Esther Rabbah Reader

“The king said: Who is in the court? Haman had come into the outer court of the king's palace, to tell the king to hang Mordekhai on the gibbet that he had prepared for him” (Esther 6:4). “To hang Mordekhai on the gibbet that he had prepared for him.” It is taught: He [Haman] prepared it for himself, and about him it is said: “Then against himself he readies deadly weapons, and makes his arrows sharp” (Psalms 7:14), and “He dug a pit and deepened it and he fell into the trap he made” (Psalms 7:16).

“Haman entered, and the king asked him: ‘What is to be done to the man whom the king wishes to honor?’ Haman said in his heart: Whom would the king delight to honor besides myself?” (Esther 6:6).“Haman entered, and the king asked him… Haman said in his heart.” The wicked are controlled by their hearts: “Esau said in his heart” (Genesis 27:41); “The scoundrel said in his heart” (Psalms 14:1); “Yerovam said in his heart” (I Kings 12:26); “Haman said in his heart.” However, the righteous are in control of their hearts. That is what is written: “Hannah was speaking upon her heart” (I Samuel 1:13); “Daniel set over his heart” (Daniel 1:8); “David said to his heart” (I Samuel 27:1). And they are similar to their Creator: “The Lord said to his heart” (Genesis 8:21).

“The king said to Haman: Hurry, take the garments and the horse; as you have said, do so to Mordekhai the Jew who sits at the king’s gate. Do not omit anything that you spoke of. Haman took the garments and the horse, dressed Mordekhai and led him, riding, through the city square and proclaimed before him: ‘So shall be done for anyone the king wishes to honor!’” (Esther 6:10-11).“Take the garments and the horse… Haman took the garments and the horse.”

He went to Mordekhai. When he [Mordekhai] was told that he was coming, he was very afraid, and he was sitting with his students before him. He said to his students: ‘My children, run and remove yourselves from here that you are not burned with my coal, as the wicked Haman is coming to kill me.’ They said: ‘If you die, we will die with you.’

He said to them: ‘If so, let us stand in prayer and pass away while praying.’ They completed their prayers and sat and engaged in the halakhot of Sefirat ha-Omer,5 The commandment to count the days between Passover and Shavuot. When the Temple stood, they would bring a meal offering of barley measuring one omer (the omer offering) on the 16th of Nisan, the second day of Passover. as that day was the 16th of Nisan and on that day they would bring the omer offering at the time when the Temple stood.

Haman came to them and said to them: ‘What are you engaged in?’ They said to him: ‘In the commandment of the omer. That is what it says: “And if you present an offering of the first fruits to the Lord…”’ (Leviticus 2:14). There6For the residents of the Land of Israel, “there” refers to Babylonia, and vice versa.

In the Babylonian Talmud (Megilla 16a) it is stated that Mordekhai was demonstrating to his students how to take a handful of a meal offering (Etz Yosef). they say: They showed him the halakhot of taking a handful [of a meal offering]. And [these interpretations] are one and the same, as they would take a handful from the omer. He said to them: ‘This omer, what is it? Is it [made] of gold or of silver?’

They said to him: ‘Not of gold and not of silver and not of wheat, but of barley.’ He said to them: ‘What is its value? Is it ten kantrin?’7Kantrin, or singular Kantar, is a measurement of silver equivalent to one talent, ~33 kg. They said to him: ‘It goes for ten manin.’8Manin, or singular maneh, in this context is equivalent to the small silver coin known as a ma’a. He said to them: ‘Rise, for your ten manin have vanquished my ten thousand kantrin of silver.’

Once [Mordekhai] had finished praying, Haman said to Mordekhai: ‘Put on these royal garments.’ He said to him: ‘Why are you dishonoring the monarchy? Is there any man who would put on royal garments without bathing?’ He [Haman] went and sought a bath attendant and could not find one.

What did he do? He girded his loins and went in and bathed him. When he came out, he said to him: ‘Take this crown.’ He [Mordekhai] said to him: ‘Why are you dishonoring the monarchy?

Is there any man who would put on a royal crown without a haircut?’He [Haman] went and sought a barber and did not find one. What did he do? He went to his house and brought scissors and sat and gave him a haircut. He began to sigh.

He [Mordekhai] said to him: ‘Why are you sighing?’ He said to him: ‘Woe to this man’s9 Referring to oneself in the first person was considered bad luck. “This man” in this context is Haman, referring to himself. father – he [Haman] has been removed from being a high official and an overlord and has been made a bath attendant and a barber!’ He [Mordekhai] said to him: ‘That is why I asked you.

Do I not know that the father of that man [Haman] was a bath attendant and a barber in Kefar Karyanus and you have found his barber tools?’ He [Haman] said to him: ‘Arise and ride this horse.’ He said to him: ‘I have not the strength [to mount it], for I am old.’ He said to him: ‘Am I not an old man?’

He said to him: ‘Was it not you who brought it on yourself?’ He said to him: ‘Get up, for I will bend my back for support and you step on me and get up and ride, to fulfill for you that which Scripture says: “And you shall tread on their high places” (Deut. 33:29).

Another interpretation: “Haman took the garments and the horse....” (Esther 6:11). He came to Mordekhai and said: ‘Rise and get dressed.’ How unlucky is this man; last night I was engaged in arranging a gibbet for him, and the Holy one blessed be He arranged a crown for him. ‘I would have arranged for you ropes and nails, and the Holy one blessed be He arranged for you royal garments. I sought from the king to hang you on a gibbet, and he said to mount you on a horse.

Stand up and get dressed.’ And he did everything we said above. When he [Mordekhai] was riding, he began praising the Holy one blessed be He: “I will exalt You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up and have not caused my enemies to rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried out to You and You have healed me.

O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have given me life that I not go down to a pit” (Psalms 30:2–4). What did his students say? “Sing to the Lord, his devout ones, and give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is a moment, life is by His will; in the evening one may lie down weeping, and in the morning, joy” (Psalms 30:5–6).

What did that wicked one say? “And I said in my tranquility, I shall never be shaken. O Lord, by Your will You set my mountain strong – You hid Your face, I became terrified” (Psalms 30:7–8). What did Esther say?

“To You, O Lord, I will call, and to the Lord I will make supplication. What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to destruction? Will dust thank You, will it declare Your truth?” (Psalms 30:9–10) What did the congregation of Israel say? “Hear O Lord and show favor to me; [O Lord, be my aid;] You have turned my lamenting into dance for me; [You have undone my sackcloth and girded me with joy]” (Psalms 30:11–12).

What did the holy spirit say? “So that I can sing to You glorious praise, and not be silent, O Lord my God, forever I will thank You” (Psalms 30:13). Haman’s daughter gazed from the window to see the hanging, and when she saw Mordekhai riding and her father declaring before him ‘so will be done for the man…,’ she cast herself to the ground and died.

“Mordekhai returned to the king’s gate and Haman hastened home, mourning and covering his head” (Esther 6:12). Mordekhai returned to the king’s gate; [this phrase] teaches that he returned to his sackcloth and fasting. Rabbi Ḥelbo said: Anyone who wears sackcloth and fasts does not cease to do so until his petition is fulfilled.

Mordekhai returned to the king’s gate and Haman hastened home, mourning and covering his head” (Esther 6:12) – Mourning for his daughter, and covering his head because of what had happened to him. He had performed four jobs: bath attendant, barber, orderly, and herald.

“Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had befallen him. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him: If Mordekhai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the progeny of the Jews, you will not overcome him, for you will fall before him” (Esther 6:13). “Haman told his wife Zeresh…” At that moment the king’s attendants arrived and took him to the feast on the sixteenth of Nisan. When they had eaten and drunk, the king said to Esther: ‘What is your petition?’ She said to him: ‘My lord the king, I am only petitioning you for “my life with my petition, and my people with my request”’ (Esther 7:3).

“The king rose in his fury from the wine banquet to the palace garden and Haman stood to plead for his life from Esther the queen, for he saw that the king has resolved to do him harm” (Esther 7:7).“The king rose in his fury from the wine banquet to the palace garden.” What did the angel Michael do? He began cutting the saplings before him, adding fury to his fury; he returned to the wine banquet and Haman stood up to plead for his life.

What did Michael do? He pushed him [Haman] onto Esther, and she was crying ‘My lord, the king, here he is overpowering me before you!’ The king said: “Will he also overpower the queen with me in the house?” (Esther 7:8). Haman heard this statement and his face fell.

What did Eliyahu, of blessed memory, do? He appeared as Ḥarvona and said to him [to the king]: ‘My lord the king, “indeed, here is the gibbet that Haman had made for Mordekhai…”’ (Esther 7:9). As Rabbi Pinḥas said: One must say ‘Ḥarvona, of blessed memory.’ And Rav said: One must say ‘cursed is Haman, cursed are his sons, cursed is Zeresh his wife, as it is written: “The name of the wicked will rot”’ (Proverbs 10:7).

The king immediately commanded to hang him on the gibbet that he had prepared for Mordekhai, and about this, Solomon, in his wisdom, said: “A righteous person will be delivered from trouble and the wicked will come in his stead” (Proverbs 11:8). For Haman got up early to hang Mordekhai and was hanged himself on the gibbet that he prepared for Mordekhai, and [the king] gave everything that was Haman’s to Esther the queen, and Esther gave it to Mordekhai.

This is what is written: “On that day King Aḥashverosh gave the house of Haman, adversary of the Jews, to Queen Esther…” (Esther 8:1), and it is written: “As for his harvest, the hungry will eat it and take it from shields [tzinim] and the bound [tzamim] will swallow their wealth”10 The midrash understands this verse idiosyncratically. The word mitzinim, here translated as ‘from shields,’ is usually translated as ‘from thorns’ or ‘from baskets.’

The word tzamim, here translated as ‘the bound,’ is usually translated as ‘the thirsty.’ (Job 5:5). “As for his harvest,” that is Haman. “The hungry will eat it,” that is Mordekhai and Esther. “Take it from shields,” not with a weapon, and not with a shield, but with prayer and supplication, as you say: “His truth is a shield [tzina] and a buckler” (Psalms 91:4).

That is prayer, which protects him from trouble like a shield protects a person in battle. By the merit of prayer, which is called a shield, he will take Haman. From where [is it known] that they engaged in prayer? That is what is written: “Sackcloth and ashes were worn by many” (Esther 4:3).

What is the use of sackcloth and ashes without prayer? “And the bound will swallow their wealth.” Who overcame Haman’s wealth? Mordekhai and Esther and those bound to them.

“And you, write about the Jews as is pleasing in your eyes in the name of the king” (Esther 8:8), and send to all the provinces “to destroy and to kill and to eliminate” (Esther 8:11) all the enemies of the Jews, “on the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to have power over them and it was reversed” (Esther 9:1) for them: “It will be renown for the Lord” (Isaiah 55:13) – this is the miracle that the Holy one blessed be He performed, the like of which has never been performed. Was there ever in the world an event like this miracle where Israel extracted vengeance against the nations of the world and did to their enemies as they wished?

“The Jews gathered in their cities in all the provinces of King Aḥashverosh, to lay hand on those who sought their harm. And no one stood against them for the fear of them had fallen on all the peoples” (Esther 9:2). “The Jews gathered in their cities…and no one stood against them for the fear of them had fallen on all the peoples.” Israel was becoming stronger, like a lion that has fallen upon flocks of sheep and continues to prey with none to stop him.

That is what is written: “The remnant of Israel will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion upon the beasts of the forest, and like a young lion among the flocks of sheep…” (Micah 5:7). And they killed Haman’s sons and hanged them. Emperor Hadrian said to Rabbi Yehoshua: ‘Great is the lamb that survives among seventy wolves.’ He said to him: ‘Great is the shepherd who saves it [the lamb] and crushes them before it. That is what is written: “No weapon formed against you will succeed”’ (Isaiah 54:17).

“And Mordekhai went out from before the king in royal dress of blue and white wool, and a great gold crown, and a robe of fine linen and purple. The city of Shushan reveled and rejoiced” (Esther 8:15). “And Mordekhai went out from before the king in royal dress…” Rabbi Pinḥas says: Mordekhai reigned over the Jews. Just as the king wears purple, so did Mordekhai wear purple.

Just as the king sets a great crown on his head, so did Mordekhai wear “a great gold crown” (Esther 8:15). Just as fear of the king is over the whole land, so was fear of Mordekhai over all of them, as it says: “For fear of Mordekhai had fallen upon them” (Esther 9:3). Just as the king’s coin is accepted in the entire land, so was Mordekhai’s coin accepted. And what was his coin?

Mordekhai on one side and Esther on the other. Why? Because he was a good man and a peaceful man and sought peace, as it says: “For Mordekhai the Jew…[a seeker of good for his people and a spokesman of peace for all his descendants] (Esther 10:3). About him scripture says: “Mark the man of integrity and behold the upright one, for there is a future for the man of peace” (Psalms 37:37).

Rabbi Berekhya said: The Holy one blessed be He recorded the redemption of Israel in the Torah, as it is written: “If a stranger who is a resident among you shall prosper…” (Leviticus 25:47). “A stranger who is a resident” – that is Haman, who became great and grew rich, and became prosperous enough to weigh out ten thousand talents of silver (see Esther 3:9). He is called a resident stranger since he was a descendant of Amalek and was a stranger in Media and Persia.

“And your brother becomes poor with him” (Leviticus 25:47) – these are [the people of] Israel who were destitute and poor. “And is sold to a resident stranger” (Leviticus 25:47) – that Aḥashverosh sold them to Haman, to destroy, to kill and to eliminate. “Or to an offshoot [eker] of a stranger’s family” (Leviticus 25:47) – that he made himself an object of idolatry.11The midrash here follows the interpretation in Kiddushin 20a–b that an eker is a false god.

According to that reading, the verse is referring to a Hebrew slave who was sold to serve in an idolatrous temple. That is what is written: “Bowing and prostrating themselves to Haman” (Esther 3:2). “After he is sold, he shall have redemption” (Leviticus 25:48) – that the Holy One blessed be He redeemed them from his [Haman’s] hand and delivered them from his decree and rescued them. “One of his brothers shall redeem him” (Leviticus 25:48) – that is Mordekhai, as it is written about him “and accepted by most of his brethren” (Esther 10:3).

“Or his uncle or his cousin shall redeem him” (Leviticus 25:49) – that is Esther, who was the daughter of his [Mordekhai’s] uncle, and Israel were redeemed by her. “For I will surely erase [maḥo emḥeh] the memory of Amalek” (Exodus 17:14) – erase [maḥo] in this world, surely erase [emḥeh] in the World to Come. “The memory [zekher] of Amalek” – that is Haman. Read with regard to him, “a male [zakhar] of Amalek.”Even Jacob our forefather alluded to it in the blessing of the tribes: “Benjamin, a wolf who will take prey.

In the morning he will consume plunder” (Genesis 49:27) – that is Saul, who was the morning of Israel, as he was the first of the kings and was from the tribe of Benjamin, and [he] smote Amalek and plundered everything they had. “And in the evening will distribute booty” (Genesis 49:27) – that is Mordekhai and Esther, who arose for Israel in their exile, which resembles the evening, and distributed the booty of Haman. [Benjamin] is compared to a wolf, as the Holy One blessed be He set him to stand against the wolf – that is the kings of Media and Persia, who are compared to a wolf.

That is what is written, “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a wolf”12The word in the verse, dov, is generally translated “bear.” However, when it is spelled without a vav, its meaning in Aramaic is “wolf.” In the verse from Daniel, which is written in Aramaic, dov is spelled without a vav (Etz Yosef). (Daniel 7:5). There13The midrash, written in Eretz Yisrael, refers here to the interpretation of the Babylonian sages, who understood the term dov in this verse as referring to a bear (see Megilla 11a; Kiddushin 72a; Avoda Zara 2b). they say that [the verse refers to] the kings of Media and Persia, who eat like a bear and have no rest like a bear and grow their hair like a bear.

The Holy One blessed be He set Mordekhai and Esther to stand against them, as they were from the tribe of Benjamin, as it is written: “A wolf will take prey” (Genesis 49:27).

Rabbi Ḥiya Raba and Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta were walking in the valley of Arbel and they saw the breaking of the dawn’s light. Rabbi Ḥiya Raba said to Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta: So is the greatness of Israel. First a little and then, as it proceeds, it continuously increases. What is the explanation?

“Although I sit in darkness, the Lord is a light for me” (Micah 7:8).14Even while Israel sits in darkness, God is already setting in motion the chain of events that will lead to their redemption. So, too, the midrash cites the verse from Esther 2:21 in which Mordekhai sits at the king’s gate and hears the plot of Bigtan and Teresh. This event leads to the eventual salvation of the Jewish people. So initially “Mordekhai was sitting at the king’s gate…” (Esther 2:21) and afterwards, “And Mordekhai went forth from the presence of the king [in royal dress of blue and white wool, and with a great crown of gold]” (Esther 8:15), and afterwards, “For the Jews there was light and joy and jubilation and honor” (Esther 8:16).

That is what is written: “Say to God: How awesome are Your works” (Psalms 66:3). How terrifying are Your wonders. [Those slated to be] killed, kill those who would be their killers, and [those slated to be] hanged, hang those who would hang them. [Those who would be] drowned in the sea, drown those who would have drowned them. So it is, “In the greatness of Your power Your enemies cringe before You” (Psalms 66:3).You find the benevolent qualities of the Holy One blessed be He are abundant, lasting, and of superior quality.15The translation of these terms is in accordance with the interpretation of the Etz Yosef.

The term abundance in the continuation of the midrash refers to all of the characteristics mentioned here. Benevolence in abundance, kindness in abundance, mercy in abundance, righteousness in abundance, faithfulness in abundance, redemption in abundance, blessing in abundance, praise in abundance, peace in abundance. Benevolence in abundance, as it says: “How abundant is Your benevolence that You have set aside for those who revere You” (Psalms 31:20).

Kindness in abundance, as it says: “And abundant in kindness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). Mercy in abundance, as it says: “Your mercy is abundant, O Lord” (Psalms 119:156). Righteousness in abundance, as it says: “And justice and abundant righteousness” (Job 37:23). Faithfulness in abundance, as it says: “New every morning, Your faithfulness is abundant” (Lamentations 3:23).

Your redemption is abundant, as it says: “Israel will implore the Lord, for kindness is with the Lord and His redemption is abundant” (Psalms 130:7). Blessing in abundance, as it says: “I will pour out upon you blessing without limit [beli dai]” (Malachi 3:10). What is “without limit” [beli dai]? Until your lips will wear out [yivlu] from saying enough [dai].

Praise in abundance [raba] as it says: “A God dreaded in the great [raba] council of the holy, awesome to all around Him” (Psalms 89:8). And it is written: “How abundant are your works O Lord, You perform them all with wisdom, the earth is full of Your creations” (Psalms 104:24). Peace in abundance, as it says: “All your children will be disciples of the Lord and abundant will be your children’s peace” (Isaiah 54:13).

Do not read “your children” [banayikh] but rather “your builders” [bonayikh].16 “Builders” is understood to refer Torah scholars who build up the world through their teachings. “May there be peace within your walls and tranquility in your palaces. For the sake of my brothers and companions I will say: Peace be with you. For the sake of the house of Lord our God, I will seek your good” (Psalms 122:7–9).

“May you see children of your children, peace upon Israel” (Psalms 128:6). “Abundant peace to those who love Your Torah and may they not falter” (Psalms 119:165). May the Lord give might to His people; May the Lord bless his people with peace” (Psalms 29:11). Midrash Esther is complete.*!*

Rabbi Tanḥuma, Rabbi Berekhya, and Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great interpreted in the name of Rabbi Elazar: This midrash came up with us from the Exile. Everyplace that vayhi is stated, it means nothing but trouble. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman interpreted in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: This midrash came into our possession. Everyplace that vayhi bimei is stated, it means nothing but trouble.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: They are five:“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Amrafel king of Shinar, Ariokh, king of Elasar, Kedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goyim” (Genesis 14:1). What was the trouble there? “They waged war with Bera, king of Sodom…” (Genesis 14:2). [This is analogous] to the beloved of a king who resided in a province and, for his sake, the king attended to that province.

When barbarians came and afflicted him [the beloved of the king], they [the other residents of the province] said: ‘Woe unto us that the king is not attending to the province the way that he once did.’ So too, Abraham our patriarch, the beloved of the Holy One, blessed be He, “all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you” (Genesis 12:4). For his sake, the Holy One blessed be He attended to His entire world.

That is what is written: “They returned and came to Ein Mishpat, which is Kadesh” (Genesis 14:7). They sought to afflict only the eye of the world [Abraham]. They sought to blind the eye that acts upon the attribute of justice in the world. 16 This probably means that Abraham is responsible for the suppression of the attribute of justice, the result of which is that God rules the world through the attribute of mercy.

“Which is [hi] Kadesh” – Rabbi Aḥa said: Hu [i.e. he rather than she] is written. He [Abraham] sanctified [kiddesh] the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, and he went into the fiery furnace. When everyone saw that all the kings came to afflict him, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the reign of Amrafel.”“It was during the days [vayhi bimei] when the judges judged; there was a famine in the land and a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to stay in the field of Moab, he, his wife, and his two sons” (Ruth 1:1).

What was the trouble there? “There was a famine in the land.” [This is comparable] to a province that owed a tax to the king, and the king sent a tax collector to collect it. What did the residents of the province do? They suspended him [on a pole] and struck him and extracted it [the money] from him.

They said: Woe unto us when the king becomes aware of these matters; we did to the emissary of the king what he sought to do to us. So too, when one of the people of Israel would perform inappropriate actions, they would take him to the judge, and what the judge sought to do to the defendant, the defendant would do to the judge. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: You humiliate your judges; by your lives, I will bring upon you a matter that you are unable to endure.

What is that? It is famine, as it is stated: “It was during the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land” (Ruth 1:1).“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Aḥaz son of Yotam, son of Uziyahu, king of Judah; Retzin, king of Aram and Pekaḥ, son of Remalyahu, king of Israel, went to war against Jerusalem, but he was unable to make war against it” (Isaiah 7:1). What was the trouble there?

It was as it is written: “Aram from the east and the Philistines from the west” (Isaiah 9:11). [This is comparable] to a king who handed his son over to a tutor, and his tutor hated him. He said: If I kill him, I will be condemned to death by the king; instead, I will withhold his nurse from him, and he will die on his own. So too, Aḥaz said: If there are no kids, there are no goats, and if there are no goats there is no flock, and if there is no flock there is no shepherd, and if there is no shepherd, the world cannot exist.

So Aḥaz thought and said: If there are no children, there are no adults, and if there are no adults there are no students, if there are no students there are no scholars, if there are no scholars there are no elders, if there are no elders there is no Torah, if there is no Torah there are no synagogues and study halls, if there are no synagogues and study halls, the Holy One, blessed be He, will not rest His Divine Presence in the world.

What did he do? He arose and locked all the synagogues and study halls, so that no one would engage in Torah study. That is what is written: “Bind the testimony, seal the Torah in my disciples” (Isaiah 8:16). Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: Why was he named Aḥaz?

It is because he seized [aḥaz] the synagogues and study halls. Rabbi Yaakov bar Abba in the name of Rabbi Aḥa derived it from this verse, as it is written: “I will wait for the Lord, who conceals His face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope for Him” (Isaiah 8:17). There was no time that was as grim for Israel as that time, as it is stated: “I will conceal My face on that day because of all the evil that they did…” (Deuteronomy 31:18).

But from that moment I hoped for Him,17A reference to the verse quoted above “I will wait for the Lord, who conceals His face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope for Him” (Isaiah 8:17). as it is written: “As it will not be forgotten from the mouths of their descendants” (Deuteronomy 31:21). What did you [Aḥaz] accomplish? “Behold, I [Isaiah] and the children whom the Lord gave me are to become signs and wonders in Israel” (Isaiah 8:18).

Were they his children? Surely, they were nothing but his students! Rather, from here [we learn] that a person’s student is called his son. Once everyone saw that he seized the synagogues and study halls, they began screaming: Woe [vai]: “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥaz.”“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Yehoyakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month” (Jeremiah 1:3).

What was the trouble there? “I saw the land, and behold, it is emptiness and disorder; the heavens, and their light is not” (Jeremiah 4:23). [This is comparable] to a king who sent letters from province to province and in each and every province that his letters reached, they would embrace and kiss them, standing on their feet, baring their heads and reading them with reverence, fear, quaking, and trembling.

When they reached the king’s province, they read them, ripped them, and burned them. That is what is written: “It was, as Yehudi would read three columns or four,” (Jeremiah 36:23) – three or four verses. When they reached the fifth verse: “Its besiegers are ascendant” (Lamentations 1:5), immediately: “He would cut it with a scribe’s razor and cast it into the fire that was in the fireplace” (Jeremiah 36:23).

Once everyone saw that it was so, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the days of Yehoyakim.”“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Aḥashverosh; that Aḥashverosh who reigned from India to Kush, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces” (Esther 1:1). What was the trouble there? It was “to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13). [This is comparable] to a king who entered a vineyard and encountered three enemies: The first began picking unripe grapes, the second began trimming the clusters, and the third began uprooting vines.

So too, wicked Pharaoh began picking unripe grapes; that is what is written: “Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying: Every son who is born you shall cast into the Nile…” (Exodus 1:22). Nebuchadnezzar, may his bones be crushed, began trimming the clusters; that is what is written: “He exiled Yehoyakhin…and the artisans and the smiths, one thousand” (II Kings 24:14). Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Yehuda said: One thousand artisans and one thousand smiths; the Rabbis said: One thousand artisans and smiths.

Rabbi Yuda son of Rabbi Simon said: These are the Torah scholars. Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzḥak said: These are the notables. Haman the wicked, may he be crushed and wiped out, began uprooting the vines; that is what is written: “To destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13). He sought to undermine the foundation of Israel, he wanted to devastate the whole house [of Israel].

Once everyone saw that it was so, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh.”Shimon bar Abba in the name of Rabbi Yonatan said: Everywhere that vayhi is stated it refers to trouble or to joy; if it is to trouble, it is unparalleled trouble, if it is to joy, it is unparalleled joy. Rabban Shmuel bar Naḥman came and suggested a different distinction: Everywhere that it says vayhi (it was), it refers to trouble, everywhere that it says vehaya (it will be), joy.

They objected: Is it not written: “God said: Let there be light, and there was [vayhi] light”? He said to them: Even that is not joy, as the world did not merit to use that light. Rabbi Yuda son of Rabbi Simon said: By the light that was created on the first day, a person could look out and see from one end of the world to the other end. When the Holy One, blessed be He, perceived that the generation of Enosh, the generation of the flood, and the generation of the dispersion (after the Tower of Babel) were destined to sin before Him, He arose and concealed it from them.

That is what is written: “From the wicked was withheld their light” (Job 38:15). Where did He conceal it? In the Garden of Eden; that is what is written: “Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright” (Psalms 97:11). They objected: “It was [vayhi] evening and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5).

He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as everything that was created on the first day is destined to wither; that is what is written: “As the heavens will be eroded like smoke and the earth will be tattered like a garment” (Isaiah 51:6).They objected: It is written: “It was [vayhi] evening and it was morning, a second day,” “…a third day,” through the sixth day. He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as everything that was created during the six days of Creation requires action, as they were not completely made, e.g. wheat requires grinding, and mustard and lupines require sweetening.They objected: “The Lord was [vayhi] with Joseph” (Genesis 39:2).

He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as that resulted in that bear18Potifar’s wife. confronting him. They objected: “It was [vayhi] on the eighth day, Moses summoned Aaron and his sons” (Leviticus 9:1). He said to them: That, too, is not good, as on that day, Nadav and Avihu died and all of Israel lamented them, as it is stated: “Your brethren, the entire house of Israel, will lament the burning” (Leviticus 10:6).They objected: “It was [vayhi] on the day that Moses completed assembling the Tabernacle” (Numbers 7:1).

He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as it was put away when the eternal Temple was built.They objected: “The Lord was [vayhi] with Joshua” (Joshua 6:27). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as on that day Ya’ir, who was equivalent to the majority of Sanhedrin, was killed; that is what is written: “The men of Ai smote them, about thirty-six men” (Joshua 7:5). Thirty-six men is not written, but rather “like thirty-six;”19 The verse says: “The men of the Ai killed about thirty-six [ki-shloshim ve-shisha] men…” The prepositional ‘ki-’ can designate approximation, “about thirty-six” or comparison, “like thirty-six.” that is Ya’ir, who was equivalent to the majority of Sanhedrin [of 70 or 71 members].

What is written there? “Joshua rent his garments” (Joshua 7:6).They objected: “David was [vayhi] successful in all his ways” (I Samuel 18:14). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as it resulted in what is written: Saul felt enmity to David” (I Samuel 18:9).They objected: “It was [vayhi] when David dwelled in his house” (I Chronicles 17:1). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as on that day, Natan the prophet came and said to him: “It will not be you who builds Me the House” (I Chronicles 17:4).They said to him: We said ours, now you say yours.

He said to them, it is written: “It will be [vehaya] on that day, the mountains will drip with nectar and the hills will flow with milk” (Joel 4:18). “It will be [vehaya] on that day that spring water will emerge from Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:8). “It will be [vehaya] on that day, each man shall keep a calf of the herd and two sheep alive, and from the abundance of milk produced, he will eat butter, for everyone who remains in the midst of the land will eat butter and honey” (Isaiah 7:21-22).

“The remnant of Jacob will be [vehaya] among the nations, in the midst of many peoples like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he passes, tramples and mauls, and there is no deliverer” (Micah 5:7). “It will be [vehaya] on that day, that a great shofar will be sounded, and the lost in the land of Assyria and the outcasts in the land of Egypt will come and bow down to the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 27:13).

“He will be [vehaya] like a tree planted near streams of water which yields fruit in season; its leaves shall not wither, and whatever he does will prosper” (Psalms 1:3). They objected to him: “And it was [vehaya] when Jerusalem was captured” (Jeremiah 38:28). He said to them: Even that is not trouble but joy, as on that day, Menaḥem20The Messiah. was born and Israel made penance for its sins, as Rav and Shmuel say: Israel made great penance at the moment that the Temple was destroyed. That is what is written: “Your sin is completed, daughter of Zion” (Lamentations 4:22).

Rav and Shmuel: Rav said: Everything that the Holy One blessed be He said, He said about him.21Aḥashverosh, who would be the king during whose reign the punishment would be completed. That is what is written: “I will eliminate from Babylonia name and remnant, child and grandchild” (Isaiah 14:22). “Name,” that is Nebuchadnezzar; “and remnant,” that is Evil Merodakh; “child,” that is Belshatzar; “and grandchild,” that is Vashti.

Alternatively, “name,” that is their script; “and remnant,” that is their language; “child and grandchild,” that is child and grandchild.22 Evil Merodakh and Belshatzar.And Shmuel said: Everything that the Holy One blessed be He said, He said about him. That is what is written: “I will place My throne in Elam, and I will eliminate king and princes from there, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 49:38). “King,” that is Vashti, “and princes,” these are the seven princes of Media and Persia.Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: “The Lord will lead you, and your king whom you have set over you, to a nation unknown to you or your fathers, and you will serve there other gods, of wood and stone” (Deuteronomy 28:36).

If you say [the exile foretold is] to Babylonia, were they not [originally] from Babylonia?23 Abraham, the ancestor of Israel, was originally from Ur of the Chaldees in Babylonia. If so, why is it stated: “To a nation that you did not know, you and your fathers?” Rather, this is Media. That is: “It was [vayhi bimei] during the days of Aḥashverosh.”24 The midrash identifies Aḥashverosh as a Mede.