Post date: Mar 21, 2019 5:15:7 AM
[Purim Vorts] Death by…
Va’tomer lo Zeresh ishto v’chol ohavav ya’asu eitz gavo’ah chamishim ama
Then his wife, Zeresh, and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high”
(5:14)
A couple nights ago we explored the possible reasons that Haman’s wife and friends might have had for selecting a gallows as the choice of execution for Mordechai. Targum fills in a lengthy debate among Haman and his wife and friends that is absent from the Megilah. Targum tells us that the group actually considered several methods before settling on hanging.
First they considered burning Mordechai. But they agreed that if he was one of the righteous people of the world, then that method would not be successful. As they recalled, Avraham had been saved from Nimrod’s fiery furnace. So burning was out of the question.
Next they suggested using a sword. But when they considered how Yitzchak had been saved from the Avraham’s knife at the Akeida, they knew that that too would not do.
They thought about drowning Mordechai, but Moshe, Aharon, and all of Bnei Yisrael had successfully navigated the Yam Suf unharmed, so that idea was quickly eliminated.
Since Daniel had been saved from the lion’s den, throwing Mordechai to wild animals would be of no use.
They came to the same conclusion regarding throwing Mordechai to wild dogs when they recalled how not a single dog so much as even barked when Bnei Yisroel left Mitzrayim.
Stoning seemed like the next logical choice. But when they considered how Dovid had used stoning to kill Goliyas, they realized that that option would be of no value to them.
Of course, simply exiling Mordechai to the desert would not likely result in his demise, just as Bnei Yisroel flourished during their many years of travel in the desert.
Perhaps they should just lock him up and throw away the key. No, that was no good either. After all, Yosef too had been thrown into jail, yet he not only got out of jail, but he ended up almost taking over the entire country. No, they were not willing to tempt fate with a risk of that happening all over again.
They even considered blinding Mordechai. Surely if he couldn’t see, how much of a threat could he be to Haman’s interests? Eh…come to think of it, the P’lishteem had that same thought regarding Shimshon, and that didn’t work out to well for them.
At that point they realized that there was no record of any righteous Jews having been saved from a hanging. They agreed that with there being no historical precedent for escapes from a hanging, this was the best method for the occasion. It was decided that a gallows should be built on which to hang Mordechai.
Haman was so excited that he couldn’t sleep. He immediately hired carpenters and they got to work that very night and completed construction after very little time. To confirm that everything was in order, Haman even tested the gallows on himself. A Bas Kol (heavenly voice) called out that the gallows did indeed suit Haman quite nicely.
[Purim Revealed, p. 115]
[Purim Vorts] Finally, a feast worth drinking at
Vayavo hamelech v’Haman lishtos im Esther hamalka
The king and Haman came to feast with Esther the queen
(7:1)
When Achashveirosh and Haman came to Esther’s first party, the Pasuk says, “They came to the feast that Esther had prepared.” But at the second party it says that they “came to feast with Esther.” What is the significance of the change in language?
The Manos Halevi explains that at the time of the first party, Esther was still very much worried about the situation that the Jews were in. So at the first party Esther wasn’t able to enjoy herself and despite hosting the two of them, did not actually dine with them.
However, by the time the second party came around, things were already starting to look up. Earlier that day, Haman had paraded Mordechai through the streets of Shushan with the full royal treatment. And based on Achashveirosh’s enthusiasm when she approached him in the throne room and his enthusiasm at her first party, it was pretty clear that he was eager to fulfil her request. So with things appeared to be on the up-and-up, Esther was finally able to enjoy herself at the second party. So this time she in fact did feast with them.
[Glimpses of Light, p. 303]