“Happy are those who observe the law, who act with righteousness at all times” (Psalms 106:3). They were counted1They assembled to vote to decide matters of halakha. in the loft of Rabbi Tarfon and said: Who is the one who acts with righteousness at all times? If you say that these are scribes2Those who teach Bible. and Mishna teachers; do they not eat, drink, and sleep? Rather, are they writers of phylacteries and mezuzot; do they not eat, drink, and sleep? Rather, who is the one who acts with righteousness at all times? You must say: This one, who raises an orphan in his house.3This is an allusion to Mordekhai, who raised Esther after her parents died. Wouldn’t you say that he doesn’t turn over naked at night?4When the orphan who is sleepingturns over and is uncovered, he is not benefiting from the kindness of his foster parent. They said: We still need the moda’i [from Modi’in], as Rabbi Elazar HaModa’i came and taught: The Torah referred only to the slice of bread that he eats in his house.5Since the orphan is sustained by the food he eats in his foster parent’s house, righteousness is being done for him at all times.Alternatively, “happy are those who observe the law” – that is Mordekhai; “who act with righteousness at all times” – because he raised an orphan girl in his house. David said before the Holy One blessed be He: Master of the universe: “Remember me, Lord, when You favor Your people” (Psalms 106:4) – when You bring salvation for Israel by means of Mordekhai and Esther, when Haman sought to destroy Israel and weighed out ten thousand silver talents by means of the king’s craftsmen, as it is written: “And ten thousand talents of silver…” (Esther 3:9). What is written there? “There was a Judean man in the Shushan citadel, and his name was Mordekhai…” (Esther 2:5).