Unity and the Tzaddik Bring Geulah

בפסוק נקהלו ועמוד על נפשם.

On the pasuk "they gathered together and stood up for their lives (al nafsham)" (Esther 9:16).

The Sefas Emes reads the verse describing how the Yidden in Shushan assembled to defend themselves, finding in the phrase "al nafsham" — literally "for their soul," in the singular — a hint to a deeper unity.

שבאו אל האחדות כמ"ש שבעים נפש שעובדין לאל אחד נק' נפש.

That they came to unity (achdus), as it is stated: "seventy souls (nefesh)" — for those who serve the One God are called "soul" [in the singular].

The Torah calls Yaakov's family "seventy nefesh" — soul, singular — even though they were many. The Sefas Emes explains that when Yidden serve the one Hashem, they fuse into a single collective soul. The singular "nafsham" hints that the Yidden achieved this oneness.

ואז מתעורר לנפש הכולל שהוא כח כנס"י ובא גאולה.

And then there is aroused [a connection] to the all-inclusive soul (ha-nefesh ha-kollel), which is the power of Knesses Yisrael, and the geulah comes.

When Yidden unite, they awaken their bond to the encompassing collective soul — the spiritual essence of Knesses Yisrael as a whole. It is through this awakened unity that redemption arrives.

כמ"ש בספרי קודש על פסוק פודה ה' נפש עבדיו שהוא נפש אחת הכולל כל נפשות בנ"י.

As is written in the holy seforim on the pasuk "Hashem redeems the soul (nefesh) of His servants" (Tehillim 34:23) — that this is one soul which includes all the souls of Bnei Yisrael.

The holy seforim note that this pasuk too uses "nefesh" in the singular: Hashem redeems the single, all-embracing soul that contains within it every individual soul of Bnei Yisrael — the redemption of the whole as one.

וכל זה בא ע"י צדיק הדור כמ"ש איש יהודי יחידי.

And all of this comes about through the tzaddik of the generation (tzaddik ha-dor), as it is written "a Jewish man (ish Yehudi)" — a singular individual (yechidi).

This unifying power flows through the tzaddik ha-dor. Mordechai is called "ish Yehudi" — "a man," in the singular — which the Sefas Emes reads as "yechidi," the unique individual through whom the nation's oneness is gathered and channeled.

וע"י שקיבלו דבריו ונמשכו אחריו. בא הגאולה.

And because they accepted his words and were drawn after him, the geulah came.

When Bnei Yisrael heeded Mordechai's guidance and attached themselves to him, they became unified through him — and that bond brought about the redemption of Purim.

כמ"ש פודה ה' נפש עבדיו ולא יאשמו כל החוסים בו.

As it is written: "Hashem redeems the soul of His servants, and none who take refuge in Him shall be condemned" (Tehillim 34:23).

The Sefas Emes returns to this pasuk to draw out its second half: those who "take refuge in Him" will not bear guilt — and he is about to read "in Him" in a novel way.

יתכן לפרש נמי על החוסים בזה הנפש.

It is possible to explain [the phrase "those who take refuge in Him"] as also referring to those who take refuge in this [collective] soul.

"Those who take refuge in Him" can be understood as those who shelter in the collective soul of Knesses Yisrael — taking refuge by binding themselves to the unified whole, which is itself a refuge in Hashem.

ע"י שמבטלים עצמם לצדיק הדור.

By nullifying themselves (bittul) before the tzaddik of the generation.

Concretely, one "takes refuge in" the collective soul by practicing bittul toward the tzaddik ha-dor — subordinating one's own will to his, and thereby joining the unified nefesh of all Yisrael.

וע"י הקהילה עמדו על נפש האחדות הנ"ל:

And through the gathering (ha-kehilah) they stood up for the soul of unity mentioned above.

Returning to the opening pasuk, "they gathered together" — the very act of assembling — is what enabled them to "stand up for their soul," that is, to defend and uphold the collective soul of unity through which the geulah came.

Summary: The Yidden "gathered together and stood up for their soul" — the singular "nafsham" hinting that they fused into one collective soul, for those who serve the one Hashem are called a single "nefesh." This awakened the all-inclusive soul of Knesses Yisrael and brought the geulah. The power flows through the tzaddik ha-dor — Mordechai, the "ish Yehudi," the unique yachid; by accepting his words and nullifying themselves before him, Bnei Yisrael "took refuge" in that collective soul, and through their gathering they upheld the unity that brought redemption.