We are now in chapter 4 of Megilat Esther, in which Haman’s decree was made against the Jews. Mordechai then sent a message to Esther that she should go into the king to make a request on behalf of the Jewish people.
Her answer to Mordechai was that, as everyone was aware, anybody who went into the king without being called for would be killed, and she hadn’t been there for 30 days. Mordechai responded by telling Esther, “Don’t think you’re going to save yourself by not going into the king, while the Jewish people get killed. If you stay quiet, the salvation will come from somewhere else, and you and your father‘s house will be wiped out. Who knows if this is why you came to the king?
What exactly does this mean? Esther was concerned for her life, but Mordechai answered her with a fundamental:
Don’t think that you are saving the Jewish people. You are only a shaliach/messenger.
God is going to save the Jewish people, because God is supposed to save the Jewish people. If you have the zechut/merit, you will be the one to do it, but we don’t need you. This is an important concept:
A person should never think, “if I don’t give money to the Yeshiva, it will not survive.” The Yeshiva will survive, we don’t need you to make it happen.
Hashem will make it happen anyway, and if you have the zechut, you will be able to do the Mitzvah. This applies in all areas. Don’t think that the school PTA can’t survive without you. It will.
So rule one is that the salvation will come from another source.
There is another lesson here, from when Mordechai told Esther: “You and your father’s house will be wiped out.”
The commentaries tell us that the only reason for Haman’s existence was that Shaul HaMelech had mercy on Agag, then king of Amalek. He did not wipe him out, and Haman came from Agog.
Esther was a descendant of Shaul, and since Shaul was responsible, her job, as his descendant, was to fix the sin of her father’s house, by going in to the king, risking her life, not being concerned about herself, and saving the Jewish people.
That was why she was put there. If she didn’t do this, then she and her father’s house would be wiped out. So when Mordechai said, “Who knows if this is why you came to the king?” he meant that Hashem had set it up for a reason.
Whenever a person is in a position to save the Jewish people, he has to understand that it is not a coincidence. It’s the reason he came to the world. It is why we are here. If you avoid it, it wouldn’t just mean that you’re missing out on this. It’s the whole purpose of your being.
Mordechai was saying,
“Esther, don’t think that you are going to save yourself, because not only would you not be saving yourself, but you would be losing your whole reason for coming into this world. You came to this world for this purpose.
In our own lives, when a situation or opportunity comes up, we can’t just think that it’s a nice opportunity. We have to know that it is what we were put here for. If you pass on those great opportunities, you miss out on your whole destiny. There are many stories like that. If Ruth would not have married Boaz, if Isaac Shalom would not have started Magen David… In life, there are deciding moments, when people make decisions. When you look back, they look like no brainers.
It’s easy for us to see, in hindsight, that it why Esther was put there. But while it’s happening, you don’t always realize it. Hindsight is 2020, but we have to realize it, as we are going through it.
Every step of the way, remember the line, “Who knows if this is why you were put here.” In whatever capacity you have, with whatever power you have, who knows if this is not why you were put here in this world.
If you miss the opportunity, you don’t only miss this opportunity, but you miss your whole purpose in life.
May we all merit to be properly guided to make the right decisions, and pick up on those pivotal moments in life. Have a wonderful day.