Yehudah bar Ilai, B. Menachot 29b
Why was the world created through the letter hey? Because the world is an exedra (closed on three sides, open on one): you may proceed if you wish.
(21) And I will espouse you forever: I will espouse you with righteousness and justice, And with goodness and mercy, (22) And I will espouse you with faithfulness; Then you shall be devoted to the LORD.
מַה שֶּׁנִּבְרָא בְּשֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי בְרֵאשִׁית צְרִיכִין עֲשִׂיָה, כְּגוֹן הַחַרְדָּל צָרִיךְ לְמִתּוּק. הַתּוּרְמוּסִים צָרִיךְ לְמִתּוּק. הַחִטִּין צְרִיכִין לְהִטָּחֵן. אֲפִלּוּ אָדָם צָרִיךְ תִּקּוּן.
[R. Hoshaya said, in response to a philosopher who asked him why, if circumcision is so precious to God, he was not born circumcised]: Anything created in the first six days, needs further actions, for example mustard seeds need sweetening, peas needs sweetening, wheat needs grinding, even humans need fixing.
(ד) אֶ֕פֶס כִּ֛י לֹ֥א יִֽהְיֶה־בְּךָ֖ אֶבְי֑וֹן כִּֽי־בָרֵ֤ךְ יְבָֽרֶכְךָ֙ יְהוָ֔ה בָּאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹֽתֵן־לְךָ֥ נַחֲלָ֖ה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃
(ה) אָמַר רַבִּי מֵאִיר, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָדָם מִצְטַעֵר, שְׁכִינָה מַה הַלָּשׁוֹן אוֹמֶרֶת כִּבְיָכוֹל, קַלַּנִי מֵרֹאשִׁי, קַלַּנִי מִזְּרוֹעִי. אִם כֵּן הַמָּקוֹם מִצְטַעֵר עַל דָּמָם שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים שֶׁנִּשְׁפַּךְ, קַל וָחֹמֶר עַל דָּמָם שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים.
(5) Rabbi Meir said: The phrase “for he that is hung is a curse [kilelat] of God” should be understood as follows: When a man suffers in the wake of his sin, what expression does the Divine Presence use? I am distressed [kallani] about My head, I am distressed about My arm, meaning, I, too, suffer when the wicked are punished. From here it is derived: If God suffers such distress over the blood of the wicked that is spilled, even though they justly deserved their punishment, it can be inferred a fortiori that He suffers distress over the blood of the righteous.
Rav Abraham Isaac Kook, Orot HaKodesh
An epiphany enables you to sense creation not as something completed, but as constantly becoming evolving, ascending. This transports you from a place where there is nothing new to a place where there is nothing old, where everything renews itself, where heaven and earth rejoice as at the moment of creation.
"There was a Jewish man in Shushan the capital" -- [The word] 'man' (ish) teaches us that Mordechai was the equivalent of Moses in his generation as it says about [Moses] "and the man(ish) Moses was exceedingly humble." Just as Moses stood in the breach as it says (Psalm 106) "And He planned to destroy them if not for Moses who stood in the breach.." so to Mordechai as it says "He sought good for his nation and brought peace to all his people" Just as Moses taught Torah to Israel, so to Mordechai as it says [about Moses] "See, I have taught you laws," so to Mordechai as it says [that Mordechai sent out] "words of Peace and Truth" and it says "buy truth and sell it not" [about the Torah.] "And his name was Mordechai" -- When evil people are introduced in the text, they precede their names e.g. "Naval was his name" or "Sheba son of Bichri was his name." But the names of the righteous precede them e.g. "his name was Manoah," "his name was Kish," "his name was Saul," "his name was Elkana," "his name was Boaz," and in our text, "his name was Mordechai. This is to make them emulate their Creator as it says [about God] and My name, The Holy One Blessed be [God], I did not make known to them. "Jewish" -- Why was he called 'Judean' if he was of Benjamin? Because he attested to the unity of God in the world as it says "[and Mordechai] would not kneel and would not bow] (therefore he was called a part of Judah which means 'to acknowledge God'). And [why] was he a contrarian that ignored the king's decree? Because when Ahasuerus decreed that everyone should bow to Haman, Haman started wearing an idol so that everyone would bow to the idol, and when he saw that Mordechai refused to bow he became very angry. Mordechai told him "there is a Lord who is above all the arrogant. How can I forsake him and bow to an idol?" Thus, because he attested to God's unity, he was called The Jew i.e. the only Jew. There are those who also compare him to Abraham. Just as Abraham threw himself into the furnace, came out alive, and caused people to recognize God -- this being what is referred to by the verse "and the souls they made in Haran" -- Mordechai also helped people recognize God in his own day as it says "And many people of the land converted to Judaism." [In conclusion] he attested to the unity of God and His holiness and was therefore called "the Jew".