Vashti had coerced Jewish girls to work on Shabbos, and the cow, in whom Vashti’s soul resided, was shouted at and beaten in an attempt to get it to plow on Shabbos. This served as a form of rectification for Vashti’s soul. Achashveirosh’s neshomah similarly achieved a level of atonement when he came back to this world as the non-Jew who ultimately converted to Judaism.
R' Yochanan ben Torsa
The Pesikta continues, providing another astounding revelation. Not only did Achashveirosh’s neshomah return to this world as a non-Jew who converted to Judaism, but, after his geirus, he studied and mastered Torah. His stature grew among his contemporaries, and he eventually was able to achieve the level of a Tanna. He became known as R’ Yochanan ben Torsa, “Rav Yochanan the son of the cow.” He was called thus because his geirus had been precipitated by the events surrounding the cow that he had purchased.
Until this very day, adds the Pesikta, we relate divrei Torah in his name.
The Connection Between Purim and Parshas Porah
Upon further reflection regarding the story brought in the Pesikta, we are impressed by one of the messages contained therein. Even a cow can influence someone to come closer to Hashem.
The Pesikta adds that it should not be surprising that a cow could bring a person under the כנפי השכינה, wings of the Shechinah. After all, as we read in the Torah, זאת חקת התורה, this is the decree of the Torah: A single porah adumah, a single red heifer, can provide purity and taharah to all of Klal Yisroel.
The Pesikta compares the role of the porah adumah in providing purity to the cow that was the impetus for the conversion of a non-Jew, for a person to become a member of the Jewish nation. Combined with the revelation of the Rema MiFano that the convert was none other than a gilgul of Achashveirosh, we can understand why Parshas Porah is read immediately after Purim. After all, the power of the porah adumah, its ability to render people tahor, is more fully appreciated in the context of the cow that cleansed and purified the sullied soul of Achashveirosh.
Incredibly, Rav Moshe Wolfson (Emunas Itecha, Parshas Porah, pg. 253) points out that the gematria of the opening words of Parshas Porah, זאת חקת (nine hundred and sixteen), is identical to the gematria of המלך אחשורוש! (Based on an essay from R’ Doniel Glatstein)
