에스더 3:2의 미드라쉬

“There was a Judean man in the Shushan citadel, and his name was Mordekhai, son of Ya'ir, son of Shimi, son of Kish, a Benjamite” (Esther 2:5).
“There was a Judean man [ish] in the Shushan citadel” – ish teaches that Mordekhai, in his generation, was the equivalent of Moses, in his generation, as it is written about him: “And the man [veha’ish] Moses was very humble” (Numbers 12:3). Just as Moses stood in the breach, as it is written: “He said He would destroy them, were it not for Moses His chosen one, who stood before Him in the breach…” (Psalms 106:23); also Mordekhai did likewise: “A seeker of good for his people and spokesman of peace for all his descendants” (Esther 10:3).
Just as Moses taught Torah to Israel, as it is written: “See, I have taught you statutes and ordinances” (Deuteronomy 4:5), also Mordekhai did so, as it is written: “Matters of peace and truth” (Esther 9:30), and as it is written: “Acquire truth and do not sell” (Proverbs 23:23).
“And his name was Mordekhai” (Esther 2:5) – the wicked precede their names: “Naval was his name” (I Samuel 25:25); “Sheva ben Bikhri was his name” (II Samuel 20:21). However, the righteous, their names precede them: “And his name was Manoaḥ” (Judges 13:2); “And his name was Kish” (I Samuel 9:1); “And his name was Elkana” (I Samuel 1:1); “And his name was Boaz” (Ruth 2:1); “And his name was Mordekhai.” It is because they are similar to their Creator, as it is written: “But by My name, the Lord, I was not known by them” (Exodus 6:3).
“Judean” – why was he called Judean? Was he not a Benjaminite?⁶Mordekhai is identified as coming from the tribe of Benjamin in Esther 2:5. It is because he unified the name of the Holy One blessed be He⁷Actions which assert that there is only one God are referred to as “unifying the name.” before all creatures; that is what is written: “[And Mordekhai] would not bow and would not prostrate himself” (Esther 3:2). Was he contrary and violating the king’s decree? Rather, when Aḥashverosh commanded [everyone] to prostrate themselves to Haman, he [Haman] carved an idol [and set it] over his heart, intending that they prostrate themselves to the idol.
When Haman saw that Mordekhai would not prostrate himself to him, he was filled with fury. Mordekhai said to him: ‘There is a Master who exalts over all the exalted; how can I forsake him and prostrate myself to an idol?’ Because he unified the name of the Holy One blessed be He, he is called Judean [Yehudi], meaning by himself [yeḥidi].⁸Just as God is only one [yeḥidi] so was Mordekhai called yeḥidi.
Some say that he was the equivalent of Abraham in his generation. Just as Abraham allowed himself to be put into the fiery furnace and went about causing people to acknowledge the greatness of the Holy One blessed be He – that is what is written: “And the souls they had gotten in Ḥaran” (Genesis 12:5), so too, Mordekhai, in his time, people acknowledged the greatness of the Holy One blessed be He. That is what is written: “Many of the peoples of the land became Jews, as the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them” (Esther 8:17). He unified the name of the Holy One blessed be He, and sanctified it. Therefore, he is called yehudi, as it is written: “A Judean [yehudi] man” – don’t read it as yehudi, but rather, as yeḥidi.

“All the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed and prostrated themselves to Haman, for so had the king commanded concerning him; and Mordekhai would not bow and would not prostrate himself” (Esther 3:2).
“All the king's servants who were at the king's gate.” Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina began: “The arrogant laid a trap for me” (Psalms 140:6) – the congregation of Israel said before the Holy one blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, the idolaters have spread a trap before me to bring me down. They say to me: Engage in idol worship. If I heed them, I will be punished. If I do not heed them, they will kill me. It is analogous to a wolf that thirsted for water, but they spread a net at the entrance to the spring. He said: If I go down to drink, I will be trapped, but if I do not go down, I will die of thirst.

Rabbi Berekhya said: The Holy one blessed be He recorded the redemption of Israel in the Torah, as it is written: “If a stranger who is a resident among you shall prosper…” (Leviticus 25:47). “A stranger who is a resident” – that is Haman, who became great and grew rich, and became prosperous enough to weigh out ten thousand talents of silver (see Esther 3:9). He is called a resident stranger since he was a descendant of Amalek and was a stranger in Media and Persia. “And your brother becomes poor with him” (Leviticus 25:47) – these are [the people of] Israel who were destitute and poor. “And is sold to a resident stranger” (Leviticus 25:47) – that Aḥashverosh sold them to Haman, to destroy, to kill and to eliminate. “Or to an offshoot [eker] of a stranger’s family” (Leviticus 25:47) – that he made himself an object of idolatry.¹¹The midrash here follows the interpretation in Kiddushin 20a–b that an eker is a false god. According to that reading, the verse is referring to a Hebrew slave who was sold to serve in an idolatrous temple. That is what is written: “Bowing and prostrating themselves to Haman” (Esther 3:2). “After he is sold, he shall have redemption” (Leviticus 25:48) – that the Holy One blessed be He redeemed them from his [Haman’s] hand and delivered them from his decree and rescued them. “One of his brothers shall redeem him” (Leviticus 25:48) – that is Mordekhai, as it is written about him “and accepted by most of his brethren” (Esther 10:3). “Or his uncle or his cousin shall redeem him” (Leviticus 25:49) – that is Esther, who was the daughter of his [Mordekhai’s] uncle, and Israel were redeemed by her. “For I will surely erase [maḥo emḥeh] the memory of Amalek” (Exodus 17:14) – erase [maḥo] in this world, surely erase [emḥeh] in the World to Come. “The memory [zekher] of Amalek” – that is Haman. Read with regard to him, “a male [zakhar] of Amalek.”
Even Jacob our forefather alluded to it in the blessing of the tribes: “Benjamin, a wolf who will take prey. In the morning he will consume plunder” (Genesis 49:27) – that is Saul, who was the morning of Israel, as he was the first of the kings and was from the tribe of Benjamin, and [he] smote Amalek and plundered everything they had. “And in the evening will distribute booty” (Genesis 49:27) – that is Mordekhai and Esther, who arose for Israel in their exile, which resembles the evening, and distributed the booty of Haman. [Benjamin] is compared to a wolf, as the Holy One blessed be He set him to stand against the wolf – that is the kings of Media and Persia, who are compared to a wolf. That is what is written, “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a wolf”¹²The word in the verse, dov, is generally translated “bear.” However, when it is spelled without a vav, its meaning in Aramaic is “wolf.” In the verse from Daniel, which is written in Aramaic, dov is spelled without a vav (Etz Yosef). (Daniel 7:5). There¹³The midrash, written in Eretz Yisrael, refers here to the interpretation of the Babylonian sages, who understood the term dov in this verse as referring to a bear (see Megilla 11a; Kiddushin 72a; Avoda Zara 2b). they say that [the verse refers to] the kings of Media and Persia, who eat like a bear and have no rest like a bear and grow their hair like a bear. The Holy One blessed be He set Mordekhai and Esther to stand against them, as they were from the tribe of Benjamin, as it is written: “A wolf will take prey” (Genesis 49:27).

Rabbi Phineas said: Two wealthy men arose in the world, one in Israel and one among the nations of the world, Korah in Israel, and Haman among the nations of the world, who took the treasures of the kings of Judah. (When) the king saw his wealth and his ten sons keeping guard before him, he exalted him, and aggrandized him, as it is said, "After || these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman, the son of Hammedatha" (Esth. 3:1). The king commanded concerning him that all the people should bow down and show reverence to him. What did Haman do? He made for himself an image of an idol, and had it embroidered upon his dress, above his heart, so that everyone who bowed down to Haman also bowed down to the idol which he had made. Mordecai saw this, and did not consent to bow down to the idol, as it is said, "But Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence" (Esth. 3:2); and (Haman) was full of wrath against him, and said: These Jews hated my forefathers from of old, and now will I say to the king that he should destroy them from the world. Haman entered before Ahasuerus, and said to him: O my lord, O king, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of thy kingdom" (Esth. 3:8), and they are of no benefit to thee and do not obey thee, and they do not perform thy will, and it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. If it please the king, accept half of my wealth and give me power over them, as it is said, "If it please the king, let it be written that they be destroyed" (Esth. 3:9). (The king) said to him: Behold, they are given into thy hand for nought, as it is said, "And the king said to Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also" (Esth. 3:11). The Holy Spirit cried out, saying: "Thus saith the Lord, Ye were sold for nought, || and ye shall be redeemed without money" (Isa. 52:3).