But Rabbi Shema'iah, in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (chapter 50), asks a pretty sharp question: Was Mordecai really the only Jew in the entire city of Shushan? I mean, Esther 9:15 clearly mentions "the Jews that were in Shushan"!
So, what's going on here? Why single out Mordecai like that?
Rabbi Shema'iah doesn't think it's a simple oversight. He suggests that Mordecai was called "a Jew" – HaYehudi, the definitive article making it "The Jew" – for a very specific reason. It wasn't just about his lineage, though that played a role. He was a direct descendant of the patriarchs, no small thing. And he was also of royal blood. Impressive. But it was more than just pedigree. Mordecai dedicated his life to Torah study. He immersed himself in the wisdom and teachings of his tradition. And, crucially, he maintained his integrity. He didn't defile himself with forbidden foods. In other words, he lived a life of consistent adherence to Jewish law, halakha.
So, what does this mean for us?
The rabbis aren't just giving Mordecai a pat on the back. They're subtly challenging us. Are we just among the Jews, or are we truly a Jew in the way Mordecai embodied? It's a powerful distinction.
It’s easy to get lost in the crowd, to simply identify with a group without truly embodying its values. Mordecai, according to this reading, wasn't just a statistic. He was a living example of what it meant to be Jewish – through lineage, learning, and righteous living. He stood for something.
This passage from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer invites us to consider what it truly means to identify with something – a faith, a community, a cause. It’s not enough just to be present. It's about actively living the values we claim to hold dear. Are we, like Mordecai, striving to be more than just a face in the crowd? Are we striving to be, in the truest sense, a Jew?