Esther 1 אסתר א׳

ויהי בימי אחשורוש. מלך פרס היה שמלך תחת כורש לסוף שבעים שנה של גלות בבל:

It was in the days of Achashveirosh. He was the king of Persia¹The Persians conquered the Babylonians, and Achashveirosh succeeded Koresh to the Persian throne in the year 3392. who reigned in place of Koresh²There were other Persian kings with the name “Achashveirosh,” therefore Rashi identifies which “Achashveirosh” he was. (Mizrachi) at the end of the seventy years of the Babylonian exile.

הוא אחשורוש. הוא ברשעו מתחלתו ועד סופו:

He was [the] Achashveirosh. He was equally wicked from beginning to end.³Maseches Megillah 11a. He did not allow the resumption of the building of the Bais Hamikdosh after it had been suspended.

המלך. שמלך מעצמו ולא היה מזרע המלוכה:

Who reigned. He reigned on his own, and was not of royal seed.⁴Ibid. He was very wealthy and he acquired the throne by distributing his money.

מהדו ועד כוש וגו'. המולך על מאה ועשרים ושבע מדינות כמו שמולך מהדו ועד כוש שעומדים זה אצל זה וכן (מלכים א ד) כי הוא רודה בכל עבר הנהר מתפסח ועד עזה שהיה רודה בכל עבר הנהר כמו שהוא רודה מתפסח עד עזה:

From Hodu to Cush, etc. Who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces [with the same authority] as he reigned from Hodu⁵India. to Cush,⁶Ethiopia. which are situated alongside one another,⁷Maseches Megillah 11a. and similarly [we explain], “For he ruled over the entire area beyond the [Euphrates] river, from Tiphsach to Gaza,”⁸I Melochim 5:4. [meaning] that he ruled over this side of the river, [with the same authority] just as he ruled over Tiphsach to Gaza.⁸Otherwise why mention only these two provinces.

כשבת המלך אחשורוש וגו'. כשנתקיים המלכות בידו ורבותינו פירשוהו בעניין אחר במסכת מגילה:

When King Achashveirosh had established himself, etc. When the kingdom was firmly established under his control.⁹I.e., כשבת should not be interpreted literally as meaning “when he sat [on his throne].” Alternatively, Targum renders the literal translation and relates that Achashveirosh had in his possession the throne of King Shlomo. However, he was injured when he tried to sit on it.He had his craftsmen build for him a replica which had just been completed and that is the meaning of “he sat on his throne.” Our Rabbis, however, explained it differently in Maseches Megillah.¹⁰11b, which interpret it as “when Achashveirosh gained his composure.” Until now Achashveirosh was afraid that the Jewish exile would finish at the end of seventy years as predicted by Yirmiyahu [29:10]. However, Achashveirosh [mistakenly] calculated that the seventy years had already elapsed and concluded that the Jews would never be redeemed but will remain under his dominion. He celebrated at his feast by using the vessels confiscated from the Bais Hamikdosh.

הפרתמים. שלטונים בלשון פרס:

The nobles. Governors, in the Persian language.¹¹Maseches Megillah 12a. Alternatively, people of royal descent. (Ibn Ezra)

ימים רבים. עשה להם משתה:

[For] many days. He made a feast for them.¹²I.e., “for many days” refers back to “the feast” [v. 3] and not to the exhibition of “the affluence and eminence of his kingdom.” [v. 4] (Sifsei Chachomim)

גנת. מקום זרעוני ירקות:

Of the garden. A place where vegetables are sown.

ביתן. נטוע באילנות:

Orchard. Where trees are planted.

חור כרפס ותכלת. מיני בגדים צבעונים פירס להם למצעות:

[There were] pure white drapes, fine woolen cushions, bluish emerald techeiles wool. He spread out various types of colored fabrics for them as spreads.¹³Maseches Megillah 12a.

אחוז בחבלי בוץ וארגמן. מרוקמים בפתילי בוץ וארגמן אותן פרס להם על גלילי כסף ועל עמודי שש:

Brocaded with strands of linen and mauve, woolen argaman threads. Embroidered with threads of linen and purple; he spread these out for them on rods of silver and columns of marble.

מטות זהב וכסף. ערך לישב עליהם לסעודה:

Gold and silver couches. He set [them] up to sit upon for the meal.

על רצפת. קרקעות של בהט ושש וגו' מיני אבנים טובות פירשו רבותינו, ולפי משמעות המקרא כך שמם:

On a floor. Floors of green and white, etc. Our Rabbis identified them as types of precious stones.¹⁴Ibid. According to the apparent meaning of the verse, these were their names.

והשקות בכלי זהב. כמו ולהשקות:

As for drinking; golden utensils. [The word וְהַשְׁקוֹת means the same] as וּלְהַשְׁקוֹת and to give to drink.¹⁵Shemos 2:16.

שונים. משונים זה מזה וכן ודתיהם שונות, ורבותינו דרשו מה שדרשו:

Sundry. Different one from the other, and similarly, “and their customs differ,”¹⁶Below 3:8. and our Rabbis expounded what they expounded.¹⁷Maseches Megillah 12a. The Rabbis said that these vessels were taken from the Bais Hamikdosh.

ויין מלכות רב. הרבה, ורבותינו אמרו שהשקה אותם כל אחד ואחד יין שהוא זקן ממנו:

And plenty of royal wine. It was abundant.¹⁸I.e., רב = הרבה. See Rashi in Bamidbar 16:3. And our Rabbis said that he gave each one wine to drink that was older than he.¹⁹Maseches Megillah 12a.

כדת. לפי שיש סעודות שכופין את המסובין לשתות כלי גדול ויש שאינו יכול לשתותו כי אם בקושי אבל כאן אין אונס:

Proper. Because there are feasts in which they coerce those seated to drink [the contents] of a large vessel, and some can only drink it with difficulty, but here it was “with no coercion.”²⁰Alternatively, no one was coerced into finishing his drink quickly in order to make his cup available to someone else because there were enough cups for all [השתיה כדת].

יסד. לשון יסוד כלומר כן תקן וצוה:

Basically instructed. An expression referring to a foundation [יְסוֹד], meaning, so he instituted and commanded.

על כל רב ביתו. על כל שרי הסעודה שר האופים ושר הטבחים ושר המשקים:

All his palace officials. All stewards of the feast: the chief baker, the chief butcher and the chief butler.

לעשות כרצון איש ואיש. לכל אחד רצונו:

To satisfy each individual’s desire. For each one his desire.²¹Each person was served wine from his native land. (See Maseches Megillah 12a)

ביום השביעי. רבותינו אמרו שבת היה:

On the seventh day. Our Rabbis said²²Maseches Megillah 12b. that it was on Shabbos.²³Corresponding to “the seventh day” of the week.

ותמאן המלכה ושתי. רבותינו אמרו לפי שפרחה בה צרעת כדי שתמאן ותהרג לפי שהיתה מפשטת בנות ישראל ערומות ועושה בהן מלאכה בשבת נגזר עליה שתפשט ערומה בשבת:

Queen Vashti refused. Our Rabbis said because leprosy broke out on her,²⁴Ibid. Vashti did not refuse out of modesty. She was as lewd as her husband and would have attended had she not broken out with leprosy. Another opinion is that the angel Gavriel caused her to grow a tail. so that she should refuse and be executed. Because she would force Jewish girls to disrobe and make them do work on Shabbos, it was decreed upon her to be stripped naked on Shabbos.²⁵This punishment was in the form of מדה כנגד מדה, just as she had done, so it was decreed upon her. (Maseches Megillah 12b)

ויקצף. ששלחה לו דברי גנאי:

Angered. Because she sent him words of insult.²⁶ And that is why the king was extremely angered. (Maseches Megillah 11b)

כי כן דבר המלך. כי כן מנהג המלך בכל משפט לשום את הדבר לפני כל יודעי דת ודין:

For the king would thus place matters. For such was the king’s custom in every judgment, to present the matter “before all who were versed in procedural and legal concerns.”²⁷The Midrash states that Achashveirosh originally sought the advice of the Sages and asked them to judge Vashti. Realizing that judging Vashti would expose them to great danger, they opted to defer judgment by explaining to Achashveirosh that they were unfit to judge in a capital case. (Maseches Megillah 12b)

והקרב אליו. לערוך דבריו לפניהם [ אלו הם כרשנא שתר וגו':

Most intimately associated with him. To present his affairs before them were the following: Carshena, Shesar, etc.

כדת מה לעשות. מוסב על ויאמר המלך לחכמים:

Concerning the proper procedure to follow. This refers back to “The king consulted the sages.”²⁸Above, v. 13.

עותה. לשון עון:

Has aggrieved. An expression of iniquity [עָו‍ֹן].²⁹From the root עוה. However, according to the Ibn Ezra the root is עות meaning to act perversely.

כי יצא דבר המלכה על כל הנשים. זה שביזתה את המלך על כל הנשים להבזות אף הן את בעליהם:

For the affair of the queen will extend to all women. That she showed contempt for the king, [this will cause] all the women to show contempt for their husbands as well.

תאמרנה שרות פרס ומדי. לכל שרי המלך את הדבר הזה והרי זה מקרא קצר:

The noblewomen in Persia and Media will say, etc. This thing to all the king’s ministers. This is an abbreviated verse.

וכדי בזיון. ויש בדבר הזה הרבה בזיון וקצף:

Causing enormous disparagement and rage. And in this matter there is much contempt and wrath.³⁰Esther Rabbah 4:8. “Contempt” because she had insulted him, and “wrath” because she had disobeyed him. The Gra explains the difference between the two terms חמה (fury) and קצף (anger). The latter [קצף] is displayed outwardly for all to see, and the former (;חמה one keeps to himself.

דבר מלכות. גזרת מלכות של נקמה שצוה להורגה:

A royal edict. A royal decree of revenge, i.e., that he commanded to execute her.³¹And let it become a law that any woman guilty of a similar offense against her husband shall be executed.

ויכתב בדתי פרס ומדי. בספרי חוק ומנהג המלכות:

To be recorded in the bylaws of Persia and Media. In the books of the statutes and the customs of the kingdom.

ולא יעבור. חוק זה מביניהם שיהא זה חוק ודת לכל הבוזה את בעלה:

Never to be revoked. This statute from among them;³²ממוכן is another name for Haman (Maseches Megillah 12b). Haman was concerned that Achashveirosh might reconsider and take back Vashti, leaving him vulnerable to her vengeance. Haman therefore requested that the decree be irrevocable. this should be a statute and a law for anyone who shows contempt for her husband.

אשר לא תבוא ושתי. ולכך נהרגה:

That Vashti must never again appear. And therefore she was executed.

ומדבר כלשון עמו. כופה את אשתו ללמד את לשונו אם היא בת לשון אחר:

And his people’s language be the one spoken. He can compel his wife to learn his language if her native tongue is different.³³Ibid. 4:12. The purpose for this law was to make wives show respect and subjugation to their husbands.