On the surface it may seem that Mordechai’s initiative to study Torah with 22,000 children, in the face of the terrible decrees, was passive compared to dressing in sackcloth, fasting, giving instructions to Queen Esther, and the other seemingly more active events that transpired during that difficult episode. But the opportunity in our present day is to rethink the way we view Torah study in combating physical enemies.
The moment we close the book, however, and begin to try to bring down thoughts by brute force, we run the risk of being seen as an inciter. This is not the case, however, when thoughts come straight down into action. While they may go unnoticed at first, later these people are labeled visionaries, people who lived way before their time, etc…
The secret behind this approach is that focused Torah study has a tangible, real-world effect in the present day; even more so than those other physical acts. While prayer and fasting are important when necessary, our call today is to begin a new revolution grounded in Torah thought.
For those interested, there are a total of six battalions to this thought army, related to the six meanings of the world pakod, finding one’s role or purpose as explained_here.