How Will It End?
The Vilna Gaon gives us an even deeper glimpse into the bitachon lessons from the story of Purim.
The Megillah tells us that Mordechai refused to bow down to Haman. Everyone bowed! There was no choice! It was נפשות! סכנת But Mordechai was fearless. People asked him: What do you mean by saying you’re unafraid?! And Mordechai answered: “I am perfectly normal. I am a Yid! I have nothing to do with Haman. I have a Ribbono shel Olam, and the rasha can do nothing to me.”
The Megillah tells us that all the servants of the king waited to see מרדכי, דברי היעמדו לראות whether Mordechai’s words would prevail, for he had told them that he is a Yid. It was fascinating for them to see what the end would be: Would Mordechai turn out to be correct?
The Message of Purim: It Does Work!
And how, indeed, did the story end? Toward the end of the Megillah we read מתייהדים הארץ מעמי ורבים many from among the people of the land professed themselves Jews (Esther 8:17). The word רבים can refer to “the prominent ones.” These very servants of the king—who waited to see what would transpire with Mordechai—came to see that, indeed, Mordechai’s words prevailed, and so they ran to become Yidden. They came to appreciate what it means to be a Yid, and that it works! Mordechai knew of what he speaks! If so, we too want to be part of this nation.
This is yet another level in יבושו, לא קויך שכל להודיע to proclaim that all who place their hopes in You will not be ashamed. The miracle of Purim proclaimed to all the doubters—all those who stood on the sidelines, not knowing what will happen to the ba’al bitachon—that יבושו, לא קויך כל that Mordechai HaTzadik knows well of what he speaks.
To Proclaim with Confidence: It Will Certainly End Well!
The story of the Megillah tells us that there was a Yid named Mordechai who didn’t fear anything—because he knew with 100 percent certainty that no one could do him any harm. Thus, what was there to be afraid of? Indeed, it turned out that he was correct in his belief; he didn’t have any reason to be ashamed. Those who mocked him and scoffed at him were ashamed.
This is a tremendous yesod for a Yid, and it is one of the great lessons of the Megillah: A person may find himself in a situation where he sees no salvation, and right there he is able to proclaim with conviction and serenity that the Ribbono shel Olam will help him! It may take time. Bitachon doesn’t mean that everything will change tomorrow. Bitachon means that: Everyone may laugh at me, but I know that the Ribbono shel Olam will help me. How long it will take, I don’t know. But I know that He will help me. All the doubters will see it, and they will be ashamed. I will not be ashamed.
Generally, people don’t like to say such things outright out of fear that they will be ashamed in the end. But one who can say this with confidence goes into the category of ...בך החוסים כל לנצח יכלמו ולא he will never be ashamed.
Reb Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin Wasn’t Shamed
It wasn’t that long ago that Klal Yisrael lived through the saga of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, who didn’t budge from his Chovos HaLevavos for all his years in (a place called) prison. Everyone who visited him heard the same thing from him: “It’s clear to me that I will have a yeshuah, even if I don’t know how.”
Some pitied him for this, and some cried and tried to be mechazek him. No one knew how to react to his confidence. But Reb Sholom Mordechai had one message for everyone who came to him: “I know with 100 percent certainty that I will have a yeshuah.” But how do you know 100 percent? “Because I learn Chovos HaLevavos!”
And this emunah never waned, year after year. Do you know what eight years means?! But nothing changed for him in all this time! Much time passed, more and more efforts failed. Millions of dollars were invested in attorneys and better attorneys—and everything went to waste. When you visited Sholom Mordechai after a colossal letdown, he would say: Okay, I thought this would work. Evidently, it wasn’t yet the time. But a yeshuah there will certainly be.
A Yid who lives with such clear and palpable emunah will never be ashamed. All those around him who looked at him like he was crazy—they were ashamed after his release. Reb Sholom Mordechai was never ashamed!
Fortunate Is He Who Doesn’t Forget You!
Underscoring how essential and central this nekudah is to our entire Yiddishkeit is the fact that during the exalted moments of Pesukei Zichronos on Rosh Hashanah—when we invoke the deep closeness and love from the Ribbono shel Olam to His children, love that we cannot fathom or put into words—we say the words יתאמץ אדם ובן ישכחך שלא איש אשרי בך, fortunate is one who does not forget You and a human who takes strength in You.
Do you know who is truly fortunate? A person who goes through a tzarah but doesn’t forget about the Ribbono shel Olam even in his darkest moments. He draws strength and holds onto the Ribbono shel Olam amid all the darkness. At that point, he has no idea how long the yeshuah will yet take. But this Yid says: “I don’t care what things look like. The Torah doesn’t change, even when I’m going through a tzarah. The Torah doesn’t change even if I did an aveirah, chas v’shalom. The Ribbono shel Olam promised to help every Yid who relies on Him. Therefore, I trust in Him, and I am confident that He will help me—although I don’t know when and how.” Such a Yid is most fortunate—ישכחך! שלא איש אשרי
Never Abandon Hope
Further in the pesukim of Zichronos we say, ולא יכשלו לא לעולם דורשיך כי בך, החוסים כל לנצח יכלמו those who seek out the Ribbono shel Olam will never falter, and those who take refuge in Him will never be ashamed. One who seeks out the Ribbono shel Olam... he knows that the Ribbono shel Olam is here... will never be ashamed. This doesn’t change—no matter how dark it may be, and how complicated the circumstances may be: I may be at fault for the entire situation, but right now I am going to seek out the Ribbono shel Olam! Such a Yid will never be ashamed or let down. Those who seek Him out will never falter—for they take refuge in the Ribbono shel Olam!
In truth, we say the same thing every morning in the berachah of אהבה רבה. We say ועד. לעולם נכשל ולא נכלם ולא נבוש לא למען Why will we never be ashamed or humiliated or falter? בטחנו, והנורא הגדול קדשך בשם כי for we have trusted in Your great and holy Name!
We say the same thing in Shemoneh Esrei three times a day as well. בטחנו, בך כי נבוש לא ולעולם we will never be ashamed, for we trust in You. This is a tremendous yesod in the life of a Yid. And this is the overarching lesson of the Megillah. Those who take refuge in the Ribbono shel Olam are לנצח; , יכלמו לא there is no exception to this rule!
