Post date: Mar 15, 2019 3:47:52 AM
Va’ani lo nikreisi lavo el hamelech zeh shiloshim yom
And I have not been called to come to the King for the past thirty days
(4:11)
When Mordechai instructs Esther to go to Achashveirosh in order to plead on behalf of the Jews, Esther responds that she hasn’t been called to him for thirty days. She doesn’t agree with Mordechai’s plan, but what is her rationale?
According to the Malbim, Esther figured that it had been a while since Achashveirosh had summoned her. In all likelihood, he would probably call for her soon anyway. So why risk approaching him without permission. Anyway, the decree of violence against the Jews was almost a year off. With so much time until then, she didn’t feel they were pressed for her to act immediately. At that point, she felt it was better to wait to be summoned.
The Maharal takes a different angle. According to him, Esther was afraid that perhaps Achashveirosh didn’t love her anymore since it had been so long since he had called for her. She wanted Mordechai to know that there was a real risk that Achashveirosh would in fact not be pleased to see her unsummoned. If he had let so much time go by without wanting to see Esther, what were the chances that he would condone her infraction of coming to him without being summoned?
[Glimpses of Light, p. 224]