Hebrew/Jew and gentile unified themselves against what was to become a moment in time that could have changed it so dramatically that it would have been very questionable if the world could have ever overcome the devastating outcome of what it was about to do unto the deeper inner feeling we all do possess regarding what being humane entails, what it means to those who abide by the sanctity of life He embodies in every human being, even in all life for that matter. Maybe that it would still have lasted a few years before its final and complete demise into oblivion, no one will know for sure, and luckily so. Yes, luckily because we otherwise wouldn't be living today, and be entitled to the same opportunity, as every single person had in that time, namely to better the lives of everyone, to make the world a better place to live in, even trying to make it equal with the one of above. Like our Hebrew/Jewish brethren and sisters of that precious time in time, we too have been given the choice of coming forward or not, of starting to walk on our own legs without any visible help that is, or to fall prey to a thinking, a lifestyle that won't enlighten our body and mind, nor we keep being a light unto the nations. We're therefore advised to return to our Aba without realizing profoundly, or with a tangible, a concrete visible incentive to go for it, to make at least a concrete and substantial effort of showing our utmost appreciation, as well as deep respect for everything He has done for us till today, and will keep doing so everlasting. He even entices the gentile through this story to follow in the footsteps of their brethren and sisters who lived at the set time in the region, and not to waste some precious breath of air on matters which for sure won't bring them the solace they so desperately aspire, even when they're not aware of it that they do. Yeah, it's for sure a story that will reverberate its lesson within every time and world wherein man will live his life. What happened in Esther's time caused a kind of ripple effect on a clean surface of water that will last everlasting, just like our Torah did, and keeps doing of course. It won't come to a halt, even when we would forget because its deeper essence, its soul is timeless. It's what keeps humankind afloat, but not rudderless, or adrift that is. And tho the bodies and minds of the people of that time may have been constrained by the time they lived in, it was not to be so for the souls of these people who were entitled to be present in such a commendable moment, one wherein humankind came to stand at a crossroad within their lives, a thought of reflection that would decide about the future of the next generation, even every generation that would come thereafter, including ours as well thus, and so on.

There is thus no real need to know more about what happened afterwards, of what happened to queen Esther and Mordecai once their tremendous achievement, and that of everyone involved, those who chose their side, fulfilled itself as hoped for. If we would demand it, then we for sure will without doubt show our dishonor, our disrespect to the remembrance of all the souls who committed themselves to not only salvage the world of man, then also of every single life throughout the ages of time. They showed us that the salvation couldn't become a matter of fact when a world thinks solely with its body and mind. No, their lives do teach us how it's most important to return to our deepest thoughts, those that can only be found within our own self when we strengthen the bond with our soul; and what we only are in fact. True, only our soul can bring us the much needed resources wherewith to start moving, to put us back on track so that we, Hebrew/Jew and gentile alike, can show our forefathers and -mothers that their fight for the survival of life, its sanctity, wasn't a waste of their deepest hope with regard to future generations. If we are to keep their memory alive and well, maybe even kicking, then let us make sure that honoring it won't be done in vain. Yes, let we strengthen our bond with their plight because theirs is as good as ours for as long as there will be a Haman who is eager to commit the same atrocities, and probably with an even greater desire for calamity due to the impatience of the ego that kept, and keeps hitting the wall of defeat over and over again. So as time stood not still, so did neither man's eagerness of inventing innovative technologies, and this for the good of all, but also for purposes that it wasn't, and isn't to be used for in any time, or place. Therefore we cannot rest, or let us be taken off guard till the last remaining Haman, even followers of such a lifestyle, do become a matter of the past, and we without fear, even in joy can celebrate a new dawn, a new world that man has never witnessed before, one which humankind hasn't lived ever till that day comes. This was the feeling within as good as every person's heart, above all mind, that like clean air blew throughout the entire kingdom of Ahasuerus once the darkness of the past year became truly a matter of remembering it so that it won't be forgotten, but would serve as a lesson to future generations by giving them the incentive to be attentive, and not become complacent till every man can truly sigh a breath of relief in that s/he won't have to fear anymore, that really everyone will have the ability to live their lives forever and ever in peace and security, the tranquility our Hebrew/Jewish forefathers and -mothers fought for, the one that they hoped for that we, the generations who would come after them, would fulfill at the set time. However, the people knew, due to the prophecies, that their life, even their decision, would only serve as the much needed push to set in motion that what was about to become fulfilled in a later generation. But if they didn't, then nothing would last, then only come to a standstill, as if it never happened, for queen Esther did not kept her silence, nor did Mordecai.

Correct, whenever one of our forefathers, even foremothers, did not kept his or her silence against an atrocity that was about to be committed, it served as a light, a beacon, a warning that there's danger ahead. Their message was one of urgency, not to be put aside, to be silent about what was being devised, or about to happen, even when it was good news! But we as well were time and time again entitled with the freedom of following the advice, even guidance, or not. Never were we obliged to accept its trueness. We had even the choice of putting its validity into question in relation to what we saw happening all around us. Yes, we were free to decide about whatever step we would want to take next, or the ones we could follow. And we too, like the people in queen Esther's time, do have our books wherein is written what had happened. We too have our books of chronicles. History didn't came to an end, and will never do so. Everything keeps being recorded just as it happened within that time as well. It serves as a witness, but at the same time does it give everyone a resource of valuable knowledge, one we can always refer to, to read when we become confronted with something that could bring a great turmoil into the lives of many. Or we can read it just to not forget it, nor how it all happened as it did. It helps us to remember, to not forget bad times as neither good times, but to learn out of it, to know what went wrong, or what could be done better within the goodness of the thought, and this only when deeply connected with our soul. Of course, this can only occur when things are being written in a style that is completely disconnected from man's ego, man's eagerness, especially the one of leaders, the one wherewith they are being tempted to put themselves on a kind of dais of haughtiness like it's done with a statue, something that wasn't that alien to Roman Caesars for instance. Anyhow, based on what we're being taught in the book of Esther, we may be assured that king Ahasuerus isn't to be compared with those Roman leaders. After all, those Romans weren't married to queen Esther, nor have they been married to queen Vashti for that matter. King Ahasuerus kingdom had its uniqueness, one that made its constituencies proud to be a part of it, even the Hebrew/Jewish nation did. Thus no matter how king Nebuchadnezzar ruled his, king Ahasuerus' rule was clearly different. He was more humane, more receptive to the wishes of the people. He was more willing to listen to their anxieties, to what they expected from him. They not only found a receptive ear, but he respected their culture, whom they as a people were, and wanted to be accepted as such. However, that ear became sometimes too receptive as well when we remember the ease that Haman had in misusing the king's goodness for the purpose of his own evil agenda vis-à-vis a people within the king's kingdom, even towards the king's throne. He was a good king, but we have to admit that there was a certain amount of naivety to be found within the way he ruled, a naivety which almost would have cost him his kingdom were it not for Mordecai, even Esther, to come to its rescue, and eventually even His Kingdom, the lives of everyone within it, Hebrew/Jew and gentile alike.

It's also written that Mordecai became respected as a great man amongst the Hebrew/Jewish people of his time. He always sought the good of them, and spoke peace with the man of his generation. This knowledge does teach us that we could even perhaps regard Mordecai as a prophet, albeit within a veiled manner that is. Yes, tho we are accustomed to the teaching of how to regard, and accept one of our people as a prophet, he, that is Mordecai, walked the same path in a certain way. His warning, even his tutoring of Esther in Torah, did put everyone within the same kind of situation as earlier prophets have done. Nevertheless, we also have to take into account that he like queen Esther had royal blood running through his veins. Both were of the same blood so to speak. And we do know that some royals did have a very close bond with Him, a strong affinity for His Torah, no matter their weaknesses in body. We only have to acquaint ourselves with the psalms of king David, and admit this trueness, or rather a light. It entice us to look beyond what we read, going beyond the set time, no matter if it's being done towards the past, or the future. We have to let it give us the desire to know more about ourselves, our inner self that is. Somehow, it will eventually bring us more good than what we ever could have imagined, to be entitled to it, to enliven such a moment in our life. But it can only happen when we do commit ourselves to the peace of the Torah because it teaches us in Hebrew the necessary knowledge that can bring us wherever we want to be brought to when wanted out of goodness, out of a deep rooted desire to bring pure light into our home, a Moshiach ben Yoseph desire alike thus. And it does teach us also that peace can only mature within all of man when he realizes that he by nature is body, mind and soul. We therefore become aware that Mordecai acted within such a light, even in that oneness, the way he did due to G-d's veiled manner of turning the events that were about to unfold themselves into something concrete, something that could go either way. Yeah, he in a certain way behaved in a likewise manner as is known with regard to earlier visible and well known prophets, even those who came afterwards. The people were given the choice to accept, or to reject that what was about to turn their lives one way or the other. It was no different within Mordecai's life as well. It's for that reason that we may perhaps assume the seemingly absence of queen Esther within the last chapter because of this awareness that if it wasn't for Mordecai to warn the people in the same manner as a prophet would do so, then Haman would have begot what he so desperately wanted to beget. No Hebrew/Jewish house would have survived, nor the one of the kingdom for that matter. Even many gentile houses wouldn't have been strong enough to withstand the ferocity of his evilness when they would have refused to comply, and become his slaves, enslaved by his mind, not his soul. He had disconnected it completely from his very own world of reality, and what's not real to him thus. And so did he wanted it to become within the entire kingdom, even the entire world, a world cut off from its source, its humane root, of that what gives it its reason to live for, not to die for. It would have been a complete lie, falsehood if you prefer.

There was nothing in the entire world that would have prevented him, that is Haman, from committing this crime to humanity, unless you bring G-d into the picture. As such do we know that no evil can succeed in what it wants to achieve because what it devises is only done so by body and mind. It rejects, openly or secretive, the notion of man having a soul. And still, this constant rejection gives goodness in every time the opportunity of standing firm in its hope that evil will one day become just a whispering in the far distance, not to be reckoned with anymore. It causes us to cling more profoundly unto the wisdom that we all do have a soul, and that we within that knowledge will always in any time become in the ability of withstanding the fiercest storm that those who still reject this reality would try to throw into every man's face, as a mockery with what evil doesn't recognize as being its own demise and fall. Its rejection of the light within man, his Torah, of the peace of the soul thus can only strengthen us in our steadfastness and conviction that the souls of these individuals are imprisoned by their very own egos. We therefore have to strengthen ourselves with the fact that once Haman was hanged, that his soul became liberated, and still would become a light unto future generations due to its inability to break Haman's selfishness, the dreadful state of his ego. It entice us to become better persons ourselves, trying to empower our soul against the weakness of our body that could still ravage our entire personality, even our mind, and the way we think, or would want to act against another person, community, or even an entire people/nation for that matter, perhaps even nature. True, through this Megillah we are taught to reconcile ourselves with being male and female, or having a masculinity and femininity being a oneness of body, mind and soul. Yes, there can be no peace within ourselves, nor in the world entire, without this balance between both. This is a fundamental teaching in the very beginning of our Torah. We have the natural Adom, and we have the spiritual Adom. We have both in one person, namely his nature and his Chava. And he will leave his parents' home for that, the natural womb so to speak. But so will she do for she is also a man, an Adom with a Chava. Whether we are thus a man or a woman, we are in both cases the Adom of Bereishis (Genesis). Man will cleave unto his soul, his Chava and bear children (spiritually) by being a light unto the nations, trying to bring every man slowly and patiently towards the person s/he really is, and has always been since the beginning of his/her natural life. Therefore do we come to realize that G-d isn't against anyone in particular, neither thus those amongst man who are known to be homosexual, even lesbian, or transsexual for that matter, but only when they won't transgress His laws within the way they want to live their life, the same as it is for the man who we refer to as being a heterosexual. Still, He won't act against a person's soul because if He would do that, then He would act against Himself, against the very help He has given every man, a help that would give him the opportunity to return to himself, to become and be that very light unto the world around him by just being who we are, and having the freedom to be so with respect to our most sacred Torah values.

Yeah, when our body passes away, then our soul, every man's soul will always return to where it came from. It will never stay wandering around like some amongst man do want to push, force this ideology, or philosophy, into the mind of man's psyche. Our soul returns, and will wander within His light because it has been born in that light, and can therefore never become a matter of darkness, of evil, even wrongness thus. It will always return to G-d's world, to His kingdom, and live next to Him, but above all within Him, in the heart of His world. There is no soul that is evil, not one because it can only try to bring the body and mind to comply with the task it has been given, namely in bringing humankind to a better world. It can only fulfill this within the gift it has been ordered to give it to this same body and mind, to let it become reconciled with it, to let man become acquainted with the purpose of what it means to be given this opportunity, even within the constraints and/or weaknesses of the body itself. In that sense has it always been true that there is no nakedness, that even when man saw, and thought that he was naked, that he in reality was not. What he saw was his clothing. His body was the clothing of his soul, his Chava. When he would have looked around him, then he would have seen that nature had been created just in the same way as he had been created. But we are taught as well that a soul lives within every body wherein blood runs through its veins. And we with that fact become thus aware of the strange feeling that G-d must have had when being confronted with an answer that wasn't conform the reality, the truth of man's nature that is, meaning that man had let him somehow become pulled back to his old lifestyle, the one without the knowledge of him having a soul, a Chava. He was trying to slowly disengage himself, to annul the 'marriage' with his help, his soul, and going for the blinding beauty of the ego instead. And it's a luck that it didn't happen. In a way, we could thus with regard to this fact even bring to the forefront the modern man's discovery when being confronted with tribes who live in the Amazon wilderness, or the African one. From them we know that as good as all the children ran around naked, but not the adults. Well, that is that the adults were wearing a little bit of clothing. We therefore may assume that the Adom of Bereishis (Genesis) had become more adult, had become more aware of his natural drifts of procreation. It was something he wasn't so deeply aware of when being just a child. He didn't know what to do with it. Eventually, G-d did gave him his natural clothing of leaves so to hide his natural reality, and to keep him strengthened at the same time within the wisdom of what he, that is being a man and a woman in the sense of masculinity and femininity, was being lectured about. As a child, man could only bear children on a spiritual level. And he as an adult became in the ability of procreating naturally and spiritually, but the one in pain while the latter without it.

Nevertheless, we have to be aware that a spiritual pregnancy, and subsequently birth, was and is more important when we put it in relation with the bigger picture, the bringing of all of humankind to a better world, a world that will have achieved a perfect balance between both, between the feminine and the masculine. And that's what this Megillah, the book of Esther, also tries to let us become immersed into, namely in us starting to reconnect ourselves with where it all 'began' to never end. Yes, even when a soul has seemingly not succeeded in what it was supposed to do, then the picture can become quite different when we realize the constant defeat of evil, the battle that is, not yet the war, and the fact that the soul may well have caused this defeat without that the body and the mind of the person(s) in question was/were aware of it, nor the people around this/these person(s) when we take the many reactions into account to this day. Like G-d is thus working in a veiled manner here within the world of queen Esther, so do we know where our soul really comes from. We become aware of the reality that the soul can also work in a veiled manner to the body and the mind that serves as its host in this world of man. Remember that it has been created in His likeness. So, if we let this reality mature, then it certainly will give us more tools to delve with into the deepest depth of this most amazing story, and its treasure, the pearl of man's inner beauty, of every man that is. True, even when the ego of man can be very persuasive, the soul will always be stronger. This will be so within those who believe in it, and within the ones who don't accept this reality within the freedom they are fully entitled to have, as well as to abide by. But let us not forget that every person within this story acted on the basis of what s/he thought to be the right thing to do. This is so for Mordecai, Esther and the Hebrew/Jewish nation, but is as true for the king, Haman, the princes, and every citizen of the kingdom. They all acted as they wanted to act in the way they did it. Anyhow, it has become known to all, behind all these actions, that goodness prevailed because the soul was stronger than man's ego. Haman's soul did cause him to fall upon the couch whereon Esther was. This wasn't the Haman we have become acquainted with within this book. This was the Haman who came to realize his wrong, even when it was still very weak, and certainly not a cause for letting us to become overjoyed. His soul became the cause of the defeat of what he devised against the nature of who man truly is, of what humankind truly does stand for, and what being humane is all about, namely to preserve the sanctity of life, not its dead, nor its demise. We shouldn't fear the person we really are as if it's a real fire, but rather let us draw nearer to the burning bush. The fear of the Hebrews/Jews was fallen upon them, upon the citizens of the king's kingdom. This was the same fear that Moshe had. It was the one that made him draw closer to what would enlighten the entire world, and bring it its long awaited peace, namely the TORAH, and with the Noahide laws within as well.

Book of Esther: Chapter 9 (Updated study)

noreply@skynetblogs.be (Bernadette Schaepdryver) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:33:32 +0100

(Note: To read the third chapter of this book, please click on the following link: http://www.breslov.com/bible/Esther9.htm#9. This way I hope that you will be able to follow, and understand the study much easier.)

It has been told us that we on the day of reckoning at the end of times will be wandering around in sunshine, straight into a bright light. We will come out of our houses, and feel really free to be who we are. It is said that we won't have to be afraid anymore, that we will enjoy, and have a feast. Our fear will become a matter of the past, and our sorrows will be thrown away from our shoulders. Yes, the day will come that no evil shall find a place to hide anymore, no place to escape to, to find refuge from those who seek justice, upright justice that is. On that day, everyone, every Jew, will have the upper-hand against those who want to harm them, and even the sanctity of all life. It's even widely assumed throughout the entire world that goodness will also feel the heat of the moment, that good and evil will suffer, that there will be no place to run to once that day arrives. But, if we feel that way, then we can't really state that we do know Him who knows us. However, it's true that we shouldn't run because if we do, yes if we flee, then it will be a sign that we admit our guilt in a certain way, no matter if we are guilty or not. If we flee the scene, then we without doubt do show, do give the impression that we have something to hide for those who are about to ask that justice be served, no matter if their demand will be justified or not. Anyhow, this has by no means to be interpreted as a way of action when it concerns a matter of running for safety. If you can save your life and that of others against a natural disaster about to occur for instance by knowing a place where it will be safe, then do so, even when you would have no means whatsoever to defend yourself with against an assailant when this would be the case. Only, do know that no one can run away from the time that s/he is destined to die, that his/her body is about to succumb to the age of time, or other occurrences, even illness, unless G-d would be lenient to you in such a particular situation, as we know that He once did, that there's a precedent. And it has even been one that shows us that our G-d is a G-d of life, not of dead. Yes, that He wants us to live our life in body, mind and soul, as it being our destiny to do so, trying to fulfill our sacred and holy duty as a human being in a manner that it's supposed to be done.

It's therefore of utmost importance that we try to understand the matters correctly before we jump unto a conclusion made on wrong assumptions, perceptions which may pull us backwards instead of forwards to better times. After all, when a knowledge, a lesson, or a teaching would have been taught or presented incorrectly due to personal or even political/religious egocentric tendencies, then we know that it can take a very long while before it becomes rectified. This means that no one will move one step forward for as long as it won't occur, on the contrary in a worst case scenario. There will thus be no movement towards getting out of the circle, or rather the encirclement humankind has brought itself into, for as long as the irregularity, the flaw keeps hovering very firmly within the mind and thoughts of millions of people, maybe even in all of man's manner of thinking. And we will only become in the ability of bursting ourselves through it when we're willing to keep on learning, and not being afraid of accepting the light of our soul in this, till we have the matter straight because we only by acquiring knowledge rightly won't have to flee or to fear anymore. We will be standing steadfast on both our feet, even overcoming the atrocities that could have been, or become devised against us all, or against just one of us. Correct, sometimes there just needs to be only one person to give us the push we need most at the right time like Adom, Noah, Avraham, Moshe, and yes Esther and Mordecai did, but also many others, Jews and gentiles alike. Remember Moshe's father-in-law. When we have thus found the path of learning it just, then there's no reason to be shy anymore, just as queen Esther did. And in a way, this is what's being taught us here in this chapter as well. If nothing would have been done against Haman's decree, then it would have been interpreted in such a manner that would have given Haman and his supporters the right to do what they wanted to do. Everyone would in body and mind have come to agree with their point of view, but not with their soul's light. All citizens of the kingdom, even the king himself, except for the Hebrew/Jewish people, wouldn't have withheld their support because there would have been no alternative, no other option. But this is so true as well for what even happened during the time of Moshe. If he, nor the midwives wouldn't have stood-up against Pharaoh, then nothing would have stopped him from what he was about to succeed in, namely the assimilation of the Hebrew/Jewish people into the Egyptian mainstream. It would have had major repercussions for every generation of man that would have come thereafter. Hence, we maybe wouldn't be talking, or writing about Esther at all, not to mention Yisrael itself, or the Torah for that matter. It to a certain degree does tell us thus that we shouldn't fear change, that we shouldn't keep on accepting, and succumbing to the harassments so to speak when we, as G-d's chosen people of light, feel in our Hebrew/Jewish heart, above all mind, that we're really doing the right thing for all of humankind, and not just to please our ego. Yes, that we belief in our G-d, in יהבה (JHVH) because it's just!

A Judaic orthodox lifestyle can be regarded as the uppermost important lifestyle to live by as a Hebrew/Jew, but when it prevents people from moving on, then no one will beget a real tangible energy impulse to help him/her outgrowing the prevalent trend within his/her community without forsaking on the basic rules/laws that his/her community is founded on. S/He could even become in the ability of uplifting it by acquiring a higher level of faith in G-d when being given the room, the freedom of progressing into that direction. The same goes for every other Hebrew/Jewish community and their way of living their religious life, their vision/perception about religious laws, rules and regulations, and how to implement them, to abide by them. But when every community would succumb to a fear for change, then it could result into a situation whereas no one will want to listen to what Moshiach ben David would have to say when the moment we all await does arrive because certain things about the way they live at present won't have to be fulfilled anymore, like fasting for instance. That time is one of joy everlasting while fasting is a moment of sorrow we remember in this world. However, this is something that won't be needed anymore within the time and world of Moshiach for man will become reconciled with his/her pain. The suffering, when so, will be taken away from him/her. Every single soul will be freed from its captivity, from its chains. With some it will go easy while others will have it much harder to overcome their former lifestyle, their ego so to speak. Anyhow, no one will be left behind at the end. And only those who will keep being stubborn will have to settle with that what they tried to pour over their victims' heads. But this on itself does teach us again in how the story about Esther, even that of Moshe, has a very deep bond with what we are told to witness on the final day of reckoning whenever it may occur. It's thus most important for us to learn, but not to be afraid of going against the fear of our brothers and sisters when so for otherwise nothing will happen at all. Nevertheless, we can only do so when we're fully certain, and be ascertain of, that what we want to do is justified, is fully upright, and won't harm in any way the profound bond of the entire Hebrew/Jewish community with G-d, with His Torah. We cannot, and may not, G-d forbid, lessen our appetite in doing what is good for our soul, giving it all the strength it needs to change us into the person we truly are, and have always been for that matter, every man that is.

So we, thanks to what is stated above, do come to witness a very interesting manner of thinking. We have come to learn that many of the citizens of the kingdom have converted to the Hebrew/Jewish faith. We know that they most probably will have been descendants of the former ten lost Hebrew/Jewish tribes; and this is how we view it even today regarding our lost and loved ones. But here we are told as good as the same thing about the princes of the provinces, the satraps, and even the governors. They all had fallen in fear for the Hebrews/Jews. This fear caused them to stand behind them in their support for the decree that Mordecai had decreed so to nullify the one of Haman with. They did not convert however. As such, this fear should again not be taken too literally, just the same as it was for those of our brothers and sisters who did convert back to their faith. Hence, it's the same fear that we are witnessing here, the one of missing the boat, the window of opportunity that arose thanks to the steadfastness of the Hebrew/Jewish people against the hatred of the time, against those who wanted to harm them, and even many others. Remember that quite a lot of provinces of king Ahasuerus kingdom were in fact nations which had been conquered. They knew that the open door that was being opened for them shouldn't be kept closed because it would mean freedom, or at least a relative high form of autonomy, and respect for their very own culture. It above all meant that they would keep their humanity as a person. After all, they surely will also have remembered the freedom and peace the Judaic Temple in Yerushalayim had given their ancestors with regard to their belief, the sacrifices they brought to the Hebrew/Jewish G-d as an offering from a gentile to Him. Surely, these stories will have been told as well from generation unto generation within the gentile world of the region. It shouldn't thus surprise us at all that they joined and enjoyed this fear, as the other kind of fear was clearly one of sorrow while this one was one of liberation, of providence. But it at the same time does give us the impression that a lot of gentiles truly did want to embark on this boat because Mordecai's decree did gave everyone the freedom to choose between his and that of Haman, between being a person and just an object. And many came to the rescue of the Hebrew/Jewish community within every province. Yes, they tried to help the Hebrews/Jews in whatever way they could be of some help to them. We may therefore even assume that there will have been gentiles who killed some of the Haman supporters. This would of course put our study into a different light, as we are taught to belief that only the Hebrews/Jews did what they had to do to defend their homes, their family against the aggressors. Nevertheless, the amount of gentiles who joined the Hebrews/Jews has to be put also in relation with the great influence the leaders of the king's provinces had on their people.

In whatever way we will, or would want to perceive Esther's story, the outcome will always stay the same. However, it's most important that we do so rightly, in dignity, in honor, with utmost respect, and above all in a manner that justifies the cause, the trueness of what we are told, or rather G-d's hidden message behind it all, His light around us all, but even within once we accept it as our home to be. We therefore may not let us be taken aback by the seemingly harsh response to the events which are to become unfold before our very own eyes. It's not with our body, nor mind alone that we will come to understand the depth of the mystery, of what G-d has kept hidden throughout the literal revelations, even the historical ramifications of the time in question. Like with our Torah, we here too have to learn to read it with our soul. We have to give it the freedom to guide us without any pre-conditions attached to it. Our soul has to be given the room to immerse us into understanding the times in conjunction with the tribulations of the people in question, meaning every citizen of the kingdom, even their culture. Besides, man, above all the gentile, will have to make his mind free of any form of hatred whatsoever because this will blur his sight even more. True, in a world that has been known for its harsh reactions towards the Hebrew/Jewish people, it's not unthinkable that some would in any time want to read Esther's story quite differently, meaning in a way in which s/he does put him-/herself behind Haman's view, turning the entire depth of it completely upside down. These people would do so, as others in their likeness have done before, for the sole purpose of fulfilling the dream, the wish of all those who have wanted to erase the Hebrew/Jewish faith (Judaism), and the memory of the Hebrew/Jewish G-d, out of everyone's mind. They're the ones whom this chapter is speaking about, the remnants of a world that is bound to disappear into oblivion, not the people of the world to come. And the more the entire world of man will become taught into this matter correctly, and in a justified manner thus with regard to the Hebrew/Jewish people, the more this evil thinking by a man's ego will regress. It in no way at all does give us the leniency to be soft, to not be on our guard anymore. We all are well aware that the human mind of survival, no matter how wrong it could, or would be interpreted, will be tempted to make a last effort to turn the tide into its advantage. It's what is happening here, as it did happen in the time of Moshe too, and in so many other instances when a window of opportunity arose for man, all of man, Hebrew/Jew and gentile alike, to progress forward, to move again one step, or a few steps closer to G-d, to bring His world in our world, and ours into His.

Yes, we may never let us be put off guard till the final day of reckoning, for when we do so, then the power of those who have a completely wrong perception of what survival truly means will gain steam, gain momentum to turn their ideology into motion. And the more room we give it, the harder it will become for every upright person in this world to put it to a halt. It's just the same as when we would drive a car, namely the faster we go, the more time, and distance we will need to come to a full stop. Haman's decree had already a two months and ten days advantage before queen Esther and Mordecai became in the ability of trying to nullify it by their decree. They had to run fast, and it would take time before everyone could become swayed over into joining their camp, before their train could come to a full stop on the day in question, namely the 13th of the month Adar. Yeah, even when Haman was fast, Esther and Mordecai had to be faster. They had to let their inner personality become stronger, even strategy on a very short notice, which they succeeded in by the way. And they of course had the backing of the entire Hebrew/Jewish community within all the provinces. The entire Hebrew/Jewish nation will come to the support of their cause, to make sure that the people of the king's empire will come to know all the facts as how it really happened so that they can choose wisely between being humane, becoming freed, or still keep on following Haman's decree into a harsher enchainment, even enslavement in a manner of speaking. They had even the advantage of their forefathers great achievements like those of Avraham, even Moshe, information the people of the region were well aware of. Nevertheless did they become unable to sway everyone into their way of thinking, of seeing the matter with a clear eye, an eye of vision, even wisdom. No matter the hanging of Haman, and the king's weight behind everything that had taken its course of action, a ghost of revenge seemed to be following every move of these fringe of society. True, only Haman became hanged, not one of his children, nor wife as of yet. They seem to have been given the same chances/opportunities, of feeling remorse and change their way of thinking, letting it become more humane instead. It was thus of utmost importance for the Hebrew/Jewish community to be entirely unified in this, to be steadfast, and determined of what they wanted to achieve, for everyone knew that when they wouldn't act as advised by Mordecai vis-à-vis their assailants ideology, that no one within the world of the gentile would come to their rescue, on the contrary, people would want to start saving their own life, not realizing that they would be doing just the opposite.

The above entices us thus to find the reason behind the setback, the possible cause that would give us a plausible answer to the fact that still 800 people became killed in Shushan, and 75000 throughout all the other provinces, even the ten sons of Haman, namely Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha. But we will have to take a step back into history when we want to find our answer. Then we will come to realize that even the people where to Haman belonged had become conquered. If they were exiled as well, only a debate on the matter could possibly clarify the issue. Nonetheless, the outcome won't change the fact that many of Haman's people will have settled themselves throughout the entire kingdom, to do business, or some other matter wherewith to sustain the livelihood of their family. It surely wouldn't surprise anyone that they could have belonged to a rich, perhaps even very rich clan/tribe. Some will perhaps have assimilated with members of other cultures as well. And such a revelation within queen Esther's book gives us even more room to explain, to reveal the possible reason of why the decree of Haman was written within a one year time schedule. Just like queen Esther and Mordecai had to try to sway the people into their camp, Haman's followers will probably have done the same without doubt. But it's clear, based on the outcome, that Haman didn't had much backing which could have served as a counterweight against not only the Hebrew/Jewish community, then as well the people who felt a deep connection with their plight, and this certainly after they came to realize everything that had happened as it happened, knowing that the king stood not behind Haman's decree. It shows us thus how great the appreciation and respect was for king Ahasuerus, in how the people thought about his reign, even that they were very satisfied. Clearly, the people of the kingdom saw him as a great man, a man not only with vision, but also with the capability of making wise decisions when the need did arise for them to be made. And the presence of queen Esther within the king's palace, even queen Vashti, will surely have served as some major valued input of richness to the wisdom that blew through the kingdom's air. Queen Esther became not only a beauty to the king, but also a light, a pearl of tremendous value now that she had let off her shyness. He wanted to give her everything she desired, and she would beget it, even from her King! But she was well aware that it was of utmost importance to keep standing with her two feet on the ground as well, and this in any time and place, even world. As said before, if everyone would have followed the wisdom, even the providence of humanity, then not one drop of blood would have had to be spilled within the entire kingdom.

Book of Esther: Chapter 8 (Updated study)

noreply@skynetblogs.be (Bernadette Schaepdryver) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:49:04 +0100

(Note: To read the third chapter of this book, please click on the following link: http://www.breslov.com/bible/Esther8.htm#8. This way I hope that you will be able to follow, and understand the study much easier.)

What we learn here is that passiveness will bring us nowhere. It will eventually only aggravate the situation till there is no way out of it than to succumb to the atrocities that have been devised. When no one would have stood-up against it, then there was nothing that would have stopped it from happening, and the world would surely have looked different than how we do know it today, even yesterday. But, we're also being taught to be careful when we do protest a certain irregularity, or injustice. We have to be very sure that what we're about to do is fully justified, that we aren't asking an injustice to be undone with something worse. Everything has to stay within the confines of the matter in question. It has to be made clear to everyone throughout the kingdom that what they are about to experience was completely out of touch with their well-being as a human being. Every citizen was about to learn the difference between being a human-human, and what it means to be living as a spiritual-human being. The people of the kingdom were being guided towards a life wherein they would make haste in showing their utmost respect to the sanctity of life, and not the culture of dead Haman was practicing, even worshipped. Yeah, he firmly believed in it. It was his belief, his god. And it in his eyes should have become so in king Ahasuerus' entire kingdom. Let us therefore even today just stand still for one single moment, and take note of what's happening all around us. Try to see, to witness what this kind of culture has brought humankind. And when we do so in uprightness of mind, then we surely will without doubt witness nature's precarious situation, a nature we always will have to work with because even the most technological advanced technology can't do without its help. If humankind would thus keep on believing that a lifestyle in the likeness of Haman is preferable, then we all are doomed to disappear into oblivion someday. Yes, a culture of dead isn't only a lifestyle that finds its energy within the hatred of a person’s or people's mind, but keeps above all extracting its power, even strength, from within one’s ego, meaning that its worrisome behavior isn't really directed at the one who is hated, then only and solely towards the one who has made it his/her hallmark. It's thus self-destructive in nature, suicidal when you prefer. It's rather hating yourself for what a kind of person you've become, but not accepting it, not realizing it due to the ego within who blinds, who blocks a person's redemption, ultimately salvation for him-/herself, even to a point of thinking egoistically that s/he has this only right, and no one else, or no one else than a certain race, a certain belief for instance. And such a lifestyle will always have nasty side-effects with regard to how a person or persons will behave, or act vis-à-vis others and nature.

True, we as human beings have always had, since the coming into existence of human society, the intellect of advancing our intellectual know-how, and did put it into a practical feasibility so that everyone could enjoy its wealth, it making the life of man easier. In that light did we found a way to make fire, and it brought us many additional opportunities. But we weren't yet aware of the enormous damage it could cause the surrounding environment as well when handled erratically, or without care, even to ourselves. And still today there are those amongst us who don't want to understand the danger of what a fire, one that starts spreading all over the world, can cause to all of humankind. Yes, still today there are sadly enough irresponsible persons, even entire groups of people, sometimes even almost an entire nation, who seems not willing to accept the fact that they've chosen a path that won't lead them to their salvation. It will bring them no solace, not now, and not anywhere. If we all would follow their guidance, then the only thing that this planet will witness is dead, the dead of all life, no exception, a desert, a swamp, just like theirs is already, even literally for some. So we therefore based on that knowledge could easily state that there ain't much difference between the world of queen Esther and the one of today. And we won't be that far away from the truth with such a statement because man has to a certain degree not wasted any opportunity given to stay encircled by his own ego, meaning that as long as he let his ego be the talk of the day, even its law, his belief in it thus, then nothing will truly change no matter in what time we would live. Certain people will undergo harassments time and time again by those who think that they always do know better. But no one of us does for otherwise we wouldn't have schools anymore, neither for adults. We wouldn't have facilities of science where scientists are trying to find a way in making life even much easier than before. Hence, we wouldn't have any Yeshiva anymore as well if we would know everything that has to be known, even about His word. We wouldn't be studying Torah, nor writing about it. There would even be no reason for an about to be stillborn baby to be brought into this world, nor s/he pushing for it. Correct, if the infant would stay put within the security of the womb, being aware that it will die immediately outside this sanctity, its very own personal 'temple', then how can things change for the better, even in the world to come? Thus no, nothing of a kind would and will happen because it won’t only kill the infant at the end, but the mother as well eventually, meaning all life!

And this is one of the many things we'll learn by studying this Megillah. This chapter will even open our eyes a few inches wider so that we hopefully can come to understand its beauty, its tenderness, warmth and love for life, all life that is. But we should try to start looking beyond its literal amplification. We have to widen our scope through its figurative expression by combining it with its spiritual and subsequently mystical hidden message because there sits them the key not to its success, then our well-being when we can achieve to extract it out of its depth. Yes, what we are enticed to learn, and thus to do, is to submerge ourselves into this entire Megillah with a unified body, mind and soul, knowing our Torah free from whatever Egyptian bondage, or rather imprisonment it could have fallen into, even its people. We have thus to be a house build on a solid foundation if we want to acquire the ability of knowing in how to search for its wealth by entering every room that it is entitled to unlock for us depending on our progress. It's for that reason that we first of all have to find this key, and realize above all that we without it won't acquire the opportunity of becoming freed souls. Alas, we won't know that we're really still enslaved so to speak. We will keep on falsely believing that we're free while the opposite is quite true. It's thus of utmost importance that we first of all learn to accept the reality we're truly in. And we shouldn't keep this wisdom, this treasure for ourselves once we do so, but remember that we only as a community, a unified nation of people, can gain or regain the strength needed to salvage the entire world, even and above all ourselves first. If we would forsake on this, then we won't be any better than Haman himself, nor would we be free. The meaning of every form of life is to understand that we all are somehow connected to one another. Every single particle of life within this world, every atom is part of the bigger picture in a manner of speaking. After all, there will be no freedom, no sanctity, even no holiness without the safety of every Hebrew/Jewish individual, without the security that no harm will be done to queen Esther and Mordecai's brothers and sisters, to their nation. If the decree of Haman would have stayed in effect without its inhumane gravity having been countered successfully, then there would have been nothing left for Esther and Mordecai than to acknowledge defeat and shame for they would have been found truly not one bit better than Haman. Yes, if one particle disrupts the process of goodness, then the entire process will eventually become disruptive towards everything else it is connected with unless it is stopped from proceeding with the harm it is causing within a justified manner of perception, expression, interpretation and ultimately action, not by being passive, nor delusive, and neither deceptively.

And it's understandable that some of us could perhaps feel a bit disoriented due to the seemingly equality of this decree with the one that Haman had devised. It seems that the counter decree isn't that different at all for these people. Mordecai, in their view, does want to give every Hebrew/Jew the right to act in a similar manner. But this isn't true, nor upright. When we would keep on portraying it as such, then we would cause a tremendous harm to fall upon the blessed memory of Esther and Mordecai, even the gentile king who gave it his blessing as well. The same we would do unto all those who stood behind it and him, the king that is, even the King, G-d thus. Yes, if we would make the effort of reading Mordecai's decree attentively, and with utmost care, being aware of what our Torah does teach us, then we surely will be guided towards its deeper essence within a proper manner. We will witness a difference, but a very important one when we notice that the eye for an eye statement isn't quite as it seems to be in first instance. It's the core of the decree, no matter how tiny it may be. Yeah, it's the beauty of it, the certainty that justice will be served according to what being humane truly does stand for. But true that there's still the notification which gives a person the right to take someone's life, but look at it once more. And when you have done so, then you will see that Mordecai doesn't give every Hebrew/Jew the order to murder, the right to take someone's life. His decree is one written as a means to defend, not to offend. Haman's one is just the complete opposite, meaning that he decreed it as one whereas to give the people the right to murder every single Hebrew/Jew within the kingdom, even a baby infant. Mordecai on the other hand gives his people only the right to defend themselves, the justified right to fight off all those who would still want to fulfill the hatred of Haman. And we know that hatred is self-destructive in nature. It means thus that when no one would cause harm to occur, then not one single drop of blood would be spilled within the entire kingdom. Therefore is this the major difference between the one decree and the other, even when both seem to be equal in nature. They aren't even closely related. Both are complete opposites of each other. The one has been solely devised out of a natural action perceived wrongly by the one, that is Haman, who devised it because nature in its nature protects life. And the decree of Mordecai is based on a spiritual-natural basis, one that will try to amplify the deeper essence of what life is all about.

Every citizen of the kingdom becomes, or will thus become submerged into a light many weren't aware of (anymore) that they had it in them. They will learn about their soul. They, in a certain way, will reconnect themselves with their inner self, becoming reborn. It has even all the elements of being subversive while being nothing of a kind, as it in reality was only Haman who tried to be a revolutionary, a mercenary alike, with dare consequences attached to his revolt because he went completely overboard into the opposite direction instead of starting to walk the path of goodness, even uprightness. But there's also another rare phenomenon to be discovered if we let it. However, it's not something that's solely confined to this Megillah alone, then a wisdom that can be found within the entire Torah as well, namely the lesson that wants to bring us into a state of balance, and this foremost with ourselves first. Yeah, when we know where to look for it, then we surely will uncover this hidden treasure. It's the balance between male and female, between every man's masculine and feminine capabilities, no matter if a human being is a man or a woman, a boy or a girl. We discover thus, to a certain degree, in how Haman's balance leans completely over to his masculine side, and this all the way down. On the other hand do we have queen Esther who plays the opposite, meaning a balance which is too feminine in first instance. The outcome of the battle between the sexes, in a manner of speaking, can therefore only be won by the one who succeeds in bringing it level, that is the masculinity and femininity within him-/herself, and subsequently throughout the entire world. And here comes Mordecai into the picture with regard to Esther, and the king for Haman. Both men are to a certain point the counterweights needed to bring the balance level, to bring left and right into a perfect harmony. Only Esther will take the opportunity given firmly with both her hands. Nevertheless, once she succeeds, we are advised, the same as she is being taught, to keep moving forward, not to look backwards, just move on, and remember what we've come to learn. It's not only about herself, nor about her and Mordecai alone, but the entire Hebrew/Jewish community that had to be saved from eminent destruction/extinction, even all of humankind. Mordecai succeeded in his tutoring, as his entire personality wasn't compromised, nor had it become corrupted in any way by being bound to the laws of the king, laws which couldn't be undone. He followed the ones of his faith. And that's also the reason why the king failed with Haman. Mordecai and Esther were cut out of the same wood, something that wasn't quite the same with regard to the king and Haman. They were more opposite poles ruled by the same seal, a seal which was restricted by man's nature. Esther and Mordecai didn't had that problem because G-d's seal/covenant was theirs, not man's ego.

So this it was wherein the people of king Ahasuerus' kingdom became submerged into. And it’s written that many of them converted to the Judaic faith because the fear of the Jews had caught them. Anyhow, we again should be advised to not interpret this too literally. After all, not everyone did convert, and so this fear cannot be justified as a fear for the Hebrews/Jews. It's one of those tiny details we mostly tend to overlook. But once we take care of not falling into the trap of our very own ego, then we can come to remember that the ten northern tribes of Yisrael had been taken into exile a few centuries before the tribes of the kingdom of Judeah lost their war as well. And we have come to learn that they assimilated with the populace of the region where they were brought to, to become forgotten that they've ever existed. At least, this was the hope of those rulers who ruled over them since their exile, not the one of the remaining tribes of the Southern kingdom. Therefore, when we remember, then we realize that the salvaging of the entire Hebrew/Jewish community had a goal which went much further than what we normally would anticipate, one that no one was really aware of at the beginning till the fog disappeared completely at this stage. Yeah, let us not forget that the exile of the ten northern tribes hadn't taken place that long ago in the time of queen Esther. At least not long enough for the descendants to have completely forgotten their roots. We even today can bump into a people, even an entire community in India for instance, who still do live by way of elements from out of the Judaic faith. These communities have mostly even names that are reviving the memory of some of the lost Hebrew/Jewish tribes. Thus if people today are living as such, then surely more deeply, and still more attached to the roots of their forefathers when queen Esther and Mordecai lived their lives. We should therefore interpret this fear rather as a fear of missing the boat, of missing the opportunity of reconnecting themselves with their parents’ true roots, even its faith, and their real and only home sweet home so to speak. It would truly have been a shame thanks to the success against Haman, even the fact that there was living within the walls of the palace such a great personality with tremendous capabilities, when not taking firmly with both hands the freedom given, in rectifying at the same time an injustice that had ravaged the entire Hebrew/Jewish nation a few centuries ago, and reconcile the descendants of those Hebrew/Jewish tribes with Judaism again. Sure, we may not forget that these people, these citizens of the kingdom have to a certain point to be seen also as queen Esther and Mordecai's brothers and sisters. They do belong to the Hebrew/Jewish community, or at least have a justified right to be brought back home when they do wish so. And many of them did, but not all of them yet.

We may neither forget that all of this happened long before the day of reckoning. There was joy and festivities within every Hebrew/Jewish household. There was peace throughout the entire kingdom, a peace not witnessed before, happiness that you can't describe unless you're aware of the depth of what truly had occurred. And for that we have to reconnect ourselves with what was prophesied about this time, to learn about it, remembering it, and know how to enliven our forefathers’ joy. In a way, we have to submerge ourselves into their lives, acquaint ourselves with their souls, becoming lectured not necessarily into the secrets of the time in question alone, then also into those which go beyond time and space, the ones which do connect, which do let you become one, a unity between body, mind and soul. Finding the perfect balance between our masculinity and femininity is therefore of utmost importance. After all, men and women do have the same brain structure, don't they? Thus both have the same qualities, capabilities and opportunities wherewith to better the world entire. But it's true that a decree like the one that Mordecai had decreed will have to stay in effect till the moment that every single Haman will be gone into the annals of history. It will have to be so till the day of reckoning at the end of times, before a new one will arise, the one of light we all do await, the Sabbatical millennium. And it shouldn't be done in passiveness, nor delusiveness, and neither deceptively, but rather with justified, concrete, steadfast and decisive action. The time of being shy, even the one of the Diaspora, is already long gone. It's time to be a woman, a man. Yes, to be both, even when by nature not being so. However, we have to keep being vigilant till the moment arrives wherein we all can rest, and become one giant bulb of light, the same as G-d is One. And it's understandable that this can seem to be a very huge mountain that can't be climbed. It's even very realistic to assume that there seems to be no bridge between this masculinity and femininity. Well, then take note that most of these thoughts are being constructed out of our perception about what we assume to be real, or even true, but isn't necessarily so. Remember that our ego can play tricks with us, tricks which often blur our sight! Yes, let us therefore always keep in mind, keep it as a treasure within the deepest depth of our heart, but rather mind, that we will always have the choice between doing good or evil, act good or wrongly with that what we have acquired, or are being given into our hands, even the king's seal, but as well G-d's Torah, His seal!

Book of Esther: Chapter 7 (Updated study)

noreply@skynetblogs.be (Bernadette Schaepdryver) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 12:19:28 +0200

(Note: To read the third chapter of this book, please click on the following link: http://www.breslov.com/bible/Esther7.htm#7. This way I hope that you will be able to follow, and understand the study much easier.)

We have come to know that Haman had succeeded in wasting every opportunity he had been given to become a better person. He had slammed every door others had opened for him because he was so assured of being right that nothing in the entire world could have changed his mind, even till the very last moment. Yes, even at the couch where the queen was laying down on, he still was only begging her to save his own life, not asking her to forgive him for his evil decree. And that's the core of the lesson within this particular chapter. That's the reason why even Esther kept her silence when the king did burst out in anger, and made a seemingly wrong assumption. Haman came not with the proper demands, the proper words that would have given him the merit of salvaging his life, and the ones of his hardcore followers, even his entire family thus. True, on the very last of all opportunities he had been given, he still thinks only about trying to rescue his own life, not of those who will become annihilated under his decree. We therefore become aware of the fact that he still beliefs very firmly in what he beliefs. His only concern at this very instant was to keep himself alive so that he could fulfill the hatred that has ravaged his entire personality. And the queen kept her silence for that reason because there was no life to be found in Haman's words, only a culture of dead. It were only the words of a man who knew that he was about to be given a death sentence. The words he uttered in his particular case were thus merely a trick of his nature, of his ego, trying to convince those present that he, by saving him, could acquire the opportunity to better his life, to become a better person, realizing in a very vague manner that what he had done wasn't quite right. But that vagueness won't save him, as those who are aware of how the nature of such a man does work do know that a person in his likeness won't change his attitude once the sentence will be reversed, or lessened. That person will only try to beget the same results, albeit through different means now, but always through lies, even falsifications, and with the help of compromised people. An admitting of his wrong at this stage would thus have to be seen by means of how he would handle his decree, not the final outcome of it. That would still be going ahead no matter what. As a result, everyone is keeping a silence on the matter, even the chamberlains, and they covered Haman's head.

Some will perhaps arguing now that no justice was served, that he hadn't been given a fair trial. Hence, he was given none whatsoever. The king had spoken, and so it became. However, we're not entitled to think, or even have the right to think in such a manner. And this is because we're well aware of what he wanted to get fulfilled. The only thing that no one had done was coming forward defending him, as it was useless. It didn’t matter that the king could have had it wrong in their eyes. If Haman would have done something whereas the king would had to retract his verdict, then someone would surely have said so. Only, no one did, and therefore became the verdict; remember the previous chapter; he already had made before entering the banquet a non-negotiable one. The king had already made up his mind long before that particular moment. The banquet itself could thus in a certain way be seen as a court of law. We have the accuser in the person of the queen, the accused Haman, the king being the judge, and Haman's decree as a testimony making from everyone a witness to the stand in the courtroom as well, even a jury. There was thus no reason for the jury to say that Haman wasn't, or was really guilty to the last charge which had been made against him because it won't have changed the outcome in any way due to the severity of the other one. He had already been sentenced for that one. It didn't matter anymore. It was a waste of breath so to speak. There were more urgent matters to be discussed as soon as possible now that the extent of the gravity became clear. Thousands of innocent lives had to be saved, and there was no time to waste on one that clearly had no desire to be saved in any way. We therefore can be assured of the fact that justice has truly been served. Okay, maybe that we can argue about the sentence, and it wouldn't be that wrong to do so in our present time with all the know-how and possibilities which are offered to these days prisoners in certain regions of today's world. Nevertheless, it wouldn't have changed the outcome, nor what he had devised against the Hebrew/Jewish people of his time.

Let us not forget that the queen asked for her life to be saved, the same as the one of her brothers and sisters, of her people thus. Yes, the saving of her life is not to be seen in relation to her transgressing the law of the king when she came to him without permission. It was asked because she would also become killed under the wicked decree of Haman, as she was Jewish. She was a member of the very same community that will become annihilated entirely. Even Mordecai once warned her that her being queen wouldn't save her, remembering what did happen to queen Vashti. As she became no queen anymore, so could the king easily do with her too. After all, who will save her when no relative of hers is still alive to protect her, and to counter any wrongdoing by Haman, knowing that he had the king's seal? And if this, the decree thus, would become fulfilled, then nothing would keep Haman away from harming her life the same as how he intends it to do unto her people, even unto the very last one within the kingdom. But when we read her words carefully, then we will also come to notice that a two dimensional demand sits hidden behind some of her words, even perhaps a three dimensional one. It's true that she asks for her people to be saved, but at the same time does this also refer to everyone within the kingdom as well. As the king becomes aware that even his standing will become tarnished, even beyond his kingdom, then we surely can take this matter a bit further. In doing so, then we can easily come to realize, when viewing the matter through a wider scope, that not stopping Haman would have caused repercussions to emerge even far beyond the borders of the kingdom, even beyond the set time it all did occur. Not only tens of thousands of Hebrews/Jews became saved, but also descendants of the lost tribes as well. Of course, no one can to this day really predict of what would have happened if it all had gone as Haman had planned. Only, the kingdom will surely have fallen into anarchy, becoming ruled by Haman, the new king. Other nations of that time will without doubt not have wasted any time to invade it, giving Haman the excuse of annihilating other minorities, and thus perhaps those of the lost Hebrew/Jewish tribes. Sometimes you would start to wonder if it was not meant to be, meaning in that the Southern kingdom of Judea had to fall so to save the people of the Northern one, and bring them, their descendants back home to Eretz Yisrael!

However, we do know that Mordecai once said that if salvation for the Jewish people wouldn't come through the handling of the situation by queen Esther, that it anyhow will come through other means of actions. Nevertheless, we must have to be realistic, and admit that it would have taken many decades, perhaps even centuries till the destructive nature of the decree would have brought back the Judaic faith to a level wherewith it could truly become again a spiritual force to be reckoned with, just the same as how it would have been when G-d would have gone it all alone with Moshe's entire family for instance. Yes, the connection between both times is quite astonishing when you pay attention to it, to the hidden connection with it in Esther’s time instead of a more open one, more visible. G-d is even here prepared to do the same as he once was bound to do so when Moshe was wandering around in the Sinai desert with the entire Hebrew/Jewish nation. We can of course wonder about whom it will have been, but that's not so difficult to reveal because king Ahasuerus didn't rule the entire world. He wasn't the king of the world, only the one of his kingdom, meaning that there were Jews living in places beyond his Empire. And more pressure would befall on their shoulders, in keeping the Judaic faith with honor, respect and dignity so that it once again could fulfill its task of blessings, of healing the world of man, setting free all of its souls so that humankind could really and finally enter a better world in time to come. Sure, if this had become the course of history, then it for certain would have meant an enormous setback. It surely would have taken its toll, but it teaches us at the same time that we can be assured of the fact and reality that He won't rest till every soul becomes freed from its captivity, that justice will be served, and a culture of life will enlighten this entire world everlasting, no matter the hardship that befalls the Jewish people in any time. That's the core of Mordecai's saying, namely that nothing will stop G-d from achieving what He wants to see becoming fulfilled through the hands of those of the Hebrew/Jewish nation He has chosen to lead His people, even the world entire, and who He has promised His eternal help in any time and place. Only, we are free to accept it, or not! Hadassah was therefore chosen to lead her people, but only if she accepts the offer given, just as Moshe was given this same choice, even more than once. Yeah, maybe G-d was thus just bluffing when He seemingly wanted to go it all alone with Moshe, to see if he had learnt what he had being taught about. And Moshe gave Him the only right answer he was supposed to give Him!

We are thus free to take His hand out of Egypt, or to let us become or be kept enslaved. Yes, like queen Esther said that she wouldn't have come to the king when the latter would have been the case. She would have kept her silence. And we again do witness a clear reference to the time of Yisrael's Egyptian enslavement. We come to understand anew how either times are some way or another intertwined with each other. It's even a quite astonishing remark from the queen herself, meaning that she was prepared to save her people from dead because of them and herself being sold, and what it would cause to the king's standing, but wouldn't save no one from the hardship of becoming enslaved. Maybe it's because of the people's life that won't be harmed, in that they won't be murdered. Still, it's a very strange point of view because the result at the end could become the same whether it becomes fulfilled through the physical, and/or spiritual aspect of the decree in question. True, though you don't have to kill someone literally, you still can murder him/her completely. And there sits them the hidden secret of Esther's response because she knew that when this would happen, that it would only take a matter of time before the Jewish soul becomes freed, and the dead be brought back to life again. This is the uppermost important reason of why she with such an ease does respond to the king as she did. After all, she was Jewish, and this till her last breath of air in her world and time, above all in body, mind and soul. But she as a Jew, a Jewish soul, knew everything about what was being told her by Mordecai for otherwise she wouldn't have taken the matter of his threat that seriously, and taken upon her a time of fasting. She was very well acquainted with everything that was known about the Judaic faith at that time, even the prophecies. She was therefore well aware that her people would become saved when only becoming enslaved. But correct, if it would have occurred in this way, then one very important prophecy wouldn't have become fulfilled as predicted within the set time. Anyhow, it did happen as prophesied, and so we can relax. What didn't happen should thus only serve us as a help in explaining in a much better detail the extent of the salvation that occurred to all of humankind.

It didn't only saved the life of queen Esther and her people. It also saved the king's life and that of all his constituencies. It even saved many more people throughout the entire world. And it still causes this salvation to occur till this day and beyond for the benefit of many more souls worldwide. Nothing of a kind would have occurred if it hadn't happened as it did happen. But it did, and that's the most important essence that we should cherish always within the depth of our heart, but rather mind because it's the uppermost important reality of all realities that can give us a new life in a better world, just the same as Moshe's decision, in the same depth as queen Esther took it, brought tens of thousands of Jewish souls back to life, even their body and their mind. Both their decisions gave even the soul of the stranger the much needed boast of energy. Yes, they both have managed to set them all free. And it's true that this occurred way back in time, but it's still something which is constantly happening within every time. Only, today we're sadly enough not really that deeply aware of this reality anymore. We often catch ourselves off guard, being busy as we are in trying to please the world of Haman more instead of creating the most perfect condition of not only setting free our Jewish souls, but every soul throughout the entire world that is, and in any time beyond even our own one. Haman, or even Amalek, has only become a symbol of evil. Having become in the ability of putting the record straight doesn't in any way mean that it's finished with this kind of people. We will always have to be vigilant day and night for as long as we're not at the end of our times, and not waste any more precious time on futile efforts in deciding if the king's assumption was right or wrong. Yes, for as long as we are not on the verge of entering the world to come, a better time for all and everyone. We shouldn't waste a court of law's time when the obvious is so clear that it only will keep us sidetracked from the main track if we let us become trapped, which at the end will only cause the evil in question to the matter become worse, perhaps we even becoming unable of preventing it from happening. And this isn't the core lesson which G-d is giving us here, nor in any place throughout the entire Torah because our mission is to save lives, and above all their souls thus, not endangering them through all kinds of corruptive behavior, or even by letting compromised people serve the bench, even in politics, and even within a religious lifestyle. This isn't the world that G-d taught us about! What the king in his anger thus said when returning into the room was fully true and correct because Haman did try to hurt the queen in his house if you look very carefully into what happened, and what was really said taking his, that is Haman's decree in consideration, and therefore the justified silence by everyone within the room!

But do we have the courage to change the tide? Do we have the desire to put the matter straight once more? Are we willing to come forward to the stand, and testify with silence? Are we prepared to become witnesses no matter the threats still being made by the accused? Have we enough courage in us to say no to whatever evil wish that evil wants us to get see fulfilled? Can we just say no, even when it occurs in our profession?

Yes we can because evil has no power at all when we all together would do so in a unified voice and action. If no corrupted and compromised person would give in to what evil persons in the likeness of Haman could ask from them to do, even under the threat of them being killed, or sacked in retaliation, then it will have no fertile ground to cultivate even more evil. Our world will become truly a land of milk and honey while its own world will become a desert in retreat. Humankind will become a world as it has never been during its entire history till that most precious day we all do await. It will become a Garden of Eden alike. The desert landscape created through man's evil actions or due to his behaviors out of egoism, even selfishness thus, will eventually become green again, a paradise to live and to die in when seen within the concept of body and mind only. Those seemingly lost souls will be getting their freedom as well, and the desert will bloom once more to never vanish from our sight. It's no pipedream, and we know it. Yes, deep down we know that we can achieve this when we want it, when we would put our ego where it belongs, where we should have put it already long ago. It's thus just a matter of time now. But true, we can still accept the offer, or reject it, and keep our souls confined to the world of gallows and alike, to the vicious circle wherein humankind seems to be unable of getting out of it while we in every time and place have always been given this light to show us the way, and walk away from it to a better world. However, the only certainty in all this is that the longer we wait, the harder it will become, and the more innocent lives it will cost while nature in general will also bear heavy losses, a nature we do need to survive, as we are not just souls alone! In any way, the spark within us all has never left us, and we must keep believing firmly that the ‘dead’ will be revived because when the world enters a new time, when we enter the world to come, then all souls will regain their freedom. A world which almost lost its life will become revived again, and man will live as how he never did, but always felt that his presence in this time, in this world, was meant, and is meant to serve a higher purpose. Every decent human being knows that deep within him-/herself lives the core of his/her life, the very essence of why s/he lives. That's the hidden strength of this entire Megillah, almost to be seen as a summary of the Torah, albeit with a very strong and powerful hidden message. It's for us to open the package, the gift, and see for ourselves what's in it. And we have to learn to do it ourselves this time, to do so over and over again till we'll have achieved what the message wanted us to achieve. Yes, we have to learn to keep on digging deeper and deeper, and not become afraid of what it is asking from us to fulfill because as it has put a deep trust in us, so shouldn't we betray its trust in us neither. The only thing we have to do is trying to be sure, and be certain that we'll put the matter straight correctly, just and decisively without any hesitation whatsoever, but always be aware that life and the freedom of every soul is much more important than succumbing to the worshipping of a culture of dead, and the subsequent captivity of every soul throughout the entire world of man, no matter in what we belief and/or part of this world we live in, even time.

Is this something we can realize? Are we up to the task?

Yes, we're as ready as we can possibly be, the same as queen Esther was ready to come forward with what worried her so deeply that she had a great difficulty in telling it, out of fear for not doing it right, and still cause the decree to become fulfilled. But with what a bang she opened up. With what a force she blossomed, a flowering which was so bright that it shocked Haman so deeply that he couldn't think straight anymore, while she did it in his stead now. Only, her straightforward words were words of goodness while those of him have always been the complete opposite. From a shy personality, she had succeeded in transforming herself into a very strong woman indeed, and this with the help of her king, even King, G-d thus. Sometimes it's all a matter of perception, of how you look at something. And it's only when you come to know all the facts as they really are that a just, correct and objective judgment can be made to a particular case in question. But more important it is to come forward with the facts at the right time, the moment that they will have the most impact for them to have a chance to change the entire world of man into becoming a better world. And the trueness of this statement will be proven time and time again by the future of Esther's Judaic world and faith till today and beyond.

Book of Esther: Chapter 6 (Updated study)

noreply@skynetblogs.be (Bernadette Schaepdryver) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 11:54:54 +0200

(Note: To read the third chapter of this book, please click on the following link: http://www.breslov.com/bible/Esther6.htm#6. This way I hope that you will be able to follow, and understand the study much easier.)

Many are wondering these days if there’s really another world to belief in, and to long for. And they, like in any time, do have the right to think about it, to ask questions about such a most important matter that has kept humankind awake since we can remember. However, most people, like the king who couldn't sleep, won't ask for the proper books to be opened. They often just want to read those which would give them the answer they've already constructed for themselves, namely within their own mind of thoughts that is. It doesn't matter that there's another book in existence which is much more reliable, and for them to come standing face-to-face with reality. They don't want to hear about it. And even when they do, then they won't listen to its advice, but rather harden their stance into the opposite direction, sometimes even very extremely, just as Haman behaved and wanted. Yes, the very fact of them denying themselves the doorway of redemption, perhaps even the light of salvation, reveals to the people around them that they do know what kind of steps are needed for all of humankind to prosper, to have a rich life, or rather a life that will enrich their everyday life day after day, even night after night. Only, they don't have the courage within them to change. Or at least, it's what they think. It's not necessarily the reality of course. It means that you have thus as a leader always the choice between guiding the people, everyone of your constituencies that is, towards prosperity, or you can keep them within the confines of your power, and their continued enslavement out of fear for that what no one should fear, unless you would start to behave contrary to its rules/words of wisdom, even laws. True, there is in such a circumstance always the fear of people begetting the wrong guidance, and things will get worse, things become corrupted, the same as the advisers of Pharaoh brought even more hardship into everyone's household, even to the Egyptians themselves. However, when the king would prevent himself from acquiring the right answers, or believing in the proper guidance, then you can't truly blame the people for behaving erratically vis-à-vis themselves as well as others. Or you have very wise advisers around you in terms of heavenly wisdom, or you have wicked ones like Haman who only follow the path of an egocentric ‘wisdom’.

Yeah, humankind has become aware for over more than 5700 years (= G-d’s sixth day in progress) now in that it has a soul, a Chava, or better known as Eve. But there are still today quite a lot of people who do crave for a lifestyle, a power, in the likeness of Haman, completely contrary to this ancient old reality, a very vivid one for sure, as it's an everlasting one. Anyhow, they have within a free society this right to do so, even religiously. Obviously, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're right. And they of course will return the favor, claiming that those who think otherwise are completely out of touch with reality. There is within their reasoning no other world to belief in, only theirs. It should therefore be forced into everyone's mind of thinking because it gives them who created this human thought, this philosophy, all the power they need, the natural way that is, the one of the ego. One who controls this can kill whomever s/he wants, even an entire people, because it's the law of nature à la human ego of course, even the godly one. A person who lives thus by such a mentality will act without feeling any remorse, a culture of dead alike. At least, this is how they think and interpret it within their ego, as they worship nature without a soul when it's full of souls who belief in G-d. However, there is no soul in their world, just nothing, only the body that behaves and act according to its own chemical structure, meaning the ups and downs of the hormones, even the genetic make-up of this or that person. The more medical knowledge that becomes available, and scientifically know-how that becomes known from out of whatever domain in science; hence the danger of seeing Kabala as a science thus, something it isn’t by the way, as science is confined by nature, not spirituality; the more they will harden their stance of having been right all the time. Nothing will convince them of the contrary. There is no dime within the entire world that can be given them to change their mind, even when they would accept the offer out of a political consideration for instance. And this is what happened to Haman. The king offered him that dime. Yes, he took it while still believing very firmly in his desires, his thoughts about what life is all about, to him that is, not to others, nor the king for that matter. He therefore grabbed it with both hands, but in his haste didn't notice that it wasn't a real dime at all. Haman was so assured of handling the situation correctly, thinking that he had the king in his power, and many other noble princes, as well as the elite of the kingdom, that he didn't realized something extraordinary that was bound to happen to him, and to those he wanted to harm. And yes, even the king wasn't really aware of the scope of his involvement, in having been assigned a most important role within the world that G-d kept hidden.

It in a certain way does reveal something strange. Yeah, we are mostly enticed to assume that He kept it hidden because we as being Hebrew/Jewish weren't entitled to see it, a thinking that is to a certain degree not wrong, albeit not completely right neither. However, we perhaps should or have to think also differently, as explained a bit already, namely from an angle we thus never thought it to be that important, meaning that He kept things in a secretive way so to not expose His plan wherewith to salvage the entire Hebrew/Jewish nation. If Haman would have got the slightest warning, the slightest impression that something wasn't right, that he had to be careful about where to put his next step, then surely the advice to the king could have been entirely different. After all, when he would have been aware that G-d would save his people nevertheless, and Mordecai being one of them, then he surely could have scent trouble ahead, even when he wasn't quite sure of whom the king was talking about. There was thus at that moment nothing for Haman to be worried about, only the knowledge that Mordecai was a Jew, one who had defied his authority because he as a Hebrew/Jew wasn't permitted by faith to do so. And he, that is Mordecai, will be killed. We however do notice at the same time how many opportunities Haman was given as well, opportunities to retract his murderous decree. We can even witness G-d's hand within Haman's wicked ideology, as the plan was to become fulfilled one year after it was decreed. In between, everything was possible for him to change his mind. He even today could have easily changed after having witnessed what the king eventually did with his advice. He could still have told the king, as he was in his presence, that he would annul the decree regarding the Hebrew/Jewish people, and admit that he was wrong, that he had it been all along. But he didn't. He wasted the very last opportunity he was offered, the door for his own redemption and eventually salvation. He slammed it into his own face instead, even of his entire family and friends. And we behind all that slamming do witness again the push for us as Hebrews/Jews to start standing on our own legs so to speak, to walk back to G-d on our own strength, on the power of our soul, our light wherewith we are a light unto the nations. It was for us a time of learning to stand firm, and steady on both our legs, even start walking by ourselves, not being taken by the hands anymore wherewith G-d was helping us to move on with our life under His visible protection, as happened during Moshe's lifetime. We were being tutored in learning to feel Him everywhere we are and/or are fulfilling a certain task/job during the day and even night without His tangible presence. Yes, to be guided back to our mother, even father by means of our very own light within us all.

The book of Esther is therefore not only a book of revelations, but also a book of secrets, a book wherewith we can try to reveal the hidden all by ourselves, of what may have been, or not for that matter. This chapter can, if we let it, even push us to start digging towards a deeper depth than most of us perhaps have gone already. Yes, we are seemingly being advised to assume that the king didn't know of what was bound to happen to queen Esther's people, that he only became aware of it when the queen told him about it. There’s nothing that could have changed our mind, as it seems to be so clear, unless we walk by ourselves, and ask our soul for help, to give us guidance/light into the matter. We may therefore never forget that the soul isn't only connected to the spiritual world, but as well to G-d's knowledge and vision. It has resources available to itself, which go beyond our comprehension when we would view it from out of an ego’s way of thinking. And we in that light have already been able to reveal that king Ahasuerus wasn't that inhumane after all, that he was a human being, but one becoming advised by a not so humane character. Thus when we would start to assume that he did know of what Haman tried to contrive, then such a revelation would put the entire chapter into a completely different perspective, even the entire Megillah as of now. It would give us not only the knowledge of an awareness by the king of what was bound to happen, and this not only to the Hebrew/Jewish people within his kingdom, but also eventually to him. And a most extraordinary opportunity arose when his servants told him that Haman was in the outer court of the king's palace. Now the king, when being careful, could give Haman the helping hand of getting out of what could become a peculiar situation, namely in that he would forgive him if he would take this opportunity, and subsequently give his queen the greatest gift of all gifts he could give her, knowing that playing with the state of mind Haman was in, that he for sure will beget the answer he hoped to get. He would slam two flies with one hit so to speak, not a door this time, in the likeness of Haman. The choice was given to both parties, and based on the kind of opportunity that was offered them, which was not the same for both, but was at the end when seen within a broader perspective. Yes, both had the freedom to take it, or to waste it because let us not forget that a decree signed with the seal of the king's ring couldn't be undone.

At the end, queen Esther will be given, thanks to the king's own personal wisdom, free from Haman's wickedness, just that what she later on will ask from him. The parading of Mordecai through the street of the city was just the push, the package of the gift, meaning that it was up to queen Esther, even Mordecai, to open it and see what was truly in it. It was even a gift to Haman. The king had decided to give her the half of his empire, but eventually will give her his entire kingdom, as she hoped for, remembering that she aspired to be accepted within His Kingdom, becoming inscribed into the Book of Books on Yom Kippur, and together with herself not only Mordecai, but the entire Jewish nation within the kingdom of king Ahasuerus as well, even king Saul in a certain way. Thus becoming aware of a possible and great danger ahead; witnessing how blessed his marriage with Esther was, a blessing that won't only safe his entire kingdom, but eventually himself too; the king began to realize that everything what was happening was for the good of all and everyone. It was starting to unravel itself step-by-step. He understood that it was meant for the welfare of not only the people who will become saved, then also for humankind as a whole. True, he couldn't sleep that night after the first banquet prepared by his queen. He wanted to know what could be bothering her, and asked for the book of records of the chronicles to be read before him. And he became aware of what it was, even when this chapter is only mentioning about what Mordecai once did, in that he saved the king from being killed by two of his chamberlains, of those who kept the door. However, something must have opened his eyes, for he realized a certain connection that it had with queen Esther through his marriage with her, knowing that she was raised by Mordecai who saved him. So realizing more and more that the Hebrew/Jewish G-d had clearly a hand in everything what was happening, then it shall therefore surely be of no surprise to us that the king could have made the connection between this rescue and a much bigger one that was to be put in motion for the queen had risked her own life, and was trying to tell it him. She wouldn't have gone at such a length for it when it wouldn't have been a life threatening situation, one of such a magnitude that it was even for her extremely difficult in coming forward with it, to find the right moment, even words, so that it, the immense weight resting on her shoulders, could be understood correctly, not wrongly in any way. Something was truly bothering her, and he was aware that the manner in how she would expose it would decide the fate of what she was carrying with her, which was clearly a matter of life and dead thus.

As for now, the king couldn't do much. Everything was handed over into the hands of the parties in question. It was for Haman to come forward with his advice, and hopefully learn from the wisdom of the king for the good of himself, his entire family and friends. But it was equally important for queen Esther to step into the limelight, and reveal what was bothering her so deeply that she had a lot of difficulties in trying to get it revealed, even when knowing now that she won't be killed. It all had thus been given into the power of the lead actors so to speak. The only thing the king could do and did was to hopefully facilitate the process, to reach out his hands to them. But both will have to take the steps for themselves eventually. They are the ones who will have to put one step before the other one till they will have reached the hands of redemption, even salvation on the day of reckoning. Or perhaps before that most blessed time when Haman would have taken the wisdom deep into his heart, or rather mind, not only because of the king's action to his advice, but also due to that his family and friends realized that what he had devised against the Hebrew/Jewish people from the moment that he was put in charge till this day, that it was clearly not a good omen, that it won't turn out in a prosperous way for them if it went ahead. Yes, he still had the chance to change direction no matter how extremely slight it had become by now, that is at the very moment that he entered the palace walls again, even to the banquet that Esther had prepared. Nevertheless, he didn't, as we will come to know. He out of haughtiness, even blindness due to his ego, wasted every personal life saving opportunity during the entire moment of his tenure as being the second in command, just behind the king himself. He even didn't order the destruction of the gallows which had been build for Mordecai. Yeah, he was so convinced of his right, of being right all the time, that it had destroyed him completely figuratively, and at the end also literally. There was nothing that could change his mind, that could cure his thoughts, even his body. No, not the king, nor his wife, and neither his wise men could save him.

Luckily that Esther was cut out of some other wood, as G-d was asking the Jewish people at that moment in time, as He will do so always afterwards, to come walking back to Him on their own legs. But we do know deep within ourselves that He will always take us by the hand when we do so properly. True, the most important lesson within the spiritual world is the decision that is being taken, the one you take on your own through the guidance, help, even through the study that you for sure will have been given regarding the goodness within every human being, his/her light, and of what humanity really does stands for thus. Esther waited therefore a bit longer, so to even give Haman, the enemy, a very last chance to come forward with it himself, and be saved, in the likeness of what her king would do, even the King, before the verdict will fall for either one, or no one! And this behavior of hers does teach us at the same time that one of the most important lesson we should never forget from this chapter is that when we save the King, even when He as a King doesn't have to be saved, that we all will be wandering around within the clothing of the King. We all will be given His light to be a light unto the nations, not only around our body anymore, but inside it this time as well, the same as happened unto Moshe! This is probably the uppermost hidden lesson within this chapter, even the entire Megillah of Esther, hence the entire Torah. Saving His presence amongst humankind will save not only us, but every form of life, even our enemy’s one if that one would be prepared to finally listen to some real wisdom for a change, a chance to change, not fearing to look right into the mirror, accepting what s/he truly sees, and learn from it for the better of all and everyone, even everything with what we could better people’s life with thus.

Can we change? Can everyone within the world of humankind change for the better, for the sake of every form of life?

Yes, we all can because we all have this power to do good in us, this soul, G-d's light. We only have to let it free, to free it from its bondage, of our ego, and take His hand, as we already will have made the decision to do so when we have chosen to go for its freedom.

Book of Esther: Chapter 5 (Updated study)

noreply@skynetblogs.be (Bernadette Schaepdryver) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 13:16:20 +0200

Note: To read the third chapter of this book, please click on the following link: http://www.breslov.com/bible/Esther5.htm#5. This way I hope that you will be able to follow, and understand the study much easier.)

Haughtiness comes before the fall. It's a well-known saying that has, like the Torah, withstood all the hardship in every time. And it has proven as many times its tremendous power, just as G-d's word in our Torah has done so as well by being humankind’s illuminating light. We would almost have to assume that both are related to each other. Yes, that both through the knowledge of something much more important than just living a life by nature have helped us to reveal what was hidden, and new revelations about His word in the Torah became a common knowledge. This won’t of course be that strange to the one who is lectured into the matter. But it's naturally just a sign of weakness to the one who lives in a far away land, completely cut off from every ability to love G-d, even from all His wisdom, love and warmth He could put into that person’s heart, or rather mind. Life is what it is for such a person, and nothing more. Only the strength of his/her muscles is what counts. This kind of man, woman, child, or even an entire people won’t ever remember what could be remembered, as how it really happened. Yeah, in certain times we say never again. However, those who have completely or partially disconnected themselves from the source, the very source of all life, will without doubt forget time and time again what truly did occur. It's not so much that they in freedom of decision do want to forget, to ignore the light, but are often, and as good as always, being taught and/or forced to do so because deep inside the inner depth of every society who has to live by such a rule, the alternative of really making an effort of accepting G-d's light, the reflection in the mirror of their own light is just unbearable. What they will see is what they don't want to remember, don't want to accept as being a reality ever. Nevertheless, it's not so much what they, or their grandparents or great-grandparents have done wrong that is embarrassing them. No, it's more the revelation that there is really something more to life than just a person’s presence within the world s/he lives. Looking into the mirror of their being reveals their soul. It entices them to learn in coming to terms with the reality of whom they are, realizing that they aren't only a human being of flesh and blood, but that they need to behave as one as well. Some call it a person's conscience while others refer to it as that tiny little voice you hear bursting through the barrier of sound all around us, and sometimes put extremely loud so that the person(s) in question won't hear that ‘angelic’ voice whispering in their ears, trying to warn them, to bring them back to reason, to a life, the only life, worthwhile to be lived. The sound of music by the way, whether from above or below, is not meant to make you deaf, on the contrary, its purpose is to caress the soul with tenderness and sweetness so that it will reflect into that person's behavior. It will without doubt change into ugliness once man would trespass the border of what good decent music within a respectable volume can bring to humanity. The image they will see within a mirror is thus one which people often don't want to remember once they are faced with their inhumane reality.

But true, we have to make a distinction between those who have done inhumane deeds, or are willing to commit them, and them who have thrown their religious life overboard, those who have become secular, or even worse, namely in that they have disconnected themselves completely from it, arguing that no G-d and neither gods do exist. They have their reasons as much as the believer in G-d has his/her. But even when we seem to be not entitled to connect them onto the same wavelength as the one of the others spoken about just above, then they nevertheless should be considered as being a part of the same world. Integral or not is of course a matter of perception because there are always exceptions to the case, or any case for that matter. Anyhow, it's after all a well known fact that many, to not say all, will often, or eventually in later generations, join forces with those who have throughout the ages tried to bring down the Torah, even Eretz Yisrael. Whether they do it consciously or not is beyond the point once they join the ones who don't fear to trample the most sacred thing that exists within a man's life, even of Jew and gentile alike. However, the seemingly fearless life they portray is in reality one overflowing of fear, as they act out of fear for that what they don't want to hear about. They don't want to be reminded on the fact that they have, or are in the process of throwing their entire life through the sewage system. Yes, we therefore should make a distinction because the ultimate goal of their behavior is one that doesn't want to remember the Torah, and don't want the people of it to be remembered as having ever existed, let stand still being a presence within the midst of human society, nor as a nation on G-d's chosen land for them within that world, their world as they perceive it, no stranger allowed, no G-d, at least not the one of the Torah! Thus the indifference to their inhumane actions, like the one that Haman is now trying to get fulfilled, the reason of their alienation with the source of all life, is because it’s their mirror, the complete opposite of how they are behaving at present. And the people who represent G-d's light are like a clear to very clear reflection within their troubled waters, an image they don't want to witness in front of them time and time again because they don't want to lose the pleasure(s) that isn't/aren't really one(s) at all. Like G-d is working within the time of queen Esther in a veiled manner, those people's hatred, even their revenge is veiled to them, the true and only reason that is. They won't truly and honestly accept it as such unless they wholeheartedly do commit themselves to better their lives, and thus lifestyle. Yeah, instead of saving their life by joining forces with the One that sanctifies life, they throw it all away by joining the army of dead, a world living by the rule of the strongest, or push or become pushed. The only question is: How should we respond to it, to such an assault on a human's very existence that is, his/her raison d' être, even an entire people's one, and its sanctity they preserve at all costs?

Why does the person who beliefs in the G-d of the Torah want to leave the sanctity of His presence? Do we have to view it with the same perception as those bullies spoken about? Does it mean that the Torah, that yes G-d is awful, not to be remembered, the same as when people want to forget whatever human atrocity that has been committed vis-à-vis another human being, no matter when it’s done through word and/or deed? Should we put it on an equal footage?

We of course will have to first of all remember the difference between what is truly good and wrong, defense, even pre-emptive defense, and offense in military terms spoken before we can answer these kind of questions. A person who has cut all ties with such a remembrance will often turn it the other way around because what s/he perceives is completely opposite to how the other party sees it. First we will have thus to try in bringing both closer to one another, realizing at the same time that only one will have to discard the destructive vision of its future, namely the disappearance from the face of the earth of the other one (G-d and His people in this case), no matter how it becomes fulfilled. There is thus no compromise possible in this. You can't appease as it will only strengthen the other one's belief in his trueness when it's not, and not s/he will fall, but you will! This is something we also witness within the Megillah of Esther with Haman. Haman is so full of haughtiness due to his power, and all the luxury that comes with it, especially the one wherewith he has been given a free hand to do what he seems fit with all the constituencies of the king's empire, even the Hebrew/Jewish population, that he has lost his ability to be human, or to grasp the opportunity in finally becoming one. Hence, he was given the power to correct, in his perception, a defeat of one of his people's ancestors. And he at the end will only just empower the rightness of that defeat, having learnt nothing at all. However, when we read, or study the matter more carefully and deeply, then we again see emerging a correlation with the world above. Now it's reflecting itself in a more opposite manner when we take queen Esther's way of orchestrating the salvation of her people into consideration. She is trying to find wisdom, help and strength with G-d. She hopes that He will guide her to do what’s right. In the previous chapter, she asked Mordecai and the entire Hebrew/Jewish nation to do the same. Her power as a queen is therefore found within her profound belief in Him. He is the one she turns to for advice, for guidance in these extremely difficult times which befalls her and her people. But we on the other side of the spectrum do have Haman who doesn't turn to G-d, even not his gods if he does have them, but only to his friends, family and wife. They are his gods for the moment so to speak. Their advice is his religion, his belief. It's his truth. When it sounds well into his ears, then and only then will it be okay. If Mordecai, queen Esther, and even the entire Hebrew/Jewish nation would have appeased, no salvation would have occurred, and the entire nation would have fallen prey to the hostilities.

This isn't the way a G-d believing person, like Mordecai and queen Esther really were, would act. Neither is it the one of an entire people who beliefs honestly and deeply in the one and only G-d. Whether they thus like it or not what G-d tells them, or asks them to do, they will obey Him, and not Haman, as they within the depth of their heart do know that it's all meant for their well-being, not their downfall. And yes, there is fear because G-d doesn't say how it all will unfold itself. Nevertheless, this fear can't be truly interpreted as one of fear. It rather has to be seen as one of hope, hope on a brighter future, one we don't know anything of yet in what it will really bring us. But we, when we don't grasp it firmly with both hands, will never know, nor will our children do so, and even their children unless the prophet Eliyah comes telling them a most blessed story of a king named David from out of which will arise a branch, namely Moshiach ben David through king David's next generations of daughters. He will correct a mistake the king once made, to bring even salvation over his kingdom, and so upon all of the children/people of Yisrael, of Yaacov (=Jacob). Yeah, just like queen Esther is bound to repair one that one of her ancestors had made, namely king Saul, the king who preceded king David. True, not out of his son, king Shlomo, will Moshiach ben David arrive in later times. Only always out of a daughter, and a mother in that particular time, will the savior of humankind, the one we all do await, come into the world. This will happen at the set time, even when the majority would have alienated themselves from and against G-d. When it seems to come earlier than expected, then it can only refer to the moment of Moshiach ben Yoseph, also better known as the return of the prophet Eliyah. He will arise out of a daughter too. His lineage is most probably connected to that of king Shlomo. It's a backwards philosophy, but one that makes sense as you can only learn about the past, remember it correctly, when you go backwards, so to become in the ability of moving forwards, to burst through the circle others have imprisoned themselves in by forgetting what never should be forgotten at all. Yes, what we may never forget is the Torah because there will be no need to remember the atrocities of the bullies, neither will they have to once we succeed in this, in keeping the Light of Humankind alive and well within the depth of our heart, but in reality our human mind. This can only happen when all the people of the world in unison of a soul's mind won't forget it in first instance, no matter their diversities in being who they are, even within their personal belief. Just as G-d is one, so are we a oneness together, belonging to one body and soul only, namely the embodiment of life. And we in this oneness do work together as souls of light, never darkness, helping each member to fulfill the task of light s/he has been given to fulfill. Yes, G-d represents the masculinity and femininity within us all, and so will do Moshiach ben David, even Moshiach ben Yoseph.

We in a certain way have to admit that queen Esther became part of all these moments in time wherein people do try to correct a situation that is almost bound to go out of control. And it at the same time does keep preserving the ultimate destiny for all of humankind, not just the one of the Hebrew/Jewish nation alone. Yes, even king Ahasuerus kingdom will for the time being be saved. These are therefore recurrences which always do give the entire world the most blessed opportunity of starting to live a more peaceful life for generations to come, but only when anticipated rightly, and thus not with a man’s ego. Everyone can grasp it with both hands, or join Haman into their destruction. No man will be taken away his/her freedom to choose what s/he thinks is the right thing to do in whatever situation, but will also have to bear the consequences of that decision like Haman had to succumb to his. Anyhow, the most important lesson we should remember from this chapter is that before we want to do something good within a world that is hostile, or is to become hostile, is to look into the depth of our own mind, the place where we learn about our oneness with every single form of life, and make the right move, the only choice we can make, no matter the danger, or the risk involved because when we truly do so within a G-d's guidance, then one day or another everything will happen for the good of all, as did happen during Moshe's time as well. There things went completely wrong in first instance, but it all at the end turned out to become a brilliance, a radiance of light that no one had seen, or witnessed before. And it’s within such a state of the mind that queen Esther went to the king, and he received her without anger. It even does teach us thus that the king was a very human being, and not the kind of person that we're seemingly told to belief in when having only read the first chapters of this Megillah. In a sense, he does reflect G-d in this way, as he shows compassion, love and tenderness, seeing that something is bothering/disturbing his queen so deeply that she does ignore a rule of the king that could have put her to death. He therefore has even decided to give her the half of his kingdom, so to know what it is for she was prepared to give up her own life. At the same time are we being lectured again about the differences between her and Haman, as he will become haughty, but not the queen, nor Mordecai, and neither anyone of the Hebrew/Jewish nation. It's a very classical representation of a clash between good and wrong, a clash of two civilizations that will become prevented by the king's ruling regarding Haman and his followers wherewith this attempt will regress, but not be forgotten. Neither will the other side forget it for the time being till all of humankind will succeed in bringing themselves into the limelight of G-d's warmth, love and compassion, the sanctity of life thus with utmost respect to the rules, the commandments, even laws He has given us all through Moshe.

What will you do as a person, and being a member of humanity: will you join the forces of Haman, or those of queen Esther? Yes, will you choose wisely or defiantly, in humbleness or haughtiness? Can you come before the king with respect, tenderness and softness, a beauty of body, mind and soul alike, or with all the power you were once given, namely with brutality, and arrogance, a bully alike, even when presenting yourself as being a nice fellow citizen, the same misleading attitude which Haman practiced as well in first instance?

There is no in-between when answering these above questions. We can only choose the one or the other because when we would try to walk upon the centerline between both, then we will just strengthen those who want to harm the people of queen Esther. The queen knew thus that she had to be very careful in how to proceed, in how to bring it all to the king's attention. Therefore she decided to do so by walking the path of wisdom, not of greediness, of reward. It's not the half of his kingdom that she wants. It's His entire Kingdom, His light that she hopes to become a full and integral part of. She knew through the wisdom she had acquired throughout her entire life that there’s no worldly material that can give you yours or your people's salvation. And so she wisely awaits the moment when she feels in her heart that she only at that precise moment can tell it the king. She therefore invites the king and Haman to come again to the meal she will prepare for both of them, and it all went miraculously into the right direction for her people because she had made the right choice, and so did Mordecai, even every member of her people at that particular moment in time. Haman's hatred had become so huge that it became incurable. Clearly, it wasn't just the fact that Mordecai hadn’t bowed down before him. This was only the excuse, just as the Pharaoh of Egypt tried to use Moshe’s behavior as the excuse to harden his stance. And so will others try to harden their stance upon the shoulders of the Hebrew/Jewish nation till all of humankind truly will learn in how to become acquainted with His wisdom in utmost respect for His light, the same one as queen Esther here portrays to us, even to the king, a gentile, not a Hebrew/Jew. Yes, it doesn't matter that you aren't Jewish because the values of humanity which the Torah offers to the world entire are the ones humankind cannot only preserve its existence with, then as well start moving forward out of a seemingly endless circle with no escape possible out of it. However, this circle is not a prison. It has a door that’s even never closed. We can all walk through it as easy as can be. We only have to want it within the depth of our heart, above all mind, and before you know it, you will enter an entire new world never seen before, the same as what happened during Moshe's lifetime, even to all those, Hebrew/Jew and gentile alike, who went with him to the Promised Land, Eretz Yisrael, even Eretz Tziyyon.