The Megillah Proclaims That Hashem Doesn’t Abandon Those Who Place Their Hope in Him
Eternal Hope
Following the Megillah reading, we recite the words, לנצח היית תשועתם ודור, דור בכל ותקותם You have been their salvation eternally, and their hope from generation to generation. The salvation that Klal Yisrael experienced in those days was an eternal one—and the hope that it instilled within them remains with them for all generations. It is not merely a story that happened long ago; it is eternal! Built into every Yid is eternal hope in HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
Further, we say, בך, החוסים כל לנצח יכלמו ולא יבושו לא קויך שכל להודיע the salvation of the Neis Purim proclaims to every Yid—throughout the millennia—that one who places his hope in the Ribbono shel Olam will never be ashamed—and no shame will come to those who take refuge in the shade of the Ribbono shel Olam.
Three expressions of bitachon are enumerated here—and we are assured that no shame, letdown, or disappointment will come to those who place their trust and hope in the Ribbono shel Olam.
Why We Read the Megillah
The Brisker Rav explains that according to the Rambam, this expression of hope and trust lies at the heart of the mitzvah of krias haMegillah—and this is what the Rambam says regarding Megillah: “Chazal commanded us to read the Megillah in its time to invoke the praises of HaKadosh Baruch Hu and the salvation that He brought us, and that He lent an ear to our cries... to praise Him and thank Him.”
The Rambam tells us that through the Megillah we proclaim that it really works! As we say in אשרי, Hashem is close to those who call out to him... He listens to their cries and brings them salvation.... In the story of Purim, we found out that it really works to place our trust in Hashem!
Continues the Rambam: ... And to proclaim to future generations that it is true, what we have been assured in the Torah, that “we are a great nation whose G-d is close to us and Who listens to us whenever we call out to Him.”
Says the Brisker Rav: According to the Rambam, the entire purpose of reading the Megillah is to proclaim to future generations the yesodos of bitachon and hope to the Ribbono shel Olam. And it is for this reason that we recite the piyyut following the Megillah קויך שכל להודיע בך; החוסים כל לנצח יכלמו ולא יבושו לא this is at the heart of krias haMegillah.
He Who Laughs Last...
A Yid finds himself in a quandary, in a tzarah, and everyone around him looks at him with great pity. But this Yid isn’t discouraged. “You will see that the Ribbono shel Olam will help me,” he says. “How will He help me? I don’t know. But I take refuge in His protection. It’s not necessary for me to know how and when salvation will come—but I am certain of it!”
Again, the bystanders look at him with even more pity—unsure whether to laugh or to cry. Nebach, he is delusional.... He should rather make peace with his situation,” they say. But this Yid is undeterred: “Everything is fine! Because I know that the Ribbono shel Olam will help me. Salvation is on its way!
The Ba’al Bitachon Will Never be Ashamed
Now, what would happen if the situation not only doesn’t improve—it only gets worse, chas v’shalom? This Yid would be incredibly ashamed. He pronounced his hope and trust to one and all—and was left hanging.
He said that the Ribbono shel Olam will help... but nothing materialized, R”l.
Addressing this, we say: to proclaim that all those who hope to You will never be ashamed! If a person truly hopes to Hashem, in the proper way... he has bitachon—not because he wants this thing very badly—but because he is calm and assured that the Ribbono shel Olam will help him in the exact way the Ribbono shel Olam wants, and precisely when He will decide to do so. If a person knows this with certainty—to proclaim that it cannot be any other way—he will never be ashamed due to his trust in the Ribbono shel Olam. This is what the Megillah teaches us.
Giving Praise for Being Heard
The Gemara (Megillah 14a) tells us that the reason we don’t recite Hallel on Purim is because הלילא, היא זו קריאתה the reading of the Megillah is itself a form of Hallel. When reading the Megillah, we are praising and thanking the Ribbono shel Olam—which is the essence of Hallel.
According to the yesod of the Rambam, we find an incredible concept here: Reading the Megillah is not merely a proclamation of the miracles for a specific story that took place long ago—a fulfillment of our debt to the Ribbono shel Olam for having orchestrated the miracle of Purim. The primary purpose in the Megillah is to proclaim to everyone that the Ribbono shel Olam doesn’t abandon any Yid who places hope in Him.
The Megillah Tells the Story of Our Chosenness
The Rambam reveals to us that the entire Purim saga was nothing new; it was merely a manifestation of the words in Parashas VaEschanan אליו, קראינו בכל אלוקינו כה› אליו קרובים אלוקים לו אשר גדול גוי מי כי for which is a great nation that has a G-d Who is close to it as is Hashem, our G-d, whenever we call to Him? The Ribbono shel Olam is close to us and always hears our call!
And in truth, it goes even farther back than this pasuk: The entire לנצח היית תשועתם is essentially an elucidation of the first Dibbur, ה› אנכי מצרים מארץ הוצאתיך אשר אלוקיך—the story of Klal Yisrael being chosen to be a nation for Hashem.
The Purpose of Pain
The Yid was chosen, he was purified, and now he is a transformed creation. He is a species of creation that when he finds himself in a quandary, it is with a special cheshbon to bring him to something higher. This is the only purpose of his pain! And if he conducts himself properly throughout his saga, it’s impossible that his tefillah won’t be heard—because the entire purpose of his tzarah was to bring him closer to the Ribbono shel Olam, and this was accomplished.
Thus, krias haMehillah is an opportunity to espouse the yesodos of our faith. The Gemara is teaching is that when we read the Megillah, we’re in essence reciting Hallel, and when we recite Hallel, we’re not only praising and thanking the Ribbono shel Olam for this specific miracle; we’re also acknowledging and proclaiming that the Ribbono shel Olam aids and assists all those who take refuge in His protection.
What Really Brought the Yeshuah?
There’s another aspect to the Rambam’s teaching, and we will explain it with a mashal:
There was a Yid who waited desperately for a yeshuah, and he performed every segulah he could think of: Forty women performed hafrashas challah; he recited the entire Tehillim on auspicious days; he gave tzedakah to certain causes; he davened incessantly; he frequented tzaddikim in a quest for their berachos; he visited numerous kivrei tzaddikim; he donated seudos on yahrzeits of great tzaddikim; he reprinted the sefarim of tzaddikim who promised yeshuos to those who do so; and a string of other segulos. Ultimately, after years of waiting, he finally saw a yeshuah.
Incredible! This Yid is forty-something years old, and he waited twenty years after his wedding to hug his first child. The entire town is on wheels... everyone shares in his joy, and everyone wants to know which segulah he did that brought him such a supernatural yeshuah. But the Yid says: To be honest, I can’t tell you! I did so many segulos that it’s hard to tell whether it was the mofeis of this tzaddik or that one... whether it was the Tehillim or something else. I simply don’t know.
The Yeshuah Came Because of the Hope
When we study the Megillah, we see that there were many details that transpired before the salvation ultimately came. The Yidden did teshuvah; they fasted; and they davened.... Mordechai, the great tzaddik, davened on their behalf, and Esther HaMalkah exhibited great mesirus nefesh in entering the royal chambers. When we examine the story in all its details, we may wonder what precisely brought the yeshuah.
And for this reason, we answer the question immediately following the Megillah reading: יבושו. לא קויך שכל להודיע Do you want to know the pivotal point of the yeshuah? It was the hope that the Yidden placed in the Ribbono shel Olam! It was because בך, החוסים כל they took shelter in Hashem’s protection. They placed their trust in the Ribbono shel Olam—and this brought the yeshuah.
Everything Else Is a Levush
All the wonderful efforts that people make are the levush, the outer layer that surrounds the essence. Teshuvah, tefillah, tzedakah, good deeds, and positive actions—they’re all wonderful and important, but they’re only the levush to the neshamah, the outer layer of the essence. They’re vessels that serve as a conduit through which a person should connect to the Ribbono shel Olam with complete bittul.
And this is what we say: To proclaim that it’s not any of these specific details, it’s not the levush that surrounds the neshamah—it’s the neshamah itself!
When a Yid does great things to attain a yeshuah—for example, he gives money to tzedakah—underlying this is the acknowledgement that he understands that his yeshuah will not come through mere hishtadlus... it won’t come because he’s feverishly calling people or turning over the world. This Yid is illustrating that he understands that his yeshuah will come solely from Above, and he is looking for a way to dialogue with the Ribbono shel Olam.
There are those who converse with Hashem by reciting Tehillim, and there are others who do so by performing positive actions, such as giving tzedakah. But beneath all of these actions lies a common acknowledgement: Placing our hope in Hashem, and taking refuge in His protection. This is the only thing that helps!
Tefillah Acknowledges That We’re Dependent on Hashem
The same applies to tefillah. Why is davening effective? Did the Ribbono shel Olam not know—chas v’shalom—that you have a tzarah? Did you just notify Him through your tefillah?! Does tefillah help because you asked nicely?!
Of course not! Tefillah is effective because through it, the person expresses his dependence upon the Ribbono shel Olam. It reminds the person that on his own, he is helpless. He doesn’t have any way of helping himself. His only hope is to rely upon the Ribbono shel Olam.
Through this process, a person attains the recognition that the Ribbono shel Olam gave him a certain lack so he should remember that it is He Who orchestrates every step of his life, and that the Ribbono shel Olam wants you to talk to Him. He wants you to acknowledge that it is all from Him. To acknowledge that the entire purpose of this lack is so that through it the person will come closer to the Ribbono shel Olam—and one of the ways to accomplish this is by davening for it. This awareness becomes etched in a person’s mind—and this is why tefillah helps.
Thus, the Rambam is telling us: Study the lesson of the Megillah!—and this is what we recite following the Megillah: To proclaim that all who hope to Hashem will never be ashamed. Yiddishe kinder will always be helped through the mehalech of hoping to Hashem.
