Post date: Mar 04, 2015 5:33:15 AM
Twice to be certain
Ki ein lah av va’eim v’ha’na’arah yifas to’ar v’tovas mar’eh
Since she had neither father nor mother, and the girl was finely featured and beautiful
(2:7)
The Megilah tells us twice that Esther was an orphan; one time overtly and one time covertly.
First the Pasuk says “Ki ein lah av va’eim.” That phrase is quite clearly telling us that she had no parents.
Then, the Rokeich points out that if you look at the next words which are “v’ha’na’arah” (and the girl was) “yifas to’ar v’tovas mar’eh,” you’ll see that the Roshei Teivos (initial letters) of these last four words spell the word “Yasom” (orphan).
[Inside Purim, p. 272]
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Anything, just not that
Ad chatzi hamalchus
Until half the kingdom
(5:3)
The Gemara (Megilah 15b) explains that Achashveirosh’s offer to Esther wasn’t to be taken literally, that he was offering her up to half of his kingdom. Rather, the only wish that he wouldn’t grant her was to continue the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash, which was something that split the kingdom. (The word “Chatzi” (half) in our Pasuk is similar to the word Chotzeitz, splits or interposes.) How are we to understand that rebuilding the Beis Hamikdash in Yerushalayim could be something that splits Achashveirosh’s empire?
The Ya’aros Devash brings a Pirkei d’Reb Elazar which explains that because Achashveirosh disrupted the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash, his empire which was originally comprised of 254 countries was halved (or split) down to 127 countries. Achashveirosh wasn’t about to risk losing control over additional countries, so the only wish that was off the table was granting the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash.
[Zvi Fleisher @ shemayisrael.com]
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Stunted
Vayis’apak Haman
Haman was restrained
(5:10)
When Haman left the palace after the first of Esther’s parties, he was feeling quite happy with himself. Besides having just participated in a party hosted by the queen, he was invited a second time to a party that she was going to host the following day. And with a guest list as exclusive as this one, he was feeling quite good at having been invited back for another party. But when he encountered Mordechai who continued to defy his order to bow down, he immediately became filled with rage. Yet despite feeling like he was on top of the world, he curiously did nothing to Mordechai at that moment.
The Bnei Yissaschar tells us that most letters in the Alef-Beis when spelled out (called “Bimilui”) contain additional letters. (Ex- The letter Alef is spelled Alef, Lamed, Fei. Beis is spelled Beis, Yud, Saf. Gimmel is spelled Gimmel, Mem, Lamed.) These additional letters contained in the fully spelled out name of the base letter allow for an expansion of understanding on a deeper, spiritual plane. In this case, the letters of Haman’s name (spelled Bimilui) are all repetition with no additional letters available for this type of expansion. (Heih = Heih, Heih. Mem = Mem, Mem. Nun = Nun, Nun.)
This is the source/cause of the restraint (“Vayis’apak”) that Haman experienced at that very moment. As infuriated as he was, he was restrained from taking any action because he was Haman (someone whose name is spelled with the “shallow” letters of Heih, Mem, Nun). He had nothing in him with which to use to muster up a response at that moment. Because he was “Haman,” he was restrained from taking action.
[Zvi Fleisher @ shemayisrael.com]