Purim on the Calendar and in the Heart
The holiday of Purim is approaching, symbolizing concealment, the custom of dressing up in carnival costumes and wearing masks. Where does the tradition of wearing masks on Purim come from?
The main character of Purim is Queen Esther, who represents the kingdom (Malchut), the system that governs the entire universe. This kingdom is called “Esther,” which means “concealment.”
In fact, in our time we see that everything is concealed. We do not know who governs us and we are unaware that there is a program in nature that controls our lives. We exist in a realm where some upper force controls everything, which manifests as various forces like a vast network that oversees the entire world.
Science is only now beginning to uncover that everything in nature is interconnected, and the world is an integrated system with global connections. We only perceive a small part of reality. We are not talking about some unknown dark energy in the universe, but about a reality completely concealed from us, which we do not even guess about. Our entire world is a complete concealment.
Inanimate, vegetative, and animate nature is governed by instincts and therefore does not ask questions. But humans must understand why they live. If they cannot find an answer to this question, they feel greatly limited, disappointed with life, and unsure of what to do with themselves. The animalistic body continues its normal life and gives birth to offspring, but a person feels unhappy.
Humans feel there is concealment—a system, Malchut—secretly controlling them, like a vast “Queen Esther.” Esther does not appear in the image of a woman, but of the entire kingdom that governs us so that we do not understand where we are going and what we are doing.
Many times throughout history, the Jewish people have faced “Purim” situations, which means a threat of annihilation. This threat arises to awaken us and to remind us of our purpose and to not continue living like the other “127 nations” mentioned in the Scroll of Esther.
We must reveal Esther and compel concealment to unveil. All other nations within which we live act to awaken us to this mission. After all, good cannot awaken a people or their egoistic desire and make them think about spiritual life.
Jews try to forget their mission and bury themselves in corporeal values where they strive for achievements in science, culture, and especially where there is money and power.
To awaken us, King Ahasuerus and his aide Haman appear. In reality, they do not understand what they are doing because, above Ahasuerus, there is another king, entirely concealed, a king who guides everything to bring all of humanity to the attainment of the Creator. This is possible only through the Jews because within them lies the secret, the spiritual gene, that enables them to do so.
Haman is an egoistic desire that cannot be corrected, but can only be destroyed. Haman and his ten sons represent an evil system, unfit for correction, a system that opposes the rule of the upper force and the desire to bestow and love thy neighbor as thyself. Haman cannot accept this, so we need to eliminate such desires within us.
The immense egoistic desire Haman is preparing to kill everyone including Mordecai and King Ahasuerus, in order to rule the entire kingdom himself. This huge egoism cannot cooperate with other forces, but seeks absolute power over all. Therefore, today Haman manifests everywhere: in religions, beliefs, and the leadership of countries if they are claiming that they alone should govern the world.
But the Scroll of Esther tells us that by the king’s decree, Haman is hanged on the tree he prepared for Mordecai, and the city of Shushan celebrates its deliverance. Thus, we come to a point where evil no longer exists in the world because we have destroyed and nullified it.
In essence, the Scroll of Esther tells us how humanity reveals all evil in the world and understands the need to eradicate human egoism, the desire to receive for one’s own sake. This is how we achieve a completely good state and the end of correction where there is no evil left in the world.
This is what the Purim holiday is dedicated to, to celebrate and drink until “one does not know the difference between Haman and Mordecai” because there is no more Haman in the world and there is no need to fear egoism!
The evil Haman hides within each person and within all nations because it represents the egoistic desire to rule over others. If we can escape from this evil and distance ourselves from it, then we will approach the revelation of good, the upper system that governs us.
Without evil, it is impossible to reveal good or even approach it. Evil exists precisely to make us feel the need for good, and directs us toward it.
We need to identify this evil in every person, in every country, and in the world. Just as Mordecai, Esther, and Ahasuerus wisely acted against Haman, we need to bring about the disappearance of the evil force from the world. We must learn this from the Scroll of Esther, and I hope we will achieve it!
[243246]
From KabTV’s “New Life – 1094” 3/14/19
Related Material:
Purim—On The Calendar And In The Heart
Material Events And Spiritual Roots
Choosing The Path Of Correction
