Megillas Esther Interpretation

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  • #1476688
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Malbim explains that there are two kinds of monarchs, a constitutional monarch and omnipotent despot, a dictator. A constitutional monarch follows the constitution. The wealth belongs not to him but the nation and he has no control over his wife. Achashverus believed that he made his own rulings disregarding any constitution such that the wealth belongs to him, so he showed it for hundred eighty days. He commanded that his wife should come to him naked to show her beauty and made his own rulings with the help of his advisors.

    #1476874
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Hashem’s name is not mentioned directly in the Megillah because the miracles are hidden. We must read Megillas Esther in order, night and day, recognizing the tzoras and hatzolah , by uncovering the hidden as the words Megillas Esther represents in its meaning.

    #1476949
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Chasam Sofer explains that since the sudah was made by Achashverus as a celebration for the beis hamikdash not being rebuilt anymore, it is considered like an a”z and filling themselves up before the sudah would not have helped because by a”z שלא כדרך אכילתו is also forbidden. It doesn’t say thatr they ate but they enjoyed themselves. We see that Hashem, even at the time we are sinning, is helping us with the demise of Vashti.

    #1838510
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Thev Jews should have done what they could and as they were forced to attend the seuda makes Haman and Achashveis ym’s responsible.

    #1839097
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Chasam Sofer explains Shushan Purim was instituted to have learning all the time in the world.

    #1853673
    abukspan
    Participant

    Regarding your post feb.26 at 10.13. Are you saying it must “be read in order” in order to chap that we had the tzoros and only then the yeshua? I recently heard from a rabbi Luban that that is the pshat in HAKOREI…..LIMAFREIA.LO.YUTZA. It is easy to look back through the meggilah and see in retrospect where Hashem was directing things all along. That it no kuntz. The avodah is to live a life where we do not chap His hand in everything and still have trust. You have to read it straight and not LIMAFREIA. I did not do justice to what I think is a chusheva yesod. Sorry for my lack of clarity ad for my arrogance before.

    #1853701
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Chasam Sofer interprets וראית את אחרי ופני לא יראו you will see things from hindsight but not from foresight. They say hindsight is 20/20.

    #1853715
    abukspan
    Participant

    thank you for letting me see myself and my actions in hindsight.

    #1947854
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    This year we unite with Jerusalaim by reading the Megilla the same day Friday with matonas leavyonim.

    #1948145

    abukspan >> It is easy to look back through the meggilah and see in retrospect

    excellent, psychologists call it “hindsight bias” – you look at Esther’s actions or vaccine development after the fact, and you say – of course, I understand that and could have done better than them!

    #1948149
    charliehall
    Participant

    Thank you, Reb Eliezer, for this great Torah! I will share it in your name. 🙂

    #1948207
    ujm
    Participant

    If Achashverus had no regard for the constitution (laws) why then was he concerned about the law prohibiting him from revoking his decree?

    #1948313
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    There is a story called the Columbus Egg where someone was asked to place a hard boiled egg on its edge on the table. He was unable to do ir, so the guy knocked it down on the table on its edge. He tells him, big deal. I could have done that also, but you didn’t. Columbus was told, big deal, I could have discovered Ameica if I went that way, but you didn’t.

    #1948314
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    I think, the king will do anything he wants before tbe fact but to regret and undo an action diminishes his power as it shows that he is undecisive.

    #1948348
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Ahashverus also did not want to admit he made a mistake or foresee the problems of the future.

    #1950790
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    It says ומרדכי לא יכרע ולא ישתחוה, and Mordechai did not bow or prostrate himself. Why was it right for everyone else but not for him and not only Mordechai does not bow down but shows Haman ym’s the contract that Haman sold himself as a slave to him when in in the desert provided him food. The Chasam Sofer explains that Haman was wearing an idol on his neck, so others were able to bow down to him showing respect for his stature but Mordechai could not because being his slave, people will think that he is not bowing for resoect but to the idol. The contract was shown as a reason for not bowing down.

    #1951550

    Mordechai and Esther – who is the Rebbe and who is the student?

    First, Mordechai is the Rebbe. Telling Esther what to do. Then, Esther commits to go to Ahashverosh. This is mesiras nefesh. That makes Esther into the Rebbe. She starts telling Mordechai what he and Jewish people should do after that.

    A lesson for students on how to become Rebbes.

    #1951703
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    AAQ, it says, מתלמידי יותר מכולם, I learned from my students more than from anyone.

    #1951781

    >> learned from my students

    RebE, I totally agree with the general notion (one reason to ask quertions and to hear questions), but confused how this relates.

    Are you saying that M is still the Rebbe, but he learned from E, rather than E becoming the Rebbe? Interesting interpretation , but it does not seem to fit better. It is not just one advice that E gives to M, she starts consistently acting as a Rebbe. It is a one moment switch at the time of mesirus nefesh. Interesting – deciding on it, not even acting yet.

    #1951953
    charliehall
    Participant

    The accession of Dayarvesh (Darius) in what we would today call a coup is documented in both Persian (the famous Behustan Rock!) and Greek (Herodotus) sources. Herodotus reports a debate between Dayarvesh and his fellow coup plotters; Otanes argued for democracy, Megabyzus for oligarchy, and Darius for monarchy. Darius won the argument and Persia would remain an absolute monarchy until its overthrow by the Muslim Arabs over 1,100 years alter.

    Bavli Avodah Zara 10a points out that the Roman Empire didn’t have monarchs in the usual sense of the term, in that it was not hereditary. (Secular sources point out that Rome maintained most of its republican instittuions until the late 3rd century CE, and at least in theory the Emperor was subject to the law not above the law.) Emperors would typically designate a successor and in Avodah Zara 10a-b Rebbe tells Antoninus that it is okay that it be his biological son, which was quite rare until that point. If Antoninus was the Emperor better known as Marcus Aurelius, then Rebbe’s advice triggered the decline and fall of the Roman Empire because Marcus Aurelius’s son Commodus turned out to be a disaster, leading a venal and corrupt administration and promoting a personality cult of himself before being assassinated. Rome never fully recovered.

    #1951990
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Esther was the student who originally did not want to go Ahashverus. She learned from Mordechai to go to Ahashverus in order to save her people. I don’t see where she was rhe rebbi.

    #1952060

    @RebE: I don’t see where she was rhe rebbi.

    just as I looked up pesukim where Esther is mentioned before Mordechai, Bach amended “Rava and Abaye” to Rabba in Pesachim daf yomi, because teacher is listed first … confirmed min hashamayim? We use a similar order analysis to show that Mordechai fell out of favor due to his political activities.
    here they are:

    4:14 Mordechai teaches Esther
    4:15 Then Esther sent back this answer to Mordecai [that includes instructions for all Jews and her mesilas nefesh decision. How does she have hutzpah not to ask her Rebbe?! because she the Rebbe now, she is not even asking Mordechai for recognition]
    לֵךְ֩ כְּנ֨וֹס אֶת־כָּל־הַיְּהוּדִ֜ים הַֽנִּמְצְאִ֣ים בְּשׁוּשָׁ֗ן וְצ֣וּמוּ עָ֠לַי וְאַל־תֹּאכְל֨וּ וְאַל־תִּשְׁתּ֜וּ שְׁלֹ֤שֶׁת יָמִים֙ לַ֣יְלָה וָי֔וֹם גַּם־אֲנִ֥י וְנַעֲרֹתַ֖י אָצ֣וּם כֵּ֑ן וּבְכֵ֞ן אָב֤וֹא אֶל־הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־כַדָּ֔ת וְכַאֲשֶׁ֥ר אָבַ֖דְתִּי אָבָֽדְתִּי׃
    “Go, assemble all the Jews who live in Shushan, and fast in my behalf; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens will observe the same fast. Then I shall go to the king, though it is contrary to the law; and if I am to perish, I shall perish!”

    and he listen to instructions
    וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֖ר מָרְדֳּכָ֑י וַיַּ֕עַשׂ כְּכֹ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־צִוְּתָ֥ה עָלָ֖יו אֶסְתֵּֽר׃ (ס)
    So Mordecai went about [the city] and did just as Esther had commanded him

    Later, Mordechai becomes even more hashuv, but he is listed second almost always:
    8:7 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרֹשׁ֙ לְאֶסְתֵּ֣ר הַמַּלְכָּ֔ה וּֽלְמָרְדֳּכַ֖י הַיְּהוּדִ֑י
    9:29 וַ֠תִּכְתֹּב אֶסְתֵּ֨ר הַמַּלְכָּ֧ה בַת־אֲבִיחַ֛יִל וּמָרְדֳּכַ֥י הַיְּהוּדִ֖י
    reversed though in 9:31, which can be explained as Mordechai’s letter going out first
    לְקַיֵּ֡ם אֵת־יְמֵי֩ הַפֻּרִ֨ים הָאֵ֜לֶּה בִּזְמַנֵּיהֶ֗ם כַּאֲשֶׁר֩ קִיַּ֨ם עֲלֵיהֶ֜ם מָרְדֳּכַ֤י הַיְּהוּדִי֙ וְאֶסְתֵּ֣ר הַמַּלְכָּ֔ה

    #1952327

    And feel comfortable to share this dvar Torah – it is not mine, I heard it from Lakewood R Nosson Wachtfogel Z’L. I did not put his name first, expecting someone reacting to a “Rebbe” designation for Esther. I was surprised by his choice of words – maybe I looked modernishe? – but I see a big applied value in his message for the CR room on who can pasken.

    #1952373
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Binah Leitim says that to correct the three thihgs tbe Jews violated, lack of Torah, concern for each other and consuming non-koshef from the sudah, Esther commanded them to do three things. Get them together learning Torah, fast for concern about her, and not eating anything. Three mitzvos weee instituted to remember them, megilla for Torah, mishloach manos and matonas leavyonim to show we care for each other and tbe sudah.

    #2067698
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    We read the megilla both at night and daytime which teaches us that there is always a silver lining and bad will turn to good when trusting Hashem but it is the darkest before the dawn.

    #2170396
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    bump

    #2172742
    ☕️coffee addict
    Participant

    This question my son asked me on Purim (I don’t have an answer to it) during yeshivas Mordechai hatzaddik (so I wasn’t drunk yet)

    רש״י says צומו עלי was י״ד- ט״ז (probably from a Gemara or medrash) so if that was the case בסוף שלשת ימים was ט״ז but in the הגדה at נרצה says that נדדה שנת המלך was the first night of Pesach so how does it work out?

    #2269163
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    The Chasam Soifer explains that Esther only fasted 70 hours, otzum ‘ken’ but the Jews fasted the complete 3 days. 72 hours, u’bechen’ ovo el hamelech.

    #2269195
    ujm
    Participant

    How old was Vashti when her head was chopped off?

    #2269213
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Googole your question discussed March ’22 as How old was Vashti when she was beheaded?

    #2269214
    Reb Eliezer
    Participant

    Queen Esther did not fast the whole 3 days because she went to Ahashveros.

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