אסתר ט׳

ועשי המלאכה. אותם שהיו ממונים לעשות צרכי המלך:

And the executive staff. Those who were appointed to conduct the king’s affairs.

עשרת בני המן. ראיתי בסדר עולם אלו עשרה שכתבו שטנה על יהודה וירושלים כמו שכתוב בספר עזרא (עזרא ד) ובמלכות אחשורוש בתחלת מלכותו כתבו שטנה על ישבי יהודה וירושלם, ומה היא השטנה לבטל העולים מן הגולה בימי כורש שהתחילו לבנות את הבית והלשינו עליהם הכותים והחדילום וכשמת כורש ומלך אחשורוש והתנשא המן דאג שלא יעסקו אותן שבירושלים בבנין ושלחו בשם אחשורוש לשרי עבר הנהר לבטלן:

The ten sons of Haman. I saw in Seder Olam: These are the ten who wrote a [false] accusation against Yehudah and Yerusholayim, as it is written in the Book of Ezra: “And during the reign of Achashveirosh, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the dwellers of Yehudah and Yerusholayim.”¹Ezra 4:6. And what was the [purpose of the] accusation? To stop those who were coming up from the exile during the days of Koresh, who had started to build the Beis Hamikdosh, and the Cutheans slandered them and stopped them.²Seder Olam Rabbah 29. But when Koresh died, and Achashveirosh reigned, and Haman was promoted, he [Haman] saw to it that those in Yerusholayim would not engage in the construction, so they [Haman’s ten sons] sent in the name of Achashveirosh to the princes of the other side of the river to stop them [from building].

ובבזה לא שלחו את ידם. שלא יתן המלך עין צרה בממון:

But they did not lay their hands on the spoils. So that the king should not cast an envious eye on their money.³Alternatively, Esther’s ancestor, King Shaul had sinned by sparing Agag and by allowing the people to take some of Amoleik’s booty (I Shmuel 15:17-29). His misdeed was now rectified by killing Agag’s descendants, Haman and his sons, and by “not lay[ing] their hands on the spoils,” although they were permitted to do so. This is alluded to in the acrostic [שאול] formed by the first letters of the phrase ובבזה לא שלחו את. (Me’am Lo’ez)

ואת עשרת בני המן יתלו על העץ. אותן שנהרגו:

And let Haman’s ten sons be hung from a gallows. Those who were slain.

ותנתן דת. נגזר חוק מאת המלך:

The decree was proclaimed. A statute was decreed by the king.

הפרוזים. שאינם יושבים בערי חומה בארבעה עשר ומוקפין חומה בט"ו כשושן והיקף זה צריך שיהיה מימות יהושע בן נון כך דרשו ולמדו רבותינו:

Unwalled. Who do not reside in walled cities, [celebrate] on the fourteenth, and those who reside in walled cities [celebrate] on the fifteenth, like Shushan; and [these cities] must have been surrounded [by walls] since the days Yehoshua Bin Nun. So did our Rabbis expound and learn.⁴Maseches Megillah 2b. Shushan which was without a wall in the time of Yehoshua was accorded special status “because the miracle was performed there.”

ומשלח. שם דבר כמו משמר משמע לפיכך השי"ן נקודה רפי:

Sending. This מִשְׁלֹחַ is a noun like מִשְׁמָר [guarding]⁵Nechemyah 12:24. and מִשְׁמָע [hearing],⁶Yeshayah 11:3. therefore the shin is vowelized softly [without a dagesh].

ויכתב מרדכי. היא המגלה הזאת כמות שהיא:

Mordechai wrote. This scroll [of Esther], as it is [i.e., in its present state].⁷To ensure the continued annual celebration of the Purim festival.

כי המן בן המדתא. חשב להומם ולאבדם:

For Haman, the son of Hamdasa. Devised to terrify them and destroy them.

ובבאה. אסתר אל המלך להתחנן לו:

But when she came. [When] Esther [came] to the king to appeal to him.

אמר עם הספר. אמר המלך בפיו וצוה לכתוב ספרים שתשוב מחשבתו הרעה בראשו:

He directed in writing. The king stated orally and commanded to write letters that his [Haman’s] wicked scheme should return upon his own head.

על כן על כל דברי האגרת הזאת. נקבעו הימים האלה ולכך נכתבה לדעת דורות הבאים:

For this reason ... because of all that is narrated in this letter. These days were designated, and therefore it [the Megillah] was written for the future generations to know.

ומה ראו. עושי המעשים האלו שעשאום:

Why they saw fit. Those who did these deeds, that they did them.

ומה הגיע אליהם. מה ראה אחשורוש שנשתמש בכלי הקודש ומה הגיע עליהם שבא שטן ורקד ביניהם והרג את ושתי, מה ראה המן שנתקנא במרדכי ומה הגיע אליו שתלו אותו ואת בניו, מה ראה מרדכי שלא יכרע ולא ישתחוה ומה ראתה אסתר שזימנה להמן:

And what happened to them as a result. What did Achashveirosh see that he used the sacred vessels, “and what happened to them as a result,” that Satan came and danced among them and slew Vashti. What did Haman see that he became jealous of Mordechai, “and what happened to him as a result,” that they hanged him and his sons. What did Mordechai see that he did not kneel or prostate himself, and what did Esther see that she invited Haman?⁸Maseches Megillah 19a.

הנלוים עליהם. גרים העתידים להתגייר:

Anyone associated with them. Proselytes who are destined to convert to Judaism.⁹They too were affected by Haman’s decree because he tried to destroy the nation they would embrace at a future time.

ככתבם. שתהא המגילה כתובה כתב אשורית:

As written. That the Scroll [of Esther] should be written in the Ashuri script.¹⁰Ibid.

נזכרים. בקריאת מגילה:

Shall be recalled. With the reading of the Scroll [of Esther].¹¹Talmud Yerushalmi Megillah 1:5.

ונעשים. משתה ושמחה ויום טוב לתת מנות ומתנות:

And observed. [As days of] feasting¹²Ibid. and rejoicing and a holiday, to give portions [of food to friends] and gifts [to the poor].

משפחה ומשפחה. מתאספין יחד ואוכלים ושותין יחד וכך קבלו עליהם שימי הפורים לא יעברו:

By every family. Gathers together and feast and drink together; and so they took upon themselves that the days of Purim would not be revoked.¹³Midrash Mishlei 9.

וזכרם. קריאת מגילה:

Their memory. The reading of the Scroll [of Esther].

לא יסוף. תרגום שלא יתום דמתרגם עד תום עד דסף וא"א לומר להיות מגזרת (בראשית יט) פן תספה ומגזרת (שמואל א כז) עתה אספה יום אחד שאם כן היה לו לכתוב לא יספה מזרעם:

Should not depart. The Aramaic translation of¹⁴There seems to be an error in Rashi’s text because Targum renders לא יסוף as לא ישתיצי. The suggested correct text omits the first two words “תרגום של” [=the Aramaic translation of] from Rashi’s text. (Sifsei Chachomim) יִתּם [= will end], for the Targum of עַד תּם¹⁵Bamidbar 32:13. is עַד דְּסָף [until it ended]. But it is impossible to say that it [יָסוּף] is derived from the same root as “lest you perish [תִּסָּפֶה]”¹⁶Bereishis 19:17. or from the same root as “I may perish [אֶסָּפֶה] one day,”¹⁷I Shmuel 27:1. for if it were so, Scripture should have written לֹּא יִסָּפֶה מִזַּרְעָם.

את כל תקף. תוקפו של נס של אחשורוש ושל המן ושל מרדכי ושל אסתר [:

With all the power [of their position]. The power of the miracle of Achashveirosh,¹⁸Maseches Megillah 19a. of Haman, of Mordechai and of Esther.¹⁹Each one was instrumental in the miracle.

השנית. לשנה השנייה חזרו ושלחו ספרים שיעשו פורים:

A second time. In the second year they again sent letters that they should celebrate Purim.

ומאמר אסתר קים וגו'. אסתר בקשה מאת חכמי הדור לקבעה ולכתוב ספר זה עם שאר הכתובים וזהו ונכתב בספר:

On the basis of Esther’s request [these Purim matters] were perpetuated, etc. Esther requested of the Sages of the generation to commemorate her and to write this book with the rest of the Scriptures, and that is the meaning of “and inscribed in the book.”²⁰Maseches Megillah 7a.