BOOOOOOO!!!: Haman the Villain in Jewish Tradition

These are the clans of the sons of Esau. The descendants of Esau’s first-born Eliphaz: the clans Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, Korah, Gatam, and Amalek; these are the clans of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. Those are the descendants of Adah.

Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Pick some troops for us, and go out and do battle with Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill, with the staff of G-d in my hand.” Joshua did as Moses told him and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so, whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; but whenever he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur, one on each side, supported his hands; thus his hands remained steady until the sun set. And Joshua overwhelmed the people of Amalek with the sword. Then A-donai said to Moses, “Inscribe this in a document as a reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven!” And Moses built an altar and named it A-donai-Nissi [A-donai is my banner]. He said, “It means, ‘Hand upon the throne of A-donai! A-donai will be at war with Amalek throughout the ages.”

Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one A-donai sent to anoint you king over G-d's people Israel. Therefore, listen to A-donai's command! “Thus said A-donai of Hosts: I am exacting the penalty for what Amalek did to Israel, for the assault he made upon them on the road, on their way up from Egypt. Now go, attack Amalek, and proscribe all that belongs to him. Spare no one, but kill alike men and women, infants and sucklings, oxen and sheep, camels and asses!” Saul mustered the troops and enrolled them at Telaim: 200,000 men on foot, and 10,000 men of Judah. Then Saul advanced as far as the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the wadi....

Saul destroyed Amalek from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is close to Egypt, and he captured King Agag of Amalek alive. He proscribed all the people, putting them to the sword; but Saul and the troops spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the second-born, the lambs, and all else that was of value. They would not proscribe them; they proscribed only what was cheap and worthless. The word of A-donai then came to Samuel: “I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned away from Me and has not carried out My commands.” Samuel was distressed and he entreated A-donai all night long. Early in the morning Samuel went to meet Saul. Samuel was told, “Saul went to Carmel, where he erected a monument for himself; then he left and went on down to Gilgal.” When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of A-donai! I have fulfilled A-donai's command.” “Then what,” demanded Samuel, “is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of oxen that I hear?” Saul answered, “They were brought from the Amalekites, for the troops spared the choicest of the sheep and oxen for sacrificing to A-donai your G-d. And we proscribed the rest.” Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! Let me tell you what A-donai said to me last night!” “Speak,” he replied. And Samuel said, “You may look small to yourself, but you are the head of the tribes of Israel. A-donai anointed you king over Israel, and A-donai sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and proscribe the sinful Amalekites; make war on them until you have exterminated them.’ Why did you disobey A-donai and swoop down on the spoil in defiance of A-donai’s will?” Saul said to Samuel, “But I did obey A-donai! I performed the mission on which A-donai sent me: I captured King Agag of Amalek, and I proscribed Amalek, and the troops took from the spoil some sheep and oxen—the best of what had been proscribed—to sacrifice to A-donai your G-d at Gilgal.” But Samuel said: “Does A-donai delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As much as in obedience to A-donai's command? Surely, obedience is better than sacrifice, Compliance than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, Defiance, like the iniquity of teraphim. Because you rejected A-donai’s command, G-d has rejected you as king.”...

Samuel said, “Bring forward to me King Agag of Amalek.” Agag approached him with faltering steps; and Agag said, “Ah, bitter death is at hand!” Samuel said: “As your sword has bereaved women, So shall your mother be bereaved among women.” And Samuel cut Agag down before A-donai at Gilgal.

Some time afterward, King Achashverosh promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite; he advanced him and seated him higher than any of his fellow officials.

They set out from Bethel; but when they were still some distance short of Ephrath, Rachel was in childbirth, and she had hard labor. When her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Have no fear, for it is another boy for you.” But as she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni; but his father [Jacob] called him Benjamin.

There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish son of Abiel son of Zeror son of Becorath son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of substance. He had a son whose name was Saul, an excellent young man; no one among the Israelites was handsomer than he; he was a head taller than any of the people.

In the fortress Shushan lived a Jew by the name of Mordecai, son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, a Benjaminite. [Kish] had been exiled from Jerusalem in the group that was carried into exile along with King Jeconiah of Judah, which had been driven into exile by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

Rabbi Chanina said: Anyone who says that the Holy One, Blessed be G-d is lax in dealing out justice, may that person's bowels become relaxed! Rather, G-d is slow to anger and will exact [punishment] from them [later].

It is written: ["When Esau heard his father’s words,] he burst into wild and bitter sobbing" (Genesis 27). And where was his [Jacob's] punishment [for stealing Esau's birthright]? In the capital city of Shushan, as it says: "[When Mordecai learned all that had happened, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went through the city,] crying out loudly and bitterly.

Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey after you left Egypt— how he fell upon you on the way and cut down all the stragglers, with you famished and exhausted, and he did not fear G-d. Therefore, when A-donai your G-d grants you safety from all your enemies around you, in the land that A-donai your G-d is giving you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!

"He fell upon you on the way": The word קרך [fell upon you] is connected in meaning with the word מקרה “a sudden happening”, i.e., he fell upon you by surprise.

In the first month, that is, the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, pur—which means “the lot”—was cast before Haman concerning every day and every month, [until it fell on] the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar.

Hatach went out to Mordechai in the city square in front of the palace gate; and Mordechai told him all that had befallen him [קרהו], and all about the money that Haman had offered to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews.

“Mordechai told him all that had befallen him”: He said to Hatach: ‘Tell her that the descendant of Karahu [קרהו] has come against you, like that which is written: “how he fell upon you [קרך] on the way”’ (Deuteronomy 25:18).

...The lots appear to be happenstance [מקרה], but Scripture proves that "[Lots are cast into the lap;] but all decisions are from A-donai" (Proverbs 16:33). Happenstance is also from the Holy One...

And so too the whole idea of Amalek is happenstance in the world, because the Holy One also created the idea of happenstance, that there is nothing outside of the Holy One, and this too is from the Holy One... and this is Amalek, since it is written "who fell upon you on the way". He ascribes everything to chance.

From where in the Torah can one find an allusion to the events involving Esther? [It comes from: “Then My anger shall be kindled against them on that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day: Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?] And I will hide (haster astir) [My face on that day for all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned to other gods” (Deuteronomy 31:17–18).]