(י) עֲ֠שֶׂרֶת בְּנֵ֨י הָמָ֧ן בֶּֽן־הַמְּדָ֛תָא צֹרֵ֥ר הַיְּהוּדִ֖ים הָרָ֑גוּ וּבַ֨בִּזָּ֔ה לֹ֥א שָׁלְח֖וּ אֶת־יָדָֽם׃ (יא) בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא בָּ֣א מִסְפַּ֧ר הַֽהֲרוּגִ֛ים בְּשׁוּשַׁ֥ן הַבִּירָ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ (ס) (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׃
(10) the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Jews’enemy, slew they; but on the spoil they laid not their hand. (11) On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the castle was brought before the king. (12) And the king said unto Esther the queen: ‘The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the castle, and the ten sons of Haman; what then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! Now whatever thy petition, it shall be granted thee; and whatever thy request further, it shall be done.’ (13) Then said Esther: ‘If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews that are in Shushan to do to-morrow also according unto this day’s decree, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.’
Why is that Esther is asking the King to hung the sons of Haman, Esther's request seems rather unusual.
According to the Sages, every time King Ahasverus is mentioned by name in the Book of Esther, the reference is to him; when the word the King [hey-mem-lamed-kaph (המלך)] appears on its own, it refers to God.
Esther was therefore not addressing her request to Ahasverus, but to God - who granted her request:
"And the King commanded it be done." (Esther 9:14).
(יד) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ לְהֵֽעָשׂ֣וֹת כֵּ֔ן וַתִּנָּתֵ֥ן דָּ֖ת בְּשׁוּשָׁ֑ן וְאֵ֛ת עֲשֶׂ֥רֶת בְּנֵֽי־הָמָ֖ן תָּלֽוּ׃
(14) And the king commanded it so to be done; and a decree was given out in Shushan; and they hanged Haman’s ten sons.
The 10 son of Haman where already death why bother hanging them?
On the word "tomorrow", in Esther's request
"There is a tomorrow that is now, and a tomorrow which is later."
In other words, Esther was asking that the hanging of Haman's ten sons not remain an isolated episode in history, but should recur in the future, as well. Yet, if this is the case, surely King Ahasverus was in no position to acceed to such a request. Only God could make and keep such a promise.
Purim 1946? Not Exactly
By Ephraim Rubin
Posted August 9, 2002
Let us start at the beginning. Queen Esther did not speak of what would happen "later," and this was not her intent. The words of Rashi and Medrash Tanchuma that "there is... a tomorrow which is later" refer only to verses in which this meaning is understood in context, like "And when, in time to come, your son asks you, saying, 'What does this mean?' you shall say to him, 'It was with a mighty hand that the Lord brought us out from Egypt, the house of bondage'." (Exodus 13:14)--the command to retell the story of the exodus, which is practiced in all generations--or "in time to come, your children might say to out children, 'What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel?'" (Joshua 22:24)--the speech of the children of Gad and Rueben, who built an altar on the other side of the Jordan so that the lesson of the altar might not be forgotten by their sons in future generations. From the words of the Medrash it is clear that "tomorrow that is now" is not "tomorrow which is later" and vice versa.
CHAG PURIM SAMEACH
