יום שישי, 30 במרץ 2012

What Was Achashverosh Thinking? - Purim 5772


The Megillah ends on what we consider a happy note רֹב בָּנָיו וְקִנְיָנָיו עַל הָעֵץ תָּלִיתָ Haman and most of his children are killed, Mordechai gets Haman’s home, and the Yidden are saved. However, there are 2 villians in the story of the Megillah, Haman and Achashveiroish. The Gemara in Maseches Megillah 14a says, משל דאחשורוש והמן למה הדבר דומה לשני בני אדם לאחד היה לו תל בתוך שדהו ולאחד היה לו חריץ בתוך שדהו בעל חריץ אמר מי יתן לי תל זה בדמים בעל התל אמר מי יתן לי חריץ זה בדמים לימים נזדווגו זה אצל זה אמר לו בעל חריץ לבעל התל מכור לי תילך אמר לו טול אותה בחנם Meaning, this is a parable to 2 people who have a field, one with a high mound of sand and can’t plow and one has a hole in the middle of his field  and can’t plow. They come together and one gives his sand in order for the other one to fill his hole and they are both happy. So too Haman and Achashveiroish rejoiced over the fact that they were going to destroy the Yidden. The question is why is only Haman seem to be the one that is punished by being hung on the gallows, but Achashveiroish is still king and Mordechai is his prime minister, however, nothing happens to him?
(This is from earlier sources Haman already hated the Yidden out of the Sin’a of Amaleik, while Achashveiroish had Kin’a and Taiv’a that this stemmed from.) 
R' Yonason Eibishitz says that Achashveiroish had Chartumim who said that they see that the next king of Persia would be a Jew. Achashveiroish understood this to mean that the Yidden would rebel, take over the country, depose him as king, and take over the kingdom. Therefore, he had a Sin’a to the Yidden, however, it wasn’t a Sin’a like Amaleik that was a purposeless Sin’a. It was a protection for himself because he thought they would rebel.
Then one day at the Mishtei Hayayin, Esther reveals that she is a Yid. So Achashveiroish said to Esther, can I ask you a Shaila. Little Daryaveish (Darius), is he Jewish? Esther answered him that according to Jewish Law he is Jewish. Suddenly a light bulb goes off in Achashveiroish’s mind, oh that was what the Chartumim were seeing. The next king is going to be a Jew. Gevaldig! Suddenly in that one instant the whole world turned upside down, now Achashveiroish doesn’t hate the Jews anymore. Now Achashveiroish is willing to do anything Esther wants.
The Me’am Lo’ez adds to this by saying, there was another event that was uncharacteristic of a Soin’ei Yisrael by 6:1 א  בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא, נָדְדָה שְׁנַת הַמֶּלֶךְ when Achashveiroish says, י  וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ לְהָמָן, מַהֵר קַח אֶת-הַלְּבוּשׁ וְאֶת-הַסּוּס כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ, וַעֲשֵׂה-כֵן לְמָרְדֳּכַי הַיְּהוּדִי, הַיּוֹשֵׁב בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ:  אַל-תַּפֵּל דָּבָר, מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ At this point  when Haman is told to take a Jew dressed like the king through the streets the Edict to kill all the Jews is still in effect and Achashveiroish still hates the Jews. He even refers to Mordechai as a Jew. This should be uncharacteristic of Achashveiroish?
Based on this R' Yonason Eibishitz, he says, Achashveiroish thought that his Chartumim had a clouded vision when they saw a Jewish king after Achashveiroish. Maybe they saw that Mordechai would put on the king’s clothing and he will be riding the king’s horse. That is the vision of the Jew that they are seeing in their visions. So Achashveiroish says Al Tapeil Davar Mikoil Asher Dibarta meaning, don’t deviate at all from how we should honor him. With the hope that this would satisfy the visions of the Chartumim, these Chartumim.

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