However, even though during Exile we receive from Havaya, which is higher than revelation and kindness, but when “You Havaya are our Redeemer," it is impossible to see miracles openly (since we are connecting to Hashem on a level higher than kindness and revelation).
But, in truth, even today when it is very difficult to earn a livelihood, the fact that we receive our livelihood is literally a miracle as great as the Splitting of the Sea, it is just that this miracle is clothed in the natural order.
For this reason, (that during Exile we have an even deeper connection to Hashem), Yochanan the Kohen Gadol (who lived at the end of the Second Beis Hamikdash when the Jewish People were under foreign oppression) stopped the people who would tell Hashem to ‘wake up’ and save us from Exile, they would say (Tehillim 44:24): “Wake up! Why do you sleep Hashem?!” He stopped them from saying that Hashem is sleeping, since we don’t need to ‘wake Him up,’ since (Tehillim 121:4): “See, the Guardian of the Jewish People doesn’t slumber nor sleep,” it is just that we don’t see the deeper connection beyond the concealment, as explained above.
For in truth, (Malachi 3:6): “I Hashem have not changed (and am present in Exile just like in Redemption).”
However, during Exile (Amos 5:2): “We have (spiritually) fallen and cannot get up,” to experience how Hashem “is beyond all worlds and fills all worlds” in a revealed manner, since we are spiritually insensitive and cannot go up spiritually to experience Divine revelation, but, during Exile we can be close to Hashem’s Essence (Havaya) that is beyond revelation.
It is because this connection to Hashem’s Essence (Havaya) is beyond revelation. That is why it becomes clothed in the natural order and can’t be seen openly. This is the idea of Purim- all the events that happened in the Megilla happened in the natural order.
Similarly, the fact that during Exile we “call out to Hashem and we are not ‘answered’” is not because we are really not receiving an answer from Hashem, it is just that we don’t see the effect our prayers.
But in truth, not only is Hashem not more distant from us during Exile, but just the opposite, He is even closer than in the times of the first Beis Hamikdash, as our Sages said (Megilla 29a): “When the Jewish People were exiled to Babylonia, the Shechina (Divine Presence) went with them,” showing how Hashem’s Presence is with them even more in their exile.
Also, it says (Yechezkal 1:1): “And אֲנִיַּ-I (the Divine Presence) am found in the Exile,” since the Divine Presence referred to as Knesses Yisrael is called “אֲנִיַּ-I am,” as it says “ו אֲנִי-and I (the Divine Presence) תְפִל ָהַּ-am connected to the Jewish People through their prayers.”
In the earlier generations, when they would pray, they would be answered right away since they were directly connected to the Divine Presence in a revealed manner.
But now, during Exile, the meaning of “ו אֲנִיַּתְפִל ָה-literally translated: and I am prayer” is that I (Hashem) Myself am connected to the Jewish People, since the word הָלִּפְּת, which means prayers, can also mean “connection.”
As we see a similar word describing how when Leah felt connected to her sister, Rachel, she used the word (Bereishis 30:8) “י ל ו תְפ נ-connection,” which has a root similar to הָלִּפְּת, showing that Hashem’s Divine Presence is strongly connected to the Jewish People during Exile.
Therefore, it says about Queen Ester (Ester 2:7): “When her father and mother died, Mordechai adopted her as a daughter.”
This absence of her "mother and father" represents the absence of Divine revelation, which is the aspect of Avraham, as is known.
Avraham represents the kindness and revelation of Hashem in the entire world. The "father and mother" represent a person's faculties of wisdom and understanding, which are the "parents" of the feelings that result from intellectual reflection. When there is Divine revelation, then a person's wisdom and understanding can process the Divine revelation and produce a feeling of love and fear for Hashem. During Exile, when there is very little Divine revelation (Avraham), then it is if a person's intellect and awareness of Hashem (father and mother) have "died," as it were.
What happens when open divine revelation -- “her father and mother” -- stop? “Mordechai adopts her,” which is referring to the level of “ר בַַּּ חֶסֶד-Abundant Kindness" since the numerical value ((גמטריא of מָרְ דְּ כַי is 274, which is the same as רַב חֶסֶד , also 274.
The level of “Abundant Kindness” is different than regular Kindness. Regular Kindness is Kindness of Atzilus, which is lower than Chochma and Havaya, but “Abundant Kindness” is the Kindness that is Higher than Atzilus, beyond all limitations, and is expressed in Chochma and Havaya. This “Abundant Kindness,” in this context, means a connection to Hashem’s Essence, beyond even the revelation that existed in the time of the first Beis Hamikdash, and this is a deeper type of “Kindness” than that represented by “Avraham.” This deeper “Abundant Kindness” is expressed specifically in a state of Exile.
But for us to properly receive this revelation, we need to dedicate ourselves to Hashem, as it says about Ester (every Jew during Exile) “And the girl was spiritually beautiful in form and appearance- meaning beautiful in fulfilling the Torah and Mitzvos,” (Ester 2:7), meaning that we are spiritually beautiful when we fulfill Hashem’s Will.
Then, when we fulfill His Will, we have the continuation of the verse: “Mordechai adopted her as a ב תַּ-daughter.” The Gemara says on this verse: “Don’t only read the word “ב ת-daughter" on a literal level, but also read it, "ב יִת-house,” meaning a wife.”
Mordechai married Ester after he adopted her, and a wife is the mainstay of the house. What is the idea of a house? A house is where a person is fully revealed, so by saying that a Jew, during Exile, becomes a “house” for Hashem by fulfilling His Will, this means that he causes Hashem to be fully revealed on a very deep level.
This means that the level of Hashem the way He is, “קיִ ת ע יוֹמִיןַּ-Removed and beyond all ‘days’” - meaning Attributes (as explained above what the ‘Six Days’ represent”) - becomes expressed in connecting to us during Exile.
This revelation of Hashem’s Essence, the way He is beyond the Attributes, is possible because (Ester 8:15): “Mordechai (the essential Chochma of Hashem which expresses Havaya) comes out (into this world, which is) in front of the ‘King’ (after the concealment created from Malchus of Atzilus that separates Divinity from created beings, because he is) clothed (in the spiritual ‘garments’ of the Oral Torah that we study), which is the Six Orders of the Mishna.
The verse mentions six types of garments that Mordechai had to wear to go before of the king. These represent the Six Orders of the Mishna that Hashem's Essential Chochma-Wisdom becomes invested in before it can come down to us in this physical world:
- “Royal garments” is a reference to the Order of Zeraim-Plants, like it is written (Yeshaya 61:11): “For like the earth produces vegetation, so too will Hashem produce salvation.” We see that the earth is what produces new things from completely nothing, like Malchus (Hashem’s aspect of Royalty), which He uses to create ‘Yesh M’Ayin-something from nothing.’ It also says (Tehillim 85:2): “Truth will sprout from the ground,” showing how the earth sprouts totally new things, just like Malchus makes things that seem totally new.
- “תֶל כְ ת-Techeiles-(Dark Blue clothing)” is a reference to the Order of Moed-Festivals, since the word תְּכֵלֶת is connected to the word (Tehillim 119:96) “רָאִּיתִּי תִּּכְלָהלְכָל קֵץ -For every limited thing has an end time,” an expression of matters of time, which are limited and have an end, just as the festivals and seasons have their timely limits.
- “ר וח-Chur-White clothing”, this is represented in the Order of Nashim-Women (laws about marriage etc.). The word חוּר can also mean a hole, i.e., a space meant to receive something (like we need to dig a hole in the ground in order to lay the foundation of a building). We see that the idea of חוּר is a space for receiving something, which is the feminine quality of receiving.
- “And a great golden crown,” this is a reference to the Order of Nezikin-Damages, since the knowledge needed to deal with monetary issues is so great that it becomes like a crown on the person’s head.
- “And fine linen clothing,” the word בּוּץ-linen is an expression that means that same as ב ד-linen used to describe the garments of the Kohanim in the Beis Hamikdash, this is a reference to the Order of Kadashim-Sacrifices in the Beis Hamikdash.
- “And purple wool clothing”, this is a reference to the Order of Taharos-Purity, since the color purple is a combination of different colors, blue and red mixed together.
Similarly, to understand the laws of Ritual Purity (Tumah and Tahara) requires a mixture of logic and super-rational faith, since the reasoning behind the laws cannot be understood rationally, but after we accept the premises given by Hashem, we can use logic to derive how to apply the law to similar situations.
Just as Mordechai had to first put on the royal clothing, then he was able to come out before the king, so, too, after we have a connection to the Oral Torah, we can have this deeper connection to Hashem during Exile come to the revelation of (Ester 8:15-16): “and the city of Shushan was happy and rejoiced, because, for the Jewish People there was the spiritual Light of the Oral Torah.”
The idea of the verse is as follows: "Mordechai comes out in front of the king" represents that the higher and deeper connection of the Jew to Hashem during Exile can come out and be revealed down here in this world, “in the royal garments etc.” represents that for this deep connection to be experienced by us in a lasting manner it requires us to “clothe” that connection in learning the laws of the Oral Torah encoded in the Six Orders of the Mishna.
In Tanya, Igeres Hakodesh, at that beginning, the Alter Rebbe explains that the laws of the Oral Torah express the Essential Will of Hashem, which is beyond any comprehension, and therefore, has the power to strengthen our pure faith in Hashem.
Similarly, the deeper connection that we have during Exile, which is higher than the attributes of Kindness and Mercy when they are openly revealed, become internalized within us and empower us through studying the laws of the Oral Torah.
