Enemies of Our Soul

Parshat Trumah
Torah for the Four Parshiot
The Maharal's commentary on the Book of Esther

Haman said to King Achashveirosh..., “If it pleases the king, let it be written to destroy them; I will have the workers weigh out 10,000 talents of gold to be delivered to the king’s treasuries” (Esther 3:8–9).
“If it pleases the king”—Reish Lakish says, “It was known clearly to the One Who Spoke the World into Existence that Haman would one day weigh out shekels against the Jews. This is why He had their shekels precede his. As the Mishnah teaches (Shekalim 2:1), ‘On the first of Adar we publicize the [giving of] the shekalim’” (Megilah 13b).
The half-shekel that each Jew contributed to the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple) was to purchase the communal korbanot (sacrifices). The offering of an animal sacrifice is much more than giving up an animal; it is reckoned a sacrifice of self, as if one had given himself totally to God. This being the case, giving shekels for the korbanot is also giving oneself to God. Once the Jews gave themselves to God, they were not Achahveirosh’s to sell. Haman could not buy them for all the money in the world.
In the Gemara (ibid.) Rebbi Abba bar Kahana gives this analogy: There men meet. One has a mound of dirt in his field, the other has a ditch in his. The first says, ‘I wish I had a ditch like this in my field.’ A few days later they meet again. The second one says, ‘Sell me your mound.’ ‘If you would just take it, you can have it for nothing!’
To Achashveirosh, the Jews were just an appendage. The mound has nothing to do with the field and the Jews have nothing to do with the rest of the nations. However, because a king’s job—especially Achashveirosh’s, whose rule over the entire world was clearly from God—is to perpetuate, not destroy, it makes no sense that Achashveirosh would destroy them.
Haman, on the other hand, was a private individual with no responsibility to perpetuate anything. On the contrary; it is human nature to do away with one’s enemy and competition [as Maharal wrote earlier in his commentary]. To Achashveirosh the Jews neither added or detracted from the value of his field. To Haman, however, they were a ditch, a serious shortcoming and detrimental to his field. So, had the Jews not bought themselves into God’s possession, Haman’s purchase and plan would have succeeded.
This explains why the Four Parshiot are in the order they are. With the shekels donated for the korbanot and their becoming God’s, the Jews have the strength to conquer those that would destroy them. This is the mitzvah of obliterating Amalek, those who would destroy the body of the Jewish people. This is the reminder of Parshat Zakhor [which is read the Shabbat immediately preceding Purim].
The enemies of our soul are dealt with by our reading of Parshat Parah [the Shabbat immediately following Purim]. Any tumah (spiritual impurity) constitutes a barrier between God and the person; being tamei prevents his entry into the Shekhinah’s presence. As long as Esav’s descendants continue to prolong an ungodly spirit in the world, there is a barrier between Israel and their Father in Heaven. But with the parah adumah (red heifer) comes the removal of that poisoned atmosphere.
When the enemies of both body and soul have been removed, God will grant a new heart and soul to the Jews (Ezekiel 36:25–26). This is signified by the last of the Four Parshiot, Parshat HaChodesh. Though the shekels have already been contributed and the ensuing strength to defeat Amalek granted, the spending of the new funds on korbanot and the anytime removal of the two barriers, indicate that the Jews’ connection to God is new again, and that He will give them a new heart and new spirit.

May it be swiftly and soon, in our lifetime; Amen.
Shabbat Shalom!Elizabeth