05 Mar ESTHER’S STORY

The Gemora in
Megillah teaches us
that Esther requested,
“Kavuni l’doros – Affix
me for all generations,”
please write my story
for posterity. This is a
very strange request. We
know that a common denominator of all our
great ones is that they shared a strong sense of
humility – as the posuk states, “Eikev anava
yiras Hashem – Besides humility, there is
fear of G-d.” Therefore, just like all of our
leaders were G-d fearing, they were very
humble as well. That being the case, it seems
quite puzzling that Esther would openly
express a desire that she should be recorded
publicly. Why this desire to have her name
‘up in lights’ for all to read throughout the
generations?
We can be certain that it was not a quest for
fame that motivated Esther HaMalka. One
explanation of Esther’s desire for the accounts
of Purim to be included in the Scriptures is
that she recognized the timeless lessons of the
story of Purim. Thus, the lessons of giving
and sharing that we learn from the mitzvahs
of mishloach manos and matanos le’evyonim
are of everlasting importance. So too, the
message of Jewish pride and the emphasis
on the supremacy of learning and mitzvahs
are expressed so vividly and eloquently in the

verse, “LaYehudim hoysah orah v’simchah
v’soson vi’yikar.” This verse is homiletically
interpreted to mean that the Jews recognized
the paramount light of the Torah, the true
joy of the Festivals, the rejoicing of the
mitzvah of milah, and the preciousness of the
commandment of tefillin.
But, there is another reason Esther petitioned
to have her story revealed to all. We must
realize that Esther had to live a life that was
the antithesis of the ambition of any good
Beis Yakov girl. The Yad Hashem forced
her to do the unthinkable – to marry a gentile
and to live with him publicly for many, many
years; and to bear him a child, Darius, who
would become the next emperor of Persia.
Esther was concerned that history should
know the true story – that she was propelled
by Divine forces to be the instrument to
save Klal Yisroel. She wanted that, into the
words of the Megillah, should be woven the
true account of how she never succumbed
to Achashveirosh willingly (cf. “Vatilokach
Esther,” which means that she was coerced
to go into Achashveirosh). And indeed,
Hashem acquiesced to Esther’s desire, as the
Gemora says, “Esther b’Ruach HaKodesh
nemra – The Megillah of Esther was truly
Divinely inspired,” and as we know, it has
been included among the twenty-four books
of TaNa”CH.
This can also be the deeper meaning of

the Gemora in Chullin [39b], “Esther min
HaTorah minayin?” which, on the simple
level, is taken to mean, “Where do we find a
Scriptural reference to Esther in the Torah?”
However, now we can add another meaning to
this question. How do we know that Esther’s
behavior was Biblically correct? And thus
the Gemora answers with the Biblical verse,
“Anochi haster aster panai – I will conceal
my presence (says Hashem).” (Both of the
words, haster and aster, are etymologically
similar to Esther.) This is taken as a reference
to the era of Mordechai and Esther, when the
Divine hand seemed to be concealed and
Haman and his cohorts almost succeeded in
their nefarious plot to annihilate the Jewish
People. This is why Hashem’s name is not
mentioned even once in the entire Megillah.
In his incredible sefer, Toras Chemed, Rav
Michoel Ber Weismandel, Zt”l, Zy”a, writes
the most amazing Biblical source for Esther.
He reveals that there are 12,110 letters in
Megillas Esther. Then he says that if you
count 12,110 from the first alef in the Torah,
found in the word Bereishis, you come to a
samech. Then, if you count another 12,110
letters, you arrive at the letter tof. Continuing
again 12,110 more letters from the tof, one
arrives incredibly at a reish – spelling the
word Esther. [What is also fantastic is the
fact the he calculated this before the computer
came into existence.] Is it any wonder that

the Gemora tells us that the Chachomim ikrei
Sofrim, the Sages were called Counters, for
they calculated such incredible revelations
such as this one? Now we can also more
easily understand why, if a sefer Torah is
missing just one letter, the whole Torah is
posul, rendered unfit, for it throws off myriads
of such sequential calculations.
May it be the will of Hashem that in the merit
of Mordechai and Esther, Hashem protect
Klal Yisroel from all dangers, sickness,
and woes, and may we all be zoche to long
life good health, happiness and everything
wonderful.