The interpretation of the verse “And you shall command...” in the
maamar comes in continuation to the concepts explained at the beginning of
the maamar, which interprets the verse,1 “The Jews accepted what they had already begun,” [to mean
that at the time of the Purim miracle,] the Jews accepted what they began at the
time of the giving of the Torah.2 The giving of the Torah
represented merely a beginning and, the time of Achashverosh (and [more
particularly,] at the time of Haman’s decree), represented the acceptance.
{We find a parallel concept in our Sages’ explanation3 of the verse,4 “The Jews established and accepted.” [Our Sages understand
this to mean,] “they now established what they previously accepted.” [The Jews’
statement “We will do and we will listen,”5
and, in particular,] the fact that they recited “We will do” before “We will
listen,”6 represented merely the
acceptance [of the Torah]. And in the days of Achashverosh,7 they established
what they had accepted.8}
As the maamar explains, on the surface, this is an inconceivable
statement.9 At the giving of the Torah, the Jews were on the
loftiest [spiritual] peaks and received revelations of G-dliness of the most
sublime levels. {In addition to the extremely great revelations the Jews were
granted before the giving of the Torah, the revelations associated with the
Exodus and particularly, those of the splitting of the Red Sea, the revelations
that accompanied the giving of the Torah reflected a very sublime level.}
In the times of Achashverosh, by contrast, the Jews experienced the ultimate
of descents. Every exile is associated with a veiling and concealment of G-dliness.
{For all exiles follow the paradigm of the Egyptian exile,10 of which it is written,11 “They did not listen to Moshe because of their dwindled
spirits and hard toil.” Similarly, [all subsequent] exiles present several
challenges with regard to [the observance of] the Torah and its mitzvos.}
In particular, then (in the time of Haman), there was an even greater veiling
and concealment [and the very lives of the Jewish people were endangered].
Nevertheless, the time of the giving of the Torah when the Jews were on the
sublime peaks was merely a beginning (“they had begun”). And it was in the time
of Haman’s decree, when, [apparently, the Jews] were at their lowest depths,
that they “accepted” what they had begun at the giving of the Torah.
[The maamar continues,] explaining that at the time of [Haman’s]
decree, the Jew’s [observance of] the Torah and its mitzvos was inspired
by mesirus nefesh, “self-sacrifice.” {They exhibited self-sacrifice in
not denying [G-d and the Torah]. (For as explained in Torah
Or,12 had they forsaken their faith, nothing would have been done
to them. For the decree was issued merely against the Jews, [i.e., those who
held firm to their faith]. Nevertheless, the thought of anything outside [the
context of our faith], heaven forbid, did not occur to them.)
Moreover, they exhibited self-sacrifice in the observance of the Torah and
its mitzvos13 to the extent that they congregated to study
Torah communally with self-sacrifice.14}
It was Mordechai, the Moshe of the generation, who inspired this
self-sacrifice. [On this basis, we can understand the verse] “The Jews accepted
what they had already begun,” that the giving of the Torah was merely a
beginning and their acceptance came at the time of Haman’s decree. For their
actual expression of self-sacrifice in the observance of the Torah and its
mitzvos elevated them (in this regard) to a level above that experienced at
the giving of the Torah. Therefore, this was when the acceptance of the Torah
took place, “the Jews accepted.”
[The above] appears [to provide us with an explanation of the phrase]
“crushed for the light,” i.e., that through being “crushed,” one approaches the
light. This explains why in the time of [Haman’s] decree, the Jews were able to
attain these peaks of self-sacrifice.15 These [high levels of] self-sacrifice stem from the
essence of the soul, [a level which] transcends revelation, “the [source of]
light” (from which light emanates). Thus because the Jews were crushed, the
essence of their souls, “the light,” was revealed.
[This explanation is frequently found in Chassidic texts.] Nevertheless, from
the context and structure of the [Previous Rebbe’s] maamar which explains
the phrase “crushed for the light” following the explanation of [Moshe’s
contribution as] a “shepherd of faith,” it would appear that [the two concepts
are interrelated]: The concept of “crushed for the light” shares a connection
with the concept that Moshe sustains and nurtures the faith [of the Jewish
people, enabling] it to be internalized.
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