Musar su Ester 5:1

The three kinds of perfections (Jeremiah 9,22) we have spoken of, i.e. חכם-גבור-עשיר, correspond to נשמה, גו, and לבוש. לבוש represents all the things that surround the body and are needed by it to preserve and strengthen it. Torah is at one and the same time both נשמה, גוף, and מלבוש, as explained in the Zohar. The mystical elements of the Torah which appear to us as a string of letters whose meaning we have not yet unraveled will only be revealed in the future. When that time comes there will be a "new" Torah in the sense that hitherto undreamt-of insights will be revealed to us. Nachmanides has written about this in the introduction of his commentary on the Torah. This is also alluded to (Psalms 29,11) in the words: ה' עוז לעמו יתן, "G–d will give strength to His people." The Psalmist refrained from using the past tense. This means that so far G–d has given us only the גוף of the Torah, i.e. the הלכות, the commandments which have to be translated into action in this world. There is a third dimension to Torah called לבוש, the virtues, etc., we are to learn from the various stories the Torah relates. These stories and their moral lessons strengthen and preserve the "body" i.e. גוף of the Torah. This is alluded to in the second half of Psalms 29,11: ה' יברך את עמו בשלום. The word בשלום comprises the same letters as the word מלבוש. Just as the Torah itself consists of a progression of three distinct levels of sanctity, so the three parts of the Holy Bible consist of three gradated parts in descending order of holiness: Torah, Prophets and Hagiographa. We may view the Hagiographa as the מלבוש. This is one meaning of the Book of Esther 5,1 describing Esther as ותלבש אסתר מלכות, which our sages (Megillah 14) interpreted to mean that she wore the Holy Spirit, since the word בגדי is missing if the meaning were "Royal robes." Jeremiah 9,23 concludes by saying that if one has to boast the only thing one should boast about should be the insights one has acquired about the nature of G–d, he means that man's שלימות "perfection" should use G–d's Perfection as his model. Since G–d has not revealed Himself except through His Torah, the reference is to the three parts of the Torah which we have cited i.e. the נשמה-גוף-לבוש.

It is explained in the Zohar on Bereishis (Tikkunim 69, 117a) that other people only know what their eyes see, that the enemies of Israel like Haman and his colleagues seek to uproot Israel and that they continually increase in strength and renew their evil decrees daily. But Mordechai knew the essence of the matter and the source of the power of the husks of impurity from which the souls of these evildoers and sinners derive. This is the meaning of the verse, “Mordechai knew everything that had transpired.” He reflected that the husks of impurity had waxed in strength on account of the sins of Israel in that generation. This made him aware of the need for great self-mortification and prayerful outcry to weaken the power of the Sitra Achara and arouse mercy on Israel’s behalf. Thus it states, “And Mordechai rent his garments and donned sackcloth, etc.” Meanwhile the righteous Esther, who merited the spirit of prophecy, also knew the essence of the matter mentioned above. Therefore it states concerning her, “And Esther stood in the courtyard of the king, etc.” (Esther 5:1). The Zohar (3:109a) explains that the word “standing” refers to nothing other than prayer, as it is stated, “And Pinchas stood and prayed” (Tehillim 106:30). Esther prayed again and again until her prayers ascended On High to a holy and awesome place called, “the houses of the courtyard.” This “courtyard” is before the Heavenly Beis HaMikdosh, from where Hashem’s four letter name radiates. This is the meaning of the verse, “And Esther stood in the courtyard of the king.” The “king” here refers to the Holy One Blessed is He. For this reason it does not state, in the courtyard of King Achashveirosh. It is also written concerning Esther, “The king extended the golden scepter to Esther” (Esther 5:2). This means that Holy One Blessed is He caused there to descend upon her a thread of grace. The Zohar (ibid., 44b) adds, “And not only to her did the Holy One Blessed is He extend the golden scepter, but even to all who unite with her.”

This is the meaning of the verse, “And Mordechai knew” (Esther 4:1). That is, he knew the essence of the matter — that the decree had been issued on account of the great harm they had done to the Shechinah when they benefited from the feast of that evildoer. Therefore it states, “And Mordechai donned sackcloth and ashes and cried out with a great and bitter cry.” “And he donned sackcloth” — This was to atone for the sin and to weaken the power of the “four hundred men” who accompanied Eisav when he came to meet his brother Yaakov. For it is stated concerning this event, “And Yaakov was very afraid” (Bereishis 32:8). That is, he was afraid of the four hundred impure husks and destroyers that accompanied Eisav. This is why Mordechai donned sackcloth, because the numerical value of the word “sackcloth” [שׂק] is 400. Thus his intention was to weaken the power of the wicked Eisav. Then Mordechai informed also Esther of the great harm that had been done at the feast of Achashveirosh. Therefore it states immediately after this, “And Esther donned ‘kingship’” (Esther 5:1). That is, she donned the spirit of prophecy (Megillah 14b). Esther then proposed that they fast for three days and three nights in order to counteract the filth that Haman and Achashveirosh had injected into them by means of their feast. In this way the power of the filth that had sullied them through that eating and drinking would be enfeebled, for it was weakened through their fasting, thereby enabling the collective soul of Israel to shine as before.