The story of Megilat Esther seems entirely fantastical. It boasts elaborate parties, a contest for queen of Persia, assassination attempts, political intrigue, evil villains and inspiring heroes. But beneath the familiar narrative lies a sinister plot to commit genocide. Modern history makes this story all too real.

תלמוד בבלי – מגילה יג: - יד.

ויאמר המלך להמן הכסף נתון לך והעם לעשות בו כטוב בעיניך אמר רבי אבא משל דאחשורוש והמן למה הדבר דומה לשני בני אדם לאחד היה לו תל בתוך שדהו ולאחד היה לו חריץ בתוך שדהו בעל חריץ אמר מי יתן לי תל זה בדמים בעל התל אמר מי יתן לי חריץ זה בדמים לימים נזדווגו זה אצל זה אמר לו בעל חריץ לבעל התל מכור לי תילך אמר לו טול אותה בחנם והלואי

Talmud Bavli - Megilah 13b - 14a

Ahasuerus responded to Haman’s request: “And the king said to Haman: The silver is given to you; the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you” (Esther 3:11). Rabbi Abba said: The actions of Ahasuerus and Haman can be understood with a parable; to what may they be compared? To two individuals, one of whom had a mound in the middle of his field and the other of whom had a ditch in the middle of his field, each one suffering from his own predicament. The owner of the ditch, noticing the other’s mound of dirt, said to himself: Who will give me this mound of dirt suitable for filling in my ditch; I would even be willing to pay for it with money, and the owner of the mound, noticing the other’s ditch, said to himself: Who will give me this ditch for money, so that I may use it to remove the mound of earth from my property? At a later point, one day, they happened to have met one another. The owner of the ditch said to the owner of the mound: Sell me your mound so I can fill in my ditch. The mound’s owner, anxious to rid himself of the excess dirt on his property, said to him: Take it for free; if only you had done so sooner. Similarly, Ahasuerus himself wanted to destroy the Jews. As he was delighted that Haman had similar aspirations and was willing to do the job for him, he demanded no money from him.

Rebbe Abba offers an analogy to help us understand how Haman and Achashveirosh determined to commit genocide. They each looked at the Jewish people from distinct perspectives. But they nonetheless found common ground to collaborate and pursue their destruction.

Achashveirosh had a respect and awe for Jews. According to our Sages, Mordechai was a respected member of the king’s court. Achashveirosh is praised for not acting brashly, but carefully seeking input before making a decision. During the Vashti scandal, he consulted with the Jewish sages and sought out their counsel. As the Talmud records:

תלמוד בבלי – מגילה יב:

ויאמר המלך לחכמים מאן חכמים רבנן יודעי העתים שיודעין לעבר שנים ולקבוע חדשים

Talmud Bavli - Megilah 12b

“Then the king said to the wise men, who knew the times” (Esther 1:13). The Gemara asks: Who are these wise men? These wise men are the Sages of the Jewish people, who are referred to as those “who knew the times,” for they know how to intercalate years and fix the months of the Jewish calendar.

Haman in contrast despised the Jews. He was on a quest to dominate the corridors of power. A group of people who “had a different religion from the rest of the nation” (Esther 3:8), who thought independently, would only be in his way. Someone like Mordechai who the king respected, who at times had the king’s ear, was a distinct threat.

Achashveirosh looked at the Jews as an asset. But one that didn’t fit with his preferred landscape. Certain qualities he observed or projected onto the Jews made him uncomfortable and conflicted. People prefer to compete on an even playing field. Haman viewed the Jews as an obstacle. He needed them out of the picture so he continue to solidify his power. He made a proposal to the king and it was accepted and stamped with his approval.

These two perspectives can be espoused by the same individual or group. They need not be consistent or compatible, only expedient. Here are two comments from Haman’s wife Zeresh and his inner circle that appear just a chapter apart:

מגילת אסתר ה:יד

יד) וַתֹּ֣אמֶר לוֹ֩ זֶ֨רֶשׁ אִשְׁתּ֜וֹ וְכָל־אֹֽהֲבָ֗יו יַֽעֲשׂוּ־עֵץ֘ גָּבֹ֣הַּ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים אַמָּה֒ וּבַבֹּ֣קֶר | אֱמֹ֣ר לַמֶּ֗לֶךְ וְיִתְל֤וּ אֶֽת־מָרְדֳּכַי֙ עָלָ֔יו וּבֹ֧א־עִם־הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ אֶל־הַמִּשְׁתֶּ֖ה שָׂמֵ֑חַ וַיִּיטַ֧ב הַדָּבָ֛ר לִפְנֵ֥י הָמָ֖ן וַיַּ֥עַשׂ הָעֵֽץ:

Esther 5:14

14) And Zeresh his wife and all his friends said, "Let them make a gallows fifty cubits high, and in the morning say to the king that they should hang Mordecai on it, and go to the king to the banquet joyfully." The matter pleased Haman, and he made the gallows.

מגילת אסתר ו:יג

יג( וַיְסַפֵּ֨ר הָמָ֜ן לְזֶ֤רֶשׁ אִשְׁתּוֹ֙ וּלְכָל־אֹ֣הֲבָ֔יו אֵ֖ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר קָרָ֑הוּ וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֩ לּ֨וֹ חֲכָמָ֜יו וְזֶ֣רֶשׁ אִשְׁתּ֗וֹ אִ֣ם מִזֶּ֣רַע הַיְּהוּדִ֡ים מָרְדֳּכַ֞י אֲשֶׁר֩ הַֽחִלּ֨וֹתָ לִנְפֹּ֤ל לְפָנָיו֙ לֹֽא־תוּכַ֣ל ל֔וֹ כִּֽי־נָפ֥וֹל תִּפּ֖וֹל לְפָנָיו:

Esther 6:13

13) And Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and to all his friends all that had befallen him, and his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, "If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish stock, you will not prevail against him, but you will surely fall before him."

The first sentiment they suggested was to simply hang Mordechai since he stands in Haman’s way. Then Haman could really enjoy the king’s party. The second sentiment was that Mordechai cannot be overcome because he is Jewish. How could it be that on one day they encouraged Haman to build a public gallows to hang Mordechai, and on the next day they all agreed that it is impossible to prevail against Mordechai because he is a Jew? Bari Weiss helps us answer this question and carries our ancient story into modern times:

Bari Weiss - How to Fight Anti-Semitism

While racists or homophobes see themselves as punching down, anti-semites often see themselves as punching up. In the eyes of the racist, the person is inferior. In the eyes of the misogynist, the woman is something less than human. In the eyes of the anti-semite, the Jew is…everything. He’s whatever the anti-semite needs him to be.

Anti-semitism successfully turns the Jew into the symbol of whatever a given civilization defines as its most sinister and threatening qualities. When you look though this dark lens, you can understand how, under communism, the Jews were the capitalists. How under Nazism, Jews were race contaminators. And today, when the greatest sins are racism and colonialism, Israel, the Jew among the nations, is being demonized as the last bastion of white, racist colonialism, a unique source of evil not just in the region but in the world. Whatever role “the Jews” are needed for, well, that is the part they are forced to play. (p.32)

This is sadly a familiar narrative. Jews throughout history have been cast in the role of superhuman or subhuman. These roles are used for political purposes, for convenience, viewing the Jews as pawns for the powerful. This is an affront to our innate humanity, our basic human dignity, which is neither super or subpar. Pamela Peretsky observes another modern expression:

Pamela Peretsky - Critical Race Theory and the ‘Hyper-White’ Jew

Jews, who have never been seen as white by those for whom being white is a moral good, are now seen as white by those for whom whiteness is an unmitigated evil. This reflects the nature of antisemitism: No matter the grievance or the identity of the aggrieved, Jews are held responsible…

But if this is to change, it will take a concerted effort by Jewish leaders, individuals, and organizations to remind us all that we are not characters in others’ scripts. We are not required to play the parts that others have written. We can and we must reject any identity and any worldview that is inconsistent with our own past and our own social justice story. Jewish values and habits of mind are among the gifts of our heritage. Only when we are true to who we are and strive to be as Jews can we do our part to repair the world.

The story of Purim is about a woman of profound dignity and courage who flips the script. She refuses to limit herself to her assigned role. With intelligence, savvy, and Divine assistance, she masters the circumstances dictated to her by others. She faces down injustice and evil, averts genocide, and saves the Jewish people, restoring humanity to her kingdom.

מגילת אסתר ט:א

א) וּבִשְׁנֵים֩ עָשָׂ֨ר חֹ֜דֶשׁ הוּא־חֹ֣דֶשׁ אֲדָ֗ר בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁ֨ה עָשָׂ֥ר יוֹם֙ בּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִגִּ֧יעַ דְּבַר־הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ וְדָת֖וֹ לְהֵֽעָשׂ֑וֹת בַּיּ֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֨ר שִׂבְּר֜וּ אֹֽיְבֵ֤י הַיְּהוּדִים֙ לִשְׁל֣וֹט בָּהֶ֔ם וְנַֽהֲפ֣וֹךְ ה֔וּא אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשְׁלְט֧וּ הַיְּהוּדִ֛ים הֵ֖מָּה בְּשֹֽׂנְאֵיהֶֽם:

Esther 9:1

1) And in the twelfth month-which is the month of Adar-on the thirteenth day thereof, when the king's order and his edict drew near to be put into execution, on the day that the Jews' enemies looked forward to ruling over them, it was flipped, the Jews should rule over their enemies.

מגילת אסתר ט:כב

כב( כַּיָּמִ֗ים אֲשֶׁר־נָ֨חוּ בָהֶ֤ם הַיְּהוּדִים֙ מֵאֹ֣יְבֵיהֶ֔ם וְהַחֹ֗דֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר֩ נֶהְפַּ֨ךְ לָהֶ֤ם מִיָּגוֹן֙ לְשִׂמְחָ֔ה וּמֵאֵ֖בֶל לְי֣וֹם ט֑וֹב לַֽעֲשׂ֣וֹת אוֹתָ֗ם יְמֵי֙ מִשְׁתֶּ֣ה וְשִׂמְחָ֔ה וּמִשְׁלֹ֤חַ מָנוֹת֙ אִ֣ישׁ לְרֵעֵ֔הוּ וּמַתָּנ֖וֹת לָֽאֶבְיֹנִֽים:

Esther 9:22

22) As the days when the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month that was flipped for them from grief to joy and from mourning to a festive day-to make them days of feasting and joy, and sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

References

Peretsky, Pamela (2021). Critical Race Theory and the ‘Hyper-White’ Jew. Sapir, 1, 19-27. Retrieved from: https://sapirjournal.org/social-justice/2021/05/critical-race-theory-and-the-hyper-white-jew/

Rosenberg, A. (1980). A new English translation of the Hebrew Bible text and Rashi, with a commentary digest. New York: Judaica Press. Retrieved from: https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/

Steinsaltz, A., In Weinreb, T. H., In Schreier, J., & Hotsaat (2015). Koren Talmud Bavli, the Noe edition. Koren. Retrieved from: https://shas.alhatorah.org/Full/Megillah/14a.1#e0n6

Weiss, B. (2019). How to fight anti-Semitism. Crown.

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