Before I begin this article, I would like to wish a refuah shleima to one of my dear rebbeim, Rephael Yerachmiel ben Hadasa, who has suddenly become very ill (Rephael was just added to his name). May we merit to have a turn-around, and he has a complete recovery!
In Megillas Esther, the description of the Purm miracle is of v’nahafoch hu - the exact opposite of what Haman wanted to do to Klal Yisrael was done to him. Instead of being destroyed, the Jews were able to destroy their enemies.
But there’s a bigger lesson here. The concept of v’nahafoch hu is that what we thought was the worst situation, was actually the source of the yeshuah - salvation! By Purim, the exact opposite of what Klal Yisrael thought is what brought about the yeshuah.
In the Megillah, Esther was taken by force to the palace of Achashveirosh. This was a tragedy, not just for her and Mordechai, but also for everyone who knew her. How can the tzadekes Esther be taken to that Jew-hating king as a potential wife? The Vilna Gaon says even though Esther was truly beautiful, she turned green, disgusted by all the materialism around her, and Hashem placed a thread of grace over her to keep her appealing. She most definitely did not want to be Achashveirosh’s queen, and everything she needed to do as his queen was by force. And when he chose her above all the other women, which came as a complete shock, the feeling of despair for her was great. What good could possibly come from that?
Her suffering was the source of the yeshuah! When it was time for her to save the Jews, she was able to approach Achashveirosh and save Klal Yisrael from Haman, and ultimately from his evil decree. She did it at great personal risk, and only after she commanded that everyone fast and repent as a merit for her. The fact that she had been taken, a tragedy, was the source of the yeshuah. That’s when they clearly saw that what they thought was bad was really good. That’s venahafoch hu!
In parshas Ki Tisa, we find a similar concept. We have the story of the cheit ha’egel - the sin of the golden calf. This is one of the hardest stories to understand in the Torah, and it’s the one some Goyim love to use against us. Hashem just took you out Mitzrayim and you rebelled against Him!
Moshe Rabbeinu begged Hashem to forgive Bnei Yisrael, and Hashem did. At that moment, Moshe realized that it was an eitz ratzon - an opportune time, and he was able to make great requests from Hashem which otherwise wouldn’t have happened! He asked that Hashem’s shechinah should be removed from the goyim and be placed only on Bnei Yisrael. That wasn’t the original plan, but Moshe used the opportunity to ask for it and Hashem agreed! We don’t even realize how awesome that is, that Hashem is only with us! This is a type of hafacho, that the bad was the source of the amazing outcome.
In Tehillim 30, Dovid Hamelech says, about himself: Hafachta mispedi limachol li - he changed my mourning into dancing. He saw that all his personal suffering was really the source of his greatness. Rashi brings the Pesikta Zuta, which says that this entire chapter is a conversation between Haman, Esther, and Mordechai. And this last pasuk was said by Mordechai and Klal Yisrael, describing how the salvation came from the suffering. The actual pain switched to happiness, as the suffering was the source of the yeshuah.
At the end, it’s easier to see that the hardship itself is from where the yeshuah came. A related concept is saying gam zu l’tova - believing that this too is for the best. That’s a step without knowing the ending, having bitachon that what seems bad is really for our good. V’nahafoch is more than that. It’s seeing the bad happening, and having emunah and bitachon that it’s the source from where things will switch around and we’ll see the actual yeshuah will come from there. That’s a lesson we need to learn from the Purim miracle.
I’d like to bring the following story which illustrates this. Shlomo had just begun his new business, a small loan and business consultation company. He signed up with a shomer Torah agency to send him customers, stipulating to only send him non-Jews, as he would be charging ribis - interest.
The agency sent him Paul. Paul wanted to sell pizza in stadiums, and he requested a $10,000 loan.
Shlomo interviewed him and agreed to lend, charging $500 for the overall service, plus a nice amount of interest on the loan. Paul signed and received the money.
Shlomo called Paul several times over the next few months. Part of Shlomo’s service is to check periodically on the customer, making sure his investment is working out. By the third month, Paul felt comfortable and told Shlomo about his family background. After Paul used his third Yiddish word, Shlomo hesitantly asked, “Paul, are your parents Jewish?” Paul said, “My dad isn’t, but my mom’s parents are. Her family came from Poland, and my bubby and zeidy…”
Shlomo was stuck with a sudden realization. Paul is Jewish. Ribis! He told Paul he’d call back, hung up, and quickly called his rav. The rav said we need to believe that he’s a Yid, and the ribis is a problem. Shlomo called Paul and told him to only repay the exact loan, and not the $500 or any interest. Paul was surprised and asked why. Shlomo tried to explain about ribis, but didn’t really get into the kiruv spirit. (Maybe he’d try again later.)
Then Slomo had a dilemma. What about paying the agency? They didn’t do their homework! Shlomo had made up with them to only send non-Jews! Shlomo called them and said what had just happened. They responded, “we think we did our homework, and we didn’t need to check his parents. We don’t think there’s even a question here, but if you want to go to a Beis Din, we’ll come.”
Shlomo thought about it for a little bit. He was still new in the business, and didn’t want to make waves. The agency had come with good recommendations, and perhaps they were right. He decided to pay the agency, and swallow the loss (his effort and lack of profit). He felt very confused, and hoped that he wouldn’t lose out from doing the right thing.
Today, Shlomo is very happy with the outcome. Since then, the agency reached out to him, and they sent him more customers. He now has over $200,000 worth of business from them, and he is hoping to keep seeing good growth. For sure, it’s a reward for doing the right thing, by canceling the ribis to a Yid. However, even more so, it is a hafocho - a turnaround. What Shlomo thought was a terrible scenario for him turned out to be exactly what is bringing him the great hatzlachah!
We need to see and realize that everything that is happening nowadays, especially what seems to be terrible, is all part of Hashem’s plan. And how it will all be revealed to be the hafoch - opposite, and that all the pain and suffering is what will bring us the yeshuah.
May we merit to have another Purim miracle this year, with the complete geulah.
Based upon shiurim given by R’ Yisrael Altusky shlita, Yeshivas Torah Ore, Yerushalayim. Shiurim can be heard on the Kol Halashon website.
