R' Avigdor Miller Zt"l
Based on his books, tapes & Writings of Talmidim
Rescued by Prayer
Actually Haman was more dangerous than Hitler. Hitler didn’t have all the
Jews under his control like Haman did. Hitler, at least, had some shame; he
concealed his wicked deeds in far off concentration camps. Of course there were
other more practical reasons for that, but don’t think it wasn’t this also. Hitler was
full of bluster but he was also ashamed. Haman on the other hand had no qualms at
all; he wanted to wipe out the entire Jewish people without any regard for public
opinion. He wanted it done openly on the streets of all the cities of the empire! A
bloodbath!
Unlimited Power
And he was well-suited for the job; he was a tzorer haYehudim by inheritance,
a born and bred anti-semite. He came from a family whose tradition it was, all the
way back to Amalek, to be bitter enemies to the Jews. Lehavdil, just like we’ll gather
together in the shuls on the Shabbos before Purim to remind ourselves about what
Amalek tried to do to us, don’t think that Amalek was any less dedicated. They had
a bitter hatred for us and they also gathered together in their own places to inflame
their hatred, they handed down their traditions of Jew-hatred from father to son
throughout the generations. And it was a family tradition that Haman loyally
upheld.
And now he had the King’s ring – it means he could do with the Jews as he
pleased. Here’s a man with all the wealth and power, and a fiery Jew-hatred to boot!
It means we were in big trouble. The same thing that happened in Europe should
have happened in Persia too, worse should have happened.
Only that it didn’t. In Europe we lost our nation but in Persia a Purim
happened. Two opposite conclusions to the same story! And so, it’s an important
question: What made Shushan different from Berlin? How could it be that from the
same enemy came such different endings? It’s not just a historical question – it’s a
question of what Hashem wants from us, a question of what lessons we’re supposed
to learn from the Purim story.
A Close Connection
So we look in the Gemara: רַב†מַתְנהָ†אמַָר†מֵהכָאָ†– Rav Masnah, when he gave a
drashah on the Megillah he said a preface by means of quoting a possuk. כִּי†מִי†גוֹי†גָּדוֹל
– Where is there such a great nation like the Am Yisroel, אֲשֶׁר†לוֹ†אֱלקִֹים†קְרבִֹים†אֵלָיו†– who
has Hashem so close to him? (Devarim 4:7). That’s a principle that is repeated
constantly in the Torah. We are His Am Kerovo, the one nation Hashem brings close
to Himself, and Rav Masnah is reminding us that the story of Purim was a unique
demonstration of that.
On that day Hashem pulled the curtain back, the curtain that hides things in
Olam Hazeh, and He showed us that we are the one nation that can feel confident
that Hashem is with us. That’s why Rav Masnah quoted this possuk as an introduction
to his Purim drashah.
However, the Gemara doesn’t quote the possuk in full and it’s very reasonable
to say that Rav Masnah himself, when he gave his drashah, he said the whole possuk:
“Where is there such a nation that has Elokim close to it, בכְּלָ†קָרְאֵנו†אֵליָו†– whenever
we call out to Him.”
“When we call out to Him!” It’s on those last words that the whole story of
Purim devolves. Yes, it’s true that Hashem is close to us and saves us, but those last
three words give depth to the idea. I say depth; actually, those words throw a
monkey wrench into the whole thing because it’s telling us that this promise is
dependent on a certain condition. When do we merit to be that great nation that has
Hashem so close? בְּכָל†קָרְאֵנוּ†אֵלָיו†– Whenever we call out to Him.
When We Cry Out
Oh, that’s something else! Hashem’s closeness, His being our Savior, is not
given as a gift for nothing. It is always given solely in response to our crying out to
Him. That’s the plain meaning of this verse. Yes, He’s close. Yes, our nation can have
Purims all the time, He can always save us, but it has to be בכְּלָ†קָרְאֵנו†אֵליָו†- we have
to cry out to Him.
Now, had they failed in the days of Purim to fulfill those last words then the
story would have been different. There would be a Tisha B’Av instead of a Purim.
Only that we had a Mordechai and an Esther. They saw that we were in trouble and
they got busy planning the salvation of the Jewish nation.
וּ†ׇ†מרְדֳּכַי†יָדַע†אֶת†ׇ†כּל†אֲשֶׁר†נַעֲשָׂה†– Mordechai knew all that was taking place. And the
Gemara says he knew why it was taking place. Mordechai and Esther didn’t blame
it on the gentiles and on anti-semitism. They didn’t make organizations and
seminars about fighting anti-semitism. They knew that there was one reason, one
address: “We have to cry out to Him.”
Mordechai and Esther decided that for such an important event, this was the
biggest catastrophe with which our nation was ever faced, so you have to take
steps that are the most extreme that our nation ever did.
[…] portions omitted for brevity
Tefillah and Tzaros
Now, before we go any further, let’s make clear to ourselves what the primary
purpose of tefillah is – it’s an important subject because it’s something that many
people, even good people, never learned. Why do we daven? What are we trying to
achieve? Well, the answer may come as a surprise to you but the purpose of asking
is not to have your request fulfilled; the purpose of tefillah is not that the tefillah
should be answered.
Now, if we’re going to understand what that means, we have to talk first not
about the purpose of tefillah but about the purpose of tzaros. What’s the primary
purpose of any kind of vicissitude, any kind of mishap or difficulty in this world?
And it’s a very important question for us because there’s nobody who doesn’t have
troubles in this world. Big troubles, little troubles; everyone has worries in this
world. Everybody has things they need; health and parnassah, children, shidduchim,
whatever it is. And so it’s important for us to know, what is the purpose of all of
these tzaros? After all, it’s not an accident.
And so we’ll explain that the greatest good that we can acquire in this world
is that we should be aware of Hashem. There’s nothing greater than that. Torah,
mitzvos, gemilus chassodim, excellent; no question about it. But we’re in this world
primarily to become aware of Hashem. It’s not for Him; He doesn’t need it. It’s for
you, for your own perfection. To come into this world and to feel, to be aware that
Hakadosh Baruch Hu is in charge and He is the one to Whom you have to address
yourself for help - that’s the biggest benefit of life. Emunah, Awareness of Hashem,
that’s the great success of a man in this world. The more you’re aware, the more
successful you are.
Saved from the Sword
And so, the purpose of every difficulty that a person encounters is so that the
person should cry out to Hashem for help. You’re not davening because of the
difficulty – the difficulty came to cause you to daven. Why are you having trouble in
the office? So that you should call out to Hashem. Why do you have a headache? So
that you should call out to Hashem. Of course there are other purposes too –
Hakadosh Baruch Hu has more than one thing in Mind – but there is one common
denominator, one underlying purpose that is common to every tzarah; and that is
to make a man ask Hashem for His help.
That’s what it says in the Gemara (Brachos 10a) that a person should never
give up hope; he should never stop asking Hashem for mercy even if a sharp sword
is already on his neck. So some say that it’s because there’s always hope – the
sword is about to cut off your head? No matter! There’s still hope!
But that’s not it. It’s true; absolutely it’s true that Hakadosh Baruch Hu can
save you even when the sword is about to cut you down. But that’s not the primary
reason for davening when the sword is on your neck. It’s much more than that. It’s
because that’s the whole purpose of the sword on his neck; Hashem puts the sword
there so that he should ask for rachamim, so that he should ask Hashem for mercy.
So if a man has a sharp sword on his neck and now he cries out to Hashem
because of that, that’s his success! Whatever happens subsequently is not
important! The biggest achievement is not to get the sword off your neck, because
just to continue living without purpose is unimportant. What’s important is the
calling out to Hashem – to believe in Hashem and to become more and more aware
of Him. That’s the real success. And then, whatever happens with the sword, you’ve
achieved your purpose in life.
[…] portions omitted for brevity
The Rabbis in Europe
The truth is there were Mordechais but there was no Am Yisroel to listen to
them. The rabbanim, who listened to them? The gedolim in Europe didn’t have any
influence on the nation at all and I can testify to that. I watched how it progressed,
how it came to be.
I was in Slabodka which was a suburb of Kovno. Now Kovno was the main
town of Lithuania and the Kovno Rov was the most important Torah authority in all
of Lithuania. The most important Torah authority! And yet, no Jewish newspaper
would publish anything that he said.
In Europe, there were many daily newspapers, so called Jewish papers. Did
the words of the chachmei hatorah ever appear in these newspapers? No! The
chachmei hatorah were only mentioned in order to ridicule them. And so if the
Kovno Rav or any of the others would come out with a proclamation that we should
pray to Hashem, they’d all ridicule him. “Ha! What a fool! We’re talking about Hitler,
about war, about serious things, and this foolish old man is talking about davening.”
At most, the Kovno Rav if he would have the boldness, he could print up some
leaflets and post them in some batei midrashos. But the people didn’t come to the
batei midrashos anyhow — very few people came. I was in Slabodka. I’m telling you
the truth. Nobody came and nobody listened to him. They listened to the writers in
the newspapers, to atheists!
The Yeshivos in Europe
I’m sure that he himself prayed. In the Slabodka Yeshivah they prayed. I was
present in Slabodka when Hitler marched into Sudetenland, and they prayed; oh,
how they prayed. No question that in all the yeshivos they said tehillim. They split
the ceiling with their tehillim. But what did the yeshivos count in a great mass of
people? The yeshivos were batel, not b’shishim; they were batel b’elef, b’revovos! A
little spot, let’s say, in Slabodka - one place, a yeshivah; but outside of Slabodka,
who listened to the Rosh Yeshivah of Slabodka?
You have to know that the yeshivah people with their rebbes were only a drop
in the ocean of European Jewry and they didn’t have anybody who listened to them.
An adam gadol, Reb Elcohonon, said this. I remember, because I was in Europe at
that time. I left Europe in 1938 just when Hitler was already in power. When Hitler
started marching, that’s when I decided that I had better go home.
Now, at that time Rav Elchonon said the following: “All Jewry in Europe is
divided into two groups,” he said. “On one side is the Bnei Torah, the yeshivah
people. And on the other side are the masses of people who are heading away from
the Torah.”
Now, it doesn’t mean all the Jews were mechallel Shabbos, no. But even the
Jews who kept Shabbos and kashrus and everything else, were no longer on the
side of the roshei yeshivos. Because their leaders were the irreligious ones. They
read their newspapers and in their heads were their ideas of the wrong people.
Those who were in the yeshivos were a small band. They were excellent
yeshivos, much better than American yeshivos. But they were isolated from the
people. “And therefore,” Reb Elchonon said, “The general population did not come
together to cry out to Hashem.”
Everything is Upside Down
But in the days of Purim we prayed. We cried and prayed and cried and
prayed. And what happened because we prayed? The promise of Hashem was
fulfilled. כִּי†מִי†גוֹי†גָּדוֹל†– Where is there such a great nation like the Am Yisroel, אשֲֶׁר†ל†ו†ֹ
אלֱקִֹים†קְרבֹיִם†אלֵיָו†– who has Hashem so close to Him? בכְּלָ†קָרְאֵנו†אֵליָו†– we called out to
Hashem!
Things started happening as a result of their crying out. You read about it in
the Megillah. This happened and that happened and suddenly ונְהֲַפוךֹ†הואּ†! Everything
turned upside down! They cried out so much from the bottom of their hearts that
Hashem turned it upside down. Haman is hanging!
You know why it happened? Because of a different ונְהֲַפוךֹ†הואּ†, a more important
ונְהֲַפוךֹ†הואּ†. The Jewish nation became turned upside down! The Am Yisroel became
more aware of Hashem, more than ever before! We were always a good people, an
excellent people, but now the excellent people became even better than before.
ונְהֲַפוךֹ†הואּ†– They became new people; they were turned upside down by means of
calling out to Hashem!
And that’s how the tragedy, the most terrible tragedy chalilah they were
threatened with, became a great simchah that every year Jews celebrate it in the
most wild happiness. The worst tragedy changed into the wildest happiness
because we were changed. Purim became the wildest, happiest, day of the year
because they cried out to Hashem. And Hashem heard and said, “All right. I
accomplished My purpose. Now I don’t need any tzaros. From now on I’m going to
give them a nice Purim seudah, a nice big day of simchah, instead. And let them
remember Me in happiness instead of troubles.”
And so we come back now to what Purim is all about. What did we say on
that first Purim? “We’ll remember You, Hakodosh Boruch Hu! We won’t ever
forget! וִימֵי†הַפּוּרִים†הָאֵלֶּה†לאֹ†יַעַבְרוּ†מִתּוֹךְ†הַיְּהוּדִים†, Purim will forever be celebrated by the
Jewish people.”
Hook or Crook
That’s the bargain we made with Hashem and that’s one of the important
lessons of Purim. One way or another, hook or by crook, we’re going to be
thinking about Hashem. And the best thing is when it’s by the hook of good times.
That’s what we’ll choose; the Awareness of Hashem through simcha instead of
tzaros.
What do you think about as you sit down to eat and drink? What are you
thinking about when you listen to the Megillah and when you’re sending mishloach
manos and matanos la’evyonim? Who caused this whole story? Who made
Haman? Who gave him so much power? Hakadosh Baruch Hu caused it. Why did
He cause it? Because He wants us to call out to Him. And we did! That’s why we
were saved.
That’s what Purim is for! The seudah tastes good. You’re enjoying yourself.
The whole family is there. You’re getting gifts and sending gifts – we’re so happy
to be alive, so happy that Hashem saved us that we’re sending gifts to one another
– and you’re a little bit intoxicated. Oh, that’s the best time. The best time for
what? To remember Hashem. “Oh! Boruch Hashem! Boruch Hashem! We thank
You! We remember You. We’re thinking about You!”
If you wish to actually read the entire article for PURIM, please go here:
https://torasavigdor.org/parshah-booklets/purim-5783/
