Achashverosh & Haman in Therapy: The Psychological Brilliance of Esther
Reading the Megilah from a Psychological Perspective
- March 1, 2015
- |
- 10 Adar 5775
Rabbi YY Jacobson
16925 views- Comment Call-in
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Dedicated to my great wife, a true Eishet Chayil, by David Pisarevsky
Class Summary:
Henry Kissinger may have been the world’s most famous Jewish diplomat, but he certainly was not the first. The Purim Megillah, named for Queen Esther, paints a picture of a smart, resourceful, courageous woman of faith. But a close reading of the story, and a proper analysis of her actions in the story also reveal her to be a masterful tactician and diplomat that even Kissinger would be blown away by.
The simple question is the purpose of Esther’s two banquets. What was the point of the first? And why wasn’t one enough? Why couldn’t she have asked what she needed the first time? These questions are answered in the Megillah by the change of a single word.
According to the Maharil, the main Purim miracle took place when Achashverosh had trouble falling asleep, yet his insomnia seem to have had no really influence on the Purim story. What actually happened that night? Why could he king not fall asleep?
The class examines the relationship between Joseph Stalin and the ruthless Lavrentiy Beria, and uses it as a parallel for that of Achashverosh and Haman. Understanding this relationship and an in-depth analysis of Achashverosh will help expose the brilliant maneuvering of Queen Esther and the purpose of her two banquets.
This class was presented on Sunday morning, 10 Adar, 5775, March 1, 2015, at Beis Medrash Ohr Chaim, Monsey, NY.
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Rabbi YY Jacobson
- March 1, 2015
- |
- 10 Adar 5775
- |
- 16925 views
Dedicated to my great wife, a true Eishet Chayil, by David Pisarevsky
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Chaim L -6 years ago
I wanted to thank you for the time and obvious hard work you put into this website.
I have been listening to TheYeshiva.Net for the past year and have gained a tremendous amount from your shiurim.
I am 31-years-old. I grew up frum in Monsey (a child of Baalei teshuva through Chabad in the 70's). I now live in Far Rockaway with my wife and four children.
I listened to your Purim shiur -Achashverosh & Haman in Therapy- and it changed how I view the Megillah completely.
Thank you very much for the chizuk you have given me,
Have a great Shobbos,
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Anonymous -6 years ago
svetlana
is the name
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משה -6 years ago
מרדכי אסתר אחשוורוש
כיצד ניתן להבין מצב מתמשך, שאסתר לפי הגרסה שהיתה אשתו/ביתו של מרדכ ,נשארת עד סוף ימיה עם אחשוורוש כאשר מרדכי משנה למלך יוצא ו נכנס בארמון אחשוורוש במשך זמן ממושך ו פוגש כנראה את אסתר לא פעם אחת. בתקופת סיפור המגילה היה מצב שיוצאת מבית אחשוורוש וטובלת והולכת למרדכי כל זמן שהיה סיכון של פיקוח נפש לעם היהודי ולהצלת העם ,שגם זה קשה להבין , אבל לאחר מכן איך הסתכלו על המצב הזה היהודים על אשה יהודית עם שני בעלים,ובנוסף שאחד מהם הוא ראש הסנהדרין ? איזה דוגמא זה מהווה לעם ישראל ? האם מותר מבחינה הלכתית ליהודי לחיות בחטא אפילו בשביל הצלת העם ? .אסתר מולידה בן לאחשוורוש ונעלמת מעם ישראל ,כל זה לא נשמע הגיוני אלא אם כן נגיד שמרדכי נתן לה גט ,האמנם? כך היה
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shraga -7 years ago
A wondrous shiur.
Another way of looking at things (ayin ponim l'Torah):
There was a machlokis between Mordechai and Esther in Avodas Hashem.
Mordechai felt the way to mamtik dinim was Taanesim and sigufim. Saak v'Efer.
Esther said NO.
[It says in sefer Hamidos "Someone who is always happy, is matzliach". (Learned out from Medrish Rabba. The medrish says when Yosef Hatzadik came to Miztrayim, the possik says he was "Ish Matzliach" (by the way, no Rashi on the possik), The Medrish says it was because he was a "Gever Kofuz". The Matnas Kehuna there, says "Kofuz", loshon kefitz, because he danced; because of his dancing he was b'simcha, and because of his simcha he was matzliach. ]
Esther felt the way to be successful is derech simcha.
And Esther also knew that the zechus of the tefillas and fasts of Mordechai and klal Yisroel, wasn't enough, even when Achashverous told her (on 2 different occasions) "ad chatzu hamalchus". Because at those times, Haman was b'simcha. And it would be very difficult to push Haman down, even "Haman Hara Hazeh" as long as he was b'simcha.
It was only by the last seuda, when Esther saw Haman in distress, she "pulled the trigger".
And we also see that Min Hashomayim Esther had a haskoma in her disagreement with Mordechai. Because min Hashomayim, Mordechai was forced to be happy; being led around Shushan in Royal garments, on the Royal horse; (also having the opportunity to give Haman a few good kicks, tread on his back), etc.
sources: HaRav Elimelech Biderman, choveret in Hebrew parshas Truma 5777; Sefer Hamidos, section Simcha part 2, with it's source from Medrish Rabba, (Parshas Vayeshev).
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Odom -7 years ago
לפי מה שאמר מעכ"ת לקשר ביאור האדמו"ר הזקן באופן מפלת המן להעלותו למדרגה שבטל ממילא, עם ביאור הבעש"ט מובא בספר אור מאיר באופן הריגת ושתי לגלות הקליפה בלי לבושים וממילא בטל מעליה, יובן בטוב טעם מאמר חז"ל שהרג את אשתו בשביל חבירו והרג את חבירו בשביל אשתו כי אופן הריגת שניהם היה ממש אחד!
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Mordechai Hayehudi -9 years ago
B"H
Rabbi Jacobson,
Haman did indeed "stage" the assassination attempt on Achashverosh. The midrash says that Haman was actually part of the conspiracy to kill Achashverosh, and when it was uncovered by Mordechai, he immediately took sides with the king and suggested that Bigtan and Teresh be executed. I can't find the midrash right now, but you are indeed correct - the parallel between Beria / Stalin and Haman / Achashverosh involves the respective assassination attempts as well.
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Shmuel Fayershteyn -9 years ago
Rabbi Jacobson,
First of all, it was brilliant lecture. You did great job.
But small question, if Haman was executed, why his decrees was not annulled
as minister was dead. Thank you
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Rabbi YY Jacobson -9 years ago
approve
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Guest -9 years ago
I always undestood בפשטות that the reason אסתר asked for a party altogether, and then a second time, was that she got "cold feet" when she was about to "do the ask".
Then only after 'בלילה ההוא וגו and המן starting to fall, and coming to the party אבל וחפוי ראש, that she got the courage.
My only problem with this quite simplistic explanation was that she said in the first invitation אשר עשיתי לו in the past tense (not so by the second invitation) implying that she planned it before she appeared to אחשורוש.
(But then perhaps she only *told* it that way in order to make it sound plausible because if not it would be quite insulting to invite the king to a party that same day without even having begun to prepare for it...)
Did you come across this in any פשטנים?
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Rabbi YY Jacobson -9 years ago
It does not seem to me that is a correct reading of the story. In the words of Esther herself, "I will come to to the king not according to protocol, and if I perish, I perish." Esther has mustered the courage to for sacrifice. I do not think it was about "cold feet." She was a mature lady, she was clever, sharp, and resourceful. Once she made a decision, she made a decision.
What is more, had she not thought that by pushing off the king time and time again, it would anger him and backfire? Why would she do it, unless she had a worked out strategy.
And then there are the words "the meal that I have made," as you noted. To suggest she "invented" those words to cover up for her cold feet, seems illogical to me. The king could have easily asked here, where is it? I am ready to come now! And if Esther was caught by a lie, what would have the result been? Esther did not ask him to come to a meal the next day, she asked for him to come "today." She had to to have had it prepared.
Which means that this was all part of a strategy. I think that is a far more correct reading of the story. The woman had it all figured out.
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Rabbi YY Jacobson -9 years ago
It does not seem to me that is a correct reading of the story. In the words of Esther herself, "I will come to to the king not according to protocol, and if I perish, I perish." Esther has mustered the courage to for sacrifice. I do not think it was about "cold feet." She was a mature lady, she was clever, sharp, and resourceful. Once she made a decision, she made a decision.
What is more, had she not thought that by pushing off the king time and time again, it would anger him and backfire? Why would she do it, unless she had a worked out strategy.
And then there are the words "the meal that I have made," as you noted. To suggest she "invented" those words to cover up for her cold feet, seems illogical to me. The king could have easily asked here, where is it? I am ready to come now! And if Esther was caught by a lie, what would have the result been? Esther did not ask him to come to a meal the next day, she asked for him to come "today." She had to to have had it prepared.
Which means that this was all part of a strategy. I think that is a far more correct reading of the story. The woman had it all figured out.
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guest -9 years ago
I totally agree with you. The explanation you give is both fascinating and rings true. I was expressing the view on how I always (בן חמש למקרא) understood it simplistically without looking into it at all and I was wondering if you came across such an explanation or similar in any of the פשטנים. At times we find that there are פשטני המקרא that appear to be even more simple than רש"י (like רשב"ם וראב"ע)
Think of it this way: Esther said וכאשר אבדתי אבדתי. Simply put, she's saying that she'll go to the king even though she doesn't see much point, and doesn't have a good plan. She's doing it mostly out if faith (hence her fasting causing herself the opposite of physical charm. Then at the last minute she realizes how futile it would be reveal her identify right then and comes up with ...
I just saw a reference to the יוסף לקח
http://www.hebrewbooks.org/...
יוסף לקח - אשכנזי, אליעזר בן אליהו, הרופא, 1513-1586
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Elie -9 years ago
The mp3 shows up as an xml file ?!
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