After he erected the gibbet, he went to Mordekhai and found that he was sitting in the study hall with the children sitting before him, with sackcloth on their waists, engaging in the study of Torah, and they were screaming and weeping. He counted them and found there twenty-two thousand children. He cast iron chains on them and deployed guards over them. He said: ‘Tomorrow, I will kill these children first and then I will hang Mordekhai.’ Their mothers were bringing them food and water and saying to them: ‘Our children, eat and drink before you die and don’t die hungry.’ Immediately, they placed their hands on their books and took an oath: ‘By the life of Mordekhai our master, we will not eat and drink, but will die while fasting.’ All of them began weeping loudly until their cries reached the heavens. The Holy One blessed be He heard the sound of their weeping approximately two hours into the night.At that moment, the compassion of the Holy One blessed be He was aroused, and He stood up from His throne of justice and sat down on His throne of mercy, and said: ‘What is that loud sound I hear that sounds like goats and lambs?’ Moses our master stood before the Holy One blessed be He and said: ‘Master of the universe, they are neither goats nor lambs, but rather the children of Your people, who are fasting today [and have already been fasting for] three days and three nights, and tomorrow their enemy seeks to slaughter them like goats and lambs.’ At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He took those letters that He had decreed against them that were sealed with mortar seals and He ripped them.4See Esther Rabba 7:14. He brought fear upon Aḥashverosh that night; that is what is written: “On that night [sleep deserted the king, and he ordered the book of records, the annals to be brought; and it was read to the king] (Esther 6:1).