{"id":905,"date":"2016-03-22T13:35:41","date_gmt":"2016-03-22T19:35:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.draherin.com\/?p=905"},"modified":"2016-03-22T13:51:34","modified_gmt":"2016-03-22T19:51:34","slug":"the-gilded-cage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.draherin.com\/2016\/03\/22\/the-gilded-cage\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gilded Cage"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>On the surface, the Book of Esther reads as a fable of sorts, filled with drama, suspense and a happy ending. However, keeping in mind that it was written under the rulership and scrutiny of the Persian King, care had to be taken to tell the story without offending sensibilities. A secret tradition passed down orally tells the real story.\u00a0The following has been drawn from our rich tradition of the Talmud<\/span>, Midrash<\/span> and commentaries through the ages.<\/em><\/p>\n

The snake is striking at King Saul<\/span> mercilessly. King Saul cries out to me, pleading with me to help him …<\/p>\n

I jolt awake, in a cold sweat, the haunting image of my ancestor seared in my mind. It\u2019s that dream, the one I\u2019ve had many times before.<\/p>\n

When King Saul was commanded by G\u2011d<\/span>, through the prophet Samuel<\/span>, to eradicate Amalek<\/span>, he was told to leave no remembrance. Yet King Saul was swayed by his own reason\u00a0and emotions, and failed to carry out his divine mandate. He spared Agag<\/span>, the king, and some animals.<\/p>\n

In my vivid, recurring dream, Agag turns into a deadly snake and strikes at King Saul. A shiver runs down my spine as I recall King Saul\u2019s pleading eyes, his cries for help. What could it mean?<\/p>\n

\n

Shulamit enters my chamber, breathless.<\/p>\n

I breathe a sigh of relief. Thank G\u2011d, she is safe.<\/p>\n

She kneels before me and kisses my hand. \u201cYour message was received, and I have been entrusted with a reply. I have memorized it word for word.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stand up to receive the message, trembling. \u201cYou may begin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shulamit clears her throat and, eyes closed, starts reciting Mordechai<\/span>\u2019s message, mimicking his mannerism, cadence and inflections. A deep crease forms between her eyebrows as she concentrates.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell the queen as follows: As soon as I became aware of the decree, I stopped children coming out of school, and inquired as to what they had learned today. I wanted to discern whether there was still hope for the Jewish nation as a people of G\u2011d. One child quoted Proverbs, saying: \u2018Do not fear sudden terror nor the destruction of the wicked when it comes.\u2019 A second child quoted Isaiah<\/span>: \u2018Contrive a scheme but it will be foiled, conspire a plot but it will not materialize, for G\u2011d is with us.\u2019 A third child said: \u2018To your old age I am with you, unto your hoary years I will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you.\u2019 They are all prophetic answers to Haman<\/span>\u2019s threat. We only need to repent and return to G\u2011d, and salvation will come; but you, Esther, what will become of you? If you remain silent at this time, you and the house of your father will be lost. Perhaps it was precisely for this moment that G\u2011d has made you queen of Persia and Media.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you remain silent at this time, you and the house of your father will be lost.<\/i>What does Mordechai mean by that? Mordechai feels that I am precisely the one to fulfill this task, and if I were to refuse, I and my ancestors would be lost? I reflect on those words, tossing them around from every angle, endeavoring to uncover their implications.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour Highness?\u201d Shulamit\u2019s arms are outstretched, a scroll in her open palms. She raises it toward me like an offering. \u201cMordechai thought that within these words, you would find the resolve you seek.\u201d<\/p>\n

I roll it open. It contains Jeremiah<\/span>\u2019s prophecies.<\/p>\n

So says the L\u2011rd: I remember the lovingkindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials, your following me in the desert, in a land not sown. … What wrong did your forefathers find in Me, that they distanced themselves from Me, and they went after futility? … Truly, as a woman betrays her beloved, so have you betrayed Me, O House of Israel<\/span> …<\/i><\/p>\n

Indeed, when we accepted the Torah<\/span> at Mount Sinai, we were bound with G\u2011d like a woman to her husband. We swore our undying devotion and faithfulness, yet we have betrayed Him by placing our trust in idols or humans. The truth is that our betrayal is only skin-deep. Yes, Jews have bowed to idols, but not sincerely; they have sought to ingratiate themselves and seek protection and security from a human king, and affronted G\u2011d\u2019s honor by doing so. Even so, I believe that deep inside every Jewish heart beats that same unwavering loyalty of a star-struck newlywed. It only needs to be revealed.<\/p>\n

And you will seek Me with all your heart, and I will be found by you, says G\u2011d.<\/i><\/p>\n

Is this why Mordechai asks me to endanger my life? For only an extraordinary act of sacrifice will bring to the fore the unbreakable bond we share with G\u2011d?<\/p>\n

I pause; the intensity of that thought overwhelms me. Then, as if calling to me, the words draw me in again.<\/p>\n

The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream, and who has My word, let him tell My word as truth.<\/i><\/p>\n

Like a flash of light in the darkness, I have an epiphany. All is crystal clear: my dream, its meaning and Mordechai\u2019s words.<\/p>\n

Agag, King of Amalek, striking King Saul … And now, a descendant of Amalek is poised to strike all Jews …<\/p>\n

I must correct my great-grandfather\u2019s mistake. And it must be me, for if I refuse, I and my ancestors will be lost. I will have forfeited the opportunity to rectify King Saul\u2019s fault.<\/p>\n

The musty scroll beckons me once more.<\/p>\n

A voice is heard on high, lamentation, bitter weeping, Rachel<\/span> weeping for her children, she refuses to be comforted for her children, for they are not. So says the L\u2011rd: Refrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is reward for your work, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy<\/i>.<\/a>1<\/p>\n

I recall the days when Mordechai and I, poring over the scriptures, would recount the lore that lies between the terse verses. How I loved to hear the deeds of our matriarchs, and how I wished to emulate them.<\/p>\n

The patriarchs and matriarchs went to appease the Holy One, blessed be He, concerning the sin of Manasseh<\/span>, who placed an image in the Temple<\/span>, but He was not appeased. Rachel entered and stated before Him, \u201cO L\u2011rd of the Universe, whose mercy is greater, Your mercy or the mercy of a flesh and blood person? You must admit that Your mercy is greater. Now, did I not bring my rival into my house?<\/p>\n

\u201cFor all the work that Jacob<\/span> worked for my father, he worked only for me. When I came to enter the nuptial canopy, they brought my sister, and it was not enough that I kept my silence, but I gave her my password. You, too, if Your children have brought Your rival into Your house, keep Your silence for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said to her, \u201cYou have defended them well. There is reward for your deed and for your righteousness, that you gave over your password to your sister.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was that the reason Rachel was buried on the road to Ephrath, alone, so that she could intervene on behalf of her children when they were being exiled? Did she know she was the only one who could? Did she foresee in the throes of labor that her children would need her, and that is why, as she was dying, she named her child \u201cBen<\/span> Oni,\u201d son of my sorrow?<\/p>\n

The magnitude of her sacrifice moves me to tears, and I know without a doubt what I must do. But I will not act alone. I find Haman\u2019s letter and reread it with care. The answer to our predicament is to be found in his accusations. He calls us \u201ca people scattered and dispersed\u201d\u2014so we must come together in unison. He deems us \u201carrogant\u201d\u2014so we need to humble ourselves through fast and prayer. Haman cast a pur<\/span><\/i>, lottery, surrendering his scheme to a plane of inescapable fate, beyond calculations or logic.<\/p>\n

We, too, must employ effort beyond reason and prove to G\u2011d that our commitment and relationship with Him reaches far beyond sense. No matter what the cost, we shall not give up our Jewish identity. That is why I will go before the the king, unannounced. I will reveal to the king that I am a Jewess, and I will plead for my people.<\/p>\n

\n

One late night in 1942, in Hamadan, the local rabbi was approached by a Muslim who owned a coffee shop next to Esther\u2019s Tomb. \u201cThere is a lady trapped in your building. I can hear her crying. Why don\u2019t you take care of her?\u201d he complained. The rabbi was confused. Usually, Esther\u2019s Tomb was kept locked before nightfall, after ensuring everyone had left. He went to investigate, but there was no one to be found. Queen Esther must be crying for her children, he felt. Shaken, the rabbi called the community together: \u201cLet us fast and pray to G\u2011d for the safety of the\u00a0Jews.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

When the long night and day of fasting were over, the news was heard that Germany had suffered its first defeat at Stalingrad and was beginning its retreat.<\/a>2<\/i><\/p>\n

The Talmud praises Esther for striving to be like the matriarchs. Considering that Esther was a descendent of Rachel (from the tribe of\u00a0Benjamin<\/span>), I find that this story movingly echoes Rachel\u2019s crying for her children.<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

Excerpted from the The Gilded Cage: Esther\u2019s Untold Story<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\n
FOOTNOTES<\/div>\n
\n
\n

1.<\/a><\/p>\n

Jeremiah 31:14<\/a>. See Rashi.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

2.<\/a><\/p>\n

I heard this story from Farhad Daghighian, whose grandmother Monavar Alaghband-Darshi was present that day. Monavar\u2019s story has been corroborated by Rabbi Ovadia Nataneli, who was also present.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u00a0Source: Chabad.org<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
BY SORELE BROWNSTEIN<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Sorele Brownstein is co-director of Chabad of Yolo County, California. She lives in Davis with her husband and children.\u00a0Artwork by Sefira Ross<\/a>, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u00a9 Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org’s copyright policy<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the surface, the Book of Esther reads as a fable of sorts, filled with drama, suspense and a happy ending. However, keeping in mind that it was written under the rulership and scrutiny of the Persian King, care had to be taken to tell the story without offending sensibilities. 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People were filled with awe and wonderment when passing the majestic-looking building. They had all heard about the king, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Schtuff"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.draherin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/djhi9138518.jpg?fit=1200%2C627&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":677,"url":"https:\/\/www.draherin.com\/2015\/08\/13\/king-josiahs-example-torah-babies\/","url_meta":{"origin":905,"position":1},"title":"King Josiah\u2019s Example | Torah Babies","date":"2015-08-13","format":false,"excerpt":"When we start studying our bibles for ourselves one of the things many of us start to is that things we grew up hearing don\u2019t seem to line up with what we are reading. \u00a0This is a good thing though because YHWH is removing the scales from our eyes and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Schtuff"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.draherin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/KingJosiah.png?fit=383%2C324&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1082,"url":"https:\/\/www.draherin.com\/2017\/01\/19\/grace-the-art-of-how-we-give-thanks\/","url_meta":{"origin":905,"position":2},"title":"Grace: The Art of How We Give Thanks","date":"2017-01-19","format":false,"excerpt":"Saying Grace. 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Onan resorts to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.draherin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/file0001091607841.jpg?fit=620%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":738,"url":"https:\/\/www.draherin.com\/2015\/09\/16\/my-first-rosh-hashana\/","url_meta":{"origin":905,"position":5},"title":"My First Rosh HaShana","date":"2015-09-16","format":false,"excerpt":"As you already know, I grew up goyim, not knowing any of the customs or traditions of the Jewish people. 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