Midras Keluaran 28:20: Esther Rabbah, Shemot Rabbah & Bereshit Rabbah

“Those close to him” (Esther 1:14) – they brought the calamity close to themselves. “Karshena” – who was appointed over the vetch³A plant used as animal feed. [karshinin]; “Shetar” – who was appointed over the wine [shetiya];⁴Shetiya means drink. “Admata” – who was appointed over land [adama] surveying; “Tarshish” – who was appointed over the house [which was tiled with tarshish – beryl]; “Meres” – who would blend [memares] the [spices for the] fowl; “Marsena” – who would blend [memares] the fine flours; “Memukhan” – the chief food supplier, whose wife would prepare everything they needed.⁵It is not clear whether there is a play on words also with the name Memukhan. Perhaps his role is related to the word mukhan, meaning prepared.
The ministering angels said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘If the counsel of that wicked one [Aḥashverosh] is realized, who will sacrifice offerings before You?’ “Karshena” – who will sacrifice the year-old [shana] bull before You? “Shetar” – who will sacrifice two doves [shenei torim] before You? “Admata” – who will build an earthen [adama] altar before You? As it is written: “You shall make for me an earthen altar” (Exodus 20:21). “Tarshish” – who wears priestly vestments and serves before You? As you say: “A beryl [tarshish], and an onyx, and a chalcedony” (Exodus 28:20). “Meres” – who will blend [memares] spices for the fowl before You? “Marsena” – who will blend [memares] the fine flour before You? “Memukhan” – who will establish [mekhin] the altar before You? As you say: “They established [vayakhinu] the altar on its foundations” (Ezra 3:3).
At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He said regarding Israel: They are My children, they are My companions, they are My intimates, they are My beloved, they are the descendants of My beloved, who is Abraham, as it is written: “Descendants of Abraham who loved me” (Isaiah 41:8). I will exalt their horn, as you say: “He exalted the horn for his people” (Psalms 148:14).⁶“Horn” in this verse is a metaphor for glory or renown.
Another interpretation: “Karshena” – the Holy One blessed be He said: I will spread vetch [karshinin] before them and will eradicate them [mashiran] from the world. “Shetar” – I will give them to drink [lishtot] a cup of poison [tarela]; “Admata Tarshish” – I will make their blood [damam] flow as free as water [like the sea of Tarshish]. “Meres, Marsena, Memukhan” – I will stir [memares], twist [mesares], and crush [mema’ekh] their lives within their bowels. Where was the doom of all of them arranged? Rabbi Hoshaya said: It is from Isaiah the prophet, that is as you say: “Prepare a slaughter for his sons for the iniquity of their fathers, that they not rise and inherit the earth…” (Isaiah 14:21).

“You shall mount it with a stone mounting” (Exodus 28:17) – how were they placed? A row of ruby, topaz; and emerald; on the ruby was written: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Reuben. On the topaz Simeon was written. On the emerald, Levi was written. “The second row, carbuncle, sapphire, and clear quartz” (Exodus 28:18) – on the carbuncle, Judah was written. On the sapphire, Issachar was written. On the clear quartz, Zebulun was written. “The third row, jacinth, agate, amethyst” (Exodus 28:19) – on the jacinth, Dan was written. On the agate, Naphtali was written. On the amethyst, Gad was written. “The fourth row, beryl, onyx, and chalcedony” (Exodus 28:20) – on the beryl, Asher was written. On the onyx, Joseph was written. On the chalcedony was written: Benjamin, tribes of Yeshurun.

That is what is written: “Take from them one staff for each [mateh mateh] patrilineal house” (Numbers 17:17) – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: My children have stumbled [matu matu]; they stumbled with the calf, they stumbled with the spies. Rabbi Levi said: Two tribes ascended to greatness – the tribe of priesthood and the tribe of kingship. You find that everything that is written regarding this one is written regarding that one: Anointment for this one, anointment for that one; mateh for this one¹³Numbers 17:23. and mateh for that one;¹⁴Psalms 110:2. covenant of salt for this one,¹⁵Numbers 18:19. covenant of salt for that one;¹⁶II Chronicles 13:5. “this time”¹⁷Genesis 29:34. for this one and “this time”¹⁸Genesis 29:35. for that one; crown [nezer] for this one,¹⁹Leviticus 8:9. crown [nezer] for that one;²⁰II Kings 11:12. approach for this one²¹Exodus 28:1. and approach for that one;²²Jeremiah 30:21. pedigree for this one²³Numbers 3:1–-4. and pedigree for that one;²⁴Ruth 4:18–22. frontplate for this one²⁵Leviticus 8:9. and frontplate for that one.²⁶Psalms 132:18.
Rabbi Levi said: “He will not withdraw His eyes [einav] from the righteous” (Job 36:7) – “His eyes” – his likeness [eino]²⁷He has descendants who are in his likeness. See Maharsha Megillah 13b., like the person who says: ‘The sample of [einohi] fruit.’²⁸Somebody who wants to sell fruit shows a sample. The sample shows the quality of the entire stock. “And kings upon the throne” (Job 36:7)²⁹This is the end of the verse quoted above, but it is not part of the flow of this passage. – Leah adopted the wisdom of thanks [hodaya], and masters of thanks [hodaya] were produced from her. Judah – “Judah recognized them, and said: She is more righteous than I”³⁰Hodaya can also mean to acknowledge. (Genesis 38:26); David said: “Give thanks [hodu] to the Lord, for He is good,” (Psalms 136:1); Daniel said: “I thank and praise [mehoda] You, God of my fathers” (Daniel 2:23).
Rachel adopted the wisdom of silence, and masters of silence were produced from her. Benjamin: “chalcedony [yashefe]” (Exodus 28:20),³¹This stone on the breastpiece of the High Priest had the name of Benjamin inscribed on it. there is a mouth [yesh peh]; he knew of the sale of Joseph, but did not tell. Saul: “But the matter of the kingship…he did not tell him” (I Samuel 10:16). Esther: “Esther did not disclose her birthplace or her people” (Esther 2:20).
“Therefore [al ken], she called his name” – everywhere that al ken is stated, it is a large population.
“And she ceased [vataamod] bearing” – who establishes [maamid] the woman’s standing in her house? It is her children.