After this introduction, I’d like to go to the climax of this week’s Parsha. The Haftarah we will read this Shabbat (for Bnei Ashkenaz) is from the book of Hoshea (12:13). It begins with: ַעֲבֹד יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאִשָּׁה וּבְאִשָּׁה שׁ ָמָר ִבְרַ ח יַעֲקֹב שְׂדֵה אֲרָ ם וַי וַי – And Yaakov fled into the country of Aram, and Yisrael served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep. Sixty days ago, we all read from this same section, in the Haftorah of Shabbat Shuva:
שׁ וּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד ה ' אֱ -׃ כִּי כָשַׁלְתָּ בַּעֲוֺנֶך לֹהֶיך קְ חוּ עִ מָּ כֶם דְּ בָרִ ים וְשׁ וּבוּ אֶל־ה ' ְמָה פָרִ ים אִמְרוּ אֵלָיו כׇּל־תִּשָּׂא עָוֺן וְקַח־טוֹב וּנְשׁ ַל שְׂ פָ תֵ ינוּ׃ א ַ שׁ ּ ו ּ ר לֹא יוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ עַל־סוּס לֹא נִ רְ כּ ָ ב וְ לֹא־נֹאמַ ר עוֹד אֱ -לֹהֵ ינוּ לְ מַ עֲשֵׂ ה יָ דֵ ינוּ א ֲ שׁ ֶ ר ־ ב ּ ְ ך יְ רֻ חַ ם יָתוֹם׃
Do you want to return to Hakadosh Baruch Hu? There’s a way to do so! If you’re like an orphan, that is what it means to return to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. The question arises: What do these words mean? What is the Navi trying to say here? In order to understand the essence of these words, let’s return to a topic related to Tefillah, and delve a little deeper. In Parshat Mishpatim, the Torah says:
כׇּל־אַלְמָנָה וְיָתוֹם לֹא תְעַנּוּן׃ אִם־עַנֵּה תְעַנֶּה אֹתוֹ כִּי אִם־צָעֹק יִצְעַק אֵלַי שׁ ָמֹעַ אֶשְׁמַע צַעֲקָתוֹ׃
You must not mistreat a widow or orphan. If you do mistreat him, when he cries out to Me, I will indeed hear his cry.
Notice that the words of the entire second Pasuk are repeated: אִם עַנֵּה תְעַנֶּה... אִם צָעֹק יִצְעַק... שׁ ָמֹעַ אֶשְׁמַע. The Ba’al HaTurim says everything is repeated to convey that everything you do to them, Hakadosh Baruch Hu will do to you in return. Does this mean that it’s permissible to harm someone who isn’t an orphan? Rashi explains, the commandment to not oppress a widow or orphan applies to all people, but the Torah specifically refers to widows and orphans because they are weaker, and it is common to oppress them. The reality is that the weak are the ones who are taken advantage of. No one will challenge a strong person. Have you ever seen the government challenge the Israel Electric Corporation? Try to reduce their salaries by even a shekel and watch happens. There will be no electricity!
Let’s take a situation: A man gets married. He learns in yeshiva all day, and his wife works, Baruch Hashem. They have a joint income of 8,000 NIS, and already have two children. One day, the bank manager calls: "Mr. David, do you know that you’re in overdraft? You’ve already reached a deficit of 13,000 shekel and must deposit 5,000 shekel by morning, or I’ll start bouncing your checks." It’s the 10th of the month, and salary won’t come until the beginning of next month – what will he do? There’s a trick – call Dad!
"Dad, how are you?" "I'm fine. What happened? You haven't called in two weeks!" "Dad, are you home tonight?" "Yes. Why do you ask?" "I'll come over for coffee..." "What happened, why suddenly come for coffee?" "Because my situation is a mess..." For two weeks, he forgot he had a father, but as soon as the bank manager calls, he remembers he has one! And if his father doesn’t have coffee to offer, he’ll try with his siblings, and then with his father-in-law. But when everyone tells him there’s no money, what does he do? He goes to the Kotel and inserts a note with his bank account number – "Maybe Hakadosh Baruch Hu will see and have mercy." When did he turn to Hakadosh Baruch Hu? Only after calling everyone in the world!
The Ramban explains that the correct interpretation is that when it says, "If you afflict him [the orphan], he will cry out to Me, and I will hear his cry," it means that the orphan does not need to say anything else. “His cry alone is enough for Me to redeem him and take vengeance upon you.” The reason is that you are oppressing him because he has no one to save him from your hands; so, he is helped more than anyone else. When the bank manager calls an orphan, to whom will he cry out? His father has been in the cemetery for twenty years! So, what does he do? He turns directly to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, the אֲ בִ י יְ תוֹ מִ ים – Father of orphans! Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, "If he turns to Me first, I will hear his cry."
The Rokeach commented earlier, רְ אֶ ה 'יפַ ת מַ 'אַ ר וִ 'פַ ת תּ ֹ 'יְ represents "יָתוֹם" (orphan). Now, we can try to unlock the secret of the orphan in the case of Queen Esther. When Esther goes to Achashverosh, knowing that she may not return, she told Mordechai, "You should know, with Achashverosh there is no wisdom – one woman has already been eliminated! If I enter not in accordance with the law, then I am lost – וְ כַאֲ שׁ ֶ ר אָ בַ דְ תִּ י אָ בָ דְ תִּ י." Mordechai then replied to her: "וּמִי יוֹדֵעַ אִם לְעֵת כָּזֹ את הִג ַעַתְּ לַמַּלְכוּת – And who knows, perhaps you have attained to royal position for just such a crisis." Esther then requests that Mordechai gather all the Jews of Shushan, and they should fast for her, not eating or drinking for three days; she, too, will fast in that manner. Rabbotai, this is not a 20-year-old in their prime! A 70-year-old woman is about to fast for three days before entering to see the king. Have you ever fasted for three days? The most some of us fast is on Tisha B’Av and Yom Kippur – 25 hours, and some people start seeing stars by 3:00 in the afternoon! Three days and nights, with no food or drink!
On her way to Achashverosh, she passed by the chamber of the idols. The Gemara (Megillah 15b) says: When Esther reached the chamber of the idols, the Shechinah departed from her, and she recited Tehillim 22: "לִ י לָמָ ה עֲזַבְ תָּ נִ י-לִ י אֵ -אֵ – My G-d, my G-d, why have You forsaken me?" She wondered if perhaps Hakadosh Baruch Hu was judging her and punishing her for her actions, as if she had acted willfully. Perhaps He was punishing her for marrying Achashverosh, even though she did so in order to save the Jewish people. Or perhaps He was punishing her for calling Achashverosh a dog – יְ חִ ידָ תִ י ַ ד־כּ ֶ לֶ ב מִ יִ ילָה מֵ חֶ רֶ ב נַפְ שׁ ִ י הַ צ. She apologized for calling Achashverosh a dog, and immediately referred to him instead as a lion: מִ פּ ִ י אַ רְ י ֵ ה ה ו ֹ שׁ ִ י ע ֵ נ ִ י.
Why was it a problem to call Achashverosh a dog? Rav Yosef Rozovsky explains: A dog, even if threatening, can often be dealt with – you might throw a shoe at it or try to kick it away. But a lion is entirely different. If a starving lion escapes the zoo and confronts you, there’s no chance of fighting back; you’d only have time to say Shema and leave behind your phone, so people know where you last were. Esther apologized for calling him a dog and switched to lion, because when a dog comes towards you, you’re confident that you can handle it. But when a lion comes, you know there’s no chance you can deal with it and you turn straight to Hashem!
Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to Am Yisrael: "You said you were orphans with no father – יְתוֹמִ ים הָ יִינוּ וְ אֵ ין אָ ב (Eicha 5:3)? I will show you what it means to be an orphan!" Esther understood what the Tefillah of the orphan is. She knew how to daven, understanding that only Hakadosh Baruch Hu could help!
In the Haftara we read this Shabbat, it says: "Asshur will not save us; we will not ride on horses, and we will no longer say, 'Our god' to the work of our hands; for in You, the orphan finds mercy." We live in a country where, every moment, miracles occur – day by day, hour by hour. We are surrounded by billions of lions around us. Not far from us, there's an Iranian one preparing nuclear gifts! But we’re confident. There’s nothing to worry about – we’re protected! We have great friends around the globe to help out. We're also making our own gifts in Dimona every day – don't worry, we’re set! And besides that, we will no longer say 'Our god' to the work of our hands – do you know what kind of army we have? The best in the world! Hakadosh Baruch Hu replies to us, "If you’re experts and set, go manage on your own!"
The same applies to a person in their private life. A person relies on themselves, with full confidence in their savings and business holdings. Everything is fine! Hakadosh Baruch Hu says to them, "If you know how to manage on your own, don’t turn to Me. When should you turn to Me? Only when you know that Asshur won’t save you and that you cannot trust your own hands. Only if you come like that, then I will help you!"
These are the mercies of the orphan, as Hakadosh Baruch Hu promises: "If you turn to Me this way, I will help you!" This is the Tefillah of Leah Imenu! Leah went against all odds. There was a signed agreement between her father and Rivka, and she was set to marry Eisav. Marry Eisav?! No way! She stood at a crossroads and davened! She didn’t give 180 shekel to tzadikim to daven for her at a grave somewhere – she stood alone, crying and asking Hakadosh Baruch Hu to save her!
Chazal tell us – this is Tefillah! Yaakov said to Rachel, "Why are you relying on my Tefillah? Daven for yourself! Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants you to daven to Him!" Chana said, "If Elkanah tells me 'I am better for you than ten sons,' thank you very much. From now on, I will daven myself!" This is the Tefillah of רְ אֶ ה'יפַת מַ 'אַ ר וִ 'פַ ת תּ ֹ 'יְ and this is what Hakadosh Baruch Hu desires!
