לימוד מגילת אסתר - כיתה י' פרקים ט-י

אב

(א) וּבִשְׁנֵים֩ עָשָׂ֨ר חֹ֜דֶשׁ הוּא־חֹ֣דֶשׁ אֲדָ֗ר בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁ֨ה עָשָׂ֥ר יוֹם֙ בּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִגִּ֧יעַ דְּבַר־הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ וְדָת֖וֹ לְהֵעָשׂ֑וֹת בַּיּ֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֨ר שִׂבְּר֜וּ אֹיְבֵ֤י הַיְּהוּדִים֙ לִשְׁל֣וֹט בָּהֶ֔ם וְנַהֲפ֣וֹךְ ה֔וּא אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשְׁלְט֧וּ הַיְּהוּדִ֛ים הֵ֖מָּה בְּשֹׂנְאֵיהֶֽם׃

Esther 9:1

(1) And so, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month—that is, the month of Adar—when the king’s [Achashverosh's] command and decree [to massacre the Jews] were to be executed, the very day on which the enemies of the Jews had expected to get them in their power, the opposite happened, and the Jews got their enemies in their power.

1. ונהפוך הוא venahafoch hu The very opposite happened is a key theme of the story. Can you think of other examples from this story or from other Biblical stories that you know (maybe from Pesach) where we can see the opposite of what was planned actually happening?

אסתר ט׳:י״א-ט״ז

(יא) בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא בָּ֣א מִסְפַּ֧ר הַֽהֲרוּגִ֛ים בְּשׁוּשַׁ֥ן הַבִּירָ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ (יב) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ לְאֶסְתֵּ֣ר הַמַּלְכָּ֗ה בְּשׁוּשַׁ֣ן הַבִּירָ֡ה הָרְגוּ֩ הַיְּהוּדִ֨ים וְאַבֵּ֜ד חֲמֵ֧שׁ מֵא֣וֹת אִ֗ישׁ וְאֵת֙ עֲשֶׂ֣רֶת בְּנֵֽי־הָמָ֔ן בִּשְׁאָ֛ר מְדִינ֥וֹת הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ מֶ֣ה עָשׂ֑וּ וּמַה־שְּׁאֵֽלָתֵךְ֙ וְיִנָּ֣תֵֽן לָ֔ךְ וּמַה־בַּקָּשָׁתֵ֥ךְ ע֖וֹד וְתֵעָֽשׂ׃ (יג) וַתֹּ֤אמֶר אֶסְתֵּר֙ אִם־עַל־הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ ט֔וֹב יִנָּתֵ֣ן גַּם־מָחָ֗ר לַיְּהוּדִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּשׁוּשָׁ֔ן לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת כְּדָ֣ת הַיּ֑וֹם וְאֵ֛ת עֲשֶׂ֥רֶת בְּנֵֽי־הָמָ֖ן יִתְל֥וּ עַל־הָעֵֽץ׃ (יד) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ לְהֵֽעָשׂ֣וֹת כֵּ֔ן וַתִּנָּתֵ֥ן דָּ֖ת בְּשׁוּשָׁ֑ן וְאֵ֛ת עֲשֶׂ֥רֶת בְּנֵֽי־הָמָ֖ן תָּלֽוּ׃ (טו) וַיִּֽקָּהֲל֞וּ (היהודיים) [הַיְּהוּדִ֣ים] אֲשֶׁר־בְּשׁוּשָׁ֗ן גַּ֠ם בְּי֣וֹם אַרְבָּעָ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ לְחֹ֣דֶשׁ אֲדָ֔ר וַיַּֽהַרְג֣וּ בְשׁוּשָׁ֔ן שְׁלֹ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת אִ֑ישׁ וּבַ֨בִּזָּ֔ה לֹ֥א שָׁלְח֖וּ אֶת־יָדָֽם׃ (טז) וּשְׁאָ֣ר הַיְּהוּדִ֡ים אֲשֶׁר֩ בִּמְדִינ֨וֹת הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ נִקְהֲל֣וּ ׀ וְעָמֹ֣ד עַל־נַפְשָׁ֗ם וְנ֙וֹחַ֙ מֵאֹ֣יְבֵיהֶ֔ם וְהָרוֹג֙ בְּשֹׂ֣נְאֵיהֶ֔ם חֲמִשָּׁ֥ה וְשִׁבְעִ֖ים אָ֑לֶף וּבַ֨בִּזָּ֔ה לֹ֥א שָֽׁלְח֖וּ אֶת־יָדָֽם׃

Esther 9:11-16

(11) When the number of those slain in the fortress Shushan was reported on that same day to the king, (12) the king said to Queen Esther, “In the fortress Shushan alone the Jews have killed a total of five hundred men, as well as the ten sons of Haman. What then must they have done in the provinces of the realm! What is your wish now? It shall be granted you. And what else is your request? It shall be fulfilled.” (13) “If it please Your Majesty,” Esther replied, “let the Jews in Shushan be permitted to act tomorrow also as they did today; and let Haman’s ten sons be impaled [skewered] on the stake.” (14) The king ordered that this should be done, and the decree was proclaimed in Shushan. Haman’s ten sons were impaled [skewered]: (15) and the Jews in Shushan mustered [assembled] again on the fourteenth day of Adar and slew three hundred men in Shushan. But they did not lay hands on the spoil. (16) The rest of the Jews, those in the king’s provinces, likewise mustered and fought for their lives. They disposed of their enemies, killing seventy-five thousand of their foes [enemies]; but they did not lay hands on the spoil [conquered property].

ונהפוך הוא venahafoch hu and the opposite happened. Instead of the Jews being massacred, the Jews massacred others, including the 10 sons of Haman.
Self-defence: a necessary and proportionate use of force against an illegal attack.
1. Can this be defined as self-defence? Why/why not? Was this justified? Why/why not? Was this moral? Why/why not?
2. Specifically, was the general population in the kingdom guilty and deserving of punishment? Why/why not? Were the people of Shushan [the capital, where the palace is] guilty and deserving of punishment? Were Haman's 10 sons who were hanged also guilty and deserving of punishment? Why/why not?

אסתר ט׳:ג׳

(ג) וְכׇל־שָׂרֵ֨י הַמְּדִינ֜וֹת וְהָאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנִ֣ים וְהַפַּח֗וֹת וְעֹשֵׂ֤י הַמְּלָאכָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לַמֶּ֔לֶךְ מְנַשְּׂאִ֖ים אֶת־הַיְּהוּדִ֑ים כִּֽי־נָפַ֥ל פַּֽחַד־מׇרְדֳּכַ֖י עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃

Esther 9:3

(3) Indeed, all the officials of the provinces—the satraps [governor of an area], the governors, and the king’s stewards [king's representatives in charge of a certain area]—showed deference [polite submission and respect] to the Jews, because the fear of Mordechai had fallen upon them.

1. Whether you thought the Jews' actions were morally justified or not, they appear to have worked. All the leaders under Achashverosh show deference to the Jews because they feared Mordechai. Perhaps "the only language they [the enemies of the Jews] understand is force"? Could a policy or action be morally wrong but politically clever? If so, can the ends justify the means? Why/why not?

אסתר י׳:ג׳

(ג) כִּ֣י ׀ מׇרְדֳּכַ֣י הַיְּהוּדִ֗י מִשְׁנֶה֙ לַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֔וֹשׁ וְגָדוֹל֙ לַיְּהוּדִ֔ים וְרָצ֖וּי לְרֹ֣ב אֶחָ֑יו דֹּרֵ֥שׁ טוֹב֙ לְעַמּ֔וֹ וְדֹבֵ֥ר שָׁל֖וֹם לְכׇל־זַרְעֽוֹ׃

Esther 10:3

(3) For Mordechai the Jew ranked next to King Achashverosh and was highly regarded by the Jews and popular with the multitude [most] of his brethren [the Jews]; he sought the good of his people and interceded for the welfare of all his kindred [intervened with the king to help the Jews].

1. Why was Mordechai popular with most of the Jews? He had just engineered a spectacular program which saved the Jewish people and placed him - a Jew - in a powerful position? What would be the motivation of some Jews to not particularly like him? Jot down some ideas.

מגילה ט״ז ב:י״ז

״כִּי מׇרְדֳּכַי הַיְּהוּדִי מִשְׁנֶה לַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ וְגָדוֹל לַיְּהוּדִים וְרָצוּי לְרוֹב אֶחָיו״. ״לְרוֹב אֶחָיו״, וְלֹא לְכׇל אֶחָיו. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁפֵּירְשׁוּ מִמֶּנּוּ מִקְצָת סַנְהֶדְרִין.

Megillah 16b:17

The verse states: “For Mordechai the Jew was second to the king Achashverosh, and great among the Jews, and accepted by the majority of his brethren [the Jews]” (Esther 10:3). ... This teaches that some members of the Sanhedrin [the Jewish supreme council] parted from him, because he occupied himself with community needs, and was therefore compelled to neglect his Torah study.

1. Our Rabbis teach us that opposition to Mordechai was because he was involved in general politics of the kingdom rather than (Torah study and) Jewish politics. How does this compare with the ideas you jotted down?
2. Could there have been another reason? Is it "good for the Jews" or not to have a Jew in such a high position of power in a country outside Israel? Why?