This document explores the Purim story and its deeper spiritual meanings through the characters of Mordekhai, Esther, and the eunuchs Bigthan and Teresh, focusing on the idea of the 'saf' or threshold of awareness. It discusses how personal and collective unconscious influences individuals' actions, the significance of raising spiritual sparks, and the integration of one's shadow self. Ultimately, the narrative underscores the transformation and enlightenment that occur when one confronts their inner struggles and chooses a path of integrity and service.

1. ‫בס"ד‬
This Purim Burst is sponsored by the SUNDAY MORNING TANYA STUDY GROUP anddedicated to Sarah Yehudit Schneider
who guides our group with exquisite sensitivity and her teachings are a treasure. It is a gift to begin each week with
her words and to carry the learning into our lives
Purim 2015 / 5775
MASTER OF THE SAF (THRESHOLD)
Sarah Yehudit Schneider
In those days, when Mordekhai sat by the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, Guardians of
the Saf (Threshold), were angry, and sought to lay hand on king Ahasuerus. Mordekhai caught wind of the plot and
shared it with Esther the queen, and Esther warned the king in Mordekhai’s name. Inquiries were made, the
conspiracy was verified, and the two [men] were hanged on a tree. The incident was recorded in the Book of the
Chronicles in the king’s presence. [Book of Esther 2:21-23]
‫ר‬ַּ‫ע‬ ַּ‫ש‬ ְ‫ב‬ ‫ב‬ ֵ‫יש‬ ‫י‬ ַּ‫כ‬ֳּ‫ד‬ ְ‫ר‬ ָּ‫ּומ‬ ‫ם‬ ֵ‫ה‬ ָּ‫ה‬ ‫ים‬ ִ‫מ‬ָּ‫י‬ ַּ‫ב‬-‫ֵי‬‫נ‬ ְ‫ש‬ ‫ש‬ ֶּ‫ר‬ ֶּ‫ת‬ ָּ‫ו‬ ‫ן‬ ָּ‫ת‬ְ‫ג‬ִ‫ב‬ ‫ף‬ַּ‫צ‬ ָּ‫ק‬ ‫ְֶּך‬‫ל‬ ֶּ‫מ‬ ַּ‫ה‬-ַּ‫ְב‬‫י‬ ַּ‫ו‬ ‫ף‬ ַּ‫ס‬ ַּ‫ה‬ ‫י‬ ֵ‫ר‬ ְ‫ֹּׁמ‬‫ש‬ ִ‫מ‬ ‫ְֶּך‬‫ל‬ ֶּ‫מ‬ ַּ‫ה‬ ‫י‬ ֵ‫יס‬ ִ‫ר‬ ָּ‫ס‬‫י‬ ַּ‫כ‬ֳּ‫ד‬ ְ‫ר‬ ָּ‫מ‬ְ‫ל‬ ‫ר‬ָּ‫ב‬ ָּ‫ד‬ ַּ‫ה‬ ‫ע‬ ַּ‫ד‬ָּ‫ִּו‬‫י‬ ַּ‫ו‬ :‫רש‬ֵ‫ו‬ ְ‫ש‬ ַּ‫ח‬ֲ‫א‬ ‫ְֶּך‬‫ל‬ ֶּ‫מ‬ ַּ‫ב‬ ‫ָּד‬‫י‬ ַּ‫ֹלח‬ ְ‫ִש‬‫ל‬ ‫שּו‬ ְ‫ק‬
‫ל‬ ָּ‫ת‬ִ‫י‬ ַּ‫ו‬ ‫א‬ ֵ‫צ‬ ָּ‫מ‬ִ‫י‬ ַּ‫ו‬ ‫ר‬ָּ‫ב‬ ָּ‫ד‬ ַּ‫ה‬ ‫ש‬ ַּ‫ק‬ֻ‫ב‬ְ‫י‬ ַּ‫ו‬ :‫י‬ ָּ‫כ‬ֳּ‫ד‬ ְ‫ר‬ ָּ‫מ‬ ‫ם‬ ֵ‫ש‬ ְ‫ב‬ ‫ְֶּך‬‫ל‬ ֶּ‫מ‬ַּ‫ל‬ ‫ר‬ ֵ‫ת‬ ְ‫ס‬ ֶּ‫א‬ ‫ר‬ ֶּ‫אמ‬ֹּׁ‫ת‬ ַּ‫ו‬ ‫ה‬ָּ‫ְכ‬‫ל‬ ַּ‫מ‬ ַּ‫ה‬ ‫ר‬ ֵ‫ת‬ ְ‫ס‬ ֶּ‫א‬ְ‫ל‬ ‫ֵד‬‫ג‬ַּ‫י‬ ַּ‫ו‬‫ל‬ ַּ‫ע‬ ‫ם‬ ֶּ‫ֵיה‬‫נ‬ ְ‫ש‬ ‫ּו‬-‫י‬ ֵ‫ר‬ְ‫ב‬ ִ‫ד‬ ‫ר‬ֶּ‫פ‬ ֵ‫ס‬ ְ‫ב‬ ‫ב‬ ֵ‫ת‬ ָּ‫ִכ‬‫י‬ ַּ‫ו‬ ‫ץ‬ ֵ‫ע‬‫ְֶּך‬‫ל‬ ֶּ‫מ‬ ַּ‫ה‬ ‫ֵי‬‫נ‬ ְ‫ִפ‬‫ל‬ ‫ים‬ ִ‫מ‬ָּ‫י‬ ַּ‫ה‬:
This passage employs two words for portal: Mordekhai sat at the shaar (the gate), while Bigthan
and Teresh guardedthe saf a Hebrew word with rich associations. It means doorsillbut alsorefers
to that first moment when somethingpokes into awarenessand becomes visible to the outer
senses or conscious mind. A saf marks a thresholdof awareness.
Achashveroshcertainly had guardsatthe entranceways to his palace, but he (like the restof
us)also had sentries patrollinghis inner saf—the veil thatdivides between ourconscious and
unconsciousselves. As below, so above. Justas our physical body has a diaphragmthat separates
our uppertorso from its lower half, so is this true for our soul.Kabbala
refers to ourspiritual diaphragmas a parsa (‫)פרסא‬ which separatesour
conscious emotions—chesed,gevurah, tiferet—from their unconscious
roots—netzach,hod yesod. The former triad occupies the heart area;
the lattercoincides with the reproductive and digestive organsbut
includes the legs as well. In kabbala,the farther something is from the
head the less conscious it is. The lower torso,legs and feet thus
symbolize the unconscious layers of psyche (or backside as it’s called in
kabbala).
Creation began with tsimtsum. HaShem concealed His Infinite Light from a circumscribed
space and emanated into that cosmic womb a single ray of light. The vessels thatwere present
could not bear its radiance and shatteredunder the strain.The lights (‫)אורות‬ spilled out and
ascended back to their rooton high.Yet some of their photons,the most energetic of them, had
absorbedinto the vessels’walls before they shattered. These drops of light (now called ‫)נצוצות‬
were trappedbelow and plummetedto the lowest edge of the lowest world. This cosmic rubble
contains the most splendid beauties (sparks)andthe most revoltingcorruptions(klipotand
zuhama). It is the raw material from which we are forged.
HaShem takes a pile of this debris, sends it down into a guf and a child is born. Yet at that point
only part of oursoul is confined to our body. The rest of it, the still-shatteredpieces of it, remain
strewn throughouttheuniverse. As we move throughlife we gatherthese sparks—these
estrangedpieces of ourselves—andin so doing we become more whole. A part of us,that we did
not recognize as a piece of us, now becomes integrated into us, as a lesson learned,a skill
acquired, a connection made, a habit integrated,a potentialactualized.

2. -2-
And every time we raise a spark, we pulldown a mini ray of
the ascended lights(‫)אורות‬ as well, for these two components
(lightsand sparks)are soulmatesthatwere separated in the
shevirah. Every sparkhas a match among the orot that is
equally “out of sight” until its spark activates andpullsit down
into the world.
These two ingredients (‫ואורות‬ ‫)נצוצות‬ comprise our
unconsciousdefined as: A partof us thatwe are unawareof
and thatappears instead as not us. The still-fallen sparks
connected to our soulthat are part of the bundleHaShem sent down as our incarnation,but
which have not yet been integratedinto ourself-image…the sumtotal of these sparks (andtheir
matching lights)comprise ourunconscious. Sparksare subconscious and lights are superconscious
yet since neither enters conscious awareness the term “unconscious” applies to both.
These sparks, before they have been raised, are still embedded in their klipot andlaced with
zuhama. They are flawed and often disgraceful. Ourego cannotadmit thattheir humiliating
weaknesses belongto us. The shame is just too great.So it posts sentries at the saf, to keep these
ugly not-me’s out of sight…andout of the “palace.”
Yet the whole point of life is to raise these broken vessels.It’s how we earn ourkeep. We are
the cleanup crew. We come in with a quota thatwe need to raise in the course of ourdays. That’s
our contributionto tikun olam. When all the sparksare gathered (atleast the bulkof them) the
world will be (literally)enlightened andour messianic era will officially begin.
And really, the sparksthat appearon our to-do list are not arbitrary. They are missing pieces of
our very own soul. It is in our self-interest to raise them (even with all the chaos they bring),
because the only thing that will make ushappy is to finally become whole, which cannot happen
without facing ourshadow and processingits unseemly content.
Bigthan and Teresh guarded that saf for Achashverosh. They were trusted servants with keys to
every door. Yet, shortly after Esther’s coronation they turned on the king and sought his demise.
What changed?
Three events occur in quick succession: 1) Esther is crowned, 2) Mordechai relocates to the
king’s gate, 3) Bigthan andTeresh bristle with anger andhatch their plot.
Esther and Mordekhaiare luminaries—they are archetypes even more than people. When they
appeared at the palace, Esther within and Mordekhaiwithout, the whole energetic configuration
of the royal court beganto shift.
Esther personifies the Shekhina whose Indwelling Presence exerts an enlightening influence
on Achashverosh(whoplays the ego in this drama).Under her sway he softens and becomes
more amenable to truth,a shift that allowsthe flow of sparksthroughthe saf to accelerate their
pace.
Mordechai sits “outside the gate” with the lights andsparks thatare beyond the king’s
awareness. They include the lessonsAchashverosh will absorbin the course of his Purim drama
(as well as those thatwill reverberatethroughthe Jewish people aroundthis event).Mordekhai’s
presence energizes these sparksand they press againstthe saf trying to hastentheir ascent.
The saf’s guardianspersonify the king’s defenses, both literally andpsychologically. Bigthan
and Teresh assumedtheir postswhen Vashti was still queen and Achashveroshwas regularly

3. -3-
humiliated by her barbs.1 Their task was to be protect him (aka the ego) from threatsarising
within and without. They were trained to be vigilant, inflexible, reactive andvengeful. They were
hired because of their naturalaffinity to the task.
Now, suddenly, with Estheras queen, their expertise is obsolete. These belligerentdefenses
are outdated. They are self-defeating, constrictingand even poisonous. The world has moved on
and is poised for a paradigm shift…butthe saf will need to loosen up and let these new sparks
through.Bigthanand Teresh were not aboutto budge.Their self-worth hinged upontheir power
to repress whatever threatenedtheir statusquo. In their darkcorner of the palace, they were not
beholden to truth.Truthwas beholden to them.
Achashverosh,underthe influence of his new queen, was institutingchanges thateroded their
authority. They saw only one recourse to defend their honorand that was to assassinatethe king
who had betrayed them by demoting them. They were incapable of examining their motives,
facing their fears, and finding a more productiveway to proceed. They guardedtheir own safs
with the same techniques thatthey used in the palace. Shame, vulnerability and weakness were
strictly banned. Whoever triggersinsecurities is a source of dishonor and deservesdeath just like
Vashti.
Mordekhai personifies the superconscious lights thatare seeking to come down and enlighten
the world.2 True to his role, Mordekhaiuncoversthe assassinationplot, reports it to Esther, who
reportsit to the king. The superconscious lightsconnected to our soulare a (kind of) guardian
angel thatsteers usthroughlife and dropsenlightening insightsinto ourheart/mind at critical
moments (if we are receptive to it). Achashveroshwas notyet attunedto the superconscious,
but Estherwas. She received the message from Mordekhai and passed it down the chain.
It is no surprise thatMordekhai uncoveredthe plot, but why, asksR. Tsadok,does he take that
next step and save the king’s life.3 If Achashveroshhaddied, Esther wouldbe free to returnto her
people and to her conjugal union with him. What made Mordekhai sacrifice Esther’sspiritual life
to save this (undeserving)king?
R. Tsadok explains thatMordekhai questioned his own ability to discern HaShem’s will in this
matter. He could notget a clear signalbecause of static emanatingfrom his own saf. Did HaShem
want Esther saved at allcosts or was that his own preference impersonatingHaShem’s will? Was
this a Divinely choreographedopportunityto rescue his kidnapped wife who was forced to marry
this paganking, andMordekhai’s job was to just keep quiet and let the murderproceed? Or was it
simple envy that drovehim to stay silent and let the king’s head roll?
This clash between Mordekhai,Bigthan and Teresh was a Battle of the Saf. Mordekhaihad to
become the change he soughtto see. He had to face his shadow, admit its unseemly content, and
then choose the high road despite the undertow. Sometimes this “high road” is the preferred
option. But sometimes integrity requires us to choose against ourself-interests and do what is
“right” even thoughit hurts(perhapseven alot).
Modekhai considered the relevantfactors (including, says R. Tsadok, his possible envy). He
concluded thatHalacha did not require him to save the king’slife and he could easily justify that
decision as the most God-servingoption. But on a more subtlelevel, Mordekhaisensed—below
his saf, in his guts—thatHaShem had revealed the murderplot to him in orderfor him to stop it.
This was trueeven thoughMordekhai’swill to free this capturedJewish maiden, was holy, noble,
legitimate andright. Still (for some mysterious reason)HaShem needed somethingdifferent here.
When Mordekhai got the message andsaved the king, he won the Battle of the Saf.

4. -4-
“[The old guard]Bigthan and Teresh were hanged… and the incident was recorded in the
Book of Chronicles in [in both the earthlyand heavenly] king’s presence.” Mordekhai’sdeed made
a splashin shamayim.
Months(perhapsyears) later the king remembers his unpaid debt and in a stunningchain of
reversals,the power relations between Morekhaiand Haman invert in a flash. There are many
turningpoints in the Purim story, butthey are really just the domino effect of this very first about-
face when the king made Haman Mordekhai’sslavefor the day.
To listen down (toone’s shadow),and listen up (toone’s conscience) and then tease out the
true callingof the moment without distortion…thatis what it takesto be a master of the saf. R.
Akiva describes his mystic journey in exactly those terms.4 When the soulascends up throughthe
PaRDeS (sayshe) each thresholdhasan entry fee. The gate only opens (above) if the
correspondingdarknessof soul(below) has been probed and illumined by the petitioner.
When Mordekhai acquires this mastery he becomes the messianic prospect of his
generation—anhonorreserved for thosewho face and fathom their dark side (insteadof just
ignoring, denying or suppressingit). And so the Megilla ends with Mordekai’s praise—the fruit of
his fearless inner work:
For Mordekhai the Jew was viceroy to king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and popular among most
of his brethren, seeking the good of his people, and preaching peace to all his offspring.
“Mordekhai the Jew was viceroy to the king … andpopularamong most of his brethren…”
Mordekhai was a Torah scholarof the highest rank—headof the Sanhedrinat that time. When
Achashveroshoffered him the position of viceroy he thoughtlongand hard before accepting it.
Torah study is the greatest virtue. His colleaguesexpected him to refuse the job and returnto the
House of study. But Mordekhai disagreed. He felt that he could be of even greater service to the
Jewish people as their intercessor with the king.5
The sagesremained forever critical of Mordekhai’s“unpopular”decision to break from their
ranksand accept a secularposition.6 Yet, says the Komarna Rebbe, a messianic soulpossesses the
strengthof character and the imperative of destiny to go out into the world, mingle with the
masses, and serve them.
The ultimate perfection is when a person ascends to the highest heights and then returns to the mundane world and
participates with it fully (unlike Moshe who separated from his wife). R. Elimelekh of Lizhinsk would say: “up
and down, down and up.”…Mashiach will be distinguished by his ability to engage fully with the material world
and not lose a trace of his exalted devekut in the process. In this way he emulates Divinity Itself, which fills every
point of time and space (both glorious and debased)yet does not compromise Its innate holiness.7
The Megilla informs us that Mordekhai became a lover of people, a preacher of peace and an
exemplar of ahavat Yisrael.
Mordekhaidid not wait forJews to come to him with their problems,but actively sought ways to help them.He even
spoke peaceably to those Jewswho were not ofthe most uprightcharacter,seeking to improve them.8
Mordecai was
generous to everyone, Jew and gentile alike. Since we are children of one Father, he reasoned,it is my duty to help
whomever I can. Mordekhai was such a goodhearted ambassadorfor the Jewish people that the whole world
honored the Jews and sought theirbenefit9… Mordekhaiavoided strife and soughtpeacefulsolutions forevery
problem. Even his rebuke was delivered in a peaceable manner.10
Mordekhai’s devotion to the Jewish people and love for every one of them is the direct resultof
mastering his saf.
Many of us today (perhapseven most) believe thatour strongestweapon againstanti-
Semitism is to cultivate the virtue of ahavatYisrael (unconditionallove of each other). Towards
this end people are studyingthe relevant halachot; engagingin outreach;resolving to cultivate

5. -5-
tolerance; trying not to be judgmental; pledgingto greet their neighborswith a smile, etc. Yet
even with all these gallant efforts little haschanged. Disregard, disrespect, feuds and intolerance
still poison our society.
That is because the real source of our strife is the unexamined shame thatskulksbeneath the
threshold.We guardour safs in the tradition of Bigthan and Teresh. Any thoughtsoremotions
thatbelie our self-image get bounced at the gate. And anyone who triggers thoseinsecurities,
fears, doubts (orlusts)gets labeled“bad.” We then proceed to huntdown theirflaws and
magnify them to recover ourhonor. We are fighting for our dignity. It feels like us or them. This
survivalreflex thathappensbelow the saf is why we fail in ahavatYisrael.
Let us follow in Mordekhai’sfootsteps. Let us fire Bigthan and Teresh. Let us take a flashlight
and startpoking aroundbeneath the saf and expose ouroutdated defenses that keep us from
becoming the people we strive to be.
Purim is a propitious time for this “down and up, up anddown” work. The saf is opened below
for “wine in secrets out.”11 And the saf is opened above, for on Purim Hashem invites us to His
innermost Chamberof Unconditional Love—calledthe Unknowable Headof Whiteness—and we
realize, deep in our bones, thatHaShem is goodand does goodand will turneverything, without
exception into revealed good. Our job is to get with the program,and bring our tokho (our
private life) into line with our baro (ourpublic persona)for that’swhat it takes to be Masters of
the Saf.
Shine a New Light on Zion (a new consciousness) and let us together, all of us, quickly be worthy
of that light.
‫כולנו‬ ‫ונזכה‬ ‫תאיר‬ ‫ציון‬ ‫על‬ ‫חדש‬ ‫אור‬‫יחד‬‫ב‬‫לאורו‬ ‫מהרה‬:
1 MRE 3:9; Meam Loez 1:12.
2 R. Isaac Luria, Pri Eytz Chaim, Purim, chapter 5.
3 Tsidkat HaTsadik, ot 255.
4 ‫ת‬ ‫אות‬ - ‫רזיא‬ ‫סודי‬ ‫ספר‬
5 Alshich on Esther 10:3.
6 Rashi on Esther 10:3.
7 R. Y.Y.Y. Safrin; Heichal HaBracha Lev. 1:1 (commenting on the small alef).
8 Alshich, ibid.
9 R. Yaakov Lorbeerbaum of Kalish (Imrei Yosher); Megilat Setarimon Esther 10:3.
10 R. Eliyahu HaKohen of Izmir; Dina Pishra on Esther 10:3
11 TB San 38a.