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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.
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.
thank you for letting me see myself and my actions in hindsight.
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!
Thank you, Reb Eliezer, for this great Torah! I will share it in your name. 🙂
If Achashverus had no regard for the constitution (laws) why then was he concerned about the law prohibiting him from revoking his decree?
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.
>> 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.
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.
@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 himLater, 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 הַמַּלְכָּ֔הAnd 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.
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?
How old was Vashti when her head was chopped off?
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