Likkutei Sichos, vol. 31 pg. 171
(Sichos from Purim 5722, 5727)
Why Were the Jews Deserving of Death?
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s students wondered what the sin of the Jewish people could have been that it deserved such a harsh punishment for men, women, and children. They suggested that it was because the Jews enjoyed Achashverosh’s feast. (Source 1)
The Rebbe analyzes this explanation, asking how that justifies a death sentence, especially as the sages say that there was kosher food at the! (Source 2)
Some commentaries explain that the sacred vessels looted from the Holy Temple were displayed at the feast, with Achashverosh gloating that the Temple would never be rebuilt. Participating in this feast would therefore deserve a death sentence. However, this still doesn’t properly explain why such a punishment was deserved by the children!
Divine Intervention or Nature?
The Rebbe explains that the Jews among the nations are likened to a lone sheep among seventy wolves. The sheep only survives thanks to the shepherd’s protection, meaning that our survival is not a matter of fate; it is the result of G-d’s heavenly protection. When Jews act in a way that flouts G-d’s protection, they leave themselves at the mercy of the wolves. The decree that all the Jews will be killed wasn’t a punishment for something specific; it was the natural result of placing their trust in Achashverosh and thus removing G-d’s protection.
Maimonides writes that when the Jews are in distress, they must view their trouble as a call to return and repent. If they see the troubling times as a mere coincidence, then indeed, such coincidences will become more frequent (Source 3). The Rebbe explains that this too is not a punishment, it’s just that they opened themselves up to “coincidence.”
The Jewish people should have participated in the feast out of respect for the kingdom, but they should not have put their trust in the empire, rather in G-d alone.
Esther’s Perspective
Esther is a perfect example of the appropriate balance between acting within nature and trusting in G-d. On the one hand, she took a massive step within nature and went to the king to beseech him on behalf of her nation, but together with that, she fasted for three days before the meeting (Source 4), which logically didn’t make sense if she wanted to find favor in the king’s eyes. This tells us that the main step she took was a spiritual one, and the natural step was only as a vehicle for their salvation.
