It doesn't matter if its black or white

In learning this week's Parsha, one is astounded at Lavan's chutzpah, trickery and falsity. From one situation to the next, Lavan find ways to manipulate Yaakov's weakness and vulnerability to his favor. But in truth, what is most shocking of all is the name of this charlatan; for we all know that a name is the description of essence, the clothing in words of its inner reality. As such, how can this evil man be called Lavan, white?! White connotes purity and righteousness, cleanliness and good. So why is he called white? He should be named false, or evil or even black - but white! At its root this concept in Torah is truly fundamental and crucial to living life to its fullest.
There is a Gemara in Taanis 22a where R. Broka went to the shuk and saw Eliyahu Hanavi. R. Broka ran up to Eliyahu and asked him if there is anyone in this shuk who is a Ben Olam Haba? To which Eliyahu replied no. In the meantime they saw a certain man who was wearing black shoes (which the Jews of the time did not wear) while not wearing Tzitzis. Eliyahu then said to R. Broka that he is destined for the world to come. So R. Broka runs up to this man and asks him what he does. As it turns out, this man is a jail guard, "I separate the men and the women to different sides of the jail, and put my bed in between them so that they should not come to do that which is forbidden. And when I see an imprisoned Jewish girl who the wardens are focusing their attention on, I risk my life to save her." R. Broka asked him why he wore black shoes and did not wear Tzitzis? The man said, "I come and go among the gentiles and therefore do not wear Tzitzis or the customary Jewish footwear so that they should not know that I am a Jew. So that whenever they make a decree against the Jews, I inform the Rabbis and they pray for mercy." In the meantime, two other men came by the shuk, and Eliyahu said these too are destined for the world to come. So R. Broka ran up to them and asked what they do. They said, "we're comedians - when people are sad we make them happy, and when people fight, we bring peace between them."
The Gemara is explicit that these who were destined for the world to come were Jews whom you would not think were so destined. They didn't wear Tzitzit, they were jokers, they didn't dress like the norm - Shleppers! On the surface of course it appears that way. For, most people see division in the world: this is good, this is bad - the tree of knowledge; this guy looks ok, this one is a bum, and in general it takes a Mr. America to make my list of friends. There is basically a lot of evil in the world and that's the way it is. Yet, how can evil exist? Hashem is One! There is, however, a different way of living - the way of life, the tree of life, where I no longer see double, I see one.
How can Lavan be called white? Similarly, how can Haman be called Haman? Haman in Hebrew means "the man" or the "the manna"; the white, white manna from heaven is that wicked, wicked Haman - how can this be, what's going on?
The gift of manna is all about bitachon (trust in G-d). Is Hashem going to give me food or not? One who took a double portion of manna for one day watched it rot before his eyes, while one who trusted Hashem to give tomorrow tasted in the manna the taste of heaven. When I don't trust Hashem to give - what it have stinks and becomes rotten food. The Manna is Haman?! Who is Haman? He's bringing us, through Mordechai and Esther, to have Bitachon in Hashem,. The manna is that which forces us to clarify our answer to the eternal question, "is Hashem with us or not?" The same is true of Haman, the same with all the wicked ones, the same with evil: the bringing the Tzadikim to become Tzadikim. The Arizal calls Lavan "Lavan HaElyon" The elevated white - don't call Laval a Rashah (evil person) because he's bringing Yaakov to become a Tzadik.
This is the whole tfisah (grasp) of Sitrei Torah (the inner dimension of learning Torah). On the external level: big time troubles, evil and division; nothing has meaning, it's all a psychotic game, woe is me, uy vei uy vei. But in the nistar, the Esther, the hidden realm, Purim - it's all one. Hashem knows everything will be good. The jokers, the comedians, the ones who don't wear Tzitzit - on the surface they shouldn't be let into any yeshiva for being so lightheaded - but on the level of Eliyahu Hanavi they're mamesh saving the world. What do we know? The Lavan who enslaved Yaakov for 20 years, switched wives on him, stole from him and caused him so much aggravation - he brought Yaakov to become Yaakov, to become the Tzadik of all Tzadikim - but how can it be? It can be, because the real depth of Torah is that everything is teaching me, its all bringing me to Hashem.
So to see Haman as manna and Lavan as white is a real high level - it's not for most of us. But Hashem gave one day a year to live like this, well really two - everyday and Purim. This is really the Torah of Eretz Yisrael, the Torah of Mashiach, the torah of life - on Purim I say, "Mordechai? Haman? The same!" So you have to be a little crazy, or sane, or both? L'chaim!
(Based on shiurim heard from R' Yoel Rackovsky)