Chasidut su Ester 4:18

We need to explain the absence of ‎the expression: ‎ויעש להם משתה‎, “he made a festive meal for them.” ‎We find such an expression even when Lot served the angels a ‎meager meal (Genesis 19,3) consisting primarily of unleavened ‎bread of indeterminate age. We also find it when Esther prepared ‎a sumptuous meal for her husband King Ahasverus (Esther 4,4, as ‎well as 7,8) to which she had invited the wicked Haman, also. In ‎that instance, it is clear that quantities of wine were served, ‎hence the word ‎משתה‎, which suggests liquid refreshments. ‎
We have a rule that when a righteous person shares a meal ‎with a wicked person, the wicked person’s spiritual status will ‎become enhanced thereby. This is the moral justification for the ‎joy at such a meal. During such a meal the tzaddik is able to ‎elevate the sparks of the Shechinah which had descended ‎into the terrestrial domains as a result of man succumbing to the ‎seduction of the serpent. [Compare what we wrote on page 21-‎‎22.Ed.] The word ‎משתה‎ is basically a variant of the word ‎שמחה‎, ‎joy, so that when Lot offered the angels a meal which the Torah ‎described as ‎משתה‎, it was not a reference to the number of ‎courses served, but to the atmosphere that prevailed during that ‎meal. In that instance it was Lot’s moral status that became ‎elevated due to the company of celestial beings at his table. As a ‎result of the angels having eaten at his table, (and their having ‎rescued him from Sodom) the soul of the messiah, that had lain ‎dormant within Lot, was awakened somewhat so that he could ‎become the father of a child whose descendant, Ruth, eventually ‎became the ancestor of David, who in turn is the ancestor of the ‎messiah. The joy generated at the meal Esther served the King ‎and Haman, resulted in the salvation of the Jewish people at her ‎time, due to her having elevated some of the sparks of the ‎Shechinah that had lain dormant within her husband. Since ‎Avraham was on a far higher moral/ethical level than either Lot ‎or Ahasversus, there was no need for a ‎משתה‎ to bring the ‎participants’ spiritual qualities to the fore. Hence there is no ‎mention of this word, although Avraham had spared not effort to ‎make it a tasty repast.‎

It is written in the Midrash Rabbah (Esther, 4:1), “‘Then the king said to the wise men, who know the times’ (Esther, 1:13). Who are these wise men? Rabbi Simon said, ‘These were the tribe of Yissachar, as it says (Divrei HaYamim 1, 11:33), “And of the children of Yissachar, men that understood the times.” This means that they know how to heal the past.’” (This is the correct version of the Midrash, as opposed to the reading, “Who know how to heal the kiros – a skin disease).⁴⁶⁶Kiros – קירוס, a skin disease, is visually similar to the word קודם – the past. “Kiras,” also means a season or opportunity. Even according to the version which reads, “kiros,” the intention is the same, because, “kiros,” also means, “the season,” and would thus mean, “they know how to heal the time.” The overall meaning is that by means of complete teshuva, a person reaches the place of Binah – Understanding.⁴⁶⁷The Sefirah of Binah – Understanding – is also known as the source of teshuva. Two sources in the Tikkunei Zohar teach us that Binah – Understanding – is the source of the faith of Israel. In the Introduction, page 2, it says: The supernal Hokhmah – Wisdom is the father of emunah (faith), which is Binah – Understanding. And later (Tikkun 21, page 62a) it writes: Fortunate is the man who can guard this emunah (faith) in his heart and in his mouth, for surely it is the emunah of Israel and the unification of the Holy One, blessed be He! In this way, through teshuva, man reaches a place beyond time – to Binah, where the present, past, and future are equal, and so, he will automatically heal the past. The Zohar (Vayakhel, 207b) tells us that one who fasts on Shabbat⁴⁶⁸Jewish law allows one who is disturbed by a bad dream to fast on Shabbat as a remedy. Some say that this remedy only works on the day he has the bad dream, so to fast on Shabbat he would have to have had the dream on Friday. He would then have to fast an additional day during the week in order to atone for the transgression of causing himself suffering on Shabbat, which is a day of joy. However, in our days, we are not accustomed to fasting on Shabbat, even due to a bad dream. See Shulhan Arukh, Orah Hayim, §288:4-6. is acquitted from a sentence of seventy years of suffering. According to Kabbalah, the entire order of governance goes through the seven Sefirot of the world’s construction, from Hesed – Loving-kindness, to Malkhut – Sovereignty. But when one fasts on Shabbat he reaches the light which is higher than the order of the world’s construction. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Terumah, 165b): Fortunate is the man who sheds tears before the Holy One, blessed be He, in his prayer. Similar to this, for the one who fasts on Shabbat out of his pain and sorrow, since Shabbat is governed by a lofty plane of existence which is pure joy and brings joy to all. Then he comes under its influence, and is released from any harsh decrees that are upon him. The entire world is governed through the Sefirot. The Zohar (Bereshit, 22b) says, “I bring death and life. (Devarim, 32:39) – through the Sefirot.” The source of the light which governs on Shabbat is higher than the Sefirot.