King Ahasuerus certainly did. And his insomnia took a decidedly paranoid turn.
The Megillah, the Book of Esther, tells us that one night, the king just couldn't sleep (Esther 6:1). But what was really going on in his royal head?
According to the Legends of the Jews, Ahasuerus jumped to the conclusion that he was being poisoned! Can you imagine? He was ready to order the execution of everyone involved in preparing his meals. But his cooks, bless their quick-thinking hearts, managed to dissuade him. They pointed out that Esther and Haman had shared the very same meal, and they seemed perfectly fine. (Ginzberg).
This, naturally, shifted the king's suspicion. Now, he eyed his wife and his trusted advisor with a newfound distrust. Was it possible, he wondered, that Esther and Haman were in cahoots, plotting his demise?
He tried to dismiss the thought. Surely, if there was a conspiracy, his loyal friends would have warned him. Ah, but that's where the real trouble began. Did he even have any loyal friends? Had he, in his royal aloofness, neglected to reward valuable services? Had he, perhaps, inadvertently extinguished the very flame of friendship through his own lack of generosity?
Talk about a royal crisis of conscience!
So, what did Ahasuerus do? He didn't call a therapist. Instead, he ordered the royal chronicles, the historical records of the Persian kings, to be read aloud to him. He figured he could compare his own reign with those of his predecessors, see where he measured up, and maybe, just maybe, figure out if he had any true friends left in the kingdom.
It's fascinating, isn't it? This moment of royal insomnia, born out of paranoia, becomes a catalyst. It forces Ahasuerus to confront his own actions and question the very nature of his relationships. It also sets the stage for Mordechai's eventual rise to power, as it was during this sleepless night that the king remembered Mordechai's previously unrewarded loyalty.
What about us? What keeps us up at night? And what do we do when those sleepless hours force us to confront uncomfortable truths about ourselves and our relationships? Maybe, just maybe, there's a little bit of Ahasuerus in all of us.