Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to Esther — Haman and the Angels.
It all starts with Zeresh, Haman's wife, and his astrologers. They recognize a looming threat. "Haven't you heard what happened to Pharaoh?" she asks, according to the Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer. She even quotes the Book of Esther itself (Esther 6:13): "If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the seed of the Jews, you shall not prevail against him."
Then comes the fateful banquet. Esther reveals Haman's plot to the king. When she pleads for her life and the life of her people, explaining that they've been sold to be destroyed, the king is understandably furious. "Who is this man?" he demands. Esther's response is iconic: "An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman!" (Esther 7:6).
This is where the Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer adds some real spice. "The king arose in his wrath" (Esther 7:7), and what does the angel Michael do? He starts cutting down the plants in the palace garden! Why? The text doesn't say explicitly, but we can imagine it's a symbolic act of divine fury, clearing the way for justice.
And it gets even more dramatic. When the king returns from the garden, Michael apparently lifts Haman up from Esther. The king, seeing this, cries out, accusing Haman of not just wanting to destroy her people but of assaulting the queen herself! The horror! Hearing this, Haman's face falls – literally. "They covered Haman's face" (Esther 7:8).
But wait, there's more! The Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer credits the prophet Elijah, may his memory be a blessing, with a crucial assist. Disguised as Harbonah, one of the king's chamberlains, Elijah informs the king about a massive tree in Haman's house, a tree originally taken from the Kodesh Hakodashim, the Holy of Holies! The text connects it to the "house of the forest of Lebanon" mentioned in (1 Kings 7:2). Talk about poetic justice!
The king, enraged, orders Haman to be hanged on that very tree, fulfilling the prophecy: "Let a beam be pulled out from his house, and let him be lifted up and fastened thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this" (Ezra 6:11). And so, "they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai" (Esther 7:10).
Finally, the king gives all of Haman's possessions to Mordecai and Esther, empowering them to write new decrees in the king's name. These decrees, sent throughout the provinces, authorize the Jews to defend themselves against their enemies on the thirteenth of Adar, a date that falls "on the third day in the constellation of Leo." The text draws a powerful analogy: "Just as the lion is the king over all the beasts, and he turns his gaze towards any place as he wishes; likewise did he think fit, and he turned his face to destroy and to slay all the enemies of Israel." What a vivid image of divine retribution!
So, what does this all mean? The Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer gives us a richer, more textured understanding of the Purim story. It reminds us that even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, divine intervention, clever strategy, and unwavering faith can triumph over evil. And sometimes, a little help from the angel Michael and the prophet Elijah doesn't hurt either.
Zeresh his wife and all his astrologers said to him: Hast thou not heard what was done unto Pharaoh? as it is said, "And Zeresh his wife said unto him, If Mordecai, before whom thou hast begun to fall, be of the seed of the Jews, thou shalt not prevail against him" (Esth. 6:13).
In that hour the pages of Esther came and took Haman to the banquet which she had prepared on the sixteenth of Nisan. When they had eaten and taken (wine) the king said to Esther: "What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee; and what is thy request?" (Esth. 7:2). She said to him: My lord, O king! I ask nought of thee, except my life, and my people. Because one man has come and has bought us to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish. "But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my peace" (Esth. 7:4). The king said to her: Who is this man? She answered him: This one is the wicked Haman, as it is said, "And Esther said, An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman" (Esth. 7:6). "The king arose in his wrath" (Esth. 7:7). What did the angel Michael do? He began to cut down the plants in his presence. || Intense wrath was kindled within him, and the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine. What did the angel Michael do? He lifted up Haman from Esther. The king exclaimed: As for this villain, he is not satisfied with having purchased the people of Esther to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, but he must needs come upon her! "Will he even force the queen before me in the house?" (Esth. 7:8). Haman heard this word and his countenance fell, as it is said, "They covered Haman's face" (ibid.). And the king commanded that he should be hanged on the gallows. What did Elijah, his memory be a blessing, do? He assumed the guise of Harbonah, one of the chamberlains of the king. He said to him: My lord, O king! There is a tree in Haman's house (taken) from the Holy of Holies, fifty cubits high. Whence do we know that it was from the Holy of Holies? Because it is said, "And he built the house of the forest of Lebanon" (1 Kings 7:2). Forthwith the king commanded that he should be hanged thereon, as it is said, "And (the king) said, Hang him thereon" (Esth. 7:9), so as to fulfil that which is said, "Let a beam be pulled out from his house, and let him be lifted up and fastened thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this" (Ezra 6:11). And it says, "So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai" (Esth. 7:10). The king took all that belonged to Haman and gave it to Mordecai and to Esther. He said to them: Write concerning the Jews as seems good in your eyes in the name of the king. They wrote official letters, and they sent throughout all the provinces to destroy, to slay, || and to cause all the enemies of the Jews to perish on the thirteenth of the month of Adar, on the third day in the constellation of Leo. Just as the lion is the king over all the beasts, and he turns his gaze towards any place as he wishes; likewise did he think fit, and he turned his face to destroy and to slay all the enemies of Israel, as it is said, "In the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have rule over them" (Esth. 9:1).
