Midrash su Ester 4:22

2. Blessed is the Lord, blessed is He, who recognizes at the start what will be in the end. And He proclaims from the beginning the ending from before that He made (i.e. created). And He knows that which He made and what it would be destined to do. And He foresees for good and He does not foresee for evil. He is rich and is happy with His portion. And in His wisdom and His understanding, He created His world, and He prepared and afterward created in it a Man (Adom), and flung him before Him. And He calculated until the end of all the generations and foresaw that his (man's) descendants would be angering. He said if I were to guard in him the first debts (i.e. seek payback in regards to sins), the world would not stand. It is on me to overlook the first (sins), so He does. Where can you know this is so? When (The Nation of) Israel was in the Desert, they rotted in their actions (by the sin of Golden Calf). He stood to overlook all that They had done, as it says "And Hashem passed (ויעבור) in front of him (Moshe) [Shemos 34:6]. Do not read he passed (ויעבור) rather he forgave (ויעביר). Learn that He forgave all the evil in front of him. And it should be known to you that so was with Mordechai in the time that Esther spoke not properly; since she said "but I have not been called to come in to the king etc." [Esther 4:11]. And he (Mordechai) responded to her "For if you remain silent etc." [Esther 4:14]. And when she repented and spoke to him properly, "Go, gather all the Jews" [Esther 4:16]. He looked past her words (i.e. her original words, forgiving them) as it says "And Mordechai passed" [Esther 4:17]. (The verb עָבַר has multiple meanings, literally to pass or take away, here the meaning is its use in the following verse) and he said: "Who is like God, who forgives iniquity, and overlooks transgression (וְעֹבֵ֣ר עַל־פֶּ֔שַׁע)" [Micha 7:18]. "Your eyes did see my unshaped flesh (for in Thy book all things are written)" etc. [Psalms 139:16] that teaching says in the future The Holy One Blessed Be He will sit in the Big House of Study of His. And the Righteous (צדיקים) will sit before him, and He will say to them 'My children, this generation such Torah it did and such I did with them righteousness, but I will not mention their sins, and they do not go upon my heart', as it says "and the former things shall not be remembered" etc. [Isaiah 65:17]. (Continuing the interpretation of the cited verse) "These days were formed, but not one from them" [Psalms 139:16] (the verse ends as written ולא אֶחָד בָּהֶם not one from them, yet is read וְלוֹ אֶחָד בָּהֶם which means and to him one from them both connotate a unique day). This refers to the day of Shabbos for Israel. How so? A man does work all six days and rests on the seventh. He has amity with his children and the people of his house. Mans returns to do work in the face of his enemy all six days, and rests on the seventh, forgetting all pain, as it is so with the ways of man - a good day he forgets the bad day. A bad day he forgets the good day. The Holy One Blessed be He says to Israel did I not write to them in my Torah, "You should not remove this Book of Torah from your mouths" [Joshua 1:8] even though you do work all six days, Shabbos you should make fully Torah. From here, it is said a man should arise early and learn on Shabbos. And go to the Synagogue and to the House of Study. And he should read Torah verse, then learn in the Prophets, and afterward go to his house and eat and drink to fulfill that which it says "[But you, the righteous one,] go and eat your bread in joy, and drink your wine with a good heart, (for G-d has already accepted your good deeds) [Ecclesiastes 9:7]. Accordingly, there is no refreshment to the Holy One Blessed be He except only with those who make Torah, therefore that it says "For all those things has my hand made, (and so all those things came to be, says the Lord:) but to this man will I look, to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word." [Isaiah 66:2]. From here it is said what a man says (i.e. when learning Torah) he should grasp in his hand in order that he does not have to handle the embarrassment and shame at the time when they say to him 'Stand and arrange (וערוך) the Verses you said and arrange (וערוך) the Mishnayos you have learned. And so it is explicit in the Tradition by King David, "Hashem, in the morning you hear my voice, in the morning I arrange before you (אֶעֱרָךְ־לְךָ) and I hope" [Psalms 5:4].

2. Blessed is the Lord, blessed is He, who recognizes at the start what will be in the end. And He proclaims from the beginning the ending from before that He made (i.e. created). And He knows that which He made and what it would be destined to do. And He foresees for good and He does not foresee for evil. He is rich and is happy with His portion. And in His wisdom and His understanding, He created His world, and He prepared and afterward created in it a Man (Adom), and flung him before Him. And He calculated until the end of all the generations and foresaw that his (man's) descendants would be angering. He said if I were to guard in him the first debts (i.e. seek payback in regards to sins), the world would not stand. It is on me to overlook the first (sins), so He does. Where can you know this is so? When (The Nation of) Israel was in the Desert, they rotted in their actions (by the sin of Golden Calf). He stood to overlook all that They had done, as it says "And Hashem passed (ויעבור) in front of him (Moshe) [Shemos 34:6]. Do not read he passed (ויעבור) rather he forgave (ויעביר). Learn that He forgave all the evil in front of him. And it should be known to you that so was with Mordechai in the time that Esther spoke not properly; since she said "but I have not been called to come in to the king etc." [Esther 4:11]. And he (Mordechai) responded to her "For if you remain silent etc." [Esther 4:14]. And when she repented and spoke to him properly, "Go, gather all the Jews" [Esther 4:16]. He looked past her words (i.e. her original words, forgiving them) as it says "And Mordechai passed" [Esther 4:17]. (The verb עָבַר has multiple meanings, literally to pass or take away, here the meaning is its use in the following verse) and he said: "Who is like God, who forgives iniquity, and overlooks transgression (וְעֹבֵ֣ר עַל־פֶּ֔שַׁע)" [Micha 7:18]. "Your eyes did see my unshaped flesh (for in Thy book all things are written)" etc. [Psalms 139:16] that teaching says in the future The Holy One Blessed Be He will sit in the Big House of Study of His. And the Righteous (צדיקים) will sit before him, and He will say to them 'My children, this generation such Torah it did and such I did with them righteousness, but I will not mention their sins, and they do not go upon my heart', as it says "and the former things shall not be remembered" etc. [Isaiah 65:17]. (Continuing the interpretation of the cited verse) "These days were formed, but not one from them" [Psalms 139:16] (the verse ends as written ולא אֶחָד בָּהֶם not one from them, yet is read וְלוֹ אֶחָד בָּהֶם which means and to him one from them both connotate a unique day). This refers to the day of Shabbos for Israel. How so? A man does work all six days and rests on the seventh. He has amity with his children and the people of his house. Mans returns to do work in the face of his enemy all six days, and rests on the seventh, forgetting all pain, as it is so with the ways of man - a good day he forgets the bad day. A bad day he forgets the good day. The Holy One Blessed be He says to Israel did I not write to them in my Torah, "You should not remove this Book of Torah from your mouths" [Joshua 1:8] even though you do work all six days, Shabbos you should make fully Torah. From here, it is said a man should arise early and learn on Shabbos. And go to the Synagogue and to the House of Study. And he should read Torah verse, then learn in the Prophets, and afterward go to his house and eat and drink to fulfill that which it says "[But you, the righteous one,] go and eat your bread in joy, and drink your wine with a good heart, (for G-d has already accepted your good deeds) [Ecclesiastes 9:7]. Accordingly, there is no refreshment to the Holy One Blessed be He except only with those who make Torah, therefore that it says "For all those things has my hand made, (and so all those things came to be, says the Lord:) but to this man will I look, to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word." [Isaiah 66:2]. From here it is said what a man says (i.e. when learning Torah) he should grasp in his hand in order that he does not have to handle the embarrassment and shame at the time when they say to him 'Stand and arrange (וערוך) the Verses you said and arrange (וערוך) the Mishnayos you have learned. And so it is explicit in the Tradition by King David, "Hashem, in the morning you hear my voice, in the morning I arrange before you (אֶעֱרָךְ־לְךָ) and I hope" [Psalms 5:4].

2. Blessed is the Lord, blessed is He, who recognizes at the start what will be in the end. And He proclaims from the beginning the ending from before that He made (i.e. created). And He knows that which He made and what it would be destined to do. And He foresees for good and He does not foresee for evil. He is rich and is happy with His portion. And in His wisdom and His understanding, He created His world, and He prepared and afterward created in it a Man (Adom), and flung him before Him. And He calculated until the end of all the generations and foresaw that his (man's) descendants would be angering. He said if I were to guard in him the first debts (i.e. seek payback in regards to sins), the world would not stand. It is on me to overlook the first (sins), so He does. Where can you know this is so? When (The Nation of) Israel was in the Desert, they rotted in their actions (by the sin of Golden Calf). He stood to overlook all that They had done, as it says "And Hashem passed (ויעבור) in front of him (Moshe) [Shemos 34:6]. Do not read he passed (ויעבור) rather he forgave (ויעביר). Learn that He forgave all the evil in front of him. And it should be known to you that so was with Mordechai in the time that Esther spoke not properly; since she said "but I have not been called to come in to the king etc." [Esther 4:11]. And he (Mordechai) responded to her "For if you remain silent etc." [Esther 4:14]. And when she repented and spoke to him properly, "Go, gather all the Jews" [Esther 4:16]. He looked past her words (i.e. her original words, forgiving them) as it says "And Mordechai passed" [Esther 4:17]. (The verb עָבַר has multiple meanings, literally to pass or take away, here the meaning is its use in the following verse) and he said: "Who is like God, who forgives iniquity, and overlooks transgression (וְעֹבֵ֣ר עַל־פֶּ֔שַׁע)" [Micha 7:18]. "Your eyes did see my unshaped flesh (for in Thy book all things are written)" etc. [Psalms 139:16] that teaching says in the future The Holy One Blessed Be He will sit in the Big House of Study of His. And the Righteous (צדיקים) will sit before him, and He will say to them 'My children, this generation such Torah it did and such I did with them righteousness, but I will not mention their sins, and they do not go upon my heart', as it says "and the former things shall not be remembered" etc. [Isaiah 65:17]. (Continuing the interpretation of the cited verse) "These days were formed, but not one from them" [Psalms 139:16] (the verse ends as written ולא אֶחָד בָּהֶם not one from them, yet is read וְלוֹ אֶחָד בָּהֶם which means and to him one from them both connotate a unique day). This refers to the day of Shabbos for Israel. How so? A man does work all six days and rests on the seventh. He has amity with his children and the people of his house. Mans returns to do work in the face of his enemy all six days, and rests on the seventh, forgetting all pain, as it is so with the ways of man - a good day he forgets the bad day. A bad day he forgets the good day. The Holy One Blessed be He says to Israel did I not write to them in my Torah, "You should not remove this Book of Torah from your mouths" [Joshua 1:8] even though you do work all six days, Shabbos you should make fully Torah. From here, it is said a man should arise early and learn on Shabbos. And go to the Synagogue and to the House of Study. And he should read Torah verse, then learn in the Prophets, and afterward go to his house and eat and drink to fulfill that which it says "[But you, the righteous one,] go and eat your bread in joy, and drink your wine with a good heart, (for G-d has already accepted your good deeds) [Ecclesiastes 9:7]. Accordingly, there is no refreshment to the Holy One Blessed be He except only with those who make Torah, therefore that it says "For all those things has my hand made, (and so all those things came to be, says the Lord:) but to this man will I look, to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word." [Isaiah 66:2]. From here it is said what a man says (i.e. when learning Torah) he should grasp in his hand in order that he does not have to handle the embarrassment and shame at the time when they say to him 'Stand and arrange (וערוך) the Verses you said and arrange (וערוך) the Mishnayos you have learned. And so it is explicit in the Tradition by King David, "Hashem, in the morning you hear my voice, in the morning I arrange before you (אֶעֱרָךְ־לְךָ) and I hope" [Psalms 5:4].

2. Blessed is the Lord, blessed is He, who recognizes at the start what will be in the end. And He proclaims from the beginning the ending from before that He made (i.e. created). And He knows that which He made and what it would be destined to do. And He foresees for good and He does not foresee for evil. He is rich and is happy with His portion. And in His wisdom and His understanding, He created His world, and He prepared and afterward created in it a Man (Adom), and flung him before Him. And He calculated until the end of all the generations and foresaw that his (man's) descendants would be angering. He said if I were to guard in him the first debts (i.e. seek payback in regards to sins), the world would not stand. It is on me to overlook the first (sins), so He does. Where can you know this is so? When (The Nation of) Israel was in the Desert, they rotted in their actions (by the sin of Golden Calf). He stood to overlook all that They had done, as it says "And Hashem passed (ויעבור) in front of him (Moshe) [Shemos 34:6]. Do not read he passed (ויעבור) rather he forgave (ויעביר). Learn that He forgave all the evil in front of him. And it should be known to you that so was with Mordechai in the time that Esther spoke not properly; since she said "but I have not been called to come in to the king etc." [Esther 4:11]. And he (Mordechai) responded to her "For if you remain silent etc." [Esther 4:14]. And when she repented and spoke to him properly, "Go, gather all the Jews" [Esther 4:16]. He looked past her words (i.e. her original words, forgiving them) as it says "And Mordechai passed" [Esther 4:17]. (The verb עָבַר has multiple meanings, literally to pass or take away, here the meaning is its use in the following verse) and he said: "Who is like God, who forgives iniquity, and overlooks transgression (וְעֹבֵ֣ר עַל־פֶּ֔שַׁע)" [Micha 7:18]. "Your eyes did see my unshaped flesh (for in Thy book all things are written)" etc. [Psalms 139:16] that teaching says in the future The Holy One Blessed Be He will sit in the Big House of Study of His. And the Righteous (צדיקים) will sit before him, and He will say to them 'My children, this generation such Torah it did and such I did with them righteousness, but I will not mention their sins, and they do not go upon my heart', as it says "and the former things shall not be remembered" etc. [Isaiah 65:17]. (Continuing the interpretation of the cited verse) "These days were formed, but not one from them" [Psalms 139:16] (the verse ends as written ולא אֶחָד בָּהֶם not one from them, yet is read וְלוֹ אֶחָד בָּהֶם which means and to him one from them both connotate a unique day). This refers to the day of Shabbos for Israel. How so? A man does work all six days and rests on the seventh. He has amity with his children and the people of his house. Mans returns to do work in the face of his enemy all six days, and rests on the seventh, forgetting all pain, as it is so with the ways of man - a good day he forgets the bad day. A bad day he forgets the good day. The Holy One Blessed be He says to Israel did I not write to them in my Torah, "You should not remove this Book of Torah from your mouths" [Joshua 1:8] even though you do work all six days, Shabbos you should make fully Torah. From here, it is said a man should arise early and learn on Shabbos. And go to the Synagogue and to the House of Study. And he should read Torah verse, then learn in the Prophets, and afterward go to his house and eat and drink to fulfill that which it says "[But you, the righteous one,] go and eat your bread in joy, and drink your wine with a good heart, (for G-d has already accepted your good deeds) [Ecclesiastes 9:7]. Accordingly, there is no refreshment to the Holy One Blessed be He except only with those who make Torah, therefore that it says "For all those things has my hand made, (and so all those things came to be, says the Lord:) but to this man will I look, to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word." [Isaiah 66:2]. From here it is said what a man says (i.e. when learning Torah) he should grasp in his hand in order that he does not have to handle the embarrassment and shame at the time when they say to him 'Stand and arrange (וערוך) the Verses you said and arrange (וערוך) the Mishnayos you have learned. And so it is explicit in the Tradition by King David, "Hashem, in the morning you hear my voice, in the morning I arrange before you (אֶעֱרָךְ־לְךָ) and I hope" [Psalms 5:4].

“It was during the days of Aḥashverosh…” Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis, Rabbi Levi said: Aḥashverosh is Artaḥshasta. The Rabbis say: [He was called] Aḥashverosh, since anyone who remembers him, his head hurts [ḥoshesh et rosho]. Why did Scripture call him Artaḥshasta? It is because he would anger [martiaḥ] and exhaust [vetash] [others]. Aḥashverosh – Rabbi Yitzḥak and the Rabbis, Rabbi Yitzḥak said: “Aḥashverosh” – as all the troubles came during his days, as it is stated: “there was great mourning among the Jews” (Esther 4:3). “That is Aḥashverosh” – as all the good came during his days, as it is stated: “Joy and gladness for the Jews, a banquet and a holiday” (Esther 8:17). The Rabbis say: “Aḥashverosh” – before Esther came before him; “that is Aḥashverosh” – after Esther came before him, he would no longer copulate with menstruants.

(Fol. 15) And Mordecai ascertained all that had been done (Est. 4, 1). What had been done? Rab said: "That Haman had persuaded Ahasuerus." (Ib.) Then called Esther for Hathach. Said Rab: "Hathach is Daniel, but why was he called Hathach? Because he severed connections with his high position." Samuel said: "On the contrary, he had the office, and his name signifies that all laws were decided by him." And gave him a change for Mordecai to know what this was, and why this was. R. Isaac Nafcha said: "Thus sent Esther to Mordecai. Perhaps they [Israel] transgressed the five books of the Torah concerning which it is written (Ex. 32, 15) On the one side and on the other were they inscribed." And they told Mordecai the words of Esther (12). But he (Hathach) himself did not come to her? "From this," said R. Abba b. Cahana, "we infer that one need not go back [to his sender] to bring bad news." And Mordecai went about. Rad said: "This means that he transgressed by fasting on the first day of Passover"; and Samuel said: "It means that he crossed a pool of water [to assemble the Jews of the other side]."

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were ultimately exalted as a consequence of their humiliation: Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, and their robes, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace (Dan. 3:21), but later they were exalted, as is said: Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon (ibid., v. 30). Daniel was hurled into the den of lions, and then was exalted: So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Cyrus the Persian (ibid. 6:29). It is written concerning Mordecai: And he put on sackcloth and ashes (Est. 4:1), but later Mordecai went forth from the presence of the king in royal apparel (ibid. 8:5). About Joseph it is said: His feet they hurt with fetters, his person was laid in iron (Ps. 105:18), but he too was exalted; and Joseph became ruler over the land.

“The king’s decree about what he will do will be heard throughout his entire kingdom, vast as it is, and all wives will give honor to their husbands, from great to small” (Esther 1:20).
Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Yitzḥak, Rabbi Levi said: We are destined to hear a great decree from that one who will become queen. What is that? “There was great mourning among the Jews” (Esther 4:3). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: We are destined to hear a great decree from that one who will become queen. What is that? “There was joy and gladness for the Jews” (Esther 8:17). Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi Simon said: The decree of the King of kings will be heard, who said in His wisdom and His understanding: “I will expunge the memory of Amalek” (Exodus 17:14).
“Vast as it is” – Rav and Shmuel, one said: This kingdom is too vast for this sin; and one said: This sin is too great for this kingdom.¹⁷Rav and Shmuel disagree as to whether the word ‘vast’ in the verse refers to the kingdom, or to Vashti’s sin. “And all the wives will give honor to their husbands…”

“One who follows a command will not know an evil matter, and a wise man's heart will know the time of judgment” (Ecclesiastes 8:5).
“One who follows a command will not know an evil matter,” this is Esther, who was engaged in the mitzva of removing leavened bread.²⁴On the thirteenth of Nisan, although she was in the palace, she was unaware of Haman’s evil decree that had been issued that day, and she was engaged in preparing for Passover. “And a wise man's heart will know the time of judgment,” this is Mordekhai, as it is written: “Mordekhai knew everything that had been done” (Esther 4:1).

“Was [haya] [a Judean man in the Shushan citadel]….” Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Everyone about whom “haya” is stated, it is he at the beginning and it is he at the end.⁹ He was righteous from beginning to end. They objected to him; but isn’t it written: “One was [haya] Abraham” (Ezekiel 33:24)?¹⁰ Abraham began his life as an idolater; he wasn’t the same at the beginning and the end. He said to them: That is not, in fact, a refutation, as Rabbi Ḥanina and Rabbi Yoḥanan said: At age three Abraham identified his Creator. That is what is written: “Because [ekev] Abraham heeded My voice” (Genesis 26:5). The number of years that Abraham heeded the voice of his Creator is the equivalent of ekev (172),¹¹Ayin – 70, kof –100, beit – 2 and he lived one hundred and seventy-five years. [If one does not accept this explanation,] how do I find expression for haya about him? It means that he was fated from the beginning to guide the entire world to repent.¹²Although Abraham was not a believer in God his whole life, he had the potential from the beginning.
“[The Lord God said:] Behold, the man has become [haya] [like one of us, knowing good and evil]” (Genesis 3:22) – he became fated to die. “The serpent was [haya] more cunning” (Genesis 3:1) – he was fated for punishment. “Cain was [haya] a cultivator of the ground” (Genesis 4:2) – he was fated for exile, as you say: “Cain departed from the presence of the Lord” (Genesis 4:16); saying that he would be “restless and wandering” (Genesis 4:12). “There was [haya] a man in the land of Utz” (Job 1:1) – he was fated for suffering. “Noah, a righteous man, was [haya] faultless” (Genesis 6:9) – he was fated to acknowledge his Creator. “Moses was [haya] herding (Exodus 3:1) – he was fated for salvation. Mordekhai was fated for redemption.
Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis: Rabbi Levi said: Anyone about whom haya is stated witnessed a new world. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: They are five.
Noah – yesterday “Water eroded stone” (Job 14:19), as Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Even millstones were dissolved during the flood, and now [after the flood] it says: “The sons of Noah who emerged from the ark…” (Genesis 9:18),¹³Immediately following this verse, the Torah relates how the earth was repopulated by Noah’s sons while Noah was alive. indicating that he witnessed a new world.
Joseph – yesterday “they tortured [his feet] with chains” (Psalms 105:18), and now “And Joseph was [haya] was the ruler over the land” (Genesis 42:6); that is, he witnessed a new world.
Moses – yesterday he was fleeing from Pharaoh and now he is drowning him in the sea; that is, he witnessed a new world.
Job – yesterday “He spills my bile onto the ground” (Job 16:13), and now “and the Lord gave Job double what he had had” (Job 42:10); that is, he witnessed a new world.
Mordekhai – yesterday “he wore sackcloth and ashes” (Esther 4:1), and now “he emerged from before the king in royal garments” (Esther 8:15).
“And his name was Mordekhai” (Esther 2:5). Just as myrrh [mor] is first of all the spices,¹⁴It is first on the list of ingredients of the sacred oil of anointment (Exodus 30:23). so was Mordekhai first among the righteous in his generation.

“If it pleases the king, let it be written to eliminate them and I will weigh out ten thousand talents of silver by the hands of the king's craftsmen, to bring to the king's treasuries” (Esther 3:9).
“If it pleases the king, let it be written to eliminate them.” Reish Lakish said: At the moment that Haman the wicked said to Aḥashverosh: ‘Come let us eliminate Israel from the world,’ Aḥashverosh said to him: ‘You cannot overcome them, because their God does not abandon them at all. Come see what He did to the kings who came before us who extended their hand against them, who were greater and more powerful kings than we are. Anyone who came against them to eliminate them from the world, and those who counseled against them, were eliminated from the world and became a proverb for all residents of the world. We, who are not as great as they were, all the more so. Cease speaking of this matter again.’ Nevertheless, Haman would constantly pester Aḥashverosh over this matter and would counsel him with evil counsel regarding Israel.
Aḥashverosh said to him: ‘Since this is the situation, we will consult the wise men and the magicians.’ Immediately, he sent for and assembled all the wise men of the nations of the world. They all came before him. Aḥashverosh said to them: ‘Is it your wish that we eliminate this nation from the world?’ They all said to him simultaneously: ‘“Who is he and where is he, who was so presumptuous to do so?” (Esther 7:5) – to seek to cast [lots] in this matter? For if you eliminate Israel from the world, [know that] the world only exists for the sake of the Torah that was given to Israel. That is what is written: “If it were not for My covenant of day and night, had I not set the statutes of heaven and earth, [I would indeed spurn the descendants of Jacob…]” (Jeremiah 33:25-6).
Not only that, but all the idolaters are called strangers before the Holy One blessed be He [and Israel are called [His] intimates]; that is what is written: “Also to the foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel” (I Kings: 8:41). But Israel are called intimates; that is what is written: “For the children of Israel, the people who are intimate with Him” (Psalms 148:14). Not only that, but they are called children; that is what is written: “My firstborn son is Israel” (Exodus 4:22); “You are children to the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 14:1). And the Holy One blessed be He is called close to Israel; that is what is written: “The Lord is close to all who call Him sincerely” (Psalms 145:18). There is no nation that is close to the Holy One blessed be He other than Israel, as it is stated: “[For who is a great nation that has God near it] as the Lord our God in all of our calling to Him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7) A person who seeks to extend his hand against the intimates and children of the Holy One blessed be He, how can he escape, as He rules over the upper and the lower worlds, and all living beings. He has the capacity to elevate and to degrade, to put to death and to revive. Go see the previous kings, like Pharaoh and Sennacherib, who transgressed by extending their hand against Israel. What befell them?’
Immediately, Haman said to them: ‘The God who drowned Pharaoh in the sea and performed miracles on behalf of Israel, and the mighty acts of which you heard, He is already old and is unable to do anything. Nebuchadnezzar has come and destroyed His Temple and burned His Sanctuary, has exiled Israel and dispersed them among the nations. Where is His power and His might now that He has grown old? As it is stated: “They say: The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not comprehend”’ (Psalms 94:7).
Once he said this to them along these lines, they immediately accepted his proposal and they reached a consensus to annihilate Israel, and wrote letters and sealed them. This is what they wrote in those letters: Unlimited peace to you. Let it be known to you that there is a person among us, who is of not from our place, but rather a descendant of royalty, from the descendants of Amalek and one of the great ones of this generation; Haman is his name. He asked us a small simple question about a certain people residing in our midst, most despicable of all the peoples, and they are arrogant. They seek our harm, and cursing the king is common among them. What is the curse that they curse us? “The Lord is King forever and ever; nations have perished from His land” (Psalms 10:16), and they also say: “To wreak vengeance on the nations, rebuke among the peoples,” (Psalms 149:7).
They repudiate those who have treated them well. Come and see, from that unfortunate, Pharaoh, what did they do? When they went down to Egypt, he received them hospitably, settled them in the finest land in the country, provided for them during the famine years, and fed them all that was best in the land. He had palaces to build, they would build there; nevertheless, he was unable to get them to participate.¹⁵That is, until he ultimately forced them to work.
Not only that, but they came to him with a pretext and said to him: ‘In order to sacrifice to the Lord our God, we will go on a three-day journey and we will return afterwards. If you want, lend us silver vessels and gold vessels, and garments.’ They lent them their gold, their silver, and all their fine garments. Each one of them loaded a countless number of their donkeys, until they stripped Egypt; that is what is written: “And they stripped Egypt” (Exodus 12:36), and they fled.
When Pharaoh heard that they were fleeing, he followed them to recover his property. What did they do to him? There was a man with them named Moses son of Amram, and with his sorcery he took a staff, uttered an incantation and struck the sea, until it became dry. All of them entered the dry land in the sea and all of them crossed; I don’t know how they crossed, and how the water dried up.
When Pharaoh saw this, he entered [the seabed] after them to recover his property. I don’t know what pushed him into the sea. He and his entire army drowned in the sea. They did not remember that he had treated them well. Do you not hear that they are ingrates?
Moreover, what did they do to Amalek my grandfather, when he came and waged war against them? It is stated: “Amalek came and waged war with Israel in Refidim” (Exodus 17:8). From where did Amalek come? Rabbi Kruspedai said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: He came from the company of wicked Bilam, as he went to consult with him. He [Amalek] said to him: ‘We know that you are a wise counselor and a purveyor of evil plots, and anyone who receives counsel from you does not fail.’ He [Amalek] said to him: ‘Look what this nation did to Egypt, who had performed many kindnesses to them. If they did so to Egypt, who performed many kindnesses to them, to other nations, all the more so. What do you counsel me?’
Bilam said to him: ‘Go and wage war against them, and if you do not wage war against them you will be unable to overcome them, because they can rely on the merit of Abraham their forefather and you are also a descendant of Abraham and can rely on the merit of Abraham.’ They immediately came against them in war.
What did that Moses, their leader, do? He had a certain disciple, Joshua son of Nun was his name, and he was extremely cruel and had no mercy. That Moses said to him: “Choose for us men and go out and wage war with Amalek” (Exodus 17:9). I don’t know if those men whom he chose were sorcerers, or whether they were great warriors. What did Moses do? He took a staff in his hand, and I don’t know what he did with it, and when he came against them, I don’t know what incantation he uttered that weakened them and they fell before them; that is what is written: “Joshua weakened Amalek and its people by sword” (Exodus 17:13).
They came against Siḥon and Og, the mighty of our land, against whom no creature can prevail, and I don’t know how he killed them. The kings of Midian came against them, and I don’t know how they killed them. Moreover, what did the disciple of that man Moses do? He brought Israel into the land of Canaan, and not only did he take their land, but he killed thirty-one of their kings, and allotted their land to Israel. He had no mercy on them, and those whom he did not seek to kill became their slaves. They came against Sisera and his multitudes and I don’t know what they did to the Kishon Stream that it swept and washed them away and cast them into the Mediterranean Sea, as it is stated: “The Kishon Stream swept them away” (Judges 5:21).
They had their first king, Saul was his name, and he went and waged war in the land of my grandfather Amalek, and he killed one hundred thousand of their cavalrymen in one day, and he had no mercy on man, woman, infants and suckling babes, and I do not know how he killed them. In addition, what did he do to my ancestor Agag, upon whom they initially had mercy? Ultimately, a man from them named Samuel came and beheaded him, and left his flesh for the birds of the heavens, as it is written: “Samuel cut Agag into pieces” (I Samuel 15:33), and I do not know why he killed him in this unusual way, as you have heard.
After this, they had a certain king named David son of Yishai, who destroyed and eliminated all the kingdoms and had no mercy on them, as it is stated: “David would not leave man or woman alive” (I Samuel 27:11). His son Solomon arose after him and built a certain building for Israel and called it the Temple. I don’t know what they had in it. When they go to war, they enter into it and engage in sorcery there, and when they emerge from it, they kill and destroy the world.
And with all the prosperity that they had, they rebelled against their God, and in addition, that God of theirs had grown old. Nebuchadnezzar came and burned that Temple of theirs, exiled them from their land, and brought them into our midst, but they have not yet changed their ugly ways. Even though they are in exile in our midst, they mock us and the faith of our gods.
Now we have arrived at a consensus, and have cast lots to eliminate them from the world to determine the time that it will be feasible to annihilate them, and the lot fell on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. Now, when these letters reach you, be prepared for that day, to destroy and kill all the Jews among you, from lad to elder, children and women, on one day, and do not leave from them remnant or refugee.
When those letters were sealed and given to Haman, he and all the members of his entourage proceeded joyfully. They met Mordekhai, who was walking ahead of them. Mordekhai saw three children who were coming from school and Mordekhai ran after them. When Haman and his entire entourage saw that Mordekhai was running after the children, they followed Mordekhai to ascertain what Mordekhai would ask them.
When Mordekhai reached the children, he asked one of them: ‘Recite your verse to me.’ He said to him: ‘“Fear not from sudden terror, and from the cataclysm of the wicked when it comes”’ (Proverbs 3:25). The second began and said: ‘I read today and with this verse I left school: “Take counsel and it will be negated; speak something and it will not stand, as God is with us”’ (Isaiah 8:10). The third began and said: ‘“Until old age I am He and until gray hairs I will bear you; I have done and I will carry; I will bear and I will rescue”’ (Isaiah 46:4).
When Mordekhai heard this, he laughed and was overjoyed. Haman said to him: ‘What is this joy that you rejoiced when hearing the words of these children?’ He said: ‘It is over the good tidings of which they apprised me, that I need not fear the evil designs that you counseled against us.’ Immediately, the wicked Haman became angry and said: ‘I will strike at none other than these children first.’
Rabbi Yitzḥak Nappḥa said: The wicked Haman came with a great scheme to indict Israel; that is what is written: “Upon the completion of those days, the king made a banquet for all the people who were present in the Shushan citadel” (Esther 1:5). The people mentioned here are none other than Israel; that is what is written: “Happy are you, Israel, who is like you? A people redeemed by the Lord…” (Deuteronomy 33:29). Haman said to Aḥashverosh: ‘The God of these people hated licentiousness. Provide them with prostitutes, make a banquet for them, and decree that they must all attend and eat and drink and do as they please,’ as it is stated: “To act in accordance with the wishes of each man” (Esther 1:8).
When Mordekhai saw this, he arose and proclaimed, saying to them: ‘Do not go to eat at the banquet of Aḥashverosh, who invited you only to prosecute you, so there will be a basis for the attribute of justice to prosecute you before the Holy One blessed be He.’ They did not heed the words of Mordekhai, and they all went to the banquet house.
Rabbi Yishmael said: Eighteen thousand five hundred went to the banquet house and ate, drank, became intoxicated, and were corrupted. Immediately, the Accuser arose and informed on them before the Holy One blessed be He and said before Him: ‘Master of the universe! How long will you cleave to this nation, who remove their heart and their trust from you? If you will, eliminate this nation from the world because they are not repenting before you.’ The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘What will become of the Torah?’ He said to Him: ‘Master of the universe! It will be satisfied with those above.¹⁶The Torah will be learned by the angels. He also resolved to eradicate Israel. At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Why do I need a nation for which I made many of my signs and wonders against all who rose against them to harm them? “I would terminate their memory from man”’ (Deuteronomy 32:26).
Immediately, the Holy One blessed be He said to the Accuser, ‘bring Me a scroll, and I will write eradication on it.’ At that moment, the Accuser went and brought Him a scroll and He wrote on it. Immediately, the Torah emerged in widow’s garb and raised its voice in weeping before the Holy One blessed be He, and the ministering angels screamed in response to its weeping. They said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, if Israel is abolished from the world, what need is there for us in the world, as it is stated: “Behold, their angels cry out outside, the messengers of peace weep bitterly”’ (Isaiah 33:7). When the sun and the moon heard this, they withheld their light, as it is stated: “I will garb the heavens with blackness and make sackcloth their garment” (Isaiah 50:3).
At that moment, Eliyahu of blessed memory ran in a panic to the eternal patriarchs, and to Moses son of Amram, and said to them: ‘How long will the patriarchs of the world remain dormant in sleep, and not pay attention to the trouble which your descendants are undergoing, over which the ministering angels, the sun, the moon, the stars, the constellations, the heavens, the earth, and all the hosts of the heavens are weeping bitterly, and you are standing by, and not paying attention?’ They said to him: ‘Why?’ He said to them: ‘Because they derived benefit from the banquet of Aḥashverosh. Because of that, a decree was issued against them to eliminate them from this world and to expunge their memory.’
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob said to him: ‘If they violated the laws of the Holy One blessed be He and their decree was sealed, what can we do?’ Eliyahu then said to Moses: ‘Loyal shepherd, how many times have you stood in the breach on Israel’s behalf, and you cancelled the decree so He would not destroy, as it is stated: “Were it not for Moses, His chosen one, who stood before Him in the breach to turn back His wrath from destruction” (Psalms 106:23). How will you respond to this trouble, “for the children have come to the birth stool, [but there is no strength to give birth]”?’ (Isaiah 37:3).
Moses said to him: ‘Is there an honest person in this generation?’ He said to him: ‘There is, and his name is Mordekhai.’ He said to him: ‘Go and let him know, so that he will stand in prayer there, and I will do so from here, and we will ask for mercy for them before the Holy One blessed be He.’ He [Eliyahu] said to him: ‘Loyal shepherd, the letter of annihilation of Israel has already been written.’ Moses said to him: ‘If it is sealed in mortar, our prayer will be heard, but if it is sealed in blood, what was [decreed] will be.’ He said to him: ‘It is sealed with mortar.’ Moses said to him: ‘Go and let Mordekhai know.’ He immediately went and let Mordekhai know; that is what is written: “Mordekhai knew everything that had been done, and Mordekhai rent his garments” (Esther 4:1). When they told Esther, immediately, “the queen was greatly agitated” (Esther 4:4). What is the meaning of agitated? It teaches that she began menstruating.

“If it pleases the king, let it be written to eliminate them and I will weigh out ten thousand talents of silver by the hands of the king's craftsmen, to bring to the king's treasuries” (Esther 3:9).
“If it pleases the king, let it be written to eliminate them.” Reish Lakish said: At the moment that Haman the wicked said to Aḥashverosh: ‘Come let us eliminate Israel from the world,’ Aḥashverosh said to him: ‘You cannot overcome them, because their God does not abandon them at all. Come see what He did to the kings who came before us who extended their hand against them, who were greater and more powerful kings than we are. Anyone who came against them to eliminate them from the world, and those who counseled against them, were eliminated from the world and became a proverb for all residents of the world. We, who are not as great as they were, all the more so. Cease speaking of this matter again.’ Nevertheless, Haman would constantly pester Aḥashverosh over this matter and would counsel him with evil counsel regarding Israel.
Aḥashverosh said to him: ‘Since this is the situation, we will consult the wise men and the magicians.’ Immediately, he sent for and assembled all the wise men of the nations of the world. They all came before him. Aḥashverosh said to them: ‘Is it your wish that we eliminate this nation from the world?’ They all said to him simultaneously: ‘“Who is he and where is he, who was so presumptuous to do so?” (Esther 7:5) – to seek to cast [lots] in this matter? For if you eliminate Israel from the world, [know that] the world only exists for the sake of the Torah that was given to Israel. That is what is written: “If it were not for My covenant of day and night, had I not set the statutes of heaven and earth, [I would indeed spurn the descendants of Jacob…]” (Jeremiah 33:25-6).
Not only that, but all the idolaters are called strangers before the Holy One blessed be He [and Israel are called [His] intimates]; that is what is written: “Also to the foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel” (I Kings: 8:41). But Israel are called intimates; that is what is written: “For the children of Israel, the people who are intimate with Him” (Psalms 148:14). Not only that, but they are called children; that is what is written: “My firstborn son is Israel” (Exodus 4:22); “You are children to the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 14:1). And the Holy One blessed be He is called close to Israel; that is what is written: “The Lord is close to all who call Him sincerely” (Psalms 145:18). There is no nation that is close to the Holy One blessed be He other than Israel, as it is stated: “[For who is a great nation that has God near it] as the Lord our God in all of our calling to Him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7) A person who seeks to extend his hand against the intimates and children of the Holy One blessed be He, how can he escape, as He rules over the upper and the lower worlds, and all living beings. He has the capacity to elevate and to degrade, to put to death and to revive. Go see the previous kings, like Pharaoh and Sennacherib, who transgressed by extending their hand against Israel. What befell them?’
Immediately, Haman said to them: ‘The God who drowned Pharaoh in the sea and performed miracles on behalf of Israel, and the mighty acts of which you heard, He is already old and is unable to do anything. Nebuchadnezzar has come and destroyed His Temple and burned His Sanctuary, has exiled Israel and dispersed them among the nations. Where is His power and His might now that He has grown old? As it is stated: “They say: The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not comprehend”’ (Psalms 94:7).
Once he said this to them along these lines, they immediately accepted his proposal and they reached a consensus to annihilate Israel, and wrote letters and sealed them. This is what they wrote in those letters: Unlimited peace to you. Let it be known to you that there is a person among us, who is of not from our place, but rather a descendant of royalty, from the descendants of Amalek and one of the great ones of this generation; Haman is his name. He asked us a small simple question about a certain people residing in our midst, most despicable of all the peoples, and they are arrogant. They seek our harm, and cursing the king is common among them. What is the curse that they curse us? “The Lord is King forever and ever; nations have perished from His land” (Psalms 10:16), and they also say: “To wreak vengeance on the nations, rebuke among the peoples,” (Psalms 149:7).
They repudiate those who have treated them well. Come and see, from that unfortunate, Pharaoh, what did they do? When they went down to Egypt, he received them hospitably, settled them in the finest land in the country, provided for them during the famine years, and fed them all that was best in the land. He had palaces to build, they would build there; nevertheless, he was unable to get them to participate.¹⁵That is, until he ultimately forced them to work.
Not only that, but they came to him with a pretext and said to him: ‘In order to sacrifice to the Lord our God, we will go on a three-day journey and we will return afterwards. If you want, lend us silver vessels and gold vessels, and garments.’ They lent them their gold, their silver, and all their fine garments. Each one of them loaded a countless number of their donkeys, until they stripped Egypt; that is what is written: “And they stripped Egypt” (Exodus 12:36), and they fled.
When Pharaoh heard that they were fleeing, he followed them to recover his property. What did they do to him? There was a man with them named Moses son of Amram, and with his sorcery he took a staff, uttered an incantation and struck the sea, until it became dry. All of them entered the dry land in the sea and all of them crossed; I don’t know how they crossed, and how the water dried up.
When Pharaoh saw this, he entered [the seabed] after them to recover his property. I don’t know what pushed him into the sea. He and his entire army drowned in the sea. They did not remember that he had treated them well. Do you not hear that they are ingrates?
Moreover, what did they do to Amalek my grandfather, when he came and waged war against them? It is stated: “Amalek came and waged war with Israel in Refidim” (Exodus 17:8). From where did Amalek come? Rabbi Kruspedai said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: He came from the company of wicked Bilam, as he went to consult with him. He [Amalek] said to him: ‘We know that you are a wise counselor and a purveyor of evil plots, and anyone who receives counsel from you does not fail.’ He [Amalek] said to him: ‘Look what this nation did to Egypt, who had performed many kindnesses to them. If they did so to Egypt, who performed many kindnesses to them, to other nations, all the more so. What do you counsel me?’
Bilam said to him: ‘Go and wage war against them, and if you do not wage war against them you will be unable to overcome them, because they can rely on the merit of Abraham their forefather and you are also a descendant of Abraham and can rely on the merit of Abraham.’ They immediately came against them in war.
What did that Moses, their leader, do? He had a certain disciple, Joshua son of Nun was his name, and he was extremely cruel and had no mercy. That Moses said to him: “Choose for us men and go out and wage war with Amalek” (Exodus 17:9). I don’t know if those men whom he chose were sorcerers, or whether they were great warriors. What did Moses do? He took a staff in his hand, and I don’t know what he did with it, and when he came against them, I don’t know what incantation he uttered that weakened them and they fell before them; that is what is written: “Joshua weakened Amalek and its people by sword” (Exodus 17:13).
They came against Siḥon and Og, the mighty of our land, against whom no creature can prevail, and I don’t know how he killed them. The kings of Midian came against them, and I don’t know how they killed them. Moreover, what did the disciple of that man Moses do? He brought Israel into the land of Canaan, and not only did he take their land, but he killed thirty-one of their kings, and allotted their land to Israel. He had no mercy on them, and those whom he did not seek to kill became their slaves. They came against Sisera and his multitudes and I don’t know what they did to the Kishon Stream that it swept and washed them away and cast them into the Mediterranean Sea, as it is stated: “The Kishon Stream swept them away” (Judges 5:21).
They had their first king, Saul was his name, and he went and waged war in the land of my grandfather Amalek, and he killed one hundred thousand of their cavalrymen in one day, and he had no mercy on man, woman, infants and suckling babes, and I do not know how he killed them. In addition, what did he do to my ancestor Agag, upon whom they initially had mercy? Ultimately, a man from them named Samuel came and beheaded him, and left his flesh for the birds of the heavens, as it is written: “Samuel cut Agag into pieces” (I Samuel 15:33), and I do not know why he killed him in this unusual way, as you have heard.
After this, they had a certain king named David son of Yishai, who destroyed and eliminated all the kingdoms and had no mercy on them, as it is stated: “David would not leave man or woman alive” (I Samuel 27:11). His son Solomon arose after him and built a certain building for Israel and called it the Temple. I don’t know what they had in it. When they go to war, they enter into it and engage in sorcery there, and when they emerge from it, they kill and destroy the world.
And with all the prosperity that they had, they rebelled against their God, and in addition, that God of theirs had grown old. Nebuchadnezzar came and burned that Temple of theirs, exiled them from their land, and brought them into our midst, but they have not yet changed their ugly ways. Even though they are in exile in our midst, they mock us and the faith of our gods.
Now we have arrived at a consensus, and have cast lots to eliminate them from the world to determine the time that it will be feasible to annihilate them, and the lot fell on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. Now, when these letters reach you, be prepared for that day, to destroy and kill all the Jews among you, from lad to elder, children and women, on one day, and do not leave from them remnant or refugee.
When those letters were sealed and given to Haman, he and all the members of his entourage proceeded joyfully. They met Mordekhai, who was walking ahead of them. Mordekhai saw three children who were coming from school and Mordekhai ran after them. When Haman and his entire entourage saw that Mordekhai was running after the children, they followed Mordekhai to ascertain what Mordekhai would ask them.
When Mordekhai reached the children, he asked one of them: ‘Recite your verse to me.’ He said to him: ‘“Fear not from sudden terror, and from the cataclysm of the wicked when it comes”’ (Proverbs 3:25). The second began and said: ‘I read today and with this verse I left school: “Take counsel and it will be negated; speak something and it will not stand, as God is with us”’ (Isaiah 8:10). The third began and said: ‘“Until old age I am He and until gray hairs I will bear you; I have done and I will carry; I will bear and I will rescue”’ (Isaiah 46:4).
When Mordekhai heard this, he laughed and was overjoyed. Haman said to him: ‘What is this joy that you rejoiced when hearing the words of these children?’ He said: ‘It is over the good tidings of which they apprised me, that I need not fear the evil designs that you counseled against us.’ Immediately, the wicked Haman became angry and said: ‘I will strike at none other than these children first.’
Rabbi Yitzḥak Nappḥa said: The wicked Haman came with a great scheme to indict Israel; that is what is written: “Upon the completion of those days, the king made a banquet for all the people who were present in the Shushan citadel” (Esther 1:5). The people mentioned here are none other than Israel; that is what is written: “Happy are you, Israel, who is like you? A people redeemed by the Lord…” (Deuteronomy 33:29). Haman said to Aḥashverosh: ‘The God of these people hated licentiousness. Provide them with prostitutes, make a banquet for them, and decree that they must all attend and eat and drink and do as they please,’ as it is stated: “To act in accordance with the wishes of each man” (Esther 1:8).
When Mordekhai saw this, he arose and proclaimed, saying to them: ‘Do not go to eat at the banquet of Aḥashverosh, who invited you only to prosecute you, so there will be a basis for the attribute of justice to prosecute you before the Holy One blessed be He.’ They did not heed the words of Mordekhai, and they all went to the banquet house.
Rabbi Yishmael said: Eighteen thousand five hundred went to the banquet house and ate, drank, became intoxicated, and were corrupted. Immediately, the Accuser arose and informed on them before the Holy One blessed be He and said before Him: ‘Master of the universe! How long will you cleave to this nation, who remove their heart and their trust from you? If you will, eliminate this nation from the world because they are not repenting before you.’ The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘What will become of the Torah?’ He said to Him: ‘Master of the universe! It will be satisfied with those above.¹⁶The Torah will be learned by the angels. He also resolved to eradicate Israel. At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Why do I need a nation for which I made many of my signs and wonders against all who rose against them to harm them? “I would terminate their memory from man”’ (Deuteronomy 32:26).
Immediately, the Holy One blessed be He said to the Accuser, ‘bring Me a scroll, and I will write eradication on it.’ At that moment, the Accuser went and brought Him a scroll and He wrote on it. Immediately, the Torah emerged in widow’s garb and raised its voice in weeping before the Holy One blessed be He, and the ministering angels screamed in response to its weeping. They said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, if Israel is abolished from the world, what need is there for us in the world, as it is stated: “Behold, their angels cry out outside, the messengers of peace weep bitterly”’ (Isaiah 33:7). When the sun and the moon heard this, they withheld their light, as it is stated: “I will garb the heavens with blackness and make sackcloth their garment” (Isaiah 50:3).
At that moment, Eliyahu of blessed memory ran in a panic to the eternal patriarchs, and to Moses son of Amram, and said to them: ‘How long will the patriarchs of the world remain dormant in sleep, and not pay attention to the trouble which your descendants are undergoing, over which the ministering angels, the sun, the moon, the stars, the constellations, the heavens, the earth, and all the hosts of the heavens are weeping bitterly, and you are standing by, and not paying attention?’ They said to him: ‘Why?’ He said to them: ‘Because they derived benefit from the banquet of Aḥashverosh. Because of that, a decree was issued against them to eliminate them from this world and to expunge their memory.’
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob said to him: ‘If they violated the laws of the Holy One blessed be He and their decree was sealed, what can we do?’ Eliyahu then said to Moses: ‘Loyal shepherd, how many times have you stood in the breach on Israel’s behalf, and you cancelled the decree so He would not destroy, as it is stated: “Were it not for Moses, His chosen one, who stood before Him in the breach to turn back His wrath from destruction” (Psalms 106:23). How will you respond to this trouble, “for the children have come to the birth stool, [but there is no strength to give birth]”?’ (Isaiah 37:3).
Moses said to him: ‘Is there an honest person in this generation?’ He said to him: ‘There is, and his name is Mordekhai.’ He said to him: ‘Go and let him know, so that he will stand in prayer there, and I will do so from here, and we will ask for mercy for them before the Holy One blessed be He.’ He [Eliyahu] said to him: ‘Loyal shepherd, the letter of annihilation of Israel has already been written.’ Moses said to him: ‘If it is sealed in mortar, our prayer will be heard, but if it is sealed in blood, what was [decreed] will be.’ He said to him: ‘It is sealed with mortar.’ Moses said to him: ‘Go and let Mordekhai know.’ He immediately went and let Mordekhai know; that is what is written: “Mordekhai knew everything that had been done, and Mordekhai rent his garments” (Esther 4:1). When they told Esther, immediately, “the queen was greatly agitated” (Esther 4:4). What is the meaning of agitated? It teaches that she began menstruating.

“Mordekhai knew everything that had been done, and Mordekhai rent his garments and donned sackcloth and ashes. He went out in the midst of the city and cried a loud and bitter cry” (Esther 4:1).
“Mordekhai knew everything that had been done, and Mordekhai rent his garments.” Benjamin caused the tribes [his brothers] to rend; that is what is written: “They rent their garments” (Genesis 44:13). Where was he caused to rend? It was in Shushan the citadel; that is what is written: “Mordekhai rent his garments,” and he was from the tribe of Benjamin.¹The midrash is stating that the fact that Mordekhai had to rend his garments is in some respects a punishment for Binyamin having caused his brothers to have to rend their garments. This is because he was not careful enough and did not notice that the silver goblet had been placed in his sack (Etz Yosef).
“He donned sackcloth and ashes.” Rabbi Aivu said: Once Jacob our patriarch adopted sackcloth, as it is written: “He placed sackcloth on his loins” (Genesis 37:34), it never again left his descendants. It is written about Ahab: “He placed sackcloth on his flesh” (I Kings 21:27); his son Yoram: “The people saw, and behold, the sackcloth was on his flesh” (II Kings 6:30); Mordekhai, “He donned sackcloth and ashes.”
“He [Esau] cried a loud and bitter cry” (Genesis 27:34). Where was he repaid? In Shushan, as it is stated: “[Mordekhai] cried a loud and bitter cry.” Rabbi Ḥanin said: Anyone who says that the All-Merciful is One who forgoes, his innards will be forgone. He is forbearing, but then collects His due. Know that Jacob caused Esau to cry one cry, as it is written: “He cried a loud and bitter cry” [and as a result, Jacob’s descendant, Mordekhai, cried a loud and bitter cry].

“This, your stature, is likened to a date palm, and your breasts to clusters” (Song of Songs 7:8).
“This, your stature, is likened to a date palm.” Rabbi Ḥonya [said] in the name of Rabbi Dosa bar Tevet: The Holy One blessed be He created two evil inclinations in His world, the inclination of idol worship and the inclination of licentiousness. The inclination of idol worship has already been eradicated, but the inclination of licentiousness exists. The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Anyone who can overcome the [urge to engage in] licentiousness, I attribute to him credit as though he overcame both of them.’
Rabbi Yehuda said: [This is analogous] to a snake charmer who had snakes. He charmed the large one and left the small one and said: ‘Anyone who can overcome this [small] one, I will ascribe him credit as though he overcame both of them.’ So too, the Holy One blessed be He eradicated the inclination of idol worship and left the one of licentiousness. He said: ‘Anyone who overcomes the inclination of licentiousness, credit is attributed to him as though he overcame both of them.’
When was the inclination of idol worship eradicated? Rabbi Benaya said: [In the days of] Mordekhai and Esther. The Rabbis say: [In the days of] Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya. The Rabbis responded to Rabbi Benaya: Was it eradicated by an individual? Rabbi Benaya responded to the Rabbis: Were Mordekhai and Esther individuals? This supports Rabbi Benaya: Rabbi Tanḥuma, Rabbi Meyasha, and Rabbi Yirmeya [said] in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Kahana: It is written: “Sackcloth and ashes were arranged for the multitudes” (Esther 4:3); most of that generation was righteous.⁴⁸The fact that many people donned sackcloth and ashes and engaged intensely in prayer indicates that Mordekhai and Esther were not the only righteous individuals.
This supports the Rabbis: Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Ḥilkiya in the name of Rabbi Shmuel: It is written: “Your survivors will remember Me among the nations where they were taken captive” (Ezekiel 6:9). “Your survivors,” these are Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya, who were survivors from the fiery furnace. Among the nations where they settled is not written here, but rather, “among the nations where they were taken captive.” The Holy One blessed be He spoke to Israel: “Ephraim: What do I have to do with idols anymore?” (Hosea 14:9).⁴⁹God tells the prophet that Ephraim, representing Israel, will say this. What do I have to do with the inclination of idol worship? “I have responded [aniti]” (Hosea 14:9); I have subdued myself [uneiti] for His sake. “I will gaze upon him [va’ashurenu]” (Hosea 14:9), did I not recite song [shira] before You? That is to say: It is I who subjugated the inclination of idol worship.⁵⁰In this passage, the midrash reads the verse in Hosea to mean that Israel, referred to as Ephraim, claims to have subjugated itself before God and refrained from idolatry. God responds that it was He who eliminated the inclination for idol worship.
If so, why did Israel’s existence become uncertain during the days of Haman? The Rabbis and Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, the Rabbis say: Because Israel engaged in idol worship. Rabbi Shimon said: Because they ate from the cooked dishes of the gentiles. They said to him: But was it not only the residents of Shushan the capital who partook in the feast? That is what is written: “Upon the completion of those days the king made a banquet for all the people who were present in Shushan the capital” (Esther 1:5). He said to them: But are not all Israel responsible for one another, as it is written: “They will stumble over one another” (Leviticus 26:37), one in the iniquity of his counterpart?
He said to them: If it is according to your opinion, you have brought upon all of Israel liability for elimination, as it is written: “One who sacrifices to gods, [save to the Lord only,] shall be destroyed” (Exodus 22:19). They said to him: Nevertheless, they did not worship it with all their hearts, as it is stated: “For He does not afflict willingly” (Lamentations 3:33).⁵¹Just as they did not worship idols with their hearts, God did not afflict them “willingly [milibo],” or literally, “with His heart” (Yefei Kol). Nevertheless, “and torment the children of men” (Lamentations 3:33); He placed over then an extremely harsh man to subject them to an ordeal, this is Nebuchadnezzar, who arose and made their wound more painful.
Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Levi: In two places, Israel acted with the Holy One blessed be He. At Sinai, they acted with their mouths but did not act with their heart, as it is stated: “But they beguiled Him with their mouth and lied to Him with their tongue…their heart was not steadfast toward Him” (Psalms 78:36–37). In Babylon, they acted with their heart but did not act with their mouth,⁵²When Nebuchadnezzar forced them to bow to his idol, they remained loyal to God in their hearts but not outwardly. as it is stated: “For He does not afflict willingly” (Lamentations 3:33), and nevertheless, “and torment the children of men” (Lamentations 3:33). He placed over them a man, as it is stated: “A man who is an adversary and an enemy. This wicked Haman” (Esther 7:6), and made their wound more painful.
In the opinion of the Rabbis, Israel engaged in idol worship in the days of Nebuchadnezzar. In the opinion of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, Israel did not engage in idol worship in the days of Nebuchadnezzar. In the opinion of the Rabbis, Israel engaged in idol worship, how so? Nebuchadnezzar set up an idol and designated twenty-three people from each and every nation and twenty-three from amongst Israel.⁵³These individuals were to bow down to the idol at its inaugural ceremony. Three of those designated from Israel were Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya, who did not prostrate themselves, but the other twenty did.
In the opinion of Rabbi Shimon, Israel did not engage in idol worship, how so? Nebuchadnezzar set up an idol and designated three people from each and every nation and three from amongst Israel. Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya, who were the three from Israel, arose and asserted themselves and did not engage in idol worship. They went to Daniel and said to him: ‘Daniel our master, Nebuchadnezzar set up an idol and designated three people from each and every nation and designated us from amongst Israel. What do you say, shall we prostrate ourselves to it or not?’ He said to them: ‘Behold, the prophet is before you, go to him.’ They immediately went to Ezekiel. They said to him as they said to Daniel: ‘Shall we prostrate ourselves to it or not?’ He said to them: ‘I have already received a tradition from my teacher Isaiah: “Hide for a brief moment until the fury has passed” (Isaiah 26:20).’⁵⁴Ezekiel advised them to go into hiding until they would be able to escape (Matnot Kehuna).
They said to him: ‘Do you want them to say that all the nations prostrate themselves to this idol?’ He said to them: ‘What do you say?’ They said to him: ‘We want to diminish it, in that we will be there and will not prostrate ourselves to it, so that they will say: All the nations prostrate themselves to this idol other than Israel.’ He said to them: ‘If that is your wish, wait for me until I consult the Omnipotent.’ That is what is written: “Men of the elders of Israel came to seek the Lord and they sat before me” (Ezekiel 20:1). Who were they? They were Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya. He said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya request to give their lives for the sanctity of Your name. Will You stand by them or not?’ He said: ‘I will not stand by them.’ That is what is written: “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them…Do you come to seek Me? (Ezekiel 20:3). After you caused Me to destroy My house, to burn My Sanctuary, and to exile My children among the nations; after that you come to seek Me? “As I live, I will not acquiesce to you” (Ezekiel 20:3).
At that moment, Ezekiel wept, lamented, and wailed to himself: ‘Woe to the enemies of Israel,⁵⁵This is a euphemism for Israel itself, employed when referring to difficult events or situations. the remnant of Judah is lost. Only these remain from Judah, as it is stated: “Among them from the children of Judah were Daniel, Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya” (Daniel 1:6),⁵⁶These individuals were selected when Nebuchadnezzar asked for youths from the line of the kings of Judah who were handsome, wise, and knowledgeable. Thus, these were the elite of the remnant of Judah. and this is the answer that they receive?’ He was weeping and walking. When he arrived, they said to him: ‘What did the Holy One blessed be He say to you?’ He said to them: ‘I will not stand by you.’ They said to him: ‘Whether He stands or whether He does not stand, we are giving our lives to sanctify His name.’ Know that it is so, for as long as they had not come before Ezekiel, what did they say to Nebuchadnezzar? “We have no need to reply to you in this matter. Behold our God, whom we worship, exists; He is able to deliver us” (Daniel 3:16–17). After they came to Ezekiel and heard the response, they said to Nebuchadnezzar: “But if not, let it be known to you, king” (Daniel 3:18), whether He delivers or whether He does not deliver, “let it be known to you, king, that we will not worship your gods, and we will not prostrate ourselves to the golden image that you have erected” (Daniel 3:18).
When they went out from before Ezekiel, the Holy One blessed be He revealed Himself and said: ‘Ezekiel, what do you think, that I will not stand by them? I will certainly stand by them.’ That is what is written: “So said the Lord God: Concerning this too, I will acquiesce to the house of Israel” (Ezekiel 36:37). ‘But leave them and do not say anything to them. I will leave them to proceed unsuspecting.’ That is what is written: “He who walks innocently will walk securely” (Proverbs 10:9).
What did they do? They went and dispersed themselves among the populace and said, ‘Even if He does not deliver, “let it be known to you…”’⁵⁷They dispersed themselves among the crowd so that everyone would hear them refuse to prostrate themselves. That is why people take oaths and say: ‘To the One who established the world on three pillars.’ Some say that these are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and some say that these are Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya.
“This, your stature, is likened to a date palm [tamar]” (Song of Songs 7:8), just as it was decreed that Tamar be burned, yet she was not burned,⁵⁸See Genesis 38:24–26. so too, it was degreed that they be burned yet, they were not burned. Into what was the fire transformed? Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shmuel bar Neḥemya, Rabbi Elazar said: It became like a planet. Rabbi Shmuel bar Neḥemya said: It became like the radiance of the heavens.

“And in each and every province, any place where the word of the king and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews” (Esther 4:3).
Is there great mourning and minor mourning? Rather, the way of the world is that all mourners, their mourning gradually diminishes during the seven days [of mourning]. It is greatest on the first day, and the more it progresses it weakens, until twelve months [have passed]. However, in this case of Haman it continuously intensified, as with each day that passed they would say: One day of [the short time we have left in] our lives is already gone.
Alternatively: A standard mourner, when his son dies, the comforters say to him: May your remaining son live. If he did not have another, they say to him: Live long. But here, everyone is being taken to die, “to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate.”

“Esther’s young women and her chamberlains came and told her, and the queen was greatly shocked” (Esther 4:4).
The Rabbis from there²From Babylonia. say: She menstruated. The Rabbis from here³From the Land of Israel. say: She miscarried her fetus, and once she miscarried, she never gave birth again. Rabbi Yudan son of Rabbi Simon said: With an absorbent cloth⁴This was a form of birth control. she would engage in relations. Rabbi Yudan son of Rabbi Simon said: The last Darius was the son of Esther; he was pure from his mother’s side and impure from his father’s side.

“Esther summoned Hatakh, one of the king’s chamberlains whom he had set before her, and commanded him to go to Mordekhai to know what this is and why this is” (Esther 4:5).
“Esther summoned Hatakh” – The Rabbis from there say: Hatakh is Daniel; because they demoted him [ḥatakhuhu] from his prominence⁵Daniel was a high ranking advisor in the Babylonian government. he was called Hatakh, [similar to] ḥatakh. The Rabbis from here say: [He was called Hatakh] because he decided [ḥatakh] matters [of state].
“To know what this is [ma zeh], and why this is [ma zeh]” (Esther 4:5). She said to him: ‘Go and say to him: In all the days of Israel they never encountered trouble like this. Perhaps Israel has denied “this [zeh] is my God and I exalt Him” (Exodus 15:2), or perhaps they denied the tablets, in whose regard it is written: “From this side [mizeh] and from that side [umizeh] they were inscribed”’ (Exodus 32:15).

“Mordekhai told him everything that had befallen him [karahu]” (Esther 4:7). He said to Hatakh: ‘Tell her that the descendant of karahu⁶Amalek, the subject of the verse in Deuteronomy 25:18. has come against you; that is what is written: “That he encountered you [kareḥa] on the way”’ (Deuteronomy 25:18).
Alternatively, “that had befallen him” in a dream, indicating that he reminded her of a dream that he had dreamed along these lines during the second year of the reign of Aḥashverosh. He saw, and behold, a great and powerful earthquake, panic in the world, and fear and trembling for all its residents. And behold, two great serpents each bellowing toward the other and they waged a war, and all the nations of the world fled due to their noise. There was among them a certain small nation, and all the nations attacked the small nation to eliminate any memory of it from the earth. On that day there was darkness for the entire world, and that small nation was very distressed and they cried to God. The serpents were waging war furiously and there was no one to separate between them.
Mordekhai saw, and behold, there was a certain spring of water that passed between these serpents and it separated between them, preventing the war they had been waging. The spring swelled and became a raging stream, like the flow of the Mediterranean Sea, that gradually inundated the land. He saw and the sun shone for the entire land and the world was illuminated. The small nation was elevated, the dominant were lowered, and peace and truth were found throughout the land.
It was from that day forward, Mordekhai kept that dream that he had dreamt, and when Haman was causing him distress, he said to her [Esther] by means of her emissary: ‘This is the dream that I told you in your youth. Now, arise and ask for mercy from the Holy One blessed be He, and come before the king and entreat him on behalf of your people and your family.’

“For if you are silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish; who knows if it was for a time like this that you attained royalty?” (Esther 4:14).
“For if you are silent” – if you [Esther] are silent now and refrain from advocating on behalf of your nation, ultimately you will be silent in the future and you will have no claim. Why? Because you have the opportunity to perform good during your life and you [will have] failed to do so. What, do you think that the Holy One blessed be He will abandon Israel? In any case, he will provide them with a redeemer; that is what is written: “Relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place.”

“Esther said, to respond to Mordekhai” (Esther 4:15). She said to him: “Go, assemble all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast on my behalf; do not eat and do not drink for three days” (Esther 4:16). These were the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth of Nisan. He sent her [in response]: ‘But isn’t the first day of Passover among them?’ She said to him: ‘Elder of Israel, why is it Passover?’⁷The festival of Passover was given to the Jewish people; if they are destroyed, of what value is the festival of Passover? It is better to desecrate Passover once so that it may be observed forever more (Etz Yosef). Immediately Mordekhai heard and conceded to her contention; that is what is written: “Mordekhai went on [vaya’avor] and acted in accordance with everything that Esther had commanded him” (Esther 4:17). There they say: That he violated [shehe’evir] the first day of Passover with a fast.
Regarding that same trouble, Mordekhai prayed to God and he said: ‘It is revealed and known before Your Throne of Honor, Master of the universe, that it is not due to haughtiness or arrogance that I did not prostrate myself to Haman; rather, it is due to my fear of You that I acted in this way, and did not prostrate myself to him. It is because I feared You, and did not wish to grant the honor due to You, to flesh and blood, and I did not want to prostrate myself to anyone other than You. For who am I not to prostrate myself to Haman at the expense of the salvation of Your people Israel? For that, I would be prepared to lick the shoes on his feet.
Now, God, rescue us from his hand, and let him fall into the grave that he dug, and let him be ensnared in the net that he concealed at the feet of your pious ones. And let this instigator know that You have not forgotten the promise that You promised us: “And despite this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not have spurned them and will not have rejected them, to destroy them, to violate My covenant with them, as I am the Lord their God”’ (Leviticus 26:44).
What did Mordekhai do? He assembled the children and deprived them of bread and water, he dressed them in sackcloth and sat them in ashes. They were shouting, weeping, and engaging in Torah study.
At that time, Esther was very frightened due to the evil that had developed for Israel. She removed her royal garments and her glory, donned sackcloth, loosened her hair and filled it with dirt and ashes, afflicted herself in a fast, and fell on her face before God and prayed. She said: ‘Lord, God of Israel, who has ruled since the days of yore and created the world, please help your maidservant, as I have remained an orphan from my father and my mother, and am comparable to a poor woman begging from house to house. So, I am requesting Your mercy from window to window in the palace of Aḥashverosh.
Now, Lord, please grant success to this poor maidservant of yours, and deliver the sheep of Your flock from these enemies who have arisen against us, as You have “no restraint to save by many or by few” (I Samuel 14:6). You, father of orphans, please stand to the right of this orphan, who has relied on your mercy, and let me be viewed mercifully by this man, for I fear him. Lower him before me because You lower the haughty.’

“Esther said, to respond to Mordekhai” (Esther 4:15). She said to him: “Go, assemble all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast on my behalf; do not eat and do not drink for three days” (Esther 4:16). These were the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth of Nisan. He sent her [in response]: ‘But isn’t the first day of Passover among them?’ She said to him: ‘Elder of Israel, why is it Passover?’⁷The festival of Passover was given to the Jewish people; if they are destroyed, of what value is the festival of Passover? It is better to desecrate Passover once so that it may be observed forever more (Etz Yosef). Immediately Mordekhai heard and conceded to her contention; that is what is written: “Mordekhai went on [vaya’avor] and acted in accordance with everything that Esther had commanded him” (Esther 4:17). There they say: That he violated [shehe’evir] the first day of Passover with a fast.
Regarding that same trouble, Mordekhai prayed to God and he said: ‘It is revealed and known before Your Throne of Honor, Master of the universe, that it is not due to haughtiness or arrogance that I did not prostrate myself to Haman; rather, it is due to my fear of You that I acted in this way, and did not prostrate myself to him. It is because I feared You, and did not wish to grant the honor due to You, to flesh and blood, and I did not want to prostrate myself to anyone other than You. For who am I not to prostrate myself to Haman at the expense of the salvation of Your people Israel? For that, I would be prepared to lick the shoes on his feet.
Now, God, rescue us from his hand, and let him fall into the grave that he dug, and let him be ensnared in the net that he concealed at the feet of your pious ones. And let this instigator know that You have not forgotten the promise that You promised us: “And despite this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not have spurned them and will not have rejected them, to destroy them, to violate My covenant with them, as I am the Lord their God”’ (Leviticus 26:44).
What did Mordekhai do? He assembled the children and deprived them of bread and water, he dressed them in sackcloth and sat them in ashes. They were shouting, weeping, and engaging in Torah study.
At that time, Esther was very frightened due to the evil that had developed for Israel. She removed her royal garments and her glory, donned sackcloth, loosened her hair and filled it with dirt and ashes, afflicted herself in a fast, and fell on her face before God and prayed. She said: ‘Lord, God of Israel, who has ruled since the days of yore and created the world, please help your maidservant, as I have remained an orphan from my father and my mother, and am comparable to a poor woman begging from house to house. So, I am requesting Your mercy from window to window in the palace of Aḥashverosh.
Now, Lord, please grant success to this poor maidservant of yours, and deliver the sheep of Your flock from these enemies who have arisen against us, as You have “no restraint to save by many or by few” (I Samuel 14:6). You, father of orphans, please stand to the right of this orphan, who has relied on your mercy, and let me be viewed mercifully by this man, for I fear him. Lower him before me because You lower the haughty.’

“Esther said, to respond to Mordekhai” (Esther 4:15). She said to him: “Go, assemble all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast on my behalf; do not eat and do not drink for three days” (Esther 4:16). These were the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth of Nisan. He sent her [in response]: ‘But isn’t the first day of Passover among them?’ She said to him: ‘Elder of Israel, why is it Passover?’⁷The festival of Passover was given to the Jewish people; if they are destroyed, of what value is the festival of Passover? It is better to desecrate Passover once so that it may be observed forever more (Etz Yosef). Immediately Mordekhai heard and conceded to her contention; that is what is written: “Mordekhai went on [vaya’avor] and acted in accordance with everything that Esther had commanded him” (Esther 4:17). There they say: That he violated [shehe’evir] the first day of Passover with a fast.
Regarding that same trouble, Mordekhai prayed to God and he said: ‘It is revealed and known before Your Throne of Honor, Master of the universe, that it is not due to haughtiness or arrogance that I did not prostrate myself to Haman; rather, it is due to my fear of You that I acted in this way, and did not prostrate myself to him. It is because I feared You, and did not wish to grant the honor due to You, to flesh and blood, and I did not want to prostrate myself to anyone other than You. For who am I not to prostrate myself to Haman at the expense of the salvation of Your people Israel? For that, I would be prepared to lick the shoes on his feet.
Now, God, rescue us from his hand, and let him fall into the grave that he dug, and let him be ensnared in the net that he concealed at the feet of your pious ones. And let this instigator know that You have not forgotten the promise that You promised us: “And despite this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not have spurned them and will not have rejected them, to destroy them, to violate My covenant with them, as I am the Lord their God”’ (Leviticus 26:44).
What did Mordekhai do? He assembled the children and deprived them of bread and water, he dressed them in sackcloth and sat them in ashes. They were shouting, weeping, and engaging in Torah study.
At that time, Esther was very frightened due to the evil that had developed for Israel. She removed her royal garments and her glory, donned sackcloth, loosened her hair and filled it with dirt and ashes, afflicted herself in a fast, and fell on her face before God and prayed. She said: ‘Lord, God of Israel, who has ruled since the days of yore and created the world, please help your maidservant, as I have remained an orphan from my father and my mother, and am comparable to a poor woman begging from house to house. So, I am requesting Your mercy from window to window in the palace of Aḥashverosh.
Now, Lord, please grant success to this poor maidservant of yours, and deliver the sheep of Your flock from these enemies who have arisen against us, as You have “no restraint to save by many or by few” (I Samuel 14:6). You, father of orphans, please stand to the right of this orphan, who has relied on your mercy, and let me be viewed mercifully by this man, for I fear him. Lower him before me because You lower the haughty.’

“The king rose in his fury from the wine banquet to the palace garden and Haman stood to plead for his life from Esther the queen, for he saw that the king has resolved to do him harm” (Esther 7:7).
“The king rose in his fury from the wine banquet to the palace garden.” What did the angel Michael do? He began cutting the saplings before him, adding fury to his fury; he returned to the wine banquet and Haman stood up to plead for his life. What did Michael do? He pushed him [Haman] onto Esther, and she was crying ‘My lord, the king, here he is overpowering me before you!’ The king said: “Will he also overpower the queen with me in the house?” (Esther 7:8). Haman heard this statement and his face fell. What did Eliyahu, of blessed memory, do? He appeared as Ḥarvona and said to him [to the king]: ‘My lord the king, “indeed, here is the gibbet that Haman had made for Mordekhai…”’ (Esther 7:9). As Rabbi Pinḥas said: One must say ‘Ḥarvona, of blessed memory.’ And Rav said: One must say ‘cursed is Haman, cursed are his sons, cursed is Zeresh his wife, as it is written: “The name of the wicked will rot”’ (Proverbs 10:7).
The king immediately commanded to hang him on the gibbet that he had prepared for Mordekhai, and about this, Solomon, in his wisdom, said: “A righteous person will be delivered from trouble and the wicked will come in his stead” (Proverbs 11:8). For Haman got up early to hang Mordekhai and was hanged himself on the gibbet that he prepared for Mordekhai, and [the king] gave everything that was Haman’s to Esther the queen, and Esther gave it to Mordekhai. This is what is written: “On that day King Aḥashverosh gave the house of Haman, adversary of the Jews, to Queen Esther…” (Esther 8:1), and it is written: “As for his harvest, the hungry will eat it and take it from shields [tzinim] and the bound [tzamim] will swallow their wealth”¹⁰ The midrash understands this verse idiosyncratically. The word mitzinim, here translated as ‘from shields,’ is usually translated as ‘from thorns’ or ‘from baskets.’ The word tzamim, here translated as ‘the bound,’ is usually translated as ‘the thirsty.’ (Job 5:5). “As for his harvest,” that is Haman. “The hungry will eat it,” that is Mordekhai and Esther. “Take it from shields,” not with a weapon, and not with a shield, but with prayer and supplication, as you say: “His truth is a shield [tzina] and a buckler” (Psalms 91:4). That is prayer, which protects him from trouble like a shield protects a person in battle. By the merit of prayer, which is called a shield, he will take Haman. From where [is it known] that they engaged in prayer? That is what is written: “Sackcloth and ashes were worn by many” (Esther 4:3). What is the use of sackcloth and ashes without prayer? “And the bound will swallow their wealth.” Who overcame Haman’s wealth? Mordekhai and Esther and those bound to them.

Then they rent their clothes (ibid., v. 13). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: You caused your father’s clothes to be torn for no reason at all,¹¹Though Joseph was not dead, Jacob tore his clothes in mourning. so you too shall rend your clothes on account of Benjamin. Said R. Isaac: The brothers rent their clothes for Benjamin; therefore Mordecai, descended from them, will rend his clothes because of Israel, as it is said: Now when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes (Est. 4:1). And laded every man his ass (Gen. 44:13). Not one of them needed to help his companion. They arose, cudgeled Benjamin on his shoulders, and cried out: “O thief, son of a thief, you have disgraced us. You are, indeed, the son of your mother (Rachel), who likewise disgraced our father (by stealing Laban’s teraphim).” In reward for the blows struck upon his shoulders, the Shekhinah hovered between his shoulders, as it is said: He covereth him all the day, and dwelleth between his shoulders (Deut. 33:12)

“I did not know; my soul placed me upon chariots of my noble people” (Song of Songs 6:12).
“I did not know; my soul placed me,” Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: This is comparable to the daughter of kings, who was gathering residual sheaves. The king passed and recognized that she was his daughter. He sent his friend and he took her and seated her with him in his carriage. Her friends were astonished in her regard and saying: ‘Yesterday she was gathering residual sheaves and today she is in the carriage with the king?’ She said to them: ‘Just as you are astonished about me, so I am astonished about myself.’ She declared about herself: “I did not know; my soul placed me.”
So too, when Israel was in Egypt, they were enslaved with mortar and bricks and were despicable and contemptible in the eyes of the Egyptians. When they became free men and were redeemed, they became elevated over all mankind. The nations of the world were astonished and saying, ‘Yesterday you were working with mortar and bricks, and now you have become free men, elevated over the entire world?’ Israel said to them: ‘Just as you are astonished about us, so are we astonished about ourselves.’ They declared about themselves: “I did not know; my soul placed me.”
Another matter, “I did not know; my soul placed me,” it is regarding Joseph the righteous that the verse is speaking. Yesterday, “they tortured his legs with chains; his body was placed in irons” (Psalms 105:18), and today, “Joseph is the ruler over the land” (Genesis 42:6). He declared about himself: “I did not know; my soul placed me.”
Another matter, “I did not know; my soul placed me,” the verse is speaking of David. Yesterday he was fleeing from Saul, and today, David is king. He declared about himself: “I did not know; my soul placed me.”
Another matter, “I did not know; my soul placed me,” the verse is speaking of Mordekhai. Yesterday, “he donned sackcloth and ashes” (Esther 4:1), and today, “Mordekhai emerged from before the king in royal garments of sky-blue and white…” (Esther 8:15). He declared about himself: “I did not know; my soul placed me.”
Another matter, “I did not know; my soul placed me,” the verse is speaking of the congregation of Israel. The congregation of Israel says to the nations of the world: “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, for though I fell, I will rise” (Micah 7:8). When I was sitting in the dark, the Holy One blessed be He took me out to the light, as it is stated: “Though I sit in the darkness, the Lord is a light to me” (Micah 7:8). It declared about itself: “I did not know; my soul placed me.”
Yusta, the tailor of Tzippori, ascended to the royal palace and found favor with the king. The king said to him: ‘Make a request and I will grant it to you.’ He said to him: ‘Appoint me governor over our locale [Tzippori].’ The king granted it to him. When he was appointed governor, he descended from it.³⁹He descended from the palace back to Tzippori. Some of those who knew him said: ‘It is him,’⁴⁰When they saw him approaching they identified him as Yusta the tailor. And some of them said: ‘It is not him.’ One said to the others: ‘He will now pass through the marketplace; if he looks at the stall upon which he would sit and sew, it is him. If not, it is not him.’ He passed through the marketplace and he began to look at the stall upon which he would sit and sew, and they realized that it was him. He said to them: ‘You are astonished about me, but I am astonished about myself more than you are.’ They declared of him: “I did not know; my soul placed me…” “My noble people [ami],” the noble One accompanied me [imi]—the One who lives eternally.

“Guard your feet when you go to the house of God, and draw near to heed. This is better than fools giving an offering, as they do not know to perform evil” (Ecclesiastes 4:17).
“Guard your feet when you go to the house of God” – it is taught: A person may not enter the Temple Mount with coins bound in his shawl, with dust that is on his feet, and with his money belt girded on the outside [of his clothing], as it is stated: “Guard your feet when you go [to the house of God].” Rabbi Yosei ben Yehuda says: “He came until before the king’s gate, as none may enter the king’s gate [in sackcloth]” (Esther 4:2) – if in honor of a king of flesh and blood this may not be done, in honor of the King, king of kings, all the more so.
Rabbi Ada ben Rabbi Shimon in the name of Rabbi Natan: A person must never stand in an elevated place and pray, but rather in a low place. What is the reason? “From the depths, I cried to you, Lord” (Psalms 130:1).³⁵Thus, the phrase “guard your feet when you go to the house of God” is interpreted to mean that one must stand in prayer in a manner that demonstrates humility.
Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] says: A person must never pray when he needs to relieve himself, as it is stated: “Prepare to meet your God, Israel” (Amos 4:12). Rabbi Alexandri said: It is written: “Guard your feet [when you go to the house of God].” Rabbi Kerutzpi said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: “Guard your feet” – from the drops between your legs. “When you go to the house of God,” be ritually pure. In what case are these matters stated? It is in the case of urine; but in the case of excrement, if he can restrain himself, he may restrain himself.³⁶This phrase may be interpreted in accordance with the Gemara (Berakhot 23a) to mean: If he can restrain himself for the time it takes to walk four parasangs (72 minutes), he may pray (Maharzu).
Rabbi Abba said: “May your fount [mekoraakha] be blessed” (Proverbs 5:18) – in the house of your calling [mekoraakh], may you be blessed;³⁷In the place where you call out to God, i.e., the synagogue, be blessed, and be not degraded by a lack of cleanliness regarding bodily functions. may your calling to the grave be blessed.
Shimon Sikhena was a shrewd man, and he would dig cisterns, ditches, and caves in Jerusalem. He said to Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakai, ‘I am as great as you are.’ [Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakai] said to him: ‘Why?’ He said: ‘Because I engage in communal needs like you do.’ He said: ‘If a person comes to you for a judgment or a question, you say to him: Drink from this cistern as its water is clear and cold. Or if a woman asks you about her menstrual status, you say to her: Immerse yourself in this cistern, as its water purifies.’ He read this verse in his regard: “This is better than fools giving an offering, as they do not know to perform evil.”³⁸Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakai applied this verse to the unlearned Shimon Sikhena, intimating that he did not know the difference between pure and impure such that he could even make such a statement.
Huna bar Geniva said: Reciting Shema at its appointed time is dearer than one thousand burnt offerings sacrificed by the fool. Why? “As they do not know to perform evil” – the fool does not know how to distinguish between one vow and another vow. From where is it [derived]? It is [derived] from Yiftaḥ.³⁹Yiftaḥ vowed to sacrifice the first creature that would emerge from his house; when his daughter was first to emerge, he assumed his vow remained in effect. This is viewed as an example of a foolish vow; see Judges 11:31–40 and Vayikra Rabba 37:4.
Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta said: One who is weak above and one who is strong below, who prevails? It is the upper one. This is true all the more so when the upper one is He who lives eternally, who is strong above and you are below. The verse has preceded you: “Because God is in the heavens and you are on earth…” (Ecclesiastes 5:1).

Another explanation for zeh hadavar: “Take with you words. . .”(d’varim, Ho 14:3). This is what is meant by what is written: “I wash my palms with cleanliness and circle your altar, Yahh, to voice thanks aloud and to tell of all your miracles.” (Ps 26:6f) One might also offer bulls and rams, but exegesis says to voice thanks aloud. Accordingly, Jews say, “Ribon HaOlam (“master of the universe”), leaders sin and bring and bring a korban (“offering”) and it atones for them. The mashiach sins and brings a korban and it atones for him. We, we have no korban.” He said to them: “And if all the congregation of Yisrael stray–and the matter is hidden from the eyes of the community–and they are guilty of doing one of the negative commandments of Yahh, then, if the sin guilt for which they sinned becomes known, the community shall offer a bull of the herd as a sin offering.”(Lev 4:13f) They say to him, “We are poor and we have not what to bring for korbanot.” He says to them, “Words, I request, as it is said, ‘Take with you words and return to Yahh’ and I annul all your misdeeds.” These words are none other than divrey Torah, as it is said, “These are the d’varim that Moshe spoke to all Yisrael.(Dt 1:1) They said to him, “We do not know.” He said to them, “Weep and pray before me and I accept it. Your ancestors, when they were enslaved in Mitsrayim, it wasn’t for prayer that I redeemed them, as it is said, ‘The B’neiYisrael groaned from the work and cried out.’(Ex 2:23)In the days of Y’hoshua it wasn’t for prayer that I made miracles for them, as it is said, ‘Y’hoshua tore his garment and fell on his face before the ark of Yahh till evening.’(Jos 7:6) So what did I say to him? ‘Hold out the spear which is in your hand towards The Ai, for I give it into your hand.’(Jos 8:18) In the days of the Judges, with weeping I heard their outcry, as it is said, ‘It happened, when the B’neiYisrael cried out to Yahh on account of Midyan.’(Ju 6:7) In the days of Sh’muel it was not in prayer that I heard them, as it is said, ‘Sh’muel cried out to Yahh on behalf of Yisrael and Yahh responded to him.’(Sam 7:9) And similarly the men of Y’rushalayim, even though they had angered me, because they wept before me I had mercy on them, as it is said, ‘For thus said Yahh, “Sing out joy to Ya’akov. . .”(Jer 31:7) Oh, I request from you not sacrifices and not korbanot but words, as it is said, ‘Take with you words. . .’ This is why David said, ‘I wash my hands with cleanliness’ not intending to make an offering but to voice thanks aloud, for I am thankful to you for divrey Torah.

Rabbi José said: Haman was an astrologer, and he wrote letters on slips, and cast lots by the constellations to know the distinction between one day and another, and between one month and another, and between one constellation and another, as it is said, "They cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month" (Esth. 3:7). He wrote and sent throughout all the provinces to destroy and to slay and to exterminate all the Jews on the thirteenth day of the month Adar, on the third day in the constellation Leo. Mordecai heard (thereof), and rent his garments, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and he went forth into the midst of the city, as it is said, "And Mordecai knew all that was done" (Esth. 4:1); and he cried before the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: Sovereign of all the worlds ! Thou didst swear to our fore-fathers to multiply their seed like the stars of the heaven, and now hast Thou given them like sheep to the slaughter. "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel… to whom thou swarest… I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven" (Ex. 32:13). Esther heard (thereof), and her strength failed, as it is said, "And the queen was exceedingly enfeebled" (Esth. 4:4). She sent and called for Hathach, the trusty (servant) of her household, to know what had been done to Mordecai. Hathach went forth to Mordecai, who told him the words. (Hathach) went in and told Esther. Haman saw Hathach coming and returning, and he slew him, and Esther did not find another man faithful enough to send to Mordecai. She said that it was her || desire to return answer to Mordecai. She said to him, "Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days" (Esth. 4:16). These (days) were the thirteenth, the fourteenth, and the fifteenth of Nisan. Mordecai said to her: Is not the third day (of the fast) the day of Passover? She said to him: Thou art the elder in Israel. If there be no Israel, wherefore is the Passover? Mordecai hearkened to her words, and he agreed with her. "So Mordecai transgressed" (Esth. 4:17). What is the meaning of the expression, "So he transgressed"? That he transgressed the festivals and Sabbaths. On the third day (of the fast) Esther put on the royal apparel, and sent and invited the king and Haman to the banquet which she had prepared on the fifteenth of Nisan. When they had eaten and drunk, Haman said: The king exalts me, and his wife aggrandizes me, and there is none greater than I am in all the kingdoms; and Haman rejoiced very much in his heart, as it is said, "Then went Haman forth that day, joyful and glad of heart" (Esth. 5:9).

Rabbi José said: Haman was an astrologer, and he wrote letters on slips, and cast lots by the constellations to know the distinction between one day and another, and between one month and another, and between one constellation and another, as it is said, "They cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month" (Esth. 3:7). He wrote and sent throughout all the provinces to destroy and to slay and to exterminate all the Jews on the thirteenth day of the month Adar, on the third day in the constellation Leo. Mordecai heard (thereof), and rent his garments, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and he went forth into the midst of the city, as it is said, "And Mordecai knew all that was done" (Esth. 4:1); and he cried before the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: Sovereign of all the worlds ! Thou didst swear to our fore-fathers to multiply their seed like the stars of the heaven, and now hast Thou given them like sheep to the slaughter. "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel… to whom thou swarest… I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven" (Ex. 32:13). Esther heard (thereof), and her strength failed, as it is said, "And the queen was exceedingly enfeebled" (Esth. 4:4). She sent and called for Hathach, the trusty (servant) of her household, to know what had been done to Mordecai. Hathach went forth to Mordecai, who told him the words. (Hathach) went in and told Esther. Haman saw Hathach coming and returning, and he slew him, and Esther did not find another man faithful enough to send to Mordecai. She said that it was her || desire to return answer to Mordecai. She said to him, "Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days" (Esth. 4:16). These (days) were the thirteenth, the fourteenth, and the fifteenth of Nisan. Mordecai said to her: Is not the third day (of the fast) the day of Passover? She said to him: Thou art the elder in Israel. If there be no Israel, wherefore is the Passover? Mordecai hearkened to her words, and he agreed with her. "So Mordecai transgressed" (Esth. 4:17). What is the meaning of the expression, "So he transgressed"? That he transgressed the festivals and Sabbaths. On the third day (of the fast) Esther put on the royal apparel, and sent and invited the king and Haman to the banquet which she had prepared on the fifteenth of Nisan. When they had eaten and drunk, Haman said: The king exalts me, and his wife aggrandizes me, and there is none greater than I am in all the kingdoms; and Haman rejoiced very much in his heart, as it is said, "Then went Haman forth that day, joyful and glad of heart" (Esth. 5:9).

Rabbi José said: Haman was an astrologer, and he wrote letters on slips, and cast lots by the constellations to know the distinction between one day and another, and between one month and another, and between one constellation and another, as it is said, "They cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month" (Esth. 3:7). He wrote and sent throughout all the provinces to destroy and to slay and to exterminate all the Jews on the thirteenth day of the month Adar, on the third day in the constellation Leo. Mordecai heard (thereof), and rent his garments, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and he went forth into the midst of the city, as it is said, "And Mordecai knew all that was done" (Esth. 4:1); and he cried before the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: Sovereign of all the worlds ! Thou didst swear to our fore-fathers to multiply their seed like the stars of the heaven, and now hast Thou given them like sheep to the slaughter. "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel… to whom thou swarest… I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven" (Ex. 32:13). Esther heard (thereof), and her strength failed, as it is said, "And the queen was exceedingly enfeebled" (Esth. 4:4). She sent and called for Hathach, the trusty (servant) of her household, to know what had been done to Mordecai. Hathach went forth to Mordecai, who told him the words. (Hathach) went in and told Esther. Haman saw Hathach coming and returning, and he slew him, and Esther did not find another man faithful enough to send to Mordecai. She said that it was her || desire to return answer to Mordecai. She said to him, "Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days" (Esth. 4:16). These (days) were the thirteenth, the fourteenth, and the fifteenth of Nisan. Mordecai said to her: Is not the third day (of the fast) the day of Passover? She said to him: Thou art the elder in Israel. If there be no Israel, wherefore is the Passover? Mordecai hearkened to her words, and he agreed with her. "So Mordecai transgressed" (Esth. 4:17). What is the meaning of the expression, "So he transgressed"? That he transgressed the festivals and Sabbaths. On the third day (of the fast) Esther put on the royal apparel, and sent and invited the king and Haman to the banquet which she had prepared on the fifteenth of Nisan. When they had eaten and drunk, Haman said: The king exalts me, and his wife aggrandizes me, and there is none greater than I am in all the kingdoms; and Haman rejoiced very much in his heart, as it is said, "Then went Haman forth that day, joyful and glad of heart" (Esth. 5:9).

Rabbi José said: Haman was an astrologer, and he wrote letters on slips, and cast lots by the constellations to know the distinction between one day and another, and between one month and another, and between one constellation and another, as it is said, "They cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month" (Esth. 3:7). He wrote and sent throughout all the provinces to destroy and to slay and to exterminate all the Jews on the thirteenth day of the month Adar, on the third day in the constellation Leo. Mordecai heard (thereof), and rent his garments, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and he went forth into the midst of the city, as it is said, "And Mordecai knew all that was done" (Esth. 4:1); and he cried before the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: Sovereign of all the worlds ! Thou didst swear to our fore-fathers to multiply their seed like the stars of the heaven, and now hast Thou given them like sheep to the slaughter. "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel… to whom thou swarest… I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven" (Ex. 32:13). Esther heard (thereof), and her strength failed, as it is said, "And the queen was exceedingly enfeebled" (Esth. 4:4). She sent and called for Hathach, the trusty (servant) of her household, to know what had been done to Mordecai. Hathach went forth to Mordecai, who told him the words. (Hathach) went in and told Esther. Haman saw Hathach coming and returning, and he slew him, and Esther did not find another man faithful enough to send to Mordecai. She said that it was her || desire to return answer to Mordecai. She said to him, "Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days" (Esth. 4:16). These (days) were the thirteenth, the fourteenth, and the fifteenth of Nisan. Mordecai said to her: Is not the third day (of the fast) the day of Passover? She said to him: Thou art the elder in Israel. If there be no Israel, wherefore is the Passover? Mordecai hearkened to her words, and he agreed with her. "So Mordecai transgressed" (Esth. 4:17). What is the meaning of the expression, "So he transgressed"? That he transgressed the festivals and Sabbaths. On the third day (of the fast) Esther put on the royal apparel, and sent and invited the king and Haman to the banquet which she had prepared on the fifteenth of Nisan. When they had eaten and drunk, Haman said: The king exalts me, and his wife aggrandizes me, and there is none greater than I am in all the kingdoms; and Haman rejoiced very much in his heart, as it is said, "Then went Haman forth that day, joyful and glad of heart" (Esth. 5:9).

Rabbi José said: Haman was an astrologer, and he wrote letters on slips, and cast lots by the constellations to know the distinction between one day and another, and between one month and another, and between one constellation and another, as it is said, "They cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month" (Esth. 3:7). He wrote and sent throughout all the provinces to destroy and to slay and to exterminate all the Jews on the thirteenth day of the month Adar, on the third day in the constellation Leo. Mordecai heard (thereof), and rent his garments, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and he went forth into the midst of the city, as it is said, "And Mordecai knew all that was done" (Esth. 4:1); and he cried before the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: Sovereign of all the worlds ! Thou didst swear to our fore-fathers to multiply their seed like the stars of the heaven, and now hast Thou given them like sheep to the slaughter. "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel… to whom thou swarest… I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven" (Ex. 32:13). Esther heard (thereof), and her strength failed, as it is said, "And the queen was exceedingly enfeebled" (Esth. 4:4). She sent and called for Hathach, the trusty (servant) of her household, to know what had been done to Mordecai. Hathach went forth to Mordecai, who told him the words. (Hathach) went in and told Esther. Haman saw Hathach coming and returning, and he slew him, and Esther did not find another man faithful enough to send to Mordecai. She said that it was her || desire to return answer to Mordecai. She said to him, "Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days" (Esth. 4:16). These (days) were the thirteenth, the fourteenth, and the fifteenth of Nisan. Mordecai said to her: Is not the third day (of the fast) the day of Passover? She said to him: Thou art the elder in Israel. If there be no Israel, wherefore is the Passover? Mordecai hearkened to her words, and he agreed with her. "So Mordecai transgressed" (Esth. 4:17). What is the meaning of the expression, "So he transgressed"? That he transgressed the festivals and Sabbaths. On the third day (of the fast) Esther put on the royal apparel, and sent and invited the king and Haman to the banquet which she had prepared on the fifteenth of Nisan. When they had eaten and drunk, Haman said: The king exalts me, and his wife aggrandizes me, and there is none greater than I am in all the kingdoms; and Haman rejoiced very much in his heart, as it is said, "Then went Haman forth that day, joyful and glad of heart" (Esth. 5:9).

Rabbi José said: Haman was an astrologer, and he wrote letters on slips, and cast lots by the constellations to know the distinction between one day and another, and between one month and another, and between one constellation and another, as it is said, "They cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month" (Esth. 3:7). He wrote and sent throughout all the provinces to destroy and to slay and to exterminate all the Jews on the thirteenth day of the month Adar, on the third day in the constellation Leo. Mordecai heard (thereof), and rent his garments, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and he went forth into the midst of the city, as it is said, "And Mordecai knew all that was done" (Esth. 4:1); and he cried before the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: Sovereign of all the worlds ! Thou didst swear to our fore-fathers to multiply their seed like the stars of the heaven, and now hast Thou given them like sheep to the slaughter. "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel… to whom thou swarest… I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven" (Ex. 32:13). Esther heard (thereof), and her strength failed, as it is said, "And the queen was exceedingly enfeebled" (Esth. 4:4). She sent and called for Hathach, the trusty (servant) of her household, to know what had been done to Mordecai. Hathach went forth to Mordecai, who told him the words. (Hathach) went in and told Esther. Haman saw Hathach coming and returning, and he slew him, and Esther did not find another man faithful enough to send to Mordecai. She said that it was her || desire to return answer to Mordecai. She said to him, "Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days" (Esth. 4:16). These (days) were the thirteenth, the fourteenth, and the fifteenth of Nisan. Mordecai said to her: Is not the third day (of the fast) the day of Passover? She said to him: Thou art the elder in Israel. If there be no Israel, wherefore is the Passover? Mordecai hearkened to her words, and he agreed with her. "So Mordecai transgressed" (Esth. 4:17). What is the meaning of the expression, "So he transgressed"? That he transgressed the festivals and Sabbaths. On the third day (of the fast) Esther put on the royal apparel, and sent and invited the king and Haman to the banquet which she had prepared on the fifteenth of Nisan. When they had eaten and drunk, Haman said: The king exalts me, and his wife aggrandizes me, and there is none greater than I am in all the kingdoms; and Haman rejoiced very much in his heart, as it is said, "Then went Haman forth that day, joyful and glad of heart" (Esth. 5:9).

Rabbi José said: Haman was an astrologer, and he wrote letters on slips, and cast lots by the constellations to know the distinction between one day and another, and between one month and another, and between one constellation and another, as it is said, "They cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month" (Esth. 3:7). He wrote and sent throughout all the provinces to destroy and to slay and to exterminate all the Jews on the thirteenth day of the month Adar, on the third day in the constellation Leo. Mordecai heard (thereof), and rent his garments, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and he went forth into the midst of the city, as it is said, "And Mordecai knew all that was done" (Esth. 4:1); and he cried before the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: Sovereign of all the worlds ! Thou didst swear to our fore-fathers to multiply their seed like the stars of the heaven, and now hast Thou given them like sheep to the slaughter. "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel… to whom thou swarest… I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven" (Ex. 32:13). Esther heard (thereof), and her strength failed, as it is said, "And the queen was exceedingly enfeebled" (Esth. 4:4). She sent and called for Hathach, the trusty (servant) of her household, to know what had been done to Mordecai. Hathach went forth to Mordecai, who told him the words. (Hathach) went in and told Esther. Haman saw Hathach coming and returning, and he slew him, and Esther did not find another man faithful enough to send to Mordecai. She said that it was her || desire to return answer to Mordecai. She said to him, "Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days" (Esth. 4:16). These (days) were the thirteenth, the fourteenth, and the fifteenth of Nisan. Mordecai said to her: Is not the third day (of the fast) the day of Passover? She said to him: Thou art the elder in Israel. If there be no Israel, wherefore is the Passover? Mordecai hearkened to her words, and he agreed with her. "So Mordecai transgressed" (Esth. 4:17). What is the meaning of the expression, "So he transgressed"? That he transgressed the festivals and Sabbaths. On the third day (of the fast) Esther put on the royal apparel, and sent and invited the king and Haman to the banquet which she had prepared on the fifteenth of Nisan. When they had eaten and drunk, Haman said: The king exalts me, and his wife aggrandizes me, and there is none greater than I am in all the kingdoms; and Haman rejoiced very much in his heart, as it is said, "Then went Haman forth that day, joyful and glad of heart" (Esth. 5:9).

Haman took the apparel and the horse and went to Mordecai. (Haman) said to him: Arise, and put on the purple of the king. (Mordecai) said to him: Villain! Dost thou not know that for three days I have put on sack-cloth with ashes, sitting on the ashes, because of that which thou hast done to me? Now take me to the bath-house, and afterwards will I put on the purple of the king. And he washed him and dressed him. (Haman) said to him: Mount and ride upon the horse. He said to (Haman): On account of the affliction of the fast I have no strength to mount and ride upon the horse. What did Haman do? He lowered himself, || and Mordecai put his foot upon his neck, and he mounted and rode upon the horse. Mordecai said: Blessed be the Omnipresent, who hath not let aught of His words fall to the earth, to fulfil that which is said, "But thou shalt tread upon their high places" (Deut. 33:29). Mordecai betook himself to his seat of honour at the king's gate, whilst Haman was hurried along, and he went "to his house mourning and having his head covered" (Esth. 6:12), because of that which had happened to him.

Haman took the apparel and the horse and went to Mordecai. (Haman) said to him: Arise, and put on the purple of the king. (Mordecai) said to him: Villain! Dost thou not know that for three days I have put on sack-cloth with ashes, sitting on the ashes, because of that which thou hast done to me? Now take me to the bath-house, and afterwards will I put on the purple of the king. And he washed him and dressed him. (Haman) said to him: Mount and ride upon the horse. He said to (Haman): On account of the affliction of the fast I have no strength to mount and ride upon the horse. What did Haman do? He lowered himself, || and Mordecai put his foot upon his neck, and he mounted and rode upon the horse. Mordecai said: Blessed be the Omnipresent, who hath not let aught of His words fall to the earth, to fulfil that which is said, "But thou shalt tread upon their high places" (Deut. 33:29). Mordecai betook himself to his seat of honour at the king's gate, whilst Haman was hurried along, and he went "to his house mourning and having his head covered" (Esth. 6:12), because of that which had happened to him.