Esther 3:2
וְכׇל־עַבְדֵ֨י הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־בְּשַׁ֣עַר הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ כֹּרְעִ֤ים וּמִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִים֙ לְהָמָ֔ן כִּי־כֵ֖ן צִוָּה־ל֣וֹ הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וּמׇ֨רְדֳּכַ֔י לֹ֥א יִכְרַ֖ע וְלֹ֥א יִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽה׃
In the Torah we find many examples of people bowing to other people:
- Bereishis 18:2 - Avraham bows to the three travelers
- Bereishis 19:1 - Lot bows to the two angels
- Bereishis 23:7, 12 - Avraham bows to the elders of the בני חת
- Bereishis 33:3, 6-7 - Yaakov, his wives, and all his children bow to Esav (but not Binyamin, he wasn't born yet)
- Bereishis 42:6, 43:26, 28 - The brothers bow to Yosef
- Bereishis 47:31 - Yaakov bows to Yosef
- Bereishis 48:12 - Yosef bows to Yaakov
- Shemos 18:7 - Moshe bows to Yisro
Why didn't Mordechai bow to Haman? That wasn't just disrespectful to Haman, it was treason against the king in the palace itself.
1. Mordechai was concerned about idolatry
Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer 50 - Haman wore an idol
מה עשה המן? עשה לו צלם מרוקם על בגדו ועל לבו, וכל מי שהיה משתחוה להמן משתחוה לע"ז שעשה, וראה מרדכי ולא קבל להשתחוות לע"ז...
Targum Rishon says the same thing, and that's how ibn Ezra understands Mordechai's refusal to bow. Rashi, on the other hand, says that Haman turned himself into a god, which is based on Bavli Megilah 19a, Sanhedrin 61b, and Esther Rabbah 7:8:
מָה אָמַר לָהֶם מָרְדֳּכַי לְמִי שֶׁאוֹמֵר לוֹ "מַדּוּעַ אַתָּה עוֹבֵר אֵת מִצְוַת הַמֶּלֶךְ"? רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר, אָמַר לָהֶם מָרְדֳּכַי, משֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ הִזְהִיר לָנוּ בַּתּוֹרָה (דברים כז, טו): אָרוּר הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה פֶסֶל וּמַסֵּכָה, וְרָשָׁע זֶה עוֹשֶׂה עַצְמוֹ עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים...
Josephus also writes that the foreigners and Persians worshiped Haman.
It's not just in the Agadic Midrashim, it might be implied in the pshat as well. Every one of the examples in the Torah uses the word שחה, not כרע. When the word כרע is used in the sense of bowing to something else, it is almost always used in reference to divine or idolatrous worship. There's only one other person in Tanakh besides Haman who is bowed to in that way: Eliyahu.
The king Achazyah got injured, and he sent messengers to ask Baal-Zevuv, god of Ekron, whether he would live or die. (He was king of the North; sending messengers to use the Urim v'Tumim in the Beis haMikdash would have been a massive political statement.)
God sends Eliyahu to rebuke the king, telling him that he wouldn't recover. When the king's messengers see Eliyahu, they report back to the king, who sends a battalion of 50 men to arrest Eliyahu and bring him to Achazyah. When the captain demands that Eliyahu come with him, Eliyahu says "אִם־אִ֤ישׁ אֱלֹהִים֙ אָ֔נִי תֵּ֤רֶד אֵשׁ֙ מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְתֹאכַ֥ל אֹתְךָ֖ וְאֶת־חֲמִשֶּׁ֑יךָ!", which is what happens. The king sent another battalion to arrest Eliyahu, and the same thing happened. When the king sent the third battalion, the captain prostrated before Eliyahu and begged for his life, and only then did Eliyahu go to the king.
Read Tanakh. It's a good book.
Melakhim B 1:13
וַיָּ֗שׇׁב וַיִּשְׁלַ֛ח שַׂר־חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים שְׁלִשִׁ֖ים וַחֲמִשָּׁ֑יו וַיַּ֡עַל וַיָּבֹא֩ שַׂר־הַחֲמִשִּׁ֨ים הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֜י וַיִּכְרַ֥ע עַל־בִּרְכָּ֣יו ׀ לְנֶ֣גֶד אֵלִיָּ֗הוּ וַיִּתְחַנֵּ֤ן אֵלָיו֙ וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֵלָ֔יו אִ֚ישׁ הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים תִּיקַר־נָ֣א נַפְשִׁ֗י וְנֶ֨פֶשׁ עֲבָדֶ֥יךָֽ אֵ֛לֶּה חֲמִשִּׁ֖ים בְּעֵינֶֽיךָ׃
2. One ought bow to none but God
Greek Additions to Esther, Addition C (13:12-14)
"...you know, O Lord, that it was not in insolence or pride or for any love of glory that I...refused to bow down to...Haman; for I would have been willing to kiss the soles of his feet to save Israel! But I did this so that I might not set human glory above the glory of God, ad I will not bow down to anyone but you, who are my Lord..."
Targum Sheni expresses the same idea. It's also noteworthy that the phrase in Esther appears in Aleinu, that we only prostrate and bow towards God:
...שהֵם מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לְהֶבֶל וָרִיק, וּמִתְפַּלְּלִים אֶל אֵל לֹא יוֹשִׁיעַ, וַאֲנַחְנוּ כּוֹרְעִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים וּמוֹדִים לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא...
3. Mordechai felt superior
Yalkut Shimoni (Nakh 1056:18, on Esther 5:8) records a tale told by R' Chisda that Mordechai and Haman were generals in Achashverosh's army. Haman's supplies ran out, and Mordechai only agreed to feed his men if Haman signed off on becoming Mordechai's slave.
Herodotus, The Histories I:134
When one (Persian) man meets another on the road, it is easy to see if the two are equals; for, if they are, they kiss each other on the lips...if the difference in rank is small, the cheek is kissed; if it is great, the humbler bows...to the other.
Clearly, whatever was going on, Haman was trying to display his superiority, maybe even his divinity. Mordechai was having none of it.
וְכׇל־עַבְדֵ֨י הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־בְּשַׁ֣עַר הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ כֹּרְעִ֤ים וּמִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִים֙ לְהָמָ֔ן כִּי־כֵ֖ן צִוָּה־ל֣וֹ הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וּמׇ֨רְדֳּכַ֔י לֹ֥א יִכְרַ֖ע וְלֹ֥א יִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽה׃
In the Torah we find many examples of people bowing to other people:
- Bereishis 18:2 - Avraham bows to the three travelers
- Bereishis 19:1 - Lot bows to the two angels
- Bereishis 23:7, 12 - Avraham bows to the elders of the בני חת
- Bereishis 33:3, 6-7 - Yaakov, his wives, and all his children bow to Esav (but not Binyamin, he wasn't born yet)
- Bereishis 42:6, 43:26, 28 - The brothers bow to Yosef
- Bereishis 47:31 - Yaakov bows to Yosef
- Bereishis 48:12 - Yosef bows to Yaakov
- Shemos 18:7 - Moshe bows to Yisro
Why didn't Mordechai bow to Haman? That wasn't just disrespectful to Haman, it was treason against the king in the palace itself.
1. Mordechai was concerned about idolatry
Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer 50 - Haman wore an idol
מה עשה המן? עשה לו צלם מרוקם על בגדו ועל לבו, וכל מי שהיה משתחוה להמן משתחוה לע"ז שעשה, וראה מרדכי ולא קבל להשתחוות לע"ז...
Targum Rishon says the same thing, and that's how ibn Ezra understands Mordechai's refusal to bow. Rashi, on the other hand, says that Haman turned himself into a god, which is based on Bavli Megilah 19a, Sanhedrin 61b, and Esther Rabbah 7:8:
מָה אָמַר לָהֶם מָרְדֳּכַי לְמִי שֶׁאוֹמֵר לוֹ "מַדּוּעַ אַתָּה עוֹבֵר אֵת מִצְוַת הַמֶּלֶךְ"? רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר, אָמַר לָהֶם מָרְדֳּכַי, משֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ הִזְהִיר לָנוּ בַּתּוֹרָה (דברים כז, טו): אָרוּר הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה פֶסֶל וּמַסֵּכָה, וְרָשָׁע זֶה עוֹשֶׂה עַצְמוֹ עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים...
Josephus also writes that the foreigners and Persians worshiped Haman.
It's not just in the Agadic Midrashim, it might be implied in the pshat as well. Every one of the examples in the Torah uses the word שחה, not כרע. When the word כרע is used in the sense of bowing to something else, it is almost always used in reference to divine or idolatrous worship. There's only one other person in Tanakh besides Haman who is bowed to in that way: Eliyahu.
The king Achazyah got injured, and he sent messengers to ask Baal-Zevuv, god of Ekron, whether he would live or die. (He was king of the North; sending messengers to use the Urim v'Tumim in the Beis haMikdash would have been a massive political statement.)
God sends Eliyahu to rebuke the king, telling him that he wouldn't recover. When the king's messengers see Eliyahu, they report back to the king, who sends a battalion of 50 men to arrest Eliyahu and bring him to Achazyah. When the captain demands that Eliyahu come with him, Eliyahu says "אִם־אִ֤ישׁ אֱלֹהִים֙ אָ֔נִי תֵּ֤רֶד אֵשׁ֙ מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְתֹאכַ֥ל אֹתְךָ֖ וְאֶת־חֲמִשֶּׁ֑יךָ!", which is what happens. The king sent another battalion to arrest Eliyahu, and the same thing happened. When the king sent the third battalion, the captain prostrated before Eliyahu and begged for his life, and only then did Eliyahu go to the king.
Read Tanakh. It's a good book.
Melakhim B 1:13
וַיָּ֗שׇׁב וַיִּשְׁלַ֛ח שַׂר־חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים שְׁלִשִׁ֖ים וַחֲמִשָּׁ֑יו וַיַּ֡עַל וַיָּבֹא֩ שַׂר־הַחֲמִשִּׁ֨ים הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֜י וַיִּכְרַ֥ע עַל־בִּרְכָּ֣יו ׀ לְנֶ֣גֶד אֵלִיָּ֗הוּ וַיִּתְחַנֵּ֤ן אֵלָיו֙ וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֵלָ֔יו אִ֚ישׁ הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים תִּיקַר־נָ֣א נַפְשִׁ֗י וְנֶ֨פֶשׁ עֲבָדֶ֥יךָֽ אֵ֛לֶּה חֲמִשִּׁ֖ים בְּעֵינֶֽיךָ׃
2. One ought bow to none but God
Greek Additions to Esther, Addition C (13:12-14)
"...you know, O Lord, that it was not in insolence or pride or for any love of glory that I...refused to bow down to...Haman; for I would have been willing to kiss the soles of his feet to save Israel! But I did this so that I might not set human glory above the glory of God, ad I will not bow down to anyone but you, who are my Lord..."
Targum Sheni expresses the same idea. It's also noteworthy that the phrase in Esther appears in Aleinu, that we only prostrate and bow towards God:
...שהֵם מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לְהֶבֶל וָרִיק, וּמִתְפַּלְּלִים אֶל אֵל לֹא יוֹשִׁיעַ, וַאֲנַחְנוּ כּוֹרְעִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים וּמוֹדִים לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא...
3. Mordechai felt superior
Yalkut Shimoni (Nakh 1056:18, on Esther 5:8) records a tale told by R' Chisda that Mordechai and Haman were generals in Achashverosh's army. Haman's supplies ran out, and Mordechai only agreed to feed his men if Haman signed off on becoming Mordechai's slave.
Herodotus, The Histories I:134
When one (Persian) man meets another on the road, it is easy to see if the two are equals; for, if they are, they kiss each other on the lips...if the difference in rank is small, the cheek is kissed; if it is great, the humbler bows...to the other.
Clearly, whatever was going on, Haman was trying to display his superiority, maybe even his divinity. Mordechai was having none of it.
Esther 3:7
Only three books in Tanakh use a double calendar system, all placed during or after the Babylonian exile: Zechariah, Ezra-Nechemiah, and Esther. The rest of Tanakh uses month numbers but not month names. Those month names are Persian, why do we use them?
Yerushalmi Rosh haShanah 1:2 - R' Chanina taught that the names of the months were brought up to Israel from Bavel.
Ramban (1194-1270) on Shemos 12:2 - Nisan is referred to as חדש הראשון in the Torah because it turns our calendar into a constant reminder of the great miracle that happened in Nisan - Yetzias Mitzraim (just as every day of the week is a reminder of Shabbos and creation).
When they returned from Bavel, however, they brought the non-Jewish names of the months with them to remember that God was there with us and took us out.
Jewish references to time are supposed to put us in mind of God and miracles.
Only three books in Tanakh use a double calendar system, all placed during or after the Babylonian exile: Zechariah, Ezra-Nechemiah, and Esther. The rest of Tanakh uses month numbers but not month names. Those month names are Persian, why do we use them?
Yerushalmi Rosh haShanah 1:2 - R' Chanina taught that the names of the months were brought up to Israel from Bavel.
Ramban (1194-1270) on Shemos 12:2 - Nisan is referred to as חדש הראשון in the Torah because it turns our calendar into a constant reminder of the great miracle that happened in Nisan - Yetzias Mitzraim (just as every day of the week is a reminder of Shabbos and creation).
When they returned from Bavel, however, they brought the non-Jewish names of the months with them to remember that God was there with us and took us out.
Jewish references to time are supposed to put us in mind of God and miracles.
Esther 3:8
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הָמָן֙ לַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֔וֹשׁ יֶשְׁנ֣וֹ עַם־אֶחָ֗ד מְפֻזָּ֤ר וּמְפֹרָד֙ בֵּ֣ין הָֽעַמִּ֔ים בְּכֹ֖ל מְדִינ֣וֹת מַלְכוּתֶ֑ךָ וְדָתֵיהֶ֞ם שֹׁנ֣וֹת מִכׇּל־עָ֗ם וְאֶת־דָּתֵ֤י הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֵינָ֣ם עֹשִׂ֔ים וְלַמֶּ֥לֶךְ אֵין־שֹׁוֶ֖ה לְהַנִּיחָֽם׃
Tacitus, Histories V:4-5 - Tacitus was a Roman historian, around 13 or 14 during the destruction of the 2nd Beis haMikdash.
To establish his influence over this people for all time, Moses introduced new religious practices, quite opposed to those of all other religions. The Jews regard as profane all that we hold sacred; on the other hand, they permit all that we abhor...
the other customs of the Jews are base and abominable, and owe their persistence to their depravity...the Jews are extremely loyal toward one another...but toward every other people they feel only hate and enmity. They sit apart at meals, and they sleep apart, and although as a race, they are prone to lust, they abstain from intercourse with foreign women; yet among themselves nothing is unlawful. They adopted circumcision to distinguish themselves from other peoples...and the earliest lesson they receive is to despise the gods, to disown their country, and to regard their parents, children, and brothers as of little account. However, they take thought to increase their numbers; for they regard it as a crime to kill any late-born child, and they believe that the souls of those who are killed in battle or by the executioner are immortal: hence comes their passion for begetting children, and their scorn of death...
the Jews conceive of one god only...they regard as impious those who make...representations of gods in man's image...Therefore they set up no statues in their cities, still less in their temples; this flattery is not paid their kings, nor this honour given to the Caesars...
the ways of the Jews are preposterous and mean.
We don't have time to get into the bloody and tragic history of
- Greek antisemitism
- Roman antisemitism
- Christian antisemitism
- Islamic antisemitism
- the Crusades
- blood libels, well poisoning, and host desecration
- Talmud burnings
- the Black Death
- expulsions
- Martin Luther and Protestantism
- Khmelnytsky Massacres
- the struggle for Jewish emancipation
- racial antisemitism
- pogroms
- the Holocaust
- whether anti-Zionism is antisemitism
- uniqueness of American antisemitism
...but it all has its
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הָמָן֙ לַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֔וֹשׁ יֶשְׁנ֣וֹ עַם־אֶחָ֗ד מְפֻזָּ֤ר וּמְפֹרָד֙ בֵּ֣ין הָֽעַמִּ֔ים בְּכֹ֖ל מְדִינ֣וֹת מַלְכוּתֶ֑ךָ וְדָתֵיהֶ֞ם שֹׁנ֣וֹת מִכׇּל־עָ֗ם וְאֶת־דָּתֵ֤י הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֵינָ֣ם עֹשִׂ֔ים וְלַמֶּ֥לֶךְ אֵין־שֹׁוֶ֖ה לְהַנִּיחָֽם׃
Tacitus, Histories V:4-5 - Tacitus was a Roman historian, around 13 or 14 during the destruction of the 2nd Beis haMikdash.
To establish his influence over this people for all time, Moses introduced new religious practices, quite opposed to those of all other religions. The Jews regard as profane all that we hold sacred; on the other hand, they permit all that we abhor...
the other customs of the Jews are base and abominable, and owe their persistence to their depravity...the Jews are extremely loyal toward one another...but toward every other people they feel only hate and enmity. They sit apart at meals, and they sleep apart, and although as a race, they are prone to lust, they abstain from intercourse with foreign women; yet among themselves nothing is unlawful. They adopted circumcision to distinguish themselves from other peoples...and the earliest lesson they receive is to despise the gods, to disown their country, and to regard their parents, children, and brothers as of little account. However, they take thought to increase their numbers; for they regard it as a crime to kill any late-born child, and they believe that the souls of those who are killed in battle or by the executioner are immortal: hence comes their passion for begetting children, and their scorn of death...
the Jews conceive of one god only...they regard as impious those who make...representations of gods in man's image...Therefore they set up no statues in their cities, still less in their temples; this flattery is not paid their kings, nor this honour given to the Caesars...
the ways of the Jews are preposterous and mean.
We don't have time to get into the bloody and tragic history of
- Greek antisemitism
- Roman antisemitism
- Christian antisemitism
- Islamic antisemitism
- the Crusades
- blood libels, well poisoning, and host desecration
- Talmud burnings
- the Black Death
- expulsions
- Martin Luther and Protestantism
- Khmelnytsky Massacres
- the struggle for Jewish emancipation
- racial antisemitism
- pogroms
- the Holocaust
- whether anti-Zionism is antisemitism
- uniqueness of American antisemitism
...but it all has its
Esther 3:9
Haman's 10,000 talents of silver was an ENORMOUS amount, over 300 metric tons of silver. Today, that would be worth well over $200 million.
Haman's 10,000 talents of silver was an ENORMOUS amount, over 300 metric tons of silver. Today, that would be worth well over $200 million.