אסתר ט׳:כ׳-כ״ח

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.