Bibbia Ebraica
Bibbia Ebraica

Midrash su Ester 6:1

בַּלַּ֣יְלָה הַה֔וּא נָדְדָ֖ה שְׁנַ֣ת הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לְהָבִ֞יא אֶת־סֵ֤פֶר הַזִּכְרֹנוֹת֙ דִּבְרֵ֣י הַיָּמִ֔ים וַיִּהְי֥וּ נִקְרָאִ֖ים לִפְנֵ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃

In quella notte il re fu insonne; e ordinò di recare il libro delle memorie, (ossia) le cronache; e queste vennero lette innanzi al re.

Esther Rabbah

After he erected the gibbet, he went to Mordekhai and found that he was sitting in the study hall with the children sitting before him, with sackcloth on their waists, engaging in the study of Torah, and they were screaming and weeping. He counted them and found there twenty-two thousand children. He cast iron chains on them and deployed guards over them. He said: ‘Tomorrow, I will kill these children first and then I will hang Mordekhai.’ Their mothers were bringing them food and water and saying to them: ‘Our children, eat and drink before you die and don’t die hungry.’ Immediately, they placed their hands on their books and took an oath: ‘By the life of Mordekhai our master, we will not eat and drink, but will die while fasting.’ All of them began weeping loudly until their cries reached the heavens. The Holy One blessed be He heard the sound of their weeping approximately two hours into the night.
At that moment, the compassion of the Holy One blessed be He was aroused, and He stood up from His throne of justice and sat down on His throne of mercy, and said: ‘What is that loud sound I hear that sounds like goats and lambs?’ Moses our master stood before the Holy One blessed be He and said: ‘Master of the universe, they are neither goats nor lambs, but rather the children of Your people, who are fasting today [and have already been fasting for] three days and three nights, and tomorrow their enemy seeks to slaughter them like goats and lambs.’ At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He took those letters that He had decreed against them that were sealed with mortar seals and He ripped them.4See Esther Rabba 7:14. He brought fear upon Aḥashverosh that night; that is what is written: “On that night [sleep deserted the king, and he ordered the book of records, the annals to be brought; and it was read to the king] (Esther 6:1).
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Esther Rabbah

“That night, the king’s sleep was disturbed; he said to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king” (Esther 6:1).
“That night, the king’s sleep was disturbed” – The heavens disturbed the throne of the king of kings, the Holy one blessed be He, who saw Israel in distress. Does the Omnipresent sleep? Does it not already say: “Behold, the guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps” (Psalms 121:4)? Rather, at a time when Israel is immersed in trouble and the nations of the world are at peace [it is said allegorically that God is sleeping, and] for this [reason] it says: “Rouse Yourself; why do You sleep, O Lord?” (Psalms 44:24).
King Aḥashverosh’s sleep was disturbed as he saw in his dream that Haman took a sword to kill him; he was frightened and awoke from his sleep. He said to his scribes: ‘Bring the book of records,’ to read and to see what had happened to him. They opened the scrolls and found the matter that Mordekhai reported about Bigtana and Teresh. When they said to the king: “Here is Haman standing in the courtyard” (Esther 6:5), the king said: ‘The thing I saw in my dream is true. This one would not come at this hour except to kill me.’
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Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer

"On that night the king's sleep fled" (Esth. 6:1). That night the throne of the King who is King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, became unsteady, because He saw that Israel was in great distress. The sleep of the king on earth fled, for he had seen in his dream Haman taking the sword to slay him; || and he became agitated and arose from his sleep, and he told the sons of Haman, the scribes, to read in the books so as to see what had happened to him. They opened the books, and found the incident which Mordecai had told, but they did not wish to read this, and they rolled up the scrolls. The king said to them: Read ye what is written before you. But they were unwilling to read, and the writing was read (of its own account) by itself, as it is said, "And they were read before the king" (ibid.). It is not written here, "They were reading," but "They were read." The king spake to his servants: Call ye Haman to me. They said to him: Behold, he is standing outside. The king said: The thing is true which I saw in my dream; he has come only in this hour to slay me. He said: Let him come in. He entered before the king. The king said to him: I wish to exalt and aggrandize a certain man; what shall be done to him? Haman said in his heart, for the seed of Esau speak in their hearts, but never reveal their secret with their mouths, as it is said, "And Haman said in his heart" (Esth. 6:6). Haman said in his heart: He does not desire to exalt any other man except me. I will speak words so that I shall be a king just as he is. He said to him: Let them bring the apparel || which the king wore on the day of the coronation, and (let them bring) the horse upon which the king rode on the coronation day, and the crown which was put upon the head of the king on the day of coronation. The king was exceedingly angry because of the crown. The king said: It does not suffice this villain, but he must even desire the crown which is upon my head. Haman saw that the king was angry because of the crown; he said: "And let the apparel and the horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes" (Esth. 6:9). (The king) said to him: Go, and do thus to Mordecai. As soon as Haman heard this he became greatly agitated, and he said to him: My lord, O king! There are very many named Mordecai. The king answered: "The Jew." (Haman) said to him: There are very many Jews. The king said to him: "He who sits at the king's gate" (Esth. 6:10).
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