Darkest Darkness

The Gemorah in Chullin (139b) says אנכי הסתר אסתר פני (Devarim 31:18) is a hint to Ester.  Why is there a double expression of concealment in this verse?  The Gemorah in Megillah (13a) discusses what was the sin that lead to the evil decree of Haman.  The Gemorah suggests that it was because they benefited from the feast of Achashverosh.  The Gemorah rejects this because that would only account for Shushan but not the rest of the world.  In principle however, the Gemorah is happy with this reason.  Why is this a sin worth of destruction?

The Baal Shem Tov (Toldos Yaakov Yosef Berashis) explains the repetitive language of haster aster means that even the concealment is concealed.  Worse than being unprotected is when you don’t even realize that you are vulnerable.  This was the problem in benefiting from the feasts of Achashverosh.  It showed that the Jews were content in the golus willing participants in the kingship of Achashverosh.  They failed to realize they were living in a situation of hastara, in golus and life was not what it should be.  Yes, the benefit from the feasts isn’t a reason in it of itself for destruction but since we put out trust in a foreign ruler, Hashem leaves us in his hands.  The Jews are naturally in a state of danger for we are one sheep among 70 wolfs.  Our guardian shepherd is Hashem; when we forsake Him, he leaves us to graze among the wolfs (see Likutay Sichos volume 31.)

The Gemorah says that vayehi bima is a language of צער.  What is the צער at the beginning of the Megillah, everything seems great?  The very fact that we were living in the days of an Achashverosh is reason to feel distraught.  The very fact that we didn’t recognize the state of הסתרה we were in is the greatest צער