The hatred between Haman the Amalekite and Mordecai the Jew had deep ancestral roots. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses Gaster in 1899, Mordecai was a descendant of Saul, who had destroyed the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur, slaying more than 500,000 men, women, and children. Haman descended from those same Amalekites and nursed that ancient grudge against all of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin.
While sitting at the king's gate, Mordecai overheard two Persian chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, plotting to behead Ahasuerus and deliver his head to the Macedonian king, whose empire was then at war with Persia. Mordecai told Esther, who told the king. The conspirators were hanged, but because they were Haman's counselors, their execution only deepened his rage.
Mordecai remembered a dream from the second year of Ahasuerus's reign. A great earthquake shook the earth. Two immense dragons fought each other with terrible noise while a small nation lived among the watching peoples. All the surrounding nations rose to destroy this small nation. Thick darkness fell. Then Mordecai saw a small brook of water flow between the two dragons, separating them. The brook grew into a flood like the Great Sea, covering the whole earth. The sun returned, the small nation was exalted, the proud were humbled, and peace was restored.
When Haman's plot took shape, Mordecai told Esther to remember that dream and go before the king. Then Mordecai himself prayed with extraordinary intensity: "It is well known to the throne of Thy glory, O Lord, that it was not from pride or haughtiness I refused to bow to this Amalekite. I would prostrate myself to no being except Thy holy presence. Yet for Israel's salvation I would lick the shoe upon his foot and the dust upon which he walks."
LXXIX. (1) But our ancestors served the kings of Media
and Persia with great loyalty, for they neither did them
harm nor oppressed them. It was only in the time of
Ahasuerus that the memory of Judah was nearly destroyed
through the enmity of Haman the Amalekite, because
Mordecai, a descendant of Saul, who smote the Amalekites
from Havilah to Shur, a distance of several days, would not
rise before him. He slew more than 500,000 Amalekites,
and put to the sword their men, women, and children, to
the number of thousands of thousands. It was for this
reason that Haman, who was descended from them,
cherished that hatred against the people of Judah, and
especially against the tribe of Benjamin.
(2) Now, in the days of Ahasuerus, when Mordecai was
sitting at the gate of the king he discovered a secret plot of
two Persian princes, Bigthan and Teresh, whom he heard
whispering and plotting to sever the head of the king
while he lay in his bed, in order to carry it to the
Macedonian king, for at that time the Macedonian empire
was warring against the Persian kingdom. This plot
Mordecai revealed to Esther, and she in her turn to the
king, who commanded this act of loyalty on the part of
Mordecai to be noted down in the Book of Chronicles, as
well as the reward due to him. When, however, these two
chamberlains were hanged it incurred the wrath of Haman,
Lxxix. 4] 237
for they were his counsellors, and he, therefore, sought to
blot out the name of Judah from under the heavens. But
Mordecai discovered this plan of his and remembered the
dream he had in the second year of the reign of Ahasuerus.
(3) It was the following: There w^as a great earthquake,
accompanied by a noise and the sound of wailing in the
land, so that fear and terror fell upon all the inhabitants,
and two immense dragons with terrible noise went against
each other in battle, w^hereupon all the inhabitants ran
towards the spot. Living among them was a small nation,
and all the nations round about it rose up to destroy their
memory from the face of the earth. On that day every-
where it was thick darkness, and the small nation, being
much oppressed, cried unto the Lord. The dragons con-
tinued to fight furiously and nobody could separate them;
when lo ! Mordecai saw a small brook of water passing
between the two dragons, which separated them, for the
brook soon grew into an overflowing river, like the over-
flowing of the Great Sea, so that it flooded the whole
earth. The sun then shone upon the earth, and the small
nation was raised to exaltation, while the proud ones were
humbled, and peace and truth were restored in the world.
(4) Mordecai from that day always nursed that dream in
his heart, and when Haman oppressed him, he said to
Esther, 'Eemember the dream I narrated to thee in the
days of thy youth. Now arise, and, beseeching the Lord for
mercy, go into the presence of Ahasuerus; stand before
him in all thy beauty, and plead the cause of thy people
and thy kindred.' And Mordecai supplicated to God,
saying, ' It is w^ell known and revealed to the throne of
Thy glory, 0 Lord of the universe, that it was not from
pride or haughtiness I refused to bow down to this
Amalekite, but on account of the reverence I have for
Thee I opposed him, refusing to bow down, for I fear
Thee alone, 0 Lord of the universe, and would not, there-
fore, give Thine honour to flesh and blood; therefore, I
would prostrate myself to no being except Thy holy
presence. And who am I that would not bow down to
238 [LXXTX. 5
Haman? Yet for Israel's salvation I would lick the shoe
upon his foot, and the dust upon which he walks.
(5) 0 Lord, deliver them from his hand, that he may fall
into the pit which he has dug for us, and be caught in the
net which he has spread (hidden) under the feet of Thy
pious men, that they may thereby know that Thou hast not
forgotten the oath Thou didst swear; for Thou didst not
deliver us into captivity because Thou wert not able to save
us, but because of our sins and our iniquities, for we have
sinned against Thee. But Thou, our God, art mighty in
salvation; therefore save us, 0 Lord, from his hand; in our
distress we call upon Thee to protect us, and to stand up in
our midst to fight those who rise up against us. Eemember,
we beseech Thee, that we are Thy portion; for of old, when
Thou didst give the nations their inheritance, and when
Thou didst separate the sons of men, we were Thy portion;
the lot which Thou didst cast fell upon us to be chosen for
Thy name. (6) Why, 0 God, should our enemies say we
have no God ? why should they open wide their mouth to
swallow up Thy portion and praise their idols and vanities ?
We beseech Thee, 0 Lord, send salvation unto us; let them
be ashamed of their idols and vanities, and let them place
their hand upon their mouth and see Thy salvation,
0 Lord. Have mercy upon Thy people, and upon Thine
inheritance. Do not close the mouths of those who praise
Thee and proclaim Thy unity evening and morning
continually. Turn our sorrow to joy and gladness, that we
may live and give Thee thanks for the blessed salvation by
which Thou wilt save us.' And all Israel cried unto the
Lord for the trouble and sorrow which had come upon
them.
Esther's Prayer.
