פירוש על אסתר 2:5

There was a Yehudite man. Because he was exiled with the exile of Yehudah.⁵Rashi offers this explanation to reconcile the contradiction at the end of this verse where Mordechai is described as a Binyaminite man. Targum renders איש יהודי, “a pious Jew.” Alternatively, יהוד is similar to יחוד [=unification], i.e., Mordechai publicly unified God’s Name by refusing to bow before Haman, who wore an idolatrous image. (Esther Rabbah 6:2 and see Maseches Megillah 12b-13a) All those who were exiled with the kings of Yehudah were called יְהוּדִים [Yehudites] among the nations, even if they were from another tribe.⁶Maseches Megillah 12b.

A Binyaminite man. He was from Binyamin, that is the plain meaning. But our Rabbis expounded what they expounded.⁷Ibid.

a. The King sent out that people from the Kingdom would be coming around and if they will be collecting women to take to the King. Out of the girls who come, the King will pick his new wife. When the servants and messengers came to Mordecai’s house and said that Esther needed to come, Mordecai and Esther resisted. If Mordecai was in a different city, he would have an excuse to say he didn’t hear the law and then it would have been less dangerous. However, Mordecai lived in Shushan, the city so he could not say that he didn’t hear the law! It shows Mordecai had no excuse to say he didn’t know and still when they came he tried to resist them. b. If Mordecai was a low and unimportant person, he would have an excuse and it would be more acceptable not to give over Esther because it is not so dangerous not to hand her in but since Mordecai was very important, so it is harder for him and more dangerous to not hand in Esther and resist handing her in.