Hegai (The Eunuch of King Ahasuerus)

In Chassidic teachings, it is explained that Hegai (the eunuch of King Ahasuerus) alludes to the help and assistance that the neshamah receives from its source and root, in order to ascend from its place (in Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah) to Atzilut.

Generally, the level of "Hegai" is the intermediary that connects thought with speech (and is called higayon, or sometimes hirhur), and specifically, this level includes two aspects: "speech within thought" (machshavah ila'ah - higher thought), and "thought within speech" (machshavah tata'ah - lower thought).

The Source of the Concept in the Revealed Torah

Hegai was one of Ahasuerus's ministers, and his role was to guard the king's women. When Esther's turn came "to go to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai said." The other women adorned themselves and went to the king with joyful hearts, but Esther went to the king as if forced (and naturally did not request anything to adorn herself with). Nevertheless, Hegai adorned her against her will, as he feared for himself and said to her, "Why would you make me liable to the king because you do not want to adorn yourself?"

In the Inner Dimension of Torah

Intermediary Between Thought and Speech

"The King" is the Holy One, blessed be He, and "Esther" is the neshamah that yearns for Him. But the limited neshamah does not have the power to cleave to the Holy One, blessed be He (the Unlimited) without assistance. This assistance comes through the malachim (angels), who have the power to receive the divine light and then draw it down to the neshamot. This is what they meant when they said Michael offers the neshamot of tzaddikim – because the neshamot are in the category of created beings, and through Michael they are drawn upward to be included in Atzilut.

The malachim themselves receive from Elokut through Hegai, and this can be understood through the analogy of the soul's powers: Hegai is higayon (reasoning), which is the inner dimension and source of speech, which is the level of thought within speech. However, Hegai is the "active result" of higayon, which creates speech. Now, the higayon of the heart is not actual speech but rather the thought and intention of the heart, as in "and your heart will contemplate (yehgeh) fear," and as explained in the Zohar, "and the contemplation (higayon) of my heart, these are hidden matters that a person cannot express with his mouth, this is higayon which is in the heart."

Since higayon is the intermediary between thought and speech, sometimes thought is called higayon, and sometimes speech is called that. This intermediary is the thought within speech, what is drawn from the essence of thought to be the source of speech.

In the analogy, just as there is an intermediary between thought and speech (Hegai), so too there is an intermediary between Atzilut and Beriah, which is the Holy of Holies sanctuary. Since on one hand the light of Atzilut shines within it, but on the other hand it is the beginning of the world of Beriah, it is therefore the intermediary that connects Atzilut and Beriah, and it influences the malachim and the sanctuaries (in Beriah) to sing and speak – through which they elevate the neshamot.

The Two Levels of Hegai – Higher Thought and Lower Thought

Higher Thought

The higher level of Hegai is called "higher thought" (machshavah ila'ah), and it is the root of the neshamot of Israel as they are still in the state of "nothingness" and "pure it is." This level is alluded to in the verse "the contemplation (higayon) of my heart," and it is compared to a person contemplating some concept independently. The letters of thought are connected to the concept and are not felt at all as separate entities, but rather only the concept is felt (and the letters of thought are merely secondary and nullified to the concept, and are not felt). That is, at this level, a person is so immersed in contemplation that he does not feel the letters of thought at all, and certainly there is no connection to speech yet. But since in addition to the concept itself, there is already "something" here that is not the concept (for the concept has already been condensed here to think about a specific point and matter), this level is called "speech within thought."

Lower Thought

The lower level of Hegai is called "lower thought" (machshavah tata'ah), and is alluded to in the verse "as removed (hogeh) from the path." The word "hogeh" is a term of removal (drawn and removed from the path {like "remove (hagu) dross from silver," which means the dross was removed from the silver}). At this level, thought has already "left" the realm of contemplation of the matter itself – to think and contemplate how to speak, and it is the level of "thought within speech" (which is the source of speech and its inner dimension).

That is, the neshamot that descended to the world of Beriah need (in order to ascend to Atzilut) help and assistance from their source and root (Hegai from the term "the contemplation of my heart" – the level of higher thought). This assistance comes through Hegai who descends to Beriah (Hegai from the term "removed from the path"). He descends and clothes himself in the malachim (who receive from him their power to speak and sing), and through the malachim, the neshamot can also receive from him.

The Neshamot That Do Not Need the Assistance of Malachim

Most neshamot (even the neshamot of great tzaddikim) are from the worlds of BIY"A (Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah), and therefore cannot receive the light of Atzilut directly from "Hegai" (but only through the assistance of malachim, who receive from Hegai). But the neshamot of Atzilut can, and do not need the help and assistance of malachim. This is similar to what the Gemara says about Rabbi Chiya, who unlike all other tzaddikim, his chariot ascends and descends in the upper worlds without the help of malachim (because the main reason for the descent of Rabbi Chiya's neshamah was for the assistance to Malchut), and similarly with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (who was specifically after the destruction, for the same reason). Based on this, we can understand why "Esther did not request anything except what Hegai said," because Esther was a merkavah (chariot) for the level of Malchut (which is itself the word of Hashem), and therefore she could receive from the level of thought (of Atzilut) directly (and did not need the help and assistance of malachim).