Komentaryo sa Ester 9:20: Tze'enah Ure'enah & Rashi

“And Mordecai wrote” [9:20]. He wrote a letter to the Jews in all the lands that they should observe Purim on the fourteenth day and on the fifteenth day of Adar. They should send and give presents; one friend to another, and one should give presents to the poor on Purim. One should drink so long until the person should not know the difference between cursed be Haman and blessed be Mordecai. Here one asks a question. Why do we first say cursed be Haman and afterwards blessed be Mordecai?⁴⁶B. Megillah, 7b. The answer is that first came letters from the king that the Amalekites should be killed and Mordecai was not mentioned in these letters. Thus, the Jews in the foreign lands did not know who had brought the redemption. The Jews sang cursed be Haman and did not mention Mordecai. However, afterwards when Mordecai wrote his letter that they should observe Purim, they became aware that Mordecai brought the redemption and the Jews began to sing, blessed be Mordecai. In the meantime, the Jews had long sung, cursed be Haman, before they sang, blessed be Mordecai. Thus, the custom remained that one first sings, cursed be Haman, and afterwards, blessed be Mordecai.

Mordechai wrote. This scroll [of Esther], as it is [i.e., in its present state].⁷To ensure the continued annual celebration of the Purim festival.