פּירוש אויף אסתר 2:17

“And the king loved Esther” [2:17]. Ahasuerus loved Esther more than all the wives who were not virgins and also loved her more than the virgins. Ahasuerus put the crown on Esther despite the advice that the crown should not be put on anyone. However, the king loved Esther so much that the king put the crown on her. The king made a great banquet for Esther so that she should tell him from which people she had descended. He suspended all the taxes from the people from the great joy and love he had for Esther and gave presents to the ministers. However, Ahasuerus did not suspend the taxes of the Jews and they had to pay taxes. The Holy One did this for the benefit of the Jews. Since the Jews paid taxes to the king, Haman had to tell the king that he would give ten thousand hundredweights of silver for the Jews. However, in order to destroy the Amalekites, Mordecai did not need to give the king taxes since the king had suspended them for all the nations.

More than all the women.¹⁶Ibid. The married ones; for he also gathered married women.