Esther · Chapter 10

"And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land" — [meaning] upon [land] that was not under his rule but merely feared him, and likewise upon the isles of the sea that were far from him. And Scripture mentions this to make known that he succeeded in all his ways, and his might was seen after Mordecai became his viceroy.

"And the king Ahasuerus laid..." etc. — This verse appears to be of no consequence one way or another for the matter of the Megillah, and likewise what is written, "all the acts of his power," etc., "in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia." Furthermore, it says "for Mordechai," etc. — the word "for" does not fit properly, according to its nature, which is to give a reason for what precedes. Furthermore, it says that the greatness of Mordechai is written in the chronicles of Media and Persia — but is it not also written here, in that it says he was viceroy to the king? Furthermore, it says "and great to the Jews" — but was he not already, until now, great to the Jews? Furthermore, what are these distinctions — "his brethren," "his people," and "his seed"? And regarding the first it says "well-regarded," regarding the second, "seeking the good," and regarding the third, "speaking peace." And furthermore, why was he not well-regarded by all his brethren? Rather, it should be said: see now the providence of Him, blessed be He. For behold, when he annulled the service of the Temple, one hundred and thirteen satrapies rebelled against him, out of the two hundred and forty that constituted the whole world, and only one hundred and twenty-seven remained to him, as our Sages, of blessed memory, have said. And in order to bind his affection to the ministers of the remaining provinces, he brought them before him and made for them a great feast, showing them the wealth of the glory of his kingdom, and he did not rule over them by force to place a yoke of tax upon them, but rather showed that his wealth was great and that he had no need of them. But now, since he had done good for Israel, needless to say that all two hundred and forty of the provinces returned to him — for now he ruled by force, and "laid a tribute upon the land," that is, upon the whole land, for that is the whole inhabited world, "and also upon the isles of the sea." And who would say that this was on account of his having done good for the Jews? Therefore it says: behold, this was well known even among the nations. For behold, "all the acts of his power," etc., together with the passage of the greatness of Mordechai, are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia. And who compelled the writers of the chronicles of those kings to record the greatness of a Jewish man? And not only that, but what pertains to the king is written in general terms — "the acts of his power and his might" — while the matter of Mordechai is written explicitly, in all its details; and this is [the meaning of] "and the account of," etc., which it did not say regarding the acts of the king's power — that is, it did not say "and the account of the acts of his power." And not only that, but that book was dedicated only to kings, and there they set forth the passage of the greatness of Mordechai — and this is [the meaning of] "to the kings of Media and Persia" — and it would not have been fitting to write there anything except what pertains to the king, and not the matter of a Jewish man. But this can only be because they recognized that the acts of the king's power, in returning to reign in full and undisputed sovereignty with abundant strength, came to him from his having exalted Mordechai the Jew. And if you should ask: how, on account of his having exalted him, did Hashem cause the king to succeed? Is it not the opposite — that after he became very great he would withdraw from occupying himself with the needs of Israel, and it would befall him as it befell Menachem, who went out to serve the king and withdrew from being Av Beit Din alongside Hillel in the Sanhedrin, and Shammai entered in his place — even though that king was from Israel! How much more so now, when he would be viceroy to King Ahasuerus — and so, the opposite should occur, that he would lose his merit. Therefore it says: let it not enter your mind that, in his being viceroy to King Ahasuerus, he ceased and regarded it as contemptible in his own eyes to be head of the Sanhedrin, not valuing his standing among Israel. For behold, although Mordechai the Jew was viceroy, etc., nevertheless, "and great to the Jews" — he remained in his greatness to the Jews, and it did not happen to him as it happened to Menachem, who left the Sanhedrin for the service of the king, for he made that his primary concern, whereas [Mordechai] did not involve himself in matters of the kingdom except in his judging, as he had been. And the proof is that he was well-regarded by most of his brethren, and this is like the matter that our Sages, of blessed memory, said — that it is the way of a Torah scholar that the people of his town hate him — because through judging, those found liable come to hate him; therefore they said: one who withholds himself from judgment removes hatred from himself, etc. And with this it is saying: see now, that even though he was viceroy to the king, he did not turn away from being great to the Jews in the Sanhedrin, and the proof of this is that therefore he was well-regarded only by most of his brethren, and not by all — and this can only be with regard to his sitting in judgment. For one cannot say that perhaps the reason some of them did not love him was that they had no benefit from him, even though it was within his power, or that he was haughty and withdrew from them in the manner of one who is viceroy to a great king — for regarding benefit, needless to say that he would save them from trouble or do good for them when they sought him out; rather, he himself would begin and seek and request good for his people — these being the righteous ones affiliated with him — and for those unfit, at least he was "speaking peace," since it could not be avoided that they were his seed; and this is [the meaning of] "and speaking peace to all his seed." Or, it may be said: do not wonder that I have recounted His praise, blessed be He, in that He put it into the king's heart to exalt him, for you might say: is not excessive greatness bad for the righteous, lest they become haughty, or do good for their own relatives and withhold good from others, or oppress them, since their power is great? Therefore it says: what I have recounted of his greatness, as one giving thanks for Hashem's having exalted him, is on account of the fact that he did not become haughty. For Mordechai the Jew — if he was viceroy, he was so to King Ahasuerus, but not for himself, since he did not regard himself as viceroy except in title, being Mordechai the Jew, like one of the Jews; and likewise, if he was great, he was great to the Jews, but not for himself. Or, in a similar vein: "Mordechai the Jew" — described [as being defined] after his Jewishness — was, in being viceroy to King Ahasuerus, [so] only insofar as [Ahasuerus] was king; and he was likewise great only insofar as they, being Jews, possessors of Jewishness, recognized his fitness. And also, he did not give preference to his brethren, who were of the tribe of Benjamin, over the other tribes, for behold, he was well-regarded only by most of his brethren and not by all the members of his tribe, because they saw that he showed them no preference, but rather sought good for his people in general, whether from his own tribe or from the other tribes. And not only that, but he was not particular about withholding a greeting of peace even from the minority of his brethren by whom he was not well-regarded, for it says "and speaking peace to all his seed" — meaning, even though they hated him without cause, he would initiate and be the first to offer them peace. Tush lav'ah — "It is finished and complete; praise to the Creator of the world." Let him who glories glory in understanding and in knowing this book, and let him read it all the days of his life. For behold, O generation, all of you have seen and witnessed; know and see; hear and give ear to the words of my mouth, concerning what happened before — the deed that was done. And it is engraved upon the tablet with a pen of iron and lead, and it went forth under the press of print in the book "Kitzur Alshich on the Five Megillot," which was printed in the year 458, by the abbreviated reckoning. And we have copied it and set it here, so that [the reader] may know the greatness of its exalted worth and its power to save those who study it and meditate on it from evil decrees, God forbid — for that which was is that which shall be, and the word of Hashem shall stand forever. "This is the Torah which Moses set," for it is an elixir of life and a healing to all his flesh. And thus have testified many, and also upright men, who studied in the holy community of Poznan with the exceedingly pious man, namely our teacher Rabbi Yitzchak, may his repose be in Eden, and heard from his own pure mouth that which he related to them — what he had heard from his own master, our honored teacher Rabbi Avraham, may his repose be honored, who dwelt in Poland, in Podolia, in the holy community of Bar, and who used to study the book of the Alshich every week. And so it happened, on a day of the burning of Hashem's wrath, when the enemies surrounded the city, in the year 408, by the abbreviated reckoning: the aforementioned Rabbi, our teacher Rabbi Moshe Alshich, came to him in a dream and said to him, "Since you cherish my book, I have come to warn you that you should arise and save your life at this hour, for a decree has been decreed upon the Jews dwelling in this city — tomorrow, a decree of the sword and destruction." And I said to him, "How shall I manage to escape?" He said to me, "Go out, and I will be with you, and they will not see you, and you will be saved." And I said to him, "How can I abandon my wife and my virgin daughter?" And he said to me, "Go by yourself alone, and they will be taken captive under the hand of a certain Kedari, and I bring you this good news, that this Kedari will be a eunuch and will not defile them." And just as he told me, so it happened, and they were redeemed in Constantinople and came home in peace. Thus far. Behold, from this you shall see, and so shall you do, for generations, before the evil days come. For the soul that toils in it — for he has thereby taken his reward — as is likewise taught: "the escapes from death." And may the kindnesses of Hashem, in His abundant mercies, show us wonders. Amen.

The Questions: Why did he impose a tribute, and why is it recorded here? "And he laid [a tribute]" — this tells how Mordecai succeeded in his administration of the affairs of the kingdom, in that he conquered many provinces with the king's army, until the king imposed a tribute upon all the lands adjoining his kingdom.

"And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute" (verse 1) — He mentions this here because he means to say that on account of the great deed he did with regard to Haman, Ahasuerus acquired the dread of royalty, to the point that everyone obeyed him. Even though he was imposing a tribute on them upon the land, to the point that they all became poor in his days (Megillah 11a), nevertheless they obeyed him and accepted the tribute upon themselves. And all of this was because they saw the dread of royalty that he displayed regarding Haman. Therefore it is also written afterward (verse 2), "and all the acts of his power and his might" as well — for all this was on account of his dread, since when he prevailed over Haman and his sons, his dread fell upon everyone. And it further appears — and this is the essential point — that Ahasuerus's elevating Mordecai was itself the cause that Ahasuerus became greater still, to the point that they obeyed him and accepted his decrees, so that he imposed a tribute upon them. As it is written (verses 1-2), "And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute on the land... and all the acts of his power and his might, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai" — and what does one have to do with the other? Rather, [the verse comes] to say that Ahasuerus's attaining "the acts of his power and his might" — meaning that they accepted from him the decree of the taxes — all of this was on account of "the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king advanced, etc." Therefore the verses are arranged in perfect order.

"his power" (tokpo) — like [the phrase] "with all authority" (et kol tokef) [cf. Esther 9:29]. "and the full account" (u-farashat) — from the same root as "ki lo forash" [it had not been declared] (Numbers 15:34). "the king" — is like "one" in counting, which has no equal; and the viceroy (mishneh) is like the number two; and the third [official] under him is [numbered] three.

The Questions: And what relevance do the power and might of Ahasuerus have to the Megillah? "And all the acts of his power" — that he performed through Mordecai's administration, and how through this the king made him [Mordecai] great, is explained in the Book of the Chronicles.

"To the kings of Media and Persia" (verse 2) — he says this, whereas above it is written (1:14) "the seven princes of Persia and Media who saw the king's face." According to the plain sense, it may be explained that above, Scripture placed "Media" adjacent to "the king" because they [the Medians] were closer to the king than Persia was, and therefore it is written "Persia and Media who saw the king's face." And here, where it mentions "whom the king advanced — are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia," it likewise placed "Media" adjacent to "the king," because it is closer to the kingship, and both [verses] are of the same import. And our Rabbis of blessed memory expounded (Megillah 12a): It is written (here) "to the kings of Media and Persia," and it is written (above, 1:14) "the seven princes of Persia and Media who saw the king's face" — teaching that they made a mutual stipulation with one another: "If the kings are from us, the prefect shall be from you; and if the prefect is from us, the king shall be from you."

By most of his brethren. By not by all his brethren, this teaches us that part of the Sanhedrin separated from him because he became close to the monarchy and neglected his studies. — Notes: (1) Maseches Megillah 16b and see Rashi there. Of all his descendants. This refers back to “of his people,” i.e., to all the seed of his people.

"and accepted of the multitude of his brethren" — for it is not in a person's power to please everyone, on account of the envy of brothers. "seeking the good of his people" (doresh tov le-amo) — it would have sufficed him to do good for one who sought it of him from among his people; but behold, he actively sought to do good. And "his seed" are his sons and his sons' sons; and sons always fear their father, yet he was one who spoke peace first even to his sons, who are like his servants — how much more so to his people. And behold, Scripture here mentions the greatness of his stature and his humility, just as it likewise mentioned this concerning Moses our master: "Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man" (Numbers 12:3).

So that Mordecai remained in his power, and his success did not cease: "the righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell upon it forever" (Psalms 37:29). And although he was viceroy over the entire kingdom and appointed over the Jews in particular, nevertheless he was accepted by the majority of his brethren, for in all his affairs he sought the good of his people, and did not conduct himself with them with force and power, but only in peace and equity.

"For Mordecai the Jew, etc." (verse 3) — It says "and great among the Jews," and does not say merely "great," because it comes to say that he was great in Torah and in deeds. And therefore it says, in effect, "for he was great among the Jews" — for they are called "Jews" [Yehudim] because they acknowledge the oneness [yichud] of the Holy One, blessed be He, and to them he was great, for he taught them His oneness, that they should serve Him. And it says "accepted of the multitude of his brethren." It appears the meaning is that he was a counselor to the majority of his brethren, so that if there was a lack for one of them, he would give him counsel, and this is called "accepted of the multitude of his brethren." And it says "accepted of the multitude of his brethren" [rather than "of all his brethren"], for if every person attached himself to him, even the lowly ones — even though this would be, in itself, a greater measure of humility — nevertheless, were it so, this would be a degradation to the king. For Mordecai, who was viceroy to the king, it was not fitting that he be on familiar terms with everyone, for this would be a degradation to the king, and for the honor of the king this was not to be done, and therefore it says "accepted of the multitude of his brethren." And it says "seeking the good of his people" — with the king; even though he was not asking anything for himself, he was "seeking the good" and sought to benefit them in every way it was possible to benefit them. "And speaking peace to all his seed" — this comes to say that he would speak well of the seed of his people Israel, that is, of the community as a whole, and would recount their praise, and this is "speaking peace to all his seed." And it says "to all his seed" — and this is the opposite of Haman, who spoke slander [lashon hara] about Israel, saying that they were against the kingdom, but Mordecai was "speaking peace." And in the Gemara it says (Megillah 16b), Rav Yosef taught: "to the multitude of his brethren," and not to all his brethren — this teaches that a portion of the Sanhedrin separated from him. And he means to say that a portion of the Sanhedrin said (Avot 6:6), "Do not covet the table of kings," as if to say that the kingship stands over the crown of Torah — but this is not so, for the crown of Torah stands over the crown of kingship (ibid.). Even though certainly everything Mordecai did, he did only for the saving of lives [hatzalat nefashot] of Israel, nevertheless there (Megillah 16b) Rav Yosef said: the study of Torah is greater than the saving of lives. For at first Mordecai was reckoned after four, "who came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan" (Ezra 2:2), and in the end Scripture reckons him after five, "who came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan" (Nehemiah 7:7) — until here [end of citation]. And the explanation of this is: saving lives means that one saves the soul so that it does not die, whereas the study of Torah grants eternal existence, even in the World to Come. And therefore, even though Mordecai's intent was for the saving of lives, he ought not to have done this [i.e., set aside Torah study for it], for Torah stands above all, and therefore a portion of the Sanhedrin separated from him. But nevertheless the majority did not separate from Mordecai, for saving lives, too, brings one to the World to Come, for "one hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is more beautiful than all the life of the World to Come" (Avot 4:17), and therefore the life of the World to Come is dependent also on the saving of lives. And these things which it states — "accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed" — it mentions because Mordecai had peace with [all] people, and people are divided into three parts. One part of them are the unique individuals of the generation, and they are the distinguished ones. The second are the general mass of people, who are the middling ones, that is, ordinary people. The third part are the lowly. And corresponding to the distinguished ones it says "accepted of the multitude of his brethren," who were distinguished like himself — they are the Sanhedrin, who are the distinguished ones and are the eyes of the congregation. And because it is the way of the distinguished that each one wants to display his own importance, as though he were greater [than the others], he is therefore not accepted by them. And concerning this it says that Mordecai was "accepted of the multitude of his brethren" — and this corresponds to the distinguished ones. And corresponding to ordinary people, who are the general body of the nation, it says "seeking the good of his people," that he wished to benefit them in every way possible, for it is fitting to do good to the community as a whole. And corresponding to the third part it says "and speaking peace to all his seed" — these are the lowly, the seed of Israel. And because the lowly have no power, they therefore have no peace from men of might. And through these things Mordecai brought peace to all his seed. And concerning this it says "and speaking peace," for he was good to [all] people. And he was good toward Heaven in mitzvot and in deeds, and concerning this it says "for Mordecai the Jew," who was called "Yehudi" [Jew] because he gave his life for the sanctification of His unique Name, as was explained above: do not read "Yehudi" but "Yichudi" [one who proclaims His oneness] (Esther Rabbah 6:2). And indeed there is nothing more good toward Heaven than one who gives his life for the sanctification of His Name. And it says that just as he was good toward Heaven, so too he was good toward [all] people. And concerning this it says "accepted of the multitude of his brethren" — and you should not say this was specifically toward the great, for it was even toward ordinary people; and not toward these alone, but even toward the lowly. And these are the three parts of people, as was explained. And thus Mordecai was completely good toward Heaven, and good to all people. And it says "next to king Ahasuerus and great among the Jews," for the nations were afraid to do anything evil to the Jews, because Mordecai, who was himself also a Jew, was "next to the king" and was "great among the Jews," and therefore fear of him was upon everyone. And just as Mordecai saved the Jews from harm, so too Mordecai did good to great and small alike, for he was "accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed." And it says "next to the king," and does not say "for Mordecai the Jew, king Ahasuerus made him great above all the officers," as is written concerning Haman, "and set his throne above all the officers" (above, 3:1). For the term "mishneh" ["next to"/"different from"] means that even though Mordecai was always with the king, he was not close to him so as to be as one with him, to drink with him of his wine, or to eat with him of the king's food; rather he was mishneh — different and distinct from him — in deeds and in Torah. And therefore it says "for Mordecai the Jew," because he was a Jew [Yehudi], and the name "Yehudi" applies to one who acknowledges His oneness [yichud], blessed be He; therefore he is "next to king Ahasuerus," for he was different from him in Torah and in deeds. And you should not say that because he rose to greatness he drew close to king Ahasuerus and separated himself from his people, who were "a poor and lowly people" (Zephaniah 3:12). It is not so; rather he was "accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed." And He who saved His people Israel in their exile from the hand of their enemies, and was with them so that their enemies should not rule over them, may He save His people in this present exile, and rescue them from those who seek their harm, and in His great mercy and kindness may He redeem them, Amen; so may it be His will, speedily in our days, Amen. [Concluded.]