Midrasch zu Esther 8:7

“The Lord will return you to Egypt in ships [baoniyyot], by the route of which I said to you: You will never see it again; and you will offer yourselves for sale there to your enemies, as slaves and as maidservants, and there will be no buyer” (Deuteronomy 28:68).
Rabbi Yitzḥak said: “In ships” [baoniyyot] – in poverty [baaniyyut] of good deeds. Why to Egypt? Because a slave experiences humiliation and mistreatment when he returns to his original master. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said: In three places, the Holy One blessed be He cautions Israel not to return to Egypt. The first, as it is stated: “For as you saw Egypt [today, you shall not see them ever again]” (Exodus 14:13). The second, it is written: “The Lord said to you: You shall not return again on that way anymore” (Deuteronomy 17:16). This is the third, as it is written: “The Lord will return you to Egypt in ships” (Deuteronomy 28:68).
They [Israel] contravened all three of them and were punished for all three of them. The first, during the reign of Sanḥeriv, as it is stated: “Woe! Those who descend to Egypt for aid” (Isaiah 31:1), and what is written thereafter: “Egypt is man, not god […and all of them will perish together]” (Isaiah 31:3). Second, during the days of Yoḥanan ben Kare’aḥ, as it is stated: “It shall be that the sword which you fear [will overtake you there in the land of Egypt]” (Jeremiah 42:16). The third, during the reign of Trajan, may his bones be crushed: His wife gave birth on the Ninth of Av when all Israel was mourning. The baby died on Hanukkah. Israel said: Shall we light [Hanukkah lamps], or not light? They said: We shall light, and anything that he seeks to inflict upon us, let him inflict. They lit. They went and slandered them to Trajan’s wife: Those Jews,⁴The reference is possibly to the Jews of Egypt who participated in the Kitos War (115-117), a rebellion against the Romans during Trajan’s reign. when you gave birth, they were mourning, when the baby died, they lit lamps. She sent a missive to her husband: Before you conquer the barbarians, come and conquer these Jews who have rebelled against you. He boarded the ship and expected to arrive in ten days, and the wind brought him in five days. He arrived and found them engaged in this verse: “The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle will swoop” (Deuteronomy 28:49). He said to them: I am the eagle, as I expected to arrive in ten days and the wind brought me in five days. His legions surrounded them and killed them.
“And there is no buyer [koneh]” (Deuteronomy 28:68). Why is there no buyer? Rav said: It is because you did not impart the words of the covenant, as there is no one among you who is a buyer [koneh] of [i.e., one who learns] the five books of the Torah, the numerical value of koneh.⁵The word koneh – kof, vav, nun, heh – can be read as koneh heh, i.e. ‘buyer of heh.’ The numerical equivalent of heh is five. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: Because I went around to all the nations of the world and there was no one acquiring [no buyer of] the words of the Torah like you [Israel] did. Rabbi Shmuel bar Yitzhak said: You have acquisition of [members of] the nations of the world [i.e. the ability to buy them as slaves], as it is stated: “Also from the children of the resident aliens who reside with you, from them you shall acquire” (Leviticus 25:45); but the nations have no acquisition of you. Why do you have acquisition of the nations of the world? It is because you imparted: “These are the words of the covenant” (Deuteronomy 28:69). Why don’t the nations of the world have acquisition in you? It is because they did not acquire: “These are the words of the covenant.”
Rabbi Yonatan said: You have patrons, and what are they? They are the words of the covenant. Rabbi Yuda said: You are property of the crown; Isn’t the life of one who takes a slave from the property of the crown forfeit? And so Aḥashverosh said to his wife: “Behold, I gave the house of Haman to Esther [and they hanged him on the gibbet]” (Esther 8:7), and Rabbi Yuda bar Rabbi Simon said: It is because he extended his hand to harm the property of the crown, so it befell him.
Rabbi Yitzḥak said: There was an incident in Protzefya involving a certain woman who would redeem captives. One captive woman came, and she redeemed her. A second, and she redeemed her. When her means failed her and she was unable to redeem any more, soldiers immediately surrounded her and killed her. Why did they go to that extreme? In order to motivate future captors.⁶The local soldiers killed her in order to motivate future captors to kill their prisoners rather than hold them for ransom.
Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Yitzḥak. Rabbi Levi said: Who acquires a friend, and the next day he is executed? Who acquires a wife, and the next day she is executed? Rabbi Yitzḥak said: You will not be acquired as slaves and maidservants, but you will be acquired to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be eliminated, as Esther said to Aḥashverosh: “For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be eliminated; had we been sold as slaves and as maidservants, I would have been silent” (Esther 7:4). And so Moses wrote about us in the Torah: “And you will sell yourselves there to your enemies as slaves and as maidservants, and there will be no buyer” (Deuteronomy 28:68); perhaps to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be eliminated? When everyone saw, they began screaming: ‘Woe!’ “It was [vayhi],” woe [vai] for what transpired during the reign of Aḥashverosh.⁷The first verse of Esther begins Va-yhi bi-mei Aḥashverosh, “It was during the days of Aḥashverosh.”

“If you see exploitation of the poor, and the perversion of justice and integrity in the state, do not marvel at the purpose; for one higher than high is watching, and there are high ones over them” (Ecclesiastes 5:7).
“If you see exploitation of the poor” – if you see one exploiting the poor and the indigent, and the Righteous One, who lives forever, bestows tranquility and good upon him, “see…in the state [bamedina],” see in him the sentence²⁹Bamedina is expounded as a portmanteau of bam dina, they will be sentenced. of Gehenna. “For one higher” – these are the angels; “and there are high ones over them” – this is the Holy One blessed be He.
Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina interpreted the verse regarding Esau. If you saw Esau in the great city of Rome³⁰The Sages considered the Romans to be descendants of Esau. exploiting the poor and robbing the indigent, and the Holy One blessed be He bestows tranquility upon him, you will [yet] see in him the attribute of justice.³¹Rome will eventually be punished. “Do not marvel” regarding what the old man³²Isaac said and his wish was fulfilled, as it is stated: “Behold, of the fat of the earth will be your dwelling” (Genesis 27:39). “For one higher” – these are the ministers, governors, and commanders. “And there are high ones over them” – this is the King who lives forever. Rabbi Aḥa said: From the “behold” of flesh and blood you learn of the “behold” of the Holy One blessed be He. Just as the “behold” of flesh and blood provided life for an entire people in this world, as it is stated: “Behold, I have given Haman’s house to Esther” (Esther 8:7), when the “behold” of the Holy One blessed be He comes, as it is stated: “Behold, a day of the Lord is coming, [and your spoil shall be divided in your midst]” (Zechariah 14:1), all the more so.³³If the “behold” of Aḥashverosh granted the Jews great wealth from Haman, who was a descendant of Esau, all the more so that the Jews will benefit when God upholds His prophecy beginning with “behold.”

"and let Your haters flee before You": Now are there "haters" before Him who spoke and brought the world into being? The intent is, rather, that all who hate the righteous are, as it were, haters of the L-rd. Similarly, (Shemot 15:7) "and in the greatness of Your grandeur you destroy those who rise against You." Now are there any who "rise" before the L-rd? The intent is, rather, that all who rise against the righteous are, as it were, "rising" against the L-rd. And, similarly (Psalms 74:23) "Forget not the voice of Your adversaries, the ever rising roar of those who rise against You," and (Psalms 83:3) "For Your foes are tumultuous; Your haters have raised their heads," and (Psalms 4) "They have been subtle in counsel against Your people," and (Psalms 138:21-22) "Will I not hate Your haters, O L-rd? Will I not battle with those who rise up against You? I have hated them to the heights of hatred. I have deemed them my (own) enemies." And thus is it written (Zechariah 2:12) "Whoever touches you (Israel) touches the pupil of His eye": It is not written "the pupil of the eye," but "the pupil of His eye" — that of the L-rd, as it were, Scripture resorting to a euphemism (for "the eye of the L-rd"). Similarly, (Job 7:20) "Why do You make me Your target for Yourself, and a burden to myself?" — ("myself") a euphemism (for "to You"?) Similarly, (Ezekiel 8:17) "and they thrust the branch to their nostrils" — a euphemism for ("My"). Similarly, (Chabakkuk 1:12) "Are You not of yore, O L-rd, my holy G-d, and we shall not die" — a euphemism (for "You"). Similarly, (Psalms 106:20) "They exchanged their glory for the image of a bull feeding on grass" — a euphemism (for "G-d"). Similarly, (Bamidbar 11:15) "And if You will do thus to me, kill me, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your eyes, and let me not witness my evil" — a euphemism (for "them" and "their," respectively). Similarly, (Ibid. 12:12) "who comes out of his mother's womb, and half his flesh being consumed" — a euphemism (for "our"). And if one helps the righteous, it is as if he is helping the L-rd, viz. (Judges 5:23) "'Curse Meroz!' said the angel of the L-rd. 'Bitterly curse her dwellers. Because they do not come to the holy of the L-rd, to the help of the L-rd among the mighty.'" R. Shimon b. Elazar says: There is nothing more "beloved" in a man's body than his eye. When a man is hit on his head, he closes only his eyes. And Israel is thus compared, viz. (Zechariah 2:12) "Whoever touches you (Israel) touches the pupil of His eye." R. Yossi b. Elazar says: He (the "toucher") is regarded as one who sticks a finger into His eye and gouges it out. Pharaoh, who "touched," what did I do to him? (Shemot 15:4) "Pharaoh's chariots and his army He cast into the sea." Sisra, who "touched," what did I do to him? (Judges 5:20) "From heaven the stars fought. From their courses they fought against Sisra." Sancherev, who "touched," what did I do to him? (II Kings 19:35) "And an angel of the L-rd went out and smote in the camp of Ashur, etc." Nevuchadnezzar, who "touched," what did I do to him? (Daniel 4:30) "and he ate grass like cattle." Haman, who "touched," what did I do to him? (Esther 8:7) "and they hanged him on a tree." And thus you find that as long as Israel were subjugated in Egypt, the Shechinah was with them in their servitude, viz. (Shemot 22:10) "And they saw the G-d of Israel, and under His feet, the likeness of a sapphire brick" (viz. Ibid. 1:14) "And thus is it written (Isaiah 63:9) "In all of their afflictions, He was afflicted." This tells me only of communal afflictions. Whence do I derive (the same for) individual afflictions? From (Psalms 91:15) "When he calls Me, I will answer him. With him will I be in affliction." And it is written (Bereshit 39:20-21) "And Joseph's master took him in and the L-rd was with Joseph." And thus is it written (II Samuel 7:23) "… before your people whom You redeemed from Egypt — a nation and its G-d" (together with them). R. Akiva says: If it were not explicitly written, it would be impossible to say it — Israel said before the L-rd: "You have redeemed Yourself!" You find that whenever they were exiled, the Shechinah was exiled with them, viz. (I Samuel 2:27) "Was I not exiled to your father's house when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh?" When they were exiled to Bavel, the Shechinah was with them, viz. (Isaiah 43:14) "For your sake I was sent to Bavel." When they were exiled to Edom, the Shechinah was with them, viz. (Ibid. 63:1) "Who is this, coming from Edom, etc.?" And when they return, the Shechinah will return with them, as it is written (Devarim 30:3) "And the L-rd will return, etc." It is not written "and the L-rd will return your captivity," but "and the L-rd will return with your captivity." And it is written (Song of Songs 4:8) "With Me, from Levanon, My bride, with Me from Levanon will you come."