He is Sleeping Among His People
by tillerofthesoil
“And Haman said to King Ahasuerus: ‘There is a certain people scattered and separate from the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their rules are different from every people’s and they do not observe the king’s rules, and it does not pay for the king to leave them in peace. If it please the king, let it be written to wipe them out, and ten thousand talents of silver will I measure out to the court overseers to bring into the king’s treasury.’ And the king removed his ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, foe of the Jews (Esther 3:8-9, cf. Exodus 1:8).
“Just as oil will not mix with other liquids, so Israel do not mix with the other peoples of the world, as is written, You shall not intermarry with them (Deuteronomy 7:3)” (Shir ha-Shirim Rabbah 1:21).
“[However,] Rabbi El’azar said: The blessed Holy One did not scatter Israel among the peoples except that converts be added to them, for it is said: And I will sow her [Israel] for Myself in the earth (Hosea 2:25); surely a man sows a se’ah in order to harvest many korin! And from this Rabbi Yoḥanan said: and I will have compassion upon her that had not obtained compassion [and I will say to them who were not My people, you are My people; and they shall say, You are my God] (ibid.)” (BT Pesaḥim 87b).
“And Haman said to King Aheshurues: ‘יֶשְׁנוֹ עַם-אֶחָד (Yeshno am eḥad), there is one people (Esther 3:8), the very same of whom it is said, [Hear, O Israel! YHWH our God, YHWH is] אֶחָד (eḥad), One (Deuteronomy 6:4)—יָשֵׁן לוֹ מֵעַמּוֹ (yashen lo me-amo), He is sleeping despite [or: among] His people” (Ester Rabbah 7:12, cf. BT Megillah 15b; Abba Guryon 5; Leqaḥ Tov 3:11, 5:14; Aggadat Ester 4:1, 17; Rabbi Ḥayyim Vital, Pri Ets Ḥayyim, Purim 5).
“That night the king could not sleep [lit., the sleep of the king was shaken] (Esther 6:1). The heavens, the throne of the King of the King of Kings, the blessed Holy One, were shaken when He saw Israel in such distress. But is there sleep before הַמָּקוֹם (ha-maqom), the Omnipresent?! Is it not said, Behold, He neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalms 121:4)? Rather, in a time when Israel is in distress and the peoples of the world are at peace, it says, Awake, why sleep, O Master! (Psalms 44:24) [cf. BT Ḥullin 139b]. King Ahasuerus’ sleep was also disturbed, because he saw in a dream Haman seizing a sword to kill him, and he awoke in terror from his sleep and told his scribes to bring [the royal annals] the Book of Acts to see what events had occurred, and they opened the book and found how Mordecai had informed against Bigthan and Teresh. So when they said to the king, Look, Haman is standing in the court (Esther 6:5), the king said: ‘What I saw in my dream is true; he has only come at this time of day to kill me'” (Ester Rabbah 10:1).
“[Preparing to impale Mordecai] Haman went about looking for a stake fifty cubits long, but could not find any, save that was in his house, which Parshandatha his son had brought from Kedronia, which is Kerdos. Because Haman’s son was ruler there; and there he saw the stake, which was from Noah’s ark. And Haman uprooted it from his house, so that the curse of Darius might be fulfilled in him, as is written, [Also I have made a decree, that] whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be impaled (Ezra 6:11). And this word found favor with Haman, and he prepared a gallows for himself; he erected it and perfected it. A heavenly voice called out saying, ‘How proper and fitting is this gallows for you.’
That night [the king could not sleep…] (Esther 6:1): On that night sleep [deserted] the carpenters who were preparing the gallows for Haman. On that night sleep deserted the smiths who were preparing the nails to be set in the gallows. On that night sleep deserted the King of Kings. Were in not written, one would dare not say it, as is written: Awake, why sleep, O Master! (Psalms 44:24); And the Master awoke as one sleeping, [like a warrior shaking off wine] (Psalms 78:65). On that very night the blessed Holy One was revealed. [And they impaled Haman on the stake that he had readied for Mordecai, and the king’s wrath subsided (Esther 7:10). On the contrary, it was the Jews who dominated their foes (ibid. 9:1)]” (Targum Ester, see Kasher and Klein, New Fragments of Targum to Esther, p. 154-55).
“Secrecy within secrecy was prepared and arranged in a single skull filled with crystalline dew. Membrane of air, purified and sealed; those strands of clean fleece hanging evenly. Will of Wills is revealed through prayer of those below. Open-eyed watching, never sleeping, ever vigilant; supervision below by supervision of radiance above. Two nostrils of an official arousing breath for all [as a nose supervising commandingly]” (Zohar 2:176b, Sifra di-Tsni’uta).
“Eyes of the White Head are different from other eyes. There is no lid over the eye, nor any eyebrows. Why? Because it is written: Behold, He neither slumbers nor sleeps, the Guardian of Israel (Psalms 121:4)—Israel above. And it is written: that Your eyes may be open (1 Kings 8:52). And it has been taught: Whatever comes in Compassion has no lid over the eye, nor any eyebrows. All the more so, the White Head, which has no need.
Rabbi Shim’on said to Abba, ‘To what does this allude?’ He replied, ‘To fish, fish of the sea, whose eyes have neither lids nor brows, and they do not sleep and need no protection for the eye. All the more so, the Ancient of Ancients—who needs no protection; and all the more so, since He watches over all, and all is nourished by Him, and He does not sleep, as is written: Behold, He neither slumbers nor sleeps, the Guardian of Israel—Israel above.
It is written: Behold, the eye of YHWH is upon those who revere Him (Psalms 33:18), and it is written: The eyes of YHWH range over the whole earth (Zechariah 4:10). There is no contradiction. One refers to זְעֵיר אַנפִּין (Ze’eir Anpin), Small Countenance, and the other to אֲרִיך אַנְפִּין (Arikh Anpin), Elongated Countenance. Nevertheless, there are two eyes, turning into one. This eye is white within white, and a white including all whites” (Zohar 3:129b, Idra Rabba, cf. Zohar 3:137b-138a, Idra Rabba).
And a new king arose over Egypt who knew not Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the sons of Israel is more numerous and vaster than we. Come, let us be shrewd with them lest they multiply and then, should war occur, they will actually join our enemies and fight against us and go up from the land.” And they set over them forced-labor foremen so as to abuse them with their burdens… (Exodus 1:8-11).
On the numerous parallels between the stories of Joseph and Esther, see BT Megillah 13b; Midrash Abba Guryon 11b; Panim Aherot B, 64, 66, 72; Ester Rabbah 7:7.
And Haman said to King Ahasuerus: “There is a certain people scattered and separate from the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their rules are different from every people’s and they do not observe the king’s rules, and it does not pay for the king to leave them in peace. If it please the king, let it be written to wipe them out, and ten thousand talents of silver will I measure out to the court overseers to bring into the king’s treasury.” And the king removed his ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, foe of the Jews (Esther 3:9).
“To what can we compare Ahasuerus and Haman at this point? To two men one of whom had a mound in the middle of his field and the other a ditch in the middle of his field. The owner of the ditch said, ‘I wish I could buy that mound,’ and the owner of the mound said, ‘I wish I could buy that ditch.’ One day they met, and the owner of the ditch said, ‘Sell me your mound,’ whereupon the other replied, ‘Take it for nothing, and I shall be only too glad.’ And the king removed his ring. Rabbi Abba son of Kahana said: This removal of the ring was more effective than forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses who prophesied to Israel; for all these were not able to turn Israel to better courses, yet the removal of the ring did turn them to better courses” (BT Megillah 14a).
“Water-streams, a king’s heart in the hand of YHWH, wherever He desires, He diverts it (Proverbs 21:1)—Rabbi Yishma’el said: Water-streams—just as when you put water into a vessel you can tilt it to whatever side you wish, so also when flesh-and-blood is elevated to kingship, his heart is placed in the hand of the blessed Holy One. If the world merits it, the blessed Holy One tilts the king’s heart toward good decrees; if the world is guilty, the blessed Holy One tilts his heart toward evil decrees. Thus each and every decree that issues from the king’s mouth originates from the blessed Holy One; hence it is said, wherever He desires, He diverts it” (Midrash Mishlei).
“Where is אֶסְתֵּר (ester), Esther, in the Torah? Let Me אַסְתִּירָה (astirah), hide, My face from them (Deuteronomy 32:20)” (BT Ḥullin 139b).
Awake, why sleep, O Master! Rouse up, neglect not forever. Why do תַסְתִּיר (tastir), You hide, Your face, forget our affliction, our oppression? (Psalms 44:24-25).
“’Will of the deed, clusters of faith! A voice—voice of voices—arousing above and below. Open-eyed we were. Sphere above, rotating toward diverse sides. A voice intones, arousing, ‘Awaken sleepy, slumbering ones, with sleep in their sockets, who do not know to look and do not see! Stopped-up ears, lethargic hearts, they sleep and do not know. The Torah stands before them, yet they pay no heed, and do not know upon what they gaze; who look but do not see. The Torah sends forth voices, ‘Look, foolish ones! Open your eyes and understand!’ Yet none pays heed, and none inclines his ear! How long shall you remain in the darkness of your desires? Look and understand, and the shining light will be revealed to you!’” (Zohar 1:161b, Matnitin).
“And they stationed themselves under the mountain (Exodus 19:17): Rabbi Avdimi son of Ḥama son of Ḥasa said: This teaches that the blessed Holy One overturned the mountain upon them like an [inverted] cask, and said to them, ‘If you accept the Torah, it is better; if not, there will be your burial.’ Rav Aḥa son of Ya’aqov observed: From here [we may give] strong protest against Torah! [it provides an excuse for non-observance, since it was forcibly imposed in the first place]. Rava said, Yet even so, they accepted it again in the days of Ahasuerus, for it is written, [The Jews] fixed and accepted for themselves [and for their seed and for all who joined with them, never to be violated…] (Esther 9:27): they confirmed what they had already accepted” (BT Shabbat 88a).
“When powerful light is concealed and clothed in a garment, it is revealed. Though concealed, the light is actually revealed, for were it not concealed, it could not be revealed. This is like wishing to gaze at the dazzling sun. Its dazzle conceals it, for you cannot look at its overwhelming brilliance. Yet when you conceal it—looking at it through screens—you can see and not be harmed. So it is with emanation: by concealing and clothing itself, it reveals itself” (Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, Pardes Rimmonim 5:4, 25d, translated in Matt, The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism p. 91).
“מְגִלַּת אֶסְתֵּר (Megillat ester), the Scroll of Esther. Seemingly this is a contradiction in terms, since מְגִילָּה (megillah), scroll, means גִלוּי (gilui), reveal, apparent, to all, while אֶסְתֵּר (ester), Esther, means הַסתָרָה (hastarah), concealment. However, it should be understood that all the גִלוּי (gilui), disclosure, is in order to provide a place for [freedom of] choice in הַסתָרָה (hastarah), concealment” (Rabbi Barukh Ashlag, Shamati, 37 [1948]).
“Where is אֶסְתֵּר (ester), Esther, in the Torah? Let Me אַסְתִּירָה (astirah), hide, My face from them (Deuteronomy 32:20)” (BT Ḥullin 139b).
Awake, why sleep, O Master! Rouse up, neglect not forever. Why do תַסְתִּיר (tastir), You hide, Your face, forget our affliction, our oppression? (Psalms 44:24-25).
The Name of the blessed Holy One is not mentioned in the Book of Esther except for one allusion:
And Mordecai said in response to Esther: “Do not imagine to escape of all the Jews in the house of the king. For if you indeed remain silent, relief and rescue will come to the Jews מִמָּקוֹם אַחֵר (mi-maqom aḥer), from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish” (Esther 4:13-14).
“He is הַמָּקוֹם (ha-maqom), the Place, of the world, the world is not His place” (Bereshit Rabbah 68:10). מָקוֹם (Maqom), Omnipresent, is numerically equivalent to each letter of יהוה (YHWH) squared.
יהוה (YHWH) is hidden in at least four places in the Book of Esther:
And let the king’s edict that he will issue be heard throughout his kingdom, large though it is,
הִיא וְכָל-הַנָּשִׁים יִתְּנוּ (hi ve-khal ha-nashim yitnu), and let all wives accord, worth to their husbands, from the greatest to the least (Esther 1:20)—יהוה.
And Esther said, “If it please the king, יָבוֹא הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהָמָן הַיּוֹם (yavo ha-melekh ve-haman ha-yom), let the king and Haman come today, to the banquet that I have prepared for him (Esther 5:4)—יהוה.
But all זֶה אֵינֶנּוּ שֹׁוֶה לִי (zeh einennu shoveh li), this is not worth my while, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting in the king’s gate (Esther 5:13)—יהוה.
And the king arose in his wrath from the wine banquet to the pavilion garden, and Haman stood to plead for his life to Queen Esther, כִּי-כָלְתָה אֵלָיו הָרָעָה (ki khaltah elayu ha-ra’ah), for he saw that the evil was fixed against him, by the king (Esther 7:7)—יהוה.
The Name אֶהְיֶה (ehyeh), “I will be,” is hidden as well: And King Ahasuerus said, and he said to Queen Esther, הוּא זֶה וְאֵי-זֶה (hu zeh ve-ei zeh), “Who is it and where is he, whose heart has prompted him to do this?” (Esther 7:5).
And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth (Isaiah 11:12).
For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things (Zechariah 8:12).
“Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The ingathering of the exiles is as important as the day when the heavens and the earth were created, for it is said, Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves רֹאשׁ אֶחָד (rosh eḥad), one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel (Hosea 2:2); and it is written, And it was evening and it was morning, יוֹם אֶחָד (yom eḥad), first day (Genesis 1:5)” (BT Pesaḥim 88a).
“The secret of Purim is that it occurred at the end of seventy years of the Babylonian Exile, as is known. It was then that restoration began in the supernal worlds, [in order that the divine couple be] returned face-to-face. Therefore, it was necessary for Ze’eir Anpin to be put to sleep [cf. Genesis 2:21], meaning that His mind leave [Him] and enter Rachel, restoring Her partsuf (configuration). [As a result] She is able to return [to Him] face-to-face. His slumber came to an end in the days of Mordecai. This is the secret of what Haman said, ‘יֶשְׁנוֹ עַם-אֶחָד (Yeshno am eḥad), there is one people (Esther 3:8), the very same of whom it is said, [Hear, O Israel! YHWH our God, YHWH is] אֶחָד (eḥad), One (Deuteronomy 6:4)—יָשֵׁן לוֹ מֵעַמּוֹ (yashen lo me-amo), He is sleeping among His people’ (Ester Rabbah 7:12).
He was put to sleep [in order to increase His] desire to return face-to-face, to return and build the Second Temple. This is the meaning of: That night the sleep of the king was shaken (Esther 6:1)—the King of the World [Ze’eir Anpin] whose mind returned to Him and He awoke” (Rabbi Ḥayyim Vital, Pri Ets Ḥayyim, Purim 5).