Post date: Feb 25, 2018 6:58:0 AM
“Yamim rabbim”
Many days
(1:4)
When describing the length of Achashveirosh’s party, why does the Pasuk use the vague phrase “many days” right before it quantifies the length quite clearly as “180 days?”
Esther Rabbah (2:2) explains that the phrase “many days” is indicative of a difficult period, or days of sorrow that seemed to drag on and on from the perspective of the people who just couldn’t wait for it to end. Since 180 days is obviously a length of time that could be described as “many days,” the Pasuk must be referring to something else. As such, the Medrash explains that the Jews were actually saddened during the seven day feast when they saw Achashveirosh wearing the special clothing of the Kohen Gadol. Alternatively, another Medrash tells us that during the seven day feast, the Jews were forced to eat non-kosher food, which greatly saddened them.
The Rishon Letzion takes a completely different approach to understanding the seemingly superfluous phrase “many days” in our Pasuk. He explains that although the length of the party was known to Mordechai through Ruach Hakodesh, the precise number eluded Achashveirosh. In his eyes, his gala feast was “many days” in length, but the exact duration was unknown to him.
[Megillas Esther: The Answer Is..., p. 21]
[Medrash Rabbah 2:2]