Post date: Feb 13, 2013 6:9:21 AM
Va’yislu es Haman
And they hanged Haman
(7:10)
V’eis aseres b’nei Haman yislu al ha’eitz
And let Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows
(9:13)
Koreish was the ruler of the Paras-Madai Empire immediately before Achashveirosh. Koreish had authorized the rebuilding of the second Beis Hamikdash, and decreed that anyone who interfered with its rebuilding would be hanged from the gallows. However, before the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash could be completed, its reconstruction was disrupted by enemies of the Jews (see Ezra, ch. 4). In fact, Targum Onkeles (3:1) tells us that Haman himself even went to Yerushalayim to make sure that it would not be rebuilt. Rashi tells us (9:10) that eventually, all construction efforts were suspended when Achashveirosh received a letter from Haman’s ten sons calling for a halt to the construction.
While from the Jews’ perspective, any form of eliminating Haman and his ten sons would have been sufficient, we can clearly see that Koreish’s decree was fulfilled as they were all hanged from the gallows for their having transgressed his royal decree.
[Inside Purim]