ותעמוד בחצר בית המלך הפנימית
“And she stood in the inner court of the King’s palace.” (Esther 5:1)
The Gemara in Megillah (15b) says that as she entered the area which was filled with idols, she felt the Shechinah leave her, so ותעמוד — she stood and prayed: א-לי א-לי למה עזבתני — “My G-d, my G-d, why have You forsaken me?” According to the Medrash Shochar Tov, with the repetition of “my G-d” she was alluding, “My G-d at the sea, my G-d at Sinai, do not forsake me.”
The question is, why the emphasis on Hashem’s appearance at the sea and Sinai?
Rav Yonasan Eibshitz (Yaares Devash, Vol.2, Derush 10) explains: Hashem appears in different forms. At Kriyas Yam Suf, He appeared as a powerful warrior, and at the giving of the Torah on Har Sinai, He appeared in the form of a merciful Sage (Yalkut Shimoni 246).
According to the Arizal, the different forms of revelation depend on the mission to be accomplished. Kriyas Yam Suf was against the laws of nature: Water, which normally flows continuously, stood as a pillar. To emphasize that Hashem governs nature and is not limited by it, He appeared as a powerful warrior who conquers and controls. In contrast, the giving of the Torah was not an act contrary to nature, and therefore He appeared as a merciful Sage.
Esther was pleading with Hashem, “The Jewish people are facing an extremely difficult time. We are being threatened with annihilation. You, my G-d, are the All-powerful; You control nature and are above it. We need Your miraculous help! May it be Your will to perform a miracle on our behalf which is within the laws of nature, as You have done at Sinai, or one which surpasses nature, as You have done at the sea; whatever it may be — please do not forsake me.”
