Midrash su Ester 6:9
וְנָת֨וֹן הַלְּב֜וּשׁ וְהַסּ֗וּס עַל־יַד־אִ֞ישׁ מִשָּׂרֵ֤י הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ הַֽפַּרְתְּמִ֔ים וְהִלְבִּ֙ישׁוּ֙ אֶת־הָאִ֔ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ חָפֵ֣ץ בִּֽיקָר֑וֹ וְהִרְכִּיבֻ֤הוּ עַל־הַסּוּס֙ בִּרְח֣וֹב הָעִ֔יר וְקָרְא֣וּ לְפָנָ֔יו כָּ֚כָה יֵעָשֶׂ֣ה לָאִ֔ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ חָפֵ֥ץ בִּיקָרֽוֹ׃
E quel vestito e quel cavallo siano consegnati ad uno dei regj principi e primati, e ne venga vestito l'uomo, ch'il re vuole onorare, e sia fatto cavalcare su quel cavallo nella piazza della città, e venga gridato davanti a lui: Così si fa a quell'uomo, ch'il re vuole onorare.
Esther Rabbah
“When they [the king’s servants] spoke to him [Mordekhai] daily and he did not heed them, they told Haman, to see whether Mordekhai’s words would prevail; for he had told to them that he was a Jew” (Esther 3:4).
“When they spoke to him daily” – Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Binyamin bar Rabbi Levi: The children of Rachel, their miracles are equal and their ascent to greatness is equal. Their miracles are equal; that is what is written: “It was when she spoke to Joseph day after day” (Genesis 39:10). Here it written: “When they spoke to him daily and he did not heed them,” and there it is written: “And he did not heed her to lie with her, to be with her” (Genesis 39:10). And their ascent to greatness is equal; that is what is written: “Pharaoh removed his ring from his hand and he gave it to Joseph, and he garbed him in garments of linen” (Genesis 41:42). Here it is written: “The king removed the ring that he had taken from Haman, and he gave it to Mordekhai” (Esther 8:2). There it is written: “He had him ride in his second chariot, and they cried before him: ‘Avrekh’”3The meaning of avrekh is unclear. One opinion, based on the ancient Egyptian, is that it means “pay attention.” (Genesis 41:43); here, it is written: “And let the garments and the horse be placed…and they will proclaim before him: So shall be done to the man whose honoring the king desires” (Esther 6:9).
“When they spoke to him daily” – Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Binyamin bar Rabbi Levi: The children of Rachel, their miracles are equal and their ascent to greatness is equal. Their miracles are equal; that is what is written: “It was when she spoke to Joseph day after day” (Genesis 39:10). Here it written: “When they spoke to him daily and he did not heed them,” and there it is written: “And he did not heed her to lie with her, to be with her” (Genesis 39:10). And their ascent to greatness is equal; that is what is written: “Pharaoh removed his ring from his hand and he gave it to Joseph, and he garbed him in garments of linen” (Genesis 41:42). Here it is written: “The king removed the ring that he had taken from Haman, and he gave it to Mordekhai” (Esther 8:2). There it is written: “He had him ride in his second chariot, and they cried before him: ‘Avrekh’”3The meaning of avrekh is unclear. One opinion, based on the ancient Egyptian, is that it means “pay attention.” (Genesis 41:43); here, it is written: “And let the garments and the horse be placed…and they will proclaim before him: So shall be done to the man whose honoring the king desires” (Esther 6:9).
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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).
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bereishit Rabbah
"One such day, he [Yosef] came into the house to do his work and none of the men of the household were there" (Genesis 39:11). Is it possible that in the house of such a man it was deserted with no man there? Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Nechemyah [explain this]. Rabbi Yehuda says, it was a Nile festival and all had gone to see it, and he did not go. Rabbi Nechemyah says, it was a day of the theatre [teiatiron] and all had gone to see it, and he did not go. Rather, "he came into the house to do his work", to calculate his master's calculations. Rabbi Shmuel son of Nachman says, "to do his work literally", except there was no man there -- he searched himself, and he did not find himself to be a man. Another explanation, Rabbi Shmuel says, the bow is stretched and returned. For is it not written: (Genesis 49:24) "Yet his bow [קשתו] remained taut" -- his hardness [קשיותו]. Rabbi Yitzchak says, his seed [זרע] was scattered and went out by way of his fingernails, as it says (Genesis 49:24) "and the arms of his hands [זרעי ידיו] were made firm". Rav Huna in the name of Rabbi Matna says, images of his father appeared and chilled his blood, as it is written (Genesis 49:24) "From there, the Shepherd, the Rock of Yisrael". Who does such? (Genesis 49:25) "The God of your father who helps you [...] blessings of breast and womb" -- (Onkelos Genesis 49:25) "blessings of father and mother."
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy