Welcome back to another episode of NachDaily with the 4th chapter in Esther. Its main topic is the way that Mordechai persuaded Esther to speak with Achashverosh on behalf of the Jews. The previous chapter ended with the city of Shushan in turmoil because of Haman’s decree to annihilate the Jews. Our chapter opens with Mordechai tearing his clothing, putting on sackcloth and ash, and crying through the streets of Shushan. Mordechai was denied entry to the Royal gate due to his clothing. Jews all over the world were in a state of mourning, fasting, and crying. The Gemarah in Megilah 12A relates that even though the Jews were deserving of death because they had bowed down to the statue of Nevuchadnetzer many years earlier, Hashem saved them because they had only bowed in a superficial manner. As they didn’t internalize their supposed idol worship, Hashem only made it appear as if He was going to destroy them. This is really a beautiful Gemarah, as we see that Hashem looks into the depths of the Jewish soul. Hashem really does judge us favorably. No matter how much we may have messed up in our lives, He considers it superficial. He looks beyond the chitzoniyus, our outer actions, and looks to the p’nimiyus, the internality of every Jew, which is totally pure. In verse 4, Esther’s servants in the palace told her the terrible news. She sent fresh clothing to Mordechai, which he refused. Esther then called for Hasach, one of the servants provided to her by the King, asking him to find out from Mordechai what was really going on. The Gemarah in Bava Basra 4a brings that Hasach was really Doniel. It was Divine Providence that had Doniel, a prophet, lowered to the status of a servant to advise Nevuchadnetzer many years earlier. Mordechai told Hasach all the events that had transpired and gave him a copy of the royal edict to kill the Jews. He had Hasach to order Esther to intervene on the Jews’ behalf to Achashverosh.

Esther told Hasach to tell Mordechai that visiting the King without being summoned was asking for the death penalty, and she hadn’t been called to him for 30 days. If she went to Achashverosh of her own volition, he would have her killed. The Targum Sheini adds that Esther wasn’t just refusing to go. She had actually been davening for 30 days for the evil King not to call her! The Meforshim also note that this time Esther didn’t use Hasach as an intermediary because she didn’t want people to realize that she and Mordechai were in contact. She had Hasach tell her words to secret messengers who passed them on to Mordechai. Mordechai replied that she shouldn’t think that by keeping quiet, she’d be saved. She would be murdered like everyone else. In verse 14 Mordechai says, “Ki im hachareish tacharishi ba’eis hazos, revach v’hatzalah ya’amod laY’hudim mimakom acher, v’at u’veis avicha to’vedu. Umi yodeah im l’eis kazos higa’at lamalchus – For if you keep silent at this time, relief and help will come to the Jews from another source, while you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows, perhaps it was for just such a time that you became queen!” This is one of my favorite pessukim in the Megillah. I once heard from Rabbi Y.Y. Jacobson that we all have different circumstances in our lives. How did I get here, we wonder, what am I supposed to be doing with myself? How did this all happen? Certainly, Esther was also wondering this. She was a tzaddekes, righteous woman, forced to live with a tyrannical, megalomaniac ruler, and Mordechai says, “Now is your time. Stop wondering why your life turned out this way and take action. Hashem has a greater picture in store. Maybe this is why you’ve had to suffer, but if you don’t help the Jewish people, Hashem will definitely help us out in another way.

Esther consented to putting her life on the line, sending a message back to Mordechai agreeing to go, asking that he have the Jews in Shushan fast and daven for her for 3 days. She will do the same. “Then I will go into Achashverosh, and if I am lost, I am lost.” Mordechai implemented Esther’s request. Stay tuned to the next episode of NachDaily to find out what happened next. Thank you for listening, and have a wonderful day.