QUEEN ESTHER - The Power of Sarah

The connection between Queen Esther and the Matriarch Sarah is drawn out through the number 127.

The Midrash teaches that Rebbi Akiva told his students: "Why did Achashverosh merit to rule over 127 nations? Since Esther, a descendant of Sarah who lived 127 years, was destined to be the queen over his entire kingdom.

Through this, the Midrash shows that there is a special connection between Sarah and Queen Esther.

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Sarah, Rashi explains, connotes rulership (שררה in Hebrew). And since any type of ruler expresses his/her command through speech, Sarah, the wife of Avraham - who was the first to seek out and reveal Hashem's presence and providence in the world, thus connotes the embodiment of pure and holy speech. It is for this reason that when Pharaoh took her to be with him, she simply "ordered" the angel to attack Pharaoh, to which he complied.

Since the letters of speech are the building blocks with which Hashem used to create the universe, they are thus the life-support and nourishment of everything in the creation, including that which is evil.

Due to this, the evil in creation tries its most to gain more and more nourishment and sustenance from the power of speech.

The Kabbalah teaches that the embodiment of evil is coined as the three officials of Pharaoh, Pharaoh himself, and the land of Egypt.

The three officials of Pharaoh - the wine steward, the chief baker, and the chief butcher, correspond respectively to the trachea (windpipe), the esophagus (food-pipe), and the jugular veins which are all responsible for the food intake and effects in the body (the windpipe regulates cool air in the blood system so that the heat generated by the heart does not dehydrate the body of its liquids (i.e. corresponding to the wine steward), while the jugular veins regulate the blood drainage to and from the head which is mainly responsible for the lust and desire in a person to eat that which is not necessary for survival (i.e. corresponding to the chief butcher)).

These three conduits are located in the neck with the nape behind them. The nape - HaORePh in Hebrew - has the same letters as PhaRAoH.

The throat, the narrowest part of the body, corresponds to Egypt-Mitzrayim. Mitzrayim is rooted in the word Meitzar, which connotes narrowness.

To explain: since the 5 sections of speech (gutturals, laterals, etc.) are located also in the throat area, the 3 officials of Pharaoh try to, so-to-speak, "trap" a person's speech by getting him to overindulge in eating improperly, which explains the juxtaposition of the eating and speech mechanisms both being in the throat area. Since food is the main force in creation which joins soul and body together, it goes to say that the sparks of holy speech contained within food (also because food produces energy which is later used to speak words of praise and thanks to Hashem) are extremely powerful and resourceful to the realm of evil.

Once trapped these three officials give over this "speech-energy" to Pharaoh their ruler, located in the nape. This gives Pharaoh full authority over this potentially holy speech which he then uses to rule over Mitzrayim, the tightness of the throat.

All this results in that a person loses his power of holy speech which is reflected in his inability to properly call out and pray to Hashem. With this inability, a person then becomes dejected and depressed over the fact that he needs major salvation in life through prayer, but is unable to even open his mouth to ask Hashem of the salvation needed.

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To get out of this situation the force of "Sarah" is needed. Sarah - which is holy and pure speech - receives this title through her ability of renewal. As Rashi explains, when she was 100 she was like 20 (in beauty), and when she was 20 she was like 7 (free of sin). This concept of going "backwards" is the concept of renewal, whereby a person always starts again.

This renewal gives a person a freshness that specifically renews ones faith/emunah. With emunah in check, a person is more aware and careful of the quality and quantity of food consumption, thus breaking the clutches of Pharaoh's three "henchmen".

Renewal is also the concept of fasting/refraining/diet in that a person uses energy from "beforehand" in order to function at the present time.

Once weakened, the holy force called Sarah now enters the domain of Pharoah's "Egypt/MItzrayim" unhindered. Since the evil side always lurks to leech off the energy of holy speech, they are more than happy to welcome Sarah into their domain. However, this is to their detriment, as the holy force of Sarah then extracts and releases all traces of holiness and holy speech trapped therein due to previous blemishes in eating. This results in a recognition of Hashem as ruler by people from all walks of like (who were until now fooled into a secular, mundane life due to the influence of Pharaoah and his Egypt) and their coming to worship Hashem in line with the faith of the Jewish nation, Hashem's Chosen people.

This is all reflected in the biblical narration of the descent of Avraham and Sarah into Egypt during a famine, the capture of Sarah by the "officials" of Pharaoh, and her being taken to Pharaoh's palace to cohabit with him, the infliction of Pharaoh and his household, and then the leaving of Avraham and Sarah with abundant wealth from Pharaoh.

The famine connotes a limitation of eating which is also the concept of renewal.

This led to the descent of Avraham and Sarah into Egypt/Mitzrayim, the tightness of the throat. Sarah was then taken captive by the officials of Pharaoh who praised her for being fit to be given to Pharaoh the king - i.e. to trap the spiritual energy of Sarah/speech.

When Pharaoh tried to approach her, the Midrash relates that Sarah prostrated on the ground in prayer, when Hashem sent an angel who at her command striked and inflicted Pharaoh with a severe leprosy. This symbolizes the submission of Pharaoh before Sarah/Holy Speech.

Pharaoh then giving Avraham gifts of gold, silver, donkeys, camels etc. connotes the holy sparks extracted from Egypt/Mitzrayim, only adding to the dominion of Sarah/Holy Speech in the world.

(For more on these concepts, see Likutey Moharan lessons 62 and 163. 
For a clear audio presentation of these ideas in greater detail please follow this link: LIKUTEY MOHARAN LESSONS 62 AND 163)

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In the Purim story, the Midrash states that it was Haman who convinced Achashverosh to make a feast of 7 days for the Jews of Shushan. In total 18,544 Jews partook of this feast, eating and drinking way in excess and even of non-kosher products (e.g. the wine was not kosher wine). This was done so as to trap the Jews under the control of Pharaoh's three officials and eventually that of Pharaoh himself and Egypt (note: even though Haman was not part of the Egyptian nation, still the influence and concept of Pharaoh was present in Haman's evil plot to wipe out and destory the Jewish nation - the goal of Pharaoh's purpose in preventing Jews from Holy Speech/Sarah).

Haman himself, as the Talmud teaches, is hinted to in the Torah in the verse regarding the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad, where Hashem asks Adam: "HaMIN HaEtz... [could it be that] from the Tree in which I ordered you not to eat from (i.e. the Tree of Knowledge) did you eat (HaMaN and HaMin have the same root letters)? This shows the root of Haman in inproper eating, which as explained above is the key in trapping the force of Holy Speech/Sarah.

Once done the next stage was to get the essence of Sarah/Holy Speech to enter and become trapped in the realm of evil. To do so, Haman concealed his act so that even the evil realm itself should not be fully aware of his secret plot.

This started with his suggestion that Vashti be killed (the majority of opinions hold that Memuchan who suggested the execution of Vashti was actually Haman). Vashti - ושתי - is etymologically symilar to the word ושט - the esophagus (the Hebrew letters ט and ת are interchangable due to their common root in their section of speech - the linguals - דטלנת). By having Vashti killed, he wanted to show that the improper force of eating - the food-pipe had been eradicated, thus preparing for the coming of Sarah/holy speech.

His second suggestion to Achashverosh was to make a general proclamation that every man should be a ruler (Sorrer - שורר in Hebrew which is one with שרה-Sarah) in his home. This second decree made a laughing stock out of Achashverosh since obviously every man rules in his home. However, Haman's deeper intent was to already activate the presence of Sarah/rulership nationwide in order to convince Sarah/Holy Speech that there was no threat and danger in entereing the realm of evil. For this is the way of Haman - to hide the true intent of his ploy even from the realm of evil itself in order to bypass any possible obstructions.

Next, Haman was part of the advisory board who suggested to Achashverosh to find another wife. His overt intention was that Achashverosh should take Haman's daughter in marriage. However his real intent was that Esther - the true symbol of Sarah in that generation, be taken into the realm of holiness. 

With the Jews in exile for 70 years, their prostrating to the idol of Nevuchadnezzar, their eating of forbidden foods at the ball of Achashverosh, he hoped to totally subdue once and for all with Sarah/Holy Speech/Esther - the essence of Jewish Faith and Hope.

Once this was accomplished, he could also easily eradicate the Jewish existence with everything that it stood for, mainly the power of prayer.

However, Mordekhai, like Avraham, was one who constantly yearned to spread the awareness of Hashem, His rulership and His Divine Providence in the world. He would not let Esther silently sink away in the palace of Achashverosh, the chamber of evil.

By urging Esther to do something, she requested that the Jews fast for 3 days for her success. By doing so, she activated the Jews subduing the influence of Pharaoh's "3" officials who gained the upper hand at Achashverosh's ball. The fast also renewed the Jewish faith which allowed them to cry out to Hashem in heartfelt prayer.

With this Esther entered into Achashverosh and succeeded in bringing about the downfall of Haman and his evil plot.

As a result, the story of Purim relates that there became world recognition of the greatness of Mordekhai and Esther (i.e. Avraham and Sarah), with many gentiles abandoning their previous way of life, and converting to Judasim (see Esther chap. 9).

(For an audio presentation of these ideas please follow: HAMAN'S PLOY TO DESTROY ESTHER-SARAH)

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May we also merit a modern-day Purim miracle, where Jews all over will sincerely start again with a fresh renewal, and cry out to Hashem to bring them closer, thus activating the presence and awareness of Hashem's Providence throughout the world, leading to an abandoning of all false beleifs and lifestyles, Amen.

By: Meir Elkabas