Esther 4 · Pshat

4:1

וּמׇרְדֳּכַי יָדַע אֶת־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה וַיִּקְרַע מׇרְדֳּכַי אֶת־בְּגָדָיו וַיִּלְבַּשׁ שַׂק וָאֵפֶר וַיֵּצֵא בְּתוֹךְ הָעִיר וַיִּזְעַק זְעָקָה גְדוֹלָה וּמָרָֽה׃

Mordechai was apprised of everything that had transpired. Mordechai rent his garments, and garbed himself in sackloth and ashes. He proceeded into the city, and sounded a great, bitter wail.

Rashi

ומרדכי ידע. בעל החלום אמר לו שהסכימו העליונים לכך לפי שהשתחוו לצלם בימי נבוכדנצר ושנהנו מסעודת אחשורוש:

Mordechai was apprized. The Master of Dreams told him¹He was told by means of a dream and not by רוח הקדש [The Holy Spirit], a higher form of prophecy, because “Shushan was in confusion,” and רוח הקדש [The Holy Spirit] dwells only in the midst of joy. Alternatively, Eliyahu the prophet told him. that the celestial beings had consented to this [decree], because they had prostrated themselves to the idol in the days of Nevuchadnetzar, and because they had enjoyed Achashveirosh’s feast.²See Esther Rabbah 7:13 and Maseches Megillah 12a.

4:2

וַיָּבוֹא עַד לִפְנֵי שַֽׁעַר־הַמֶּלֶךְ כִּי אֵין לָבוֹא אֶל־שַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ בִּלְבוּשׁ שָֽׂק׃

He came to the front of the king’s gate, for one could not enter the gateway to the king clad in sackcloth.

Rashi

כי אין לבוא. אין דרך ארץ לבוא אל שער המלך בלבוש שק:

For one could not enter. It is improper to enter the king’s gate dressed in sackcloth.

4:3

וּבְכׇל־מְדִינָה וּמְדִינָה מְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר דְּבַר־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְדָתוֹ מַגִּיעַ אֵבֶל גָּדוֹל לַיְּהוּדִים וְצוֹם וּבְכִי וּמִסְפֵּד שַׂק וָאֵפֶר יֻצַּע לָֽרַבִּֽים׃

And in each and every colony, wherever the king’s directives and bylaws reached—there was immense grief among the Yehudim, fasting, weeping and lamenting. Sackcloth and ashes cloaked multitudes.

Rashi

דבר המלך ודתו. כשהשלוחים נושאי הספרים עוברים שם נתנה הדת בעיר:

The king’s directives and bylaws. When the couriers carrying the letters passed, the edict was given in the city.

4:4

(ותבואינה) [וַתָּבוֹאנָה] נַעֲרוֹת אֶסְתֵּר וְסָרִיסֶיהָ וַיַּגִּידוּ לָהּ וַתִּתְחַלְחַל הַמַּלְכָּה מְאֹד וַתִּשְׁלַח בְּגָדִים לְהַלְבִּישׁ אֶֽת־מׇרְדֳּכַי וּלְהָסִיר שַׂקּוֹ מֵעָלָיו וְלֹא קִבֵּֽל׃

Esther’s maidservants and stewards came and told her about it, and the queen was extremely shaken. She dispatched garments to clothe Mordechai and remove his sackcloth, but he refused them.

4:5

וַתִּקְרָא אֶסְתֵּר לַהֲתָךְ מִסָּרִיסֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱמִיד לְפָנֶיהָ וַתְּצַוֵּהוּ עַֽל־מׇרְדֳּכָי לָדַעַת מַה־זֶּה וְעַל־מַה־זֶּֽה׃

She then called for Hasach, one of the king’s officials, whom he had placed at her disposal, and instructed him concerning Mordechai, to ascertain what was happening, and why.

4:6

וַיֵּצֵא הֲתָךְ אֶֽל־מׇרְדֳּכָי אֶל־רְחוֹב הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵי שַֽׁעַר־הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃

Hasach withdrew, and went to Mordechai, to the city thoroughfare, which was at the front of the gateway to the king.

4:7

וַיַּגֶּד־לוֹ מׇרְדֳּכַי אֵת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר קָרָהוּ וְאֵת ׀ פָּרָשַׁת הַכֶּסֶף אֲשֶׁר אָמַר הָמָן לִשְׁקוֹל עַל־גִּנְזֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ (ביהודיים) [בַּיְּהוּדִים] לְאַבְּדָֽם׃

Mordechai informed him of all that he had experienced, and of the silver which Haman had explicitly promised to weigh into the royal coffers so that the Yehudim would be annihilated.

Rashi

פרשת הכסף. פירוש הכסף:

And of the silver. The explanation of the silver.³Mordechai wanted to make it clear to Esther that the king could not be bribed. He therefore provided her with an explanation of the silver, i.e., that Achashveirosh was reluctant to accept the 10,000 silver kikars offered by Haman.

4:8

וְאֶת־פַּתְשֶׁגֶן כְּתָֽב־הַדָּת אֲשֶׁר־נִתַּן בְּשׁוּשָׁן לְהַשְׁמִידָם נָתַן לוֹ לְהַרְאוֹת אֶת־אֶסְתֵּר וּלְהַגִּיד לָהּ וּלְצַוּוֹת עָלֶיהָ לָבוֹא אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ לְהִֽתְחַנֶּן־לוֹ וּלְבַקֵּשׁ מִלְּפָנָיו עַל־עַמָּֽהּ׃

A copy of the text of the legally binding writ which had been delivered in Shushan, mandating that they be destroyed, he gave to him, to show Esther, and to inform her; and to order her to gain entrance to the king, to plead with him, and to beg him to spare her people.

4:9

וַיָּבוֹא הֲתָךְ וַיַּגֵּד לְאֶסְתֵּר אֵת דִּבְרֵי מׇרְדֳּכָֽי׃

Hasach came back, and conveyed, to Esther, Mordechai’s remarks.

4:10

וַתֹּאמֶר אֶסְתֵּר לַהֲתָךְ וַתְּצַוֵּהוּ אֶֽל־מׇרְדֳּכָֽי׃

Esther spoke with Hasach, and instructed him to [tell] Mordechai:

4:11

כׇּל־עַבְדֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְעַם־מְדִינוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ יֹֽדְעִים אֲשֶׁר כׇּל־אִישׁ וְאִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר יָבֽוֹא־אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל־הֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִית אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־יִקָּרֵא אַחַת דָּתוֹ לְהָמִית לְבַד מֵאֲשֶׁר יֽוֹשִׁיט־לוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־שַׁרְבִיט הַזָּהָב וְחָיָה וַאֲנִי לֹא נִקְרֵאתִי לָבוֹא אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ זֶה שְׁלוֹשִׁים יֽוֹם׃

“All of his majesty’s servants, as well as the peoples of his majesty’s colonies, know that any man or woman who comes as close to his majesty as the innermost courtyard without an invitation, suffers a single fate; execution—save for someone toward whom his majesty extends the golden sceptre, to permit him to live. And I have not been granted an invitation to visit his majesty these thirty days.”

4:12

וַיַּגִּידוּ לְמׇרְדֳּכָי אֵת דִּבְרֵי אֶסְתֵּֽר׃ {פ}

They conveyed Esther’s remarks to Mordechai.

4:13

וַיֹּאמֶר מׇרְדֳּכַי לְהָשִׁיב אֶל־אֶסְתֵּר אַל־תְּדַמִּי בְנַפְשֵׁךְ לְהִמָּלֵט בֵּית־הַמֶּלֶךְ מִכׇּל־הַיְּהוּדִֽים׃

Mordechai declared, in reply to Esther: “You had better not fantasize that in the royal palace you will escape the fate of all the other Jews.

Rashi

אל תדמי בנפשך. אל תחשבי כמו (במדבר לג) והיה כאשר דמיתי, אל תדמי בנפשך אל תהי סבורה להמלט ביום ההריגה בבית המלך שאין את רוצה לסכן עצמך עכשיו על הספק לבא אל המלך שלא ברשות:

You had better not fantasize. [I.e.,] “Do not think,” as in, “And it will be, that which I had thought.”⁴Bamidbar 33:56. Do not imagine to yourself, do not think to escape in the king’s palace on the day of the massacre, and therefore you do not want to endanger yourself now⁵Esther apparently wanted to delay going to the king. Mordechai therefore emphasized to Esther that she must not hesitate, but rather she must seize the moment and go immediately before the king and beg him to spare her people. by taking the risk of coming to the king without permission.

4:14

כִּי אִם־הַחֲרֵשׁ תַּחֲרִישִׁי בָּעֵת הַזֹּאת רֶוַח וְהַצָּלָה יַעֲמוֹד לַיְּהוּדִים מִמָּקוֹם אַחֵר וְאַתְּ וּבֵית־אָבִיךְ תֹּאבֵדוּ וּמִי יוֹדֵעַ אִם־לְעֵת כָּזֹאת הִגַּעַתְּ לַמַּלְכֽוּת׃

For, if you keep silent at this time, release and liberation will materialize for the Yehudim from some other source, and you and your father’s lineage will perish. Who knows whether, at this time next year, you will retain your royal position.”

Rashi

ומי יודע אם לעת כזאת הגעת. ומי יודע אם יחפוץ ביך המלך לשנה הבאה שהוא זמן ההריגה:

Who knows whether, at this time next year, you will retain your royal position. [I.e.,] “And who knows whether the king will desire you next year, which is the time of the massacre.”⁶I.e., who knows whether you will be spared from the decree.

לעת כזאת. שהוא היה עומד בניסן וזמן ההריגה באדר לשנה הבאה:

At this time next year. For he was presently in Nisan, and the time of the massacre was in Adar of the next year.

הגעת למלכות. אם תגיעי לגדולה שאת בה עכשיו:

You will retain your royal position. If you will attain the greatness which you now enjoy.

4:15

וַתֹּאמֶר אֶסְתֵּר לְהָשִׁיב אֶֽל־מׇרְדֳּכָֽי׃

Esther declared, in reply to Mordechai:

4:16

לֵךְ כְּנוֹס אֶת־כׇּל־הַיְּהוּדִים הַֽנִּמְצְאִים בְּשׁוּשָׁן וְצוּמוּ עָלַי וְאַל־תֹּאכְלוּ וְאַל־תִּשְׁתּוּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים לַיְלָה וָיוֹם גַּם־אֲנִי וְנַעֲרֹתַי אָצוּם כֵּן וּבְכֵן אָבוֹא אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־כַדָּת וְכַאֲשֶׁר אָבַדְתִּי אָבָֽדְתִּי׃

“Go, gather all the Yehudim found in Shushan, and fast for my sake. Take neither food nor drink for three days, night and day. I and my maidservants will also fast this way. Having done this, I will come to the king even though it is unlawful and as I am bereft, so must I be further bereft.”

Rashi

אשר לא כדת. שאין דת ליכנס אשר לא יקרא, ומ"א אשר לא כדת שעד עתה באונס ועכשיו ברצון:

Even though it is unlawful. For it is contrary to the law for one who has not been summoned to enter. And the Midrash Aggadah [explains], “even though it is unlawful,” [to signify], “for until now I was coerced [to live with Achashveirosh], but now [I will do so] willingly.”⁷Maseches Megillah 15a.

וכאשר אבדתי אבדתי. וכאשר התחלתי לילך לאבוד אלך ואמות, ומ"א כאשר אבדתי מבית אבא אובד ממך שמעכשיו שאני ברצון נבעלת לגוי אני אסורה לך:

And as I am bereft, so must I be further bereft. [I.e.,] “And just as I have begun to go to destruction [by appearing before Achashveirosh without being summoned], I will go and die.” And the Midrash Aggadah [explains], “as I am lost [i.e., orphaned] from my father’s house, so will I be lost to you, for from now on, that I am submitting willingly to a heathen, I will be forbidden to you.”⁸Because the Torah forbids a wife to her husband if she voluntarily had relations with another man.

4:17

וַֽיַּעֲבֹר מׇרְדֳּכָי וַיַּעַשׂ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־צִוְּתָה עָלָיו אֶסְתֵּֽר׃ {ס}

Mordechai passed through [the city], and implemented all of Esther’s instructions to him.

Rashi

ויעבר מרדכי. על דת להתענות בי"ט ראשון של פסח ששהתענה י"ד בניסן וט"ו וט"ז שהרי ביום י"ג נכתבו הספרים:

Mordechai passed. [I.e., he transgressed] the law⁹Otherwise, ויעבר מרדכי is apparently superfluous because the text further states that he implemented all her instructions. Alternatively, Mordechai actually went over (=ויעבר) a bridge. (Maseches Megillah 15a) by fasting on the first festive day of Pesach, for he fasted on the fourteenth, the fifteenth¹⁰I.e., Pesach. Although the holiday feast is obligatory, Mordechai bypassed the obligation and ordered the fast, using the special authority of the Sanhedrin to suspend such obligations in times of extreme need. (Maseches Megillah 15a) ,¹¹Midrash Esther Rabbah (8:7) is of the opinion that the three day fast was on the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth day of Nisan. and the sixteenth, for the letters were written on the thirteenth day.

Esther 4 אסתר ד׳

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