8:3 (וְאֵת כָּל-הָעֵדָה, הַקְהֵל, אֶל-פֶּתַח, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד) We have at the end of the Parsha the
story of the Yimei Hamiluim, of the Kohanim being installed during the seven
days of Miluim. We have Kohanim in the Mishkan. There at the beginning of that
Parsha the Ribbono Shel Olam tells Moshe gather all the people to the
entranceway of the Ohel Moed. Rashi says (הקהל אל
פתח אהל מועד: זה אחד מן המקומות שהחזיק מועט
את המרובה) that this is
miraculous that the opening of the Ohel Moed could hold all of the people. This
is an incredible miracle.
The
question though is why was it important that the people be gathered at the
entranceway to the Ohel Moed. That is something that certainly needs
explanation. I would like to take a Vort elsewhere and connect it here. Before
I explain this I want to mention that we find this in a number of places in the
Torah an idea of people gathering or people standing Dafka at Pesach Ohel Moed.
We find
in Parshas Vayeira 18:1 (וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב פֶּתַח-הָאֹהֶל) that Avrohom Avinu is sitting Pesach
Oholo when Hakadosh Baruch Hu comes to visit him. The Poshut Pshat is that he
was sitting there at the door looking for wayfarers that were walking by. It is
still interesting that when the Ribbono Shel Olam came to visit him that he
would be sitting at the entranceway of his home.
The
place however where the strangest expression is found numerous times is in
Megillas Esther. We find in the Megillah many times that Mordechai Yosheiv
Bish’ar Hamelech. We find it in places that have nothing to do with the story.
We find for example when Mordechai overhears Bigsan and Seresh. Mordechai is
standing by the Shar of the King and Bigsan and Seresh get angry. This is found
in 2:21 (בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם, וּמָרְדֳּכַי יוֹשֵׁב בְּשַׁעַר-הַמֶּלֶךְ;
קָצַף בִּגְתָן וָתֶרֶשׁ שְׁנֵי-סָרִיסֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ, מִשֹּׁמְרֵי הַסַּף,
וַיְבַקְשׁוּ לִשְׁלֹחַ יָד, בַּמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרֹשׁ).
Or we
have after Mordechai is led through the city on the King’s horse in 6:12 (וַיָּשָׁב מָרְדֳּכַי, אֶל-שַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ; וְהָמָן נִדְחַף
אֶל-בֵּיתוֹ, אָבֵל וַחֲפוּי רֹאשׁ).
Or the expression of the King that he said to Haman in 6:10 (וַיֹּאמֶר
הַמֶּלֶךְ לְהָמָן, מַהֵר קַח אֶת-הַלְּבוּשׁ וְאֶת-הַסּוּס כַּאֲשֶׁר
דִּבַּרְתָּ, וַעֲשֵׂה-כֵן לְמָרְדֳּכַי הַיְּהוּדִי, הַיּוֹשֵׁב בְּשַׁעַר
הַמֶּלֶךְ:אַל-תַּפֵּל דָּבָר, מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ). Or even Haman says this in 5:13 (וְכָל-זֶה,
אֵינֶנּוּ שֹׁוֶה לִי:בְּכָל-עֵת, אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי רֹאֶה אֶת-מָרְדֳּכַי הַיְּהוּדִי--יוֹשֵׁב,
בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ). Why is
the fact that (מָרְדֳּכַי
הַיְּהוּדִי--יוֹשֵׁב, בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ) mentioned so many times in the Megillah?
I would
like to take a different Miforaish and attach it to these places and explain
the significance. There is a Vort I have seen Bish’eim the Kedushas Levi in the
Likutim in the back on Tehillim. We say
in Hallel a Posuk of course from Tehillim 118:19
– 20 ( פִּתְחוּ-לִי שַׁעֲרֵי-צֶדֶק;אָבֹא-בָם, אוֹדֶה קָהּ). We talk about Hakadosh Baruch Hu opening
for us the (שַׁעֲרֵי-צֶדֶק) and we will enter there and praise G-d. (זֶה-הַשַּׁעַר לַירוָר;צַדִּיקִים,
יָבֹאוּ בוֹ). We talk about a
Shar to Hashem, again about an entranceway. He explains that an entranceway
symbolizes a place where a person is not worthy and can’t enter, like for
example a Shar to Tzadikim or a place where a King is. You have a person who
feels unworthy of entering and nevertheless has a Teshuka (a desire) so he would
stand at the entranceway at the gate.
A good
Mashul to this would be in Hilchos Mezuzah. We know that a room that is 49
square feet (Daled Al Daled Amos) is Patur from Mezuzah. Yet if you have a
vestibule that is entering into your home, if that vestibule is small it should
be Patur from a Mezuzah. However, because it is an entranceway to significant
rooms, to the house, that room is Chayuv in Mezuzah. So to speak, a Shar could
be small but because it is Meshameish (services) that which is beyond it, it
takes on significance, a great significance.
The idea
of sitting (בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ) is always a reference to the Ribbono Shel
Olam. The idea of always being a person who is (יוֹשֵׁב, בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ) or (שַׁעֲרֵי-צֶדֶק) is an idea that a person who feels
unworthy of being by the King, unworthy of being counted among the Tzaddikim,
nevertheless strives to sit by the gateway to the Tzaddikim. In the entranceway
to the room where the King is. In that way, in humility a person can have a
connection with the Ribbono Shel Olam. That is what we find here with Mordechai
constantly (יוֹשֵׁב, בְּשַׁעַר
הַמֶּלֶךְ). Even though that
generation was not worthy, Mordechai sat (בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ) so that he should have a connection to the Borei Olam. Of
course he represented Klal Yisrael that Klal Yisrael should have that sort of a
connection.
That is
very much the story of the Megillah. A day in which it is not a Yom Tov. We
don’t treat it fully as a Yom Tov. Purim is a day in which we are (בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ). We are sort of outside the Yom Tov. It is not a day of
holiness similar to the Sholosh Regalim. It is a day that we stand right before
the King. We celebrate K’ilu it is a Yom Tov from a slight distance even though
we feel unworthy.
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