Rav Tzaddok in Tzidkos Hatzaddik 255 (pages 136-137) says an absolutely incredible teretz to an often asked kashya. We know that Mordechai discovered that Bigson v’Seresh were plotting to kill Achashveirosh. Mordechai revealed this plot, and Bigson v’Seresh were killed. Chazal say G-d created the refuah before the makkah, that this would ultimately be the reason why Mordechai finds favor in Achashveirosh’s eyes.
Rav Tzaddok asks: Esther was at that point already in Achashveirosh’s palace, and she was forced to live with him as a wife. Mordechai could not be happy about this, as she was his wife. Had Bigson and Seresh succeeded in killing Achashveirosh, Mordechai would have had a yeshuah because his wife would have come back to him, and all would be good. Not only that, but Achashveirosh was chayuv misah because a Ben Noach who lives with a married woman, even b’shogeig, is chayuv misah. He asks, why did Mordechai interfere with Bigson v’Seresh’s plan to kill Achashveirosh? He should have been happy about it.
Rav Tzaddok gives a teretz that only Rav Tzaddok would have the courage to say. He said that Mordechai understood that in his generation, the need to serve HKB”H was through a middah of kindness, of generosity, of positivity. That was the problem with the Jews of his generation. They all felt very pessimistic, very negative. Seventy years had passed according to their calculation, and the geulah had not come, so they were pessimistic. That is why they went to Achashveirosh’s seudah. They felt downtrodden and beaten.
Mordechai said no, you have to be optimistic and positive. Then there came an opportunity to do a kindness to Achashveirosh, whom he was angry at for taking his wife. Mordechai understood that to do a positive, generous, kind action to someone to whom he felt no need to be kind was the important tool the Jews needed to serve HKB”H for that generation. He saved Achashveirosh’s life out of kindness to Achashveirosh, not because Achashveirosh deserved it, but because it was a middah that he very much wanted to have.
That is what it means that Hashem created the refuah before the makkah. Because the makkah of what Haman and Achashveirosh planned, to kill Klal Yisrael, had a refuah. The refuah was having this type of wonderful middah of kindness and generosity.
That is what Purim is all about. Purim is all about kindness and generosity. After all, isn’t that what the day of Purim is about? Isn’t that what matanos l’evyonim, mishloach manos, and the simcha of Purim are all about? Therefore, Mordechai understood that positivity was the tool to be successful, and he saved the life of Achashveirosh. That was the refuah.
The message of Rav Tzaddok is that Purim is a time to be positive. To be positive about Yiddishkeit. Mordechai didn’t bow to Haman, and he said to the Jews: Why are you acting like downtrodden Jews and bowing to this man? On the contrary, don’t be downtrodden. Stand up and be proud Yidden. Don’t bow to him. Be positive. Positive about Yiddishkeit, that is what it is about. As Rav Isaac Sher says, you can know things. but ain g’vul l’yidia, you have to remember something, and you have to practice it again and again. That is what this Yom Tov is about: being kind, positive, generous, happy. Being optimistic about Yiddishkeit.
RABBI YISRAEL REISMAN
