It was in the days of Ahashverosh, that Ahashverosh who reigned from India to Kush, southern Egypt. The Persian kingdom, which was at its zenith at the time, was divided into one hundred and twenty-seven provinces. The empire was divided into large regions that were under the control of governors, called satraps, while a subordinate governor was appointed over each state or province.

It happened that in those days, when King Ahashverosh sat on the royal throne that was in the Shushan citadel [habira]. Shushan, also known as Susa, was a city in Elam, whose ruins are still extant. Inside the city was a royal fortress, or citadel [bira], where both the central government and Ahashverosh’s palace were located.

In the third year of his reign, after he had crushed all those who stood in his way, he made a large public banquet for all his princes and his servants. He did not hold his coronation celebrations immediately upon ascending the throne, possibly because he was preoccupied with settling internal disputes. Once he had firmly established his reign, he invited the elite of Persia and Media, two separate states that were partly unified; the nobles and princes who were appointed to be in charge of the provinces before him,

with his showing the riches of his glorious kingdom, and the honor of his splendid majesty, for many days. The feast, which was designed to publicly display the king’s riches and might, lasted one hundred and eighty days.

Upon the completion of those days, during which a banquet was held for people who came from afar, the king made a banquet for all the people who were present in the Shushan citadel, from great to small, seven days. He may have treated them to this feast in an attempt to win the trust of the citadel’s residents, many of whom were government officials. This banquet took place in the court of the garden of the king’s audience hall, a courtyard with a garden or orchard, adjacent to the audience hall.

The place was decorated with expensive fabrics: White linen, green cotton [karpas],and sky-blue wool, all bound with cords of fine linen and purple wool. All these fabrics and cords were hung on silver rods and marble pillars, and there were couches of gold and silver on a floor of alabaster, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stone.

Serving drink in vessels of gold, as befitted a royal feast, and vessels of diverse kinds; the guests were offered vessels of various shapes and colors, in accordance with their status and needs. And abundant royal wine was provided at the king’s expense, in accordance with the king’s bounty, offered freely and without concern for the cost.

The drinking was as customary, following the accepted rules of etiquette, and without constraint. Since the king wanted the people to feel part of the royal feast, they were free to drink as they pleased. For so did the king establish, command, for all the officials of his palace, to act in accordance with the wishes of each and every man. The Persian policy was not to try to impose conformity within the multicultural empire, but to grant each nation the freedom to preserve their identity, language, and customs.

Also Vashti the queen made a banquet for the women, in parallel to the great feast for the men, in another wing of the royal palace of King Ahashverosh. The feast for the women was held separately from that of the men to avoid the undesirable consequences of mixed festivities. Unlike the king’s wild feast, the women’s banquet was a more dignified affair.

On the seventh day of the feast, when the king was merry with wine; he was in good spirits after much drinking. It is hard to tell whether he was actually drunk, partly due to the rather formal tone of the description here. In any case, he, Ahashverosh, said to Mehuman, Bizeta, Harbona, Bigta, Avagta, Zetar, and Karkas, the seven special chamberlains [sarisim] who attended to King Ahashverosh, and who were closest to him. The word sarisim can also mean eunuchs and it can be assumed that these were actual eunuchs, as their job required them to pass between the men and the women. In the raucous atmosphere of debauchery at the party, the king bragged about his power, wealth, wisdom, and success. He also boasted of his beautiful wife.

The king, not satisfied with mere boasts, commanded his officials to bring Queen Vashti before the king with the royal crown, in order to display her beauty to all the peoples and the princes, as she was of fair appearance.

Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s word, delivered by means of the chamberlains. Her refusal to obey the command of the king, whose authority was absolutely unlimited, is indicative of her high status. She was unwilling to humiliate herself by parading her body before an audience. The king was very angry, and his fury burned within him. His rage was provoked by his wife’s audacity in rejecting his demand, which was not issued privately but by an official delegation. His sensitivity to any slight to his honor was undoubtedly heightened by his inebriated state. Under the circumstances, he had anticipated that his request would be obeyed immediately and in full. Perhaps Vashti also alluded to his drunkenness, or mocked him, further enflaming his anger. This is possibly the meaning of the phrase in verse 17, “for the matter [devar] of the queen,” which can also mean the statement of the queen.

The king communicated with the wise men, knowledgeable of the portents, the astrologers, or his advisors in charge of managing the affairs of the kingdom, for so was the practice of the king before those learned in custom and law, to present his problems before his legal counselors.

The verse notes that those advisors who were close to him, the king, were Karshena, Shetar, Admata, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memukhan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who viewed the king’s face, who would meet with him. The king did not ordinarily appear in public and only his closest courtiers would regularly encounter him face-to-face. It was these advisors who were seated first in the kingdom, as the chief ministers of his government.

The legal question under discussion was as follows: As to the policy: What to do to Queen Vashti, in that she did not follow the order of King Ahashverosh by means of the chamberlains? What is to be done in light of the queen’s public refusal to obey the king’s command, which was delivered to her by an official delegation?

Memukhan said before the king and the princes that the queen’s sin was even worse than might have been thought: It is not the king alone that Queen Vashti has wronged, by failing to obey his instruction; rather, it is all the princes, and all the peoples, who are in all the provinces of King Ahashverosh. Since she publicly rebelled against the king, her decision will have ramifications that will spread throughout the entire Persian Empire.

For the matter of the queen will get out to all the women, rendering their husbands contemptible in their eyes. Although the queen did not issue an explicit declaration to this effect, and did not preach this type of conduct, her personal example here is likely to become the norm, in their saying, by women who seek to copy her: King Ahashverosh said to bring Queen Vashti before him, but she did not come. The queen has created a dangerous precedent.

From this day onward, the princesses of Persia and Media, the wives of the officials and nobles, who have heard of the matter of the queen, will recount it to all the king’s princes, they will issue similar statements, and perhaps the wives of commoners will follow suit as well. Vashti’s refusal will embolden these women when they quarrel with their husbands, and through this incident there will be no end of contempt and wrath, or contempt that should arouse our anger. This is not merely a personal slight, which the king could potentially overlook; rather, the broader consequences of the queen’s refusal will be severe, as her scandalous behavior, even if not repeated, is likely to serve as a model that will be imitated throughout the kingdom.

Therefore, if it pleases the king, let the royal edict be issued before him. The decision should be published as a formal decree, and furthermore, let it be written in the book of the decrees of Persia and Media, not to be repealed, as despite the king’s power and position, he is considered to be bound by the laws and proclamations of the kingdom, at least technically (see 8:8), that Vashti will not come before King Ahashverosh. Memukhan did not specify her fate; whether she was to be killed, permanently exiled, or simply deposed from her position as queen. And it should also be decreed that the king will give her queenship, her official status as queen, to her counterpart who is worthier than she. The king should dispense with her and choose a more suitable woman to replace her.

The king’s edict that he will enact will be heard throughout his entire kingdom, although it, the kingdom, is vast, and all the wives, following the dissemination of the royal precedent, will confer honor on their husbands, and will not disobey their commands, from great to small.

The matter was pleasing in the eyes of the king and the princes. Memukhan’s appraisal of the fundamental problem, with its potentially serious consequences, was greeted with approval. In his speech, Memukhan presented his solution not as a royal whim, but rather as an important precedent in the management of the country. The angry, drunken king was delighted at the opportunity to inflate the incident into an event of imperial importance. And therefore the king acted in accordance with the word of Memukhan. As noted in the introduction, the book of Esther, with its formal style, does not criticize the king overtly. However, reading between the lines, Ahashverosh emerges as a ridiculous, easily manipulated figure.

He, Ahashverosh, sent scrolls containing the official order to all the provinces of the king, to each and every province in its script, and to each and every people in its language: Every man shall be ruler in his house. The king did not mention Vashti by name, but simply declared that each man should be in charge of his house, and that he should speak the language of his people. People of different nationalities in his kingdom had intermarried, thereby mixing their languages. Consequently, the king took this opportunity to issue a decree that from this point forward the language of the husband should be the one spoken by all members of his household.

After these matters, when the fury of king Ahashverosh had abated, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her. Since it is not explicitly stated that she was executed, and imposition of the death penalty for the nobility was rare, except for the most serious crimes, it can be assumed that she was not put to death. Perhaps Vashti had been exiled, and Ahashverosh missed her.

The king’s ministers did not merely carry out his commands; they also paid attention to his moods and tried to anticipate his wishes. The king’s lads, his attendants, said: We can find a replacement for Vashti. Let there be sought for the king virgin young women who are of fair appearance, as befits the honor of a king.

In keeping with the king’s status, this was to be a large and organized project, ensuring that only suitable candidates would be sent: Have the king appoint officials in all the provinces of his kingdom to perform an initial selection, and they will gather every virgin young woman of fair appearance to the Shushan citadel, to the harem, to the custody of Hegai, the king’s chamberlain, guardian of the women in the palace; and to complement and enhance their natural beauty, their perfumes and cosmetics will be provided.

The young woman who will be pleasing in the eyes of the king at the end of this process will be crowned queen in place of Vashti. The proposal was pleasing in the eyes of the king and he did so.

There was a Judean [Yehudi] man,from the land of Judah, the small independent province which the Persians called Yehud, who was in the Shushan citadel. It is not clear whether he actually lived there or simply worked there as a court official. And his name was Mordekhai, son of Ya’ir, son of Shimi, son of Kish, a Benjamite, from the tribe of Benjamin. Although he came from the land of Judah, he was from the tribe of Benjamin. This was Mordekhai,

who had been exiled from Jerusalem in his youth, together with the first exile, that was exiled with Yekhonya king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon exiled.

He was rearing Hadassa as her guardian, she was Esther. Hadassa was her Hebrew name, while Esther was her Persian or Babylonian name. She was his uncle’s daughter and was much younger than he. Mordekhai had become her guardian as she had no father or mother. The young woman was of fine form and fair appearance, and with the death of her father and her mother, Mordekhai had adopted her as his own daughter.

It was when the edict of the king and his new decree was heard, and when there was the gathering of many young women to the Shushan citadel, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken against her will to the king’s palace, to the custody of Hegai, guardian of the women. Presumably, most of the young women were delighted to come from their lands to the capital city and excited at the opportunity the search for the queen provided. The young woman who was chosen would become the queen of the empire. Esther, in contrast, was taken against her will.

The young woman was pleasing in his eyes. Hegai, who was in charge of the women of the royal household, and was familiar with the king’s tastes, considered Esther a serious candidate for the role of queen. She exhibited grace before him. In addition to her beauty, he was charmed by her, and therefore he took special care of her needs: He hastened to provide her with a supply of cosmetics, and her portions of food to which she was entitled, and the seven young women it was requisite to provide her from the king’s palace. It was unbecoming for a candidate for queen of Persia to venture forth by herself, and therefore she was given seven maidservants. And he elevated her status, as he promoted her and her young women to the best place of the harem.

Throughout this entire period Esther did not disclose her people or her birthplace. She had hidden her ethnic origin and her place of birth, because Mordekhai had commanded her that she should not disclose it, her identity. Even after she left his house, and when she later rose to a position of greatness, she remained obedient to Mordekhai.

On each and every day, Mordekhai would walk before the courtyard of the harem, to know Esther’s well-being, and what would be done with her. As her guardian, Mordekhai had both personal affection for Esther and was responsible for her welfare.

The young women’s preparation for their encounters with the king followed a clearly defined process: When each and every maiden’s turn arrived to come to King Ahashverosh, at the end of her having twelve months, according to the custom of the women, when she had been readied for the king by completing the standard beauty regimen as instructed, a process lasting twelve months, for so were prescribed the days for their treatment: Six months she was anointed with myrrh oil, which, among other things, was a depilatory, and six months with various perfumes, and with women’s cosmetics,

and with that the young woman would come to the king, after she had completed all of the treatments. One of the rules of her arrival was that whatever she would say, or request, in order to enhance her beauty would be given to her, to come with her from the harem to the king’s palace. She was entitled to ask for a special ornament, or escort, or even an entire retinue, and her every wish would be granted.

She would come in the evening to the king and stay the night, and return in the morning to the second harem, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s chamberlain, guardian of the concubines. She would not go back to the compound where the candidates were being groomed, but rather to the harem of the concubines, where all the young women went after they had been with the king. She would not come to the king anymore, unless the king desired her, and she was called by name. If the king remembered her, he would instruct his minister to call her again, and if not, she would remain with the other concubines in the harem.

With the arrival of the turn of Esther, daughter of Avihayil, who had been the uncle of Mordekhai, who had taken her as a daughter for him, to come to the king, she did not request anything except that which Hegai, the king’s chamberlain, guardian of the women, said. The other young women made an effort to impress the king, whereas Esther refrained from taking such measures on her own initiative and merely accepted the recommendations of the expert, Hegai. And Esther found favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her.

Esther was taken to King Ahashverosh to his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tevet, in the seventh year of his reign. This was four years after Ahashverosh had dismissed Vashti. During this period the young women had been gathered and had undergone meticulous preparation before presentation to the king.

The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she found favor and grace in his eyes more than all the other virgins. He placed the royal crown on her head, and he crowned her queen in place of Vashti. It is surprising that in Persia and Media a woman who was not of royal blood would be selected as queen. As stated above, it seems likely that although Esther concealed her origins, she was believed to come from a noble family.

The king made a great banquet for all his princes and his servants, the banquet of Esther. A private celebration to mark the appointment of the new queen did not suffice; rather, he issued an announcement to all the nations. Since everyone had heard about the removal of Vashti, the king decided to declare publicly that her replacement had been found. He awarded an abatement for the provinces; he lowered the taxes so his subjects would participate in his joy. And furthermore, he gave gifts in accordance with the king’s bounty, in order to improve the general welfare of his subjects and encourage their devotion.

With the gathering of the virgins a second time; it seems that some of the candidates who had been gathered had not yet had been presented to the king, and therefore the process continued in some form even after Esther had been chosen, Mordekhai was sitting at the king’s gate, that is, he held a position in the royal court, from which he was able to follow the events at the palace.

It had been some time since she had entered the house of the king, and still Esther did not disclose her birthplace or her people, as Mordekhai had commanded her; Esther would perform the directive of Mordekhai, as it was when she was reared by him, in her childhood.

In those days, as Mordekhai was sitting at the king’s gate, two of the king’s chamberlains, Bigtan and Teresh, among the guardians of the threshold, became angry and sought to do violence to King Ahashverosh, to assassinate him. The royal court in Persia was rife with intrigue, plots, and conspiracies at that time. In some cases it is hard to know whether a particular Persian king took the throne by virtue of his lineage, or essentially successfully performed a coup d’etat.

The matter, the plot that was being hatched, became known to Mordekhai. One suggestion is that Mordekhai discovered the plot because the men conversed in a language they thought no one knew, but which Mordekhai could understand. And he, Mordekhai, told Queen Esther about it, in order that she pass the message on to Ahashverosh, since Mordekhai himself did not have direct contact with the king, as he was a mere official or representative of the Judeans in the royal court. And Esther reported the plot to the king in the name of Mordekhai, with whom the king was unfamiliar.

The matter was investigated, and it was revealed that Bigtan and Teresh were indeed involved in the plot, and the two of them were hanged on a gibbet. It seems that hanging was the preferred method of execution by the Persian monarchy, as it served to display publicly the offenders’ dishonorable end. It, the two men’s attempt to assassinate King Ahashverosh on that date, as well as how he was saved, was recorded in the book of the chronicles before the king.

After these matters, the appointment of Esther and the foiled plot of Bigtan and Teresh, King Ahashverosh promoted from among his ministers Haman son of Hamedata the Agagite, and he elevated him, raised his status, and he placed his seat above all the princes who were with him. Advancing one particular minister to the status of a close confidant of the king was not unheard of, as attested in other documents of the period.

All the king’s servants, his ministers and attendants, who were at the king’s gate, were bowing and prostrating themselves to Haman, for so had the king commanded concerning him; but Mordekhai would not bow and would not prostrate himself, for an undetermined reason.

The king’s servants, who were at the king’s gate, said to Mordekhai: Why are you violating the king’s commandment that all must bow before Haman?

It was, when they spoke to him day after day, and he did not listen to them, that they told this to Haman. Perhaps Haman had not noticed Mordekhai’s refusal up to that point, as a large crowd would pass before him, all bowing, but those present, seeking to stir up trouble, informed Haman of the situation in order to see whether Mordekhai’s words would prevail, whether he would remain firm in his decision not to bow to Haman, for he had told them that he was a Jew and perhaps for that reason he would not prostrate himself to Haman.

Haman saw that Mordekhai was not bowing and not prostrating himself to him, and Haman was filled with fury over what he considered a public insult.

Haman could have punished Mordekhai for his behavior, or tried to do away with him, but he disdained to do violence to Mordekhai alone; merely harming Mordekhai himself was not enough for him, for he had been told of Mordekhai’s people. This indicates that in those times there was no external sign that made it easy to differentiate between Jews and gentiles. Haman sought to destroy all the Jews in the entire kingdom of Ahashverosh, the people of Mordekhai. Despite Haman’s many duties as senior minister of a massive empire, he developed an obsession with the Jews, because they were Mordekhai’s nation, and he sought a way to eliminate them all.

Haman was determined to destroy all the Jews, and he plotted how to bring this idea to fruition. In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, during the twelfth year of King Ahashverosh, he had cast a pur, a Persian word, which is the lot [goral] in Hebrew. This was a means of divination through which one would determine the best course of action to take, and the ideal time to take it. The lot was cast before Haman. Haman wanted to find the right date, and to that end cast lots for each day and for each month, to the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. He came to the conclusion that the best time to bring about the downfall of the Jews was the month of Adar, presumably in the upcoming year.

Since Haman had no independent authority, he needed to incite Ahashverosh to approve his initiative. Haman said to King Ahashverosh: There is one people that is scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; they are not concentrated in one country; and their laws, their practices, their ways of life, are different from every people’s. A significant proportion of the commandments of the Torah serve to keep Jews apart from gentiles and prevent them from engaging in idolatry. And while the Jews observe their own laws, they do not follow the king’s laws, and therefore it is not worthwhile for the king to tolerate them. They are a small nation of no importance, and an annoyance that disrupts the harmony of your kingdom.

If it pleases the king to accept my proposal, let it be written as an official order to eliminate them, and I will weigh ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of the king’s craftsmen. I volunteer to give ten thousand silver talents of my own to those who can turn it into silver bullion, to bring to the king’s treasuries. The donation to the king’s treasuries would compensate Ahashverosh for any possible financial costs incurred by the course of action suggested by Haman, as the king might fear the loss of so many taxpayers.

Apathetic as he was to the fate of the Jews, Ahashverosh was apparently enthused by the generous gift of his chief minister. Therefore, the king removed his ring with the royal seal from his hand, and he gave it to Haman son of Hamedata the Agagite, the adversary of the Jews. This was not merely a verbal agreement; by giving him his seal, Ahashverosh granted Haman practical permission and authority to sign in the king’s name.

The king said to Haman: The silver that you offered to donate is given to you; it shall remain in your possession, as the kingdom will bear the cost, and the people are also given to you, to do with them as it is pleasing in your eyes, in accordance with your wishes.

Haman acted with great haste. He cast the lots at the beginning of Nisan, and by the thirteenth of the month everything was ready for the next stage of his plan: The king’s scribes were summoned in the first month, on the thirteenth day of it, and it was written in accordance with everything that Haman commanded to the king’s satraps, who presided over the larger regions, and to the governors who were over each and every province, the smaller areas, and to the princes of each and every people, to each and every province in its script, and to each and every people in its language. In the name of King Ahashverosh, it, the missive with the decree, was written, and it was sealed with the king’s ring.

The scrolls were sent in the hand of the couriers to all the king’s provinces, in which it was written that the king permitted his subjects to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate all the Jews, from lad to elder, children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their spoils, their property. The instructions were sent almost a year in advance, perhaps in order to establish the facts on the ground as soon as possible, and so that the missives would reach the farthest corners of the empire in time. Due to Haman’s trust in his divination, he was resolute in keeping the determined date, at which point the Jews would be deemed legitimate targets. There does not seem to have been any need to enforce this decree. It simply stated that on such and such a date the Jews would no longer enjoy the protection of the law. Haman assumed that that was sufficient, and that the members of the various nations of the empire would take the opportunity to annihilate the Jews.

A copy of the document went out to issue the decree in each and every province, publicizing it to all the peoples: To be ready for that day. Although it is unlikely that Jews were to be found in every remote corner of the Persian Empire, for bureaucratic reasons the announcement was sent to each province; a general decree of the king had to reach the entire kingdom.

The couriers went out urgently by the word of the king, and the decree was issued in the Shushan citadel. The king and Haman sat to drink and toast the success of their plan. Ahashverosh and Haman were so delighted that the plan had been put into motion that they held a small feast; and meanwhile the city of Shushan, mainly its Jewish community, of which Mordekhai was a prominent member, was confounded by the sudden harsh decree.

Mordekhai, who was a court official, knew everything that was done, as he was presumably one of the first to read a copy of the decree that had been distributed throughout the kingdom. He understood the severity of the situation and its implications for the future of the Jews, even before the rest of the Jews living in Shushan knew what had transpired. He was deeply concerned by the likely effectiveness of Haman’s propaganda, as well as Haman’s growing influence in the royal court. And consequently, Mordekhai rent his garments and donned sackcloth, and placed ashes upon his head, all signs of mourning. He went out in the midst of the city and cried a loud and bitter cry, a cry of prayer and entreaty to God, and a cry of protest against the authorities.

He came up to before the king’s gate; although he was generally authorized to enter, he did not approach further, as in accordance with the royal dress code, one may not come to the king’s gate in a sackcloth garment.

And in each and every province, any place where the word of the king and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, fasting, weeping, and keening; sackcloth and ashes were draped by the multitudes; alternatively, sackcloth and ashes were laid out in the streets for public use.

Esther’s young women and her chamberlains came and told her of Mordekhai’s actions. Those who were close to Esther knew about her relationship with him, as Mordekhai would inquire about her welfare every day, and it was she who had passed on Mordekhai’s warning about the plot on the king’s life (2:11, 22). And the queen was greatly shocked, as she had not heard anything about what was going on. The king’s decree had not been disclosed to the women, as they were presumed to not be interested in political matters. And as Esther wanted to hear from Mordekhai what was happening, and since she knew that he could not enter while wearing sackcloth, she sent garments to clothe Mordekhai and to remove from upon him his sackcloth, but he would not accept them, refusing to take off his sackcloth.

Esther called Hatakh, one of the king’s chamberlains, whom he had set before her. Hatakh was no ordinary servant; he had been granted explicit authority to help the queen with whatever she might need. And she commanded him concerning Mordekhai, in order to know what this is, and why this is. She wanted to know the reason for his behavior, and what he wanted.

Hatakh went out to Mordekhai, to the city square that was before the king’s gate. Since Mordekhai did not approach the king’s gate, Hatakh came out to the square outside it, where he asked Mordekhai to explain his conduct.

Mordekhai told him everything that had happened to him. This did not necessarily include his refusal to bow down to Haman, as Mordekhai might have considered Haman’s decree no more than his manifestation of a tradition of hatred for Jews he had inherited from his ancestors, the tribe of Amalek. And he informed Hatakh of the matter of the silver that Haman had said to weigh out for the king’s treasuries concerning the Jews, in order to destroy them. In addition to the decree itself, word had spread of the enormous sum that Haman had proposed to give to the king in his determination to annihilate the Jews.

He also gave him, Hatakh, a copy of the written decree to destroy them, the Jews, that was issued in Shushan in order to show it, the decree, to Esther, to inform her of the situation, and furthermore to command her in his name to go to the king, to plead with him, and to request before him on behalf of her people. Only she could stop Haman, who enjoyed such privileged status in the kingdom. Mordekhai himself was not close to the king, whereas Esther lived in the palace and was beloved by Ahashverosh. Since the decree was essentially motivated by emotion, Mordekhai hoped that she had the power to annul it through her entreaties.

Hatakh came and told Esther the words of Mordekhai.

Esther said to Hatakh, and commanded him to take back the following message for Mordekhai:

The rules of entering to see the king are well known: All the king’s servants in the court, and the people of the king’s provinces, know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner courtyard who has not been summoned and has not been granted permission, there is but one rule for him: To be put to death. It was forbidden to enter without special invitation, as the king had quasi-divine status. Esther continued: This fate is the rule, except for one to whom the king will extend the golden scepter,who lives. If the king does not want a person who has entered without permission to be executed, he stretches forth his golden scepter to the person. Esther concludes: And I have not been summoned to come to the king these thirty days. Although I am the king’s beloved queen, he has thousands of wives and concubines. I do not know his current mood, but the fact that he has not invited me for a month does not bode well. If I simply march in to see him, I will be endangering my life.

They told Mordekhai Esther’s words.

Mordekhai said to respond to Esther: You feel protected in the palace, and you suppose that you will be spared any harm from Haman’s order. However, you are wrong; do not imagine escaping because you are in the king’s palace, that out of all the Jews you will be safe.

For if you are silent and do nothing at this time, I trust that relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place. The decree does not go into effect for another eleven months, and I have faith in God that He will deliver us before then, but I am sure that you and your father’s house will perish, as you did not act at the opportune time to save the Jews. Destruction will be visited upon you and your family, including myself. Who knows whether you have attained royalty for a time like this? You came to a position of power without planning to do so, and now you find yourself in a situation where you can act to change the course of events and thereby save your people. Don’t you think that this apparent coincidence is significant? Can’t you see that it is a sign from Heaven?

Esther, as usual, accepted Mordekhai’s instructions. Esther said to respond to Mordekhai:

Go, assemble all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and pray and fast on my behalf; do not eat and do not drink for three days, night and day, an unusually severe fast. Also I and my young women will fast in this manner, as we must all pray for my success; and then I will go to the king, against the rule, and if I perish, I perish. Perhaps the day when I approach the king will be the last of my life.

Mordekhai went on his way, and acted in accordance with everything that Esther had commanded him. He gathered together all the Jews, informed them of the evil decree and of Esther’s situation, and instructed them to pray and fast. The Jews’ high regard for Mordekhai inspired them to rally behind him and follow his instructions.

It was on the third day; Esther donned royalty, royal apparel, and stood in the inner courtyard of the king’s palace, facing the king’s palace; the king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal palace, facing the entrance of the palace, where he could see who was present in the court.

It was as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard that she found favor in his eyes; the affection that he had initially felt toward her when he chose her was rekindled, and consequently the king extended the golden scepter that was in his hand to Esther, thereby granting her official permission to enter. Esther approached and touched the top of the scepter, which was apparently the accepted ceremonial response to receiving royal permission to approach.

The king said to her: What is it with you, Queen Esther, and what is your request? You clearly want something. In my love for you I will grant it, up to half of the kingdom, and it will be granted to you. The king expresses in exaggerated terms his willingness to act for her sake.

Esther said, in the same formal manner: If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman, the most important man in the kingdom and the one closest to the king, come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him, the king.

The king said: Hasten Haman to do Esther’s bidding. The tone of this order is somewhat dismissive of Haman, as the king is treating him like a servant who must instantly obey any desire of the queen. The king and Haman, who was very pleased at this honor, came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

Ahashverosh understood that this feast was not a celebration for its own sake, but rather was designed to create a favorable opportunity for the queen to state her request. Therefore the king said to Esther at the wine banquet: What is your wish? It will be granted to you. What is your request? Up to half of the kingdom, and it will be done.

Esther answered and she said: My wish and my request is as follows:

If I have found favor in the eyes of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my wish and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I will again prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do the king’s bidding. Despite the expressions of affection that she had heard from Ahashverosh, Esther still hesitated; she was not yet ready to present her request. She was unsure of her ability to take a drastic step immediately, and she knew that were she to fail, she would also place herself in danger.

Ahashverosh left the feast in a state of intense curiosity. Esther had approached him the previous day, against the rules. In light of her repeated deferrals, he realized that she was preparing herself to request something important. In contrast, Haman emerged on that day joyful and glad of heart. He felt that he had reached the pinnacle of his success, as he was now not only a confidant of the king, but the queen had also shown him special favor, and he considered this a clear sign of his exalted status. But upon Haman’s seeing Mordekhai at the king’s gate, where Mordekhai had returned in his usual apparel after the end of the fast, and he did not stand, and he did not move on his account, but ignored Haman completely, Haman’s mood changed for the worse; Haman became filled with fury against Mordekhai. The loftier his position in the kingdom, the more uncontrollable his anger over this act of disrespect.

Nevertheless Haman restrained himself, as he could do nothing at that time, and he entered his house and brought, gathered, his supporters, and Zeresh, his influential wife.

Haman arranged a celebratory gathering of his supporters in order to tell them that he had been invited to the queen’s feast, and he related to them the honor of his wealth, and the multitude of his children, and all the ways that the king had promoted him, and that he had elevated him over the princes and servants of the king. It is mentioned later (9:7–10) that ten sons of Haman were hanged, and he might have had even more children from other wives.

Haman said: Indeed, Queen Esther did not bring anyone but me with the king to the banquet that she prepared; tomorrow too, I am invited to her with the king. This is the crowning glory. Not only am I the chief minister of the kingdom, but I have become the favorite in the royal household.

But all this is not worthwhile for me whenever I see Mordekhai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate. Yes, I have honor, wealth, and a bright future, but Mordekhai treats me with disrespect.

Zeresh his wife and all his supporters said to him, all in agreement with each other: Let a gibbet be prepared, fifty cubits high; in the morning say to the king that they should hang Mordekhai upon it. Do not wait until the feast. Go to the king in the morning and tell him that there is someone who aggravates you and refuses to accept your authority. Request that that person be hanged even before the rest of the Jews are killed. And then, in the evening, you can come joyfully, with the king to the banquet. The matter, this idea, was pleasing to Haman, and he prepared the gibbet. He gave an order that a gibbet of this kind be built in preparation for Mordekhai’s hanging, paving the way for Haman’s ultimate triumph.

On that night, after Esther’s feast, the king’s sleep was disturbed, for no evident reason; and he said to bring the book of records, the chronicles, the book of royal history, and they, sections of the book, would be read before the king, in order to divert his mind with memories of past events.

It was found written, among the various events that had transpired in the kingdom, that Mordekhai had reported of Bigtana, Bigtan, and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, among the guardians of the threshold, who were very close to the king, who had sought to do violence to King Ahashverosh. Their assassination attempt, the disclosure of the plot, and the fact that they had been hanged, were all recorded in the book.

The king said: What honor or greatness has been bestowed upon Mordekhai for this? Perhaps he had received some form of reward, but as the details did not involve the king, they were not recorded in the book. The king’s lads, his servants, said to him: Nothing was done with him to reward him.

The king said: Who is in the courtyard? These events likely occurred in the wee hours of the morning, and the king sought someone with whom he could converse and receive counsel about the matters that were disturbing his rest. Now just at that moment Haman had come to the outer courtyard of the king’s palace, to say to the king his request to hang Mordekhai on the gibbet that he had prepared for him, in accordance with the advice he had received from his wife and friends. Although Mordekhai and the Jewish people were associated in his mind, since it was Mordekhai’s presence that bothered Haman on a daily basis, he wished to dispose of him without delay.

The king’s lads said to him: Behold, Haman is standing in the courtyard. The king said: Let him enter.

Haman came, and the king said to him: What is to be done to the man whose honoring the king desires, whom he wishes to honor in public? Haman said in his heart: Upon whom would the king desire to bestow honor more than I? Under the circumstances, Haman interpreted the king’s question as though it were directed to him personally: How would you wish to be honored?

Haman said to the king: My advice is, for the man whose honoring the king desires,

let them bring royal garments that the king himself has worn, and a horse upon which the king has ridden while a royal crown was set on his, the king’s, head, while he rode the horse. Alternatively, a royal crown was set upon the horse’s head, demonstrating that it was the king’s horse.

And once all these have been assembled, have them put the garments and the horse in the hand of one of the king’s princes, of the nobles, a senior minister rather than a lowly servant; they will dress the man whose honoring the king desires, and they will lead him riding on the horse in the city square, and they, the nobles who lead him, will proclaim before him: So shall be done to the man whose honoring the king desires. Haman had no difficulty imagining himself riding on the horse, wearing royal clothing, after selecting one of the other ministers who would run before him.

The king said to Haman: This is indeed a good idea. Hurry, quickly take the garments and the horse, as you have spoken, and do so to Mordekhai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Perhaps the king was not greatly familiar with Mordekhai, but he was not an anonymous figure either. His status and position in the royal court were well known. Do not omit anything from all that you have spoken.

The king’s order left Haman no choice. Haman took the garments and the horse, dressed Mordekhai, led him riding through the city square, and proclaimed before him: So shall be done to the man whose honoring the king desires.

Mordekhai returned to the king’s gate. Even if Mordekhai was pleased at Haman’s humiliation, this did not ease the terror in his heart over the fate of the Jews. And Haman hastened to his house, mourning and with covered head, as he was humiliated and wanted to hide his shame.

Haman related to Zeresh his wife and to all his supporters everything that had befallen him. He told them that he had followed their advice, but that he had arrived at the king’s courtyard at the wrong moment and had suffered a terrible humiliation. His wise men who, perhaps significantly, are no longer described as his supporters, and Zeresh his wife, said to him dispassionately: If Mordekhai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the progeny of the Jews, you will not prevail against him; rather, you will fall before him. There is no middle ground in our relations with the Jews. One who fights against them will either crush them or be utterly defeated by them.

These comments certainly did not improve Haman’s mood. They were still talking with him, and the king’s chamberlains arrived, and they hastened to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared, despite the fact that feasts were generally held in the evening hours. As part of the royal formalities, officials were sent to Haman informing him that his presence was requested at the feast immediately.

The king and Haman came to attend the banquet with Queen Esther.

The king said to Esther also on the second day at the wine banquet: What is your wish, Queen Esther, and it will be granted to you. What is your request? Up to half the kingdom and it will be done. The king repeated his earlier question because he knew that Esther wanted something, which she was to reveal at this second feast.

Queen Esther answered with the customary etiquette and said: If I have found favor in your eyes, the king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me with my wish, and my people with my request. You have agreed, in principle, to grant me half the kingdom, but all I want is that my life and my people be spared. This dramatic opening statement was designed to have maximum effect upon the king.

The queen clarifies her meaning: For we have been sold, my people and I, for our enemies to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate us. If we had only been sold as slaves and as maidservants, I would have been silent and would not ask for anything, as in that case the trouble, such an unfortunate event, would not have been worth the distress to the king. It would not be worth upsetting the king if we were only to be enslaved.

King Ahashverosh, who was caught by surprise, as Esther had not told him that she was a Jew, said, he said to Queen Esther: Who is he, and where is he, who was so presumptuous to do so? What kind of person would dare seek to destroy you and your people?

Esther said: A man who is an adversary and an enemy, this evil Haman. Haman advised you to destroy us because he is an enemy of the Jews. Moreover, he is an evil man, and his intentions are far from pure; you should not trust him. Although Haman had been discouraged by his experience with Mordekhai, he was still under the impression that Esther had invited him because she held him in high regard and was entirely unprepared for the queen’s accusation. Therefore, Haman was terrified in the presence of the king and the queen.

The king rose in his fury from the wine banquet and went to the garden of the house. He had forgotten his own involvement in the decree, and the fact that he had granted permission for Haman’s plan. At this point, all he could see was Haman trying to destroy Esther and her people. In order to calm himself, he got up and went to take some air in the garden. And Haman remained to plead for his life from Queen Esther. Although by now Haman realized that she did not seek his favor, he hoped that she might have mercy upon him, as he had not yet harmed her in any way. He might also have sought to arouse her innate feminine compassion, for he saw that harm was resolved against him by the king.

The king returned from the garden of the house to the chamber of the wine banquet, and he saw that Haman was falling upon the couch on which Esther was lying. According to Persian and Greek custom, wealthy and noble individuals would not sit on chairs during a feast; rather, they would recline on couches. Haman was bending over Esther’s couch in supplication but the king interpreted it in the worst way possible. The king said: Is it also part of your plan to conquer the queen with me in the house, to rape the queen in my own presence? The words emerged from the king’s mouth, and Haman’s face fell. He turned pale as he realized that he was facing his demise. Apologizing was futile, as in these circumstances nothing he could say would save him.

The feast was served by waiters who were not considered to be attendees. However, when the king revealed his opinion about Haman, one of them dared to interject in support of that sentiment. Harvona, who was one of the chamberlains who was before the king, said: Indeed, behold, the gibbet that Haman prepared for Mordekhai, who is someone who spoke beneficially for the king. This is the true nature of Haman; he is a man who prepares a gibbet for one who helps the king. The gibbet is standing in the house of Haman, and is fifty cubits high. Perhaps Harvona disliked Haman for reasons of his own, and he now saw the chance to retaliate. The king said: Hang him on it. If the gibbet is already prepared, Haman’s sentence can be carried out without delay.

They hanged Haman on the gibbet that he had prepared for Mordekhai, and the king’s fury abated.

Once Haman had been hanged, the king decided to bestow further favors upon Esther. On that day, King Ahashverosh gave the house of Haman, adversary of the Jews, to Queen Esther. This gift included the enormous amount of wealth that Haman had accumulated. And Mordekhai came for a personal audience before the king, as Esther had related what he was to her. She presented him as her cousin, who had adopted, raised, and educated her. Ahashverosh was in good spirits now that Haman was gone, and for her part Esther treated him with affection and gratitude. Furthermore, if Ahashverosh was not yet personally familiar with Mordekhai, he was now given the opportunity to meet this loyal subject who had been instrumental in uncovering the assassination plot against him.

The king removed his ring that he had taken from Haman, and he gave it to Mordekhai, as a sign of trust. Esther appointed Mordekhai over the house of Haman. She appointed him to be in charge of Haman’s estate.

Esther spoke again before the king, fell before his feet, cried, and besought him to repeal the evil of Haman the Agagite and his plot that he had devised against the Jews.

The king extended to Esther the golden scepter, to signal to the queen, who was lying on the floor at his feet, that she was permitted to rise and speak her mind. And Esther rose and stood before the king.

She said, choosing her words carefully in order to arouse all the king’s love and affection for her: If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor before him, and the matter is proper before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to return the scrolls that were sent as part of the plot of Haman son of Hamedata the Agagite that he wrote, to eliminate the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces, and to annul the decree they contain;

for how can I bear and see the harm that will find my people; and how can I bear and see the elimination of my birthplace? By this stage, Esther no longer had any concerns for herself. She knew that she would be left untouched, but she implored the king not to let her people be harmed as a result of the decree.

King Ahashverosh said to Queen Esther and to Mordekhai the Jew, who was present: Behold, I gave the house of Haman to Esther, as a gesture of goodwill, and they hanged him on the gibbet because he sought to do violence to the Jews. Once again the king places the blame entirely on Haman while conveniently disregarding his own involvement in the plot against the Jews.

As for you, write concerning the Jews a different missive as is pleasing in your eyes, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring, so that the two orders cancel each other out; for a document that is written in the name of the king, and sealed with the ring of the king, may not be revoked. According to the laws of the kingdom, not even the king could nullify his own orders, as once written they were considered to be absolute, divine commands. Consequently, another royal communiqué, formulated in such a manner that it bypasses the previous command and limits its significance, must be written.

Indeed, the king’s scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day of it, roughly three months after Haman was hanged; it was written according to everything that Mordekhai commanded concerning the Jews. The missives were sent to the satraps, the governors, and princes of the provinces, which are from India to Kush, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, each and every province according to its script, and each and every people according to its language, and on this occasion even to the Jews according to their script, and according to their language. Since this time Jews were not merely the passive targets of the order but active participants in its implementation, they too received the missives.

He, Mordekhai, wrote in the name of King Ahashverosh, and he sealed the missives with the ring of the king that he had received. He sent scrolls in the hand of the couriers on horses, riders on the finest steeds owned by the king, the mules born to mares.

The missives stated that the king had authorized the Jews who were in each and every city to assemble and to defend themselves. Whereas the previous order allowed all those who wished to do so to attack the Jews, under the assumption that the Jews were forbidden to retaliate, here the king permitted them to defend themselves, and even to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate the forces of people and provinces that are hostile to them, children and women, and to plunder their spoils. The Jews were granted royal consent to wage total war against any enemy.

This order would come into effect on one day, in all the provinces of King Ahashverosh, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, the same date that was previously fixed for their destruction.

A copy of the document went out to issue the decree in each and every province, publicizing it to all the peoples: For the Jews to be ready for that day, to avenge themselves on their enemies. The same day that had been designated for their destruction would be the day of their salvation.

The couriers, riders on the finest steeds, went out again urgently and hastily, by edict of the king, in order to disseminate the new order as quickly as possible throughout the kingdom, and the decree was also issued in the Shushan citadel itself.

Mordekhai, who had recently been appointed the chief minister, came out from before the king dressed in royal garments made of sky-blue and white woven material, with a great golden crown upon his head, and wrapped in a cloak of fine linen and purple wool, and the Jewish population of the city of Shushan reveled and rejoiced upon seeing that their representative had become the most influential man in the kingdom.

For the Jews there was light, and joy, and gladness, and honor, as instead of the bloody pogrom that had been planned, in which they were not meant to have any right to self-defense whatsoever, they were now legally permitted to protect themselves and fight their enemies.

In each and every province and in each and every city, any place where the king’s edict and his decree reached, there was joy and gladness for the Jews, a banquet and a holiday, and many from the peoples of the land pretended to be Jews, or professed to favor the Jews but without internal conviction, as the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them. The missives alone produced such a great impression that even before the decree was put into practice, the Jews began rejoicing and others became fearful.

In the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of it, the date that Haman had set for the destruction of the Jews, when the time arrived for the king’s edict and his decree to be implemented, on the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to rule over them, it was in fact reversed, so that it was the Jews who ruled over those who hated them.

The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Ahashverosh where there were Jewish communities, to do violence to those who sought their harm, and no man could withstand them, as fear of them had fallen upon all the peoples.

All the princes of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the king’s administrators elevated or honored the Jews, because the fear of Mordekhai had fallen upon them. When the first missives were sent, Haman was chief minister to Ahashverosh. By this point, however, Mordekhai was the foremost of the king’s ministers, and therefore everyone granted the Jews the freedom of action they required.

For Mordekhai was great in status in the king’s palace, and his renown had spread in all the provinces, for the man Mordekhai was growing more and more powerful.

The Jews smote all their enemies a blow of the sword, killing, and destruction, and they did to their enemies as they willed. Presumably this also took place in the province of Judah, which is not explicitly mentioned here, but whose Jewish residents were experiencing harassment during this time.

In the Shushan citadel the Jews killed and eliminated five hundred men, their enemies who had planned to attack the Jews on that day, and who had perhaps taunted the Jews earlier and boasted of their heinous plans.

And Parshandata, Dalfon, Aspata,

Porata, Adalya, Aridata,

Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vayzata,

the ten sons of Haman the son of Hamedata, the adversary of the Jews, they killed; but they did not extend their hands to the spoils. The Jews did not consider this conflict a war, but an act of self-defense, and since they wished to avoid provoking hatred against themselves they did not touch their enemies’ property, despite the fact that in his missive the king had granted the Jews permission to loot their enemies’ possessions.

On that day, the number of those killed in the Shushan citadel came before the king, through his extensive intelligence network.

The king said to Queen Esther: The Jews have killed and eliminated five hundred men in the Shushan citadel, along with the ten sons of Haman; in the rest of the king’s provinces they presumably have done likewise. It can be assumed that the results are comparable in the other provinces, even though the numbers are not yet known. Your people have avenged themselves upon their enemies, as you wished. What is your wish and it will be granted to you. What else do you request? It will be done.

Esther said, realizing that the king wanted to make her happy and to fulfill her every desire: If it pleases the king, let tomorrow, too, be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do in accordance with today’s decree. Although this was not written in the original missives, I would like you to issue a verbal instruction permitting the Jews in Shushan, which was likely the center of Haman’s support, to complete the task, and have them hang Haman’s ten sons, who have already been killed, upon the gibbet, as a public display that the king and the authorities support the action that has been taken, and that they consider these men criminals, rather than random victims of indiscriminate rioting.

The king said to do so, and a decree was issued permitting another day of vengeance in Shushan, and they hanged Haman’s ten sons.

The Jews who were in Shushan assembled on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as well, and killed another three hundred men in Shushan, but also in this instance they did not extend their hand to the spoils.

The rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces assembled and defended themselves, and rested from their enemies. By the end of the day, they had killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them, throughout the kingdom, but they did not extend their hand to the spoils.

It, all this, was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and the rest after the fighting was on the fourteenth of it, and it was made a day of banqueting and joy, in honor of the victory.

But the Jews who were in Shushan assembled together to avenge themselves upon their enemies on the thirteenth of it and on the fourteenth of it, and rested after the fighting on the fifteenth of it, and it was made a day of banqueting and joy. They celebrated the victory one day later than the rest of the empire.

Therefore, the unwalled Jews, that is, those who live in the unwalled cities, whose residents were exposed to great danger, observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day of joy, banqueting, and a holiday, and furthermore, a day of sending portions of food one to another, in order to increase joy and publicly express happiness. The date on which they spontaneously celebrated at that time was established as a day of rejoicing in the following years.

It was Mordekhai who established the conversion of the spontaneous celebration into a permanent holiday: Mordekhai wrote these matters, the events that occurred, and he sent scrolls to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahashverosh, near and far, instructing them

to establish for themselves to observe the victory celebrations of the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of it, in each and every year, as permanent days of merriment and feasting:

In accordance with the dates of the days that the Jews of that generation had rested from their enemies, and the month that was transformed for them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning to holiday, to observe them as days of banquet and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the indigent, so that the poor should also participate in the festivities.

The Jews as a people undertook, or committed to continuing, that which they had begun to practice at the time, and that which Mordekhai wrote to them.

Mordekhai’s brief summary of the events, as he wrote to the Jews, went as follows: Because Haman son of Hamedata the Agagite, adversary of all the Jews, not only the enemy of Mordekhai alone, had plotted against the Jews to eliminate them, and he cast the pur, that is the lot, in order to determine a date on which to crush them, and eliminate them.

But when she, Esther, came before the king; alternatively, when it, Haman’s intention, came before the king, he said: By means of the scroll, may his evil plot that he had devised against the Jews return upon his head. When he summarized what happened, Mordekhai was careful not to mention that Ahashverosh had initially signed Haman’s decree. Rather, he described the events in such a manner that it seemed that when the missives appeared, the king was surprised to discover that his minister had used his authority for reprehensible ends, and as a result he commanded that Haman be punished. Subsequently, they hanged him and his sons on the gibbet.

Therefore, they called these days Purim, after the lot [pur] cast by Haman. Therefore, for all the matters of this epistle of Mordekhai’s, and what they saw about that matter, that is, what led them to establish these days: Haman’s pur, and what befell them, how they ultimately achieved victory and rest,

the Jews established and accepted upon themselves, and upon their descendants, and as these days of Purim were established for the entire people throughout the generations, they were also accepted upon everyone associated with them, converts, despite the fact that their biological ancestors were not affected. And it was agreed that it will not be neglected, to observe these two days as they are written, and on their dates, each and every year.

These days are remembered and observed in each and every generation, each and every family, each and every province, and each and every city. Celebration of the holiday spread through all Jewish communities. Therefore, these days of Purim will not pass from among the Jews, and their memory will not perish from their descendants; they will be commemorated forever. Often, national days of celebration are temporary, and forgotten over the passage of time. By contrast, because this episode involved a plot to destroy the entire nation, it must be commemorated by the entire people through all its generations.

Queen Esther daughter of Avihayil, and Mordekhai the Jew, wrote of all the significant events, alternatively, they wrote with all their authority, confirming this second letter of Purim. The first one, which contained a summary of the events, was sent by Mordekhai. Later they together wrote a revised epistle, signed by the queen.

He, Mordekhai, sent scrolls to all the Jews, to one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahashverosh, matters of peace and truth. These epistles were not binding orders, but inspirational instruction from the spiritual leader of the Jews.

The epistle was sent to establish these days of Purim on their dates, as Mordekhai the Jew and Queen Esther had established for them, and as they established the matters of the fasts and their lamentations for themselves and for their descendants. Just as all the Jews throughout the kingdom of Ahashverosh had taken part in the communal fast and prayers when the evil decree was issued, it was fitting that the entire people likewise share in the commemoration of the events.

The edict of Esther established these matters of Purim, and it was written in the scroll. As queen, Esther’s affirmation of the holiday by writing and signing the account of these events, i.e., this book, gave great force to the establishment of the holiday.

King Ahashverosh imposed a tax on the land, and on the lands of the sea, as under his rule the kingdom of Persia reached the pinnacle of its greatness and power.

All the details of the acts of his, Ahashverosh’s, authority, and his might, and the episode of the greatness of Mordekhai, that the king promoted him to the chief minister of the kingdom; are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? These historical matters are not relevant to this book; further descriptions may be found in the chronicles of the kings of Persia and Media. Similar statements directing the reader to the royal chronicles appear elsewhere in the Bible.

For Mordekhai the Jew had achieved the high status of a man who was viceroy to King Ahashverosh, and as such, he was also prominent as a great leader among the Jews, and accepted by most of his brethren. Mordekhai was a constant seeker of good for his people, as he tried to help the Jewish population with all the means at his disposal, and an unwavering spokesman of peace for all his descendants. All his children and grandchildren benefited from his position of greatness.