Tagged Questions
5
votes
1answer
52 views
“Vashti the queen” vs. “Queen Vashti”
Is there a peshat difference between the usual wording,
“ושתי המלכה”
Vashti the queen
(or “אסתר המלכה” Esther the queen),
and the wording used twice in Chapter 1 (verses 12 and 15),
“המלכה ושתי”
the ...
2
votes
2answers
55 views
What's bothering Rashi about the messengers delivering the king's decree in Esther 4:3?
Megillath Esther (4:3) states that
in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and ...
3
votes
1answer
122 views
Why was Esther afraid to go to the King the second time, but not the first time?
When Mordechai told Esther that two of the King's guards were plotting to kill him, she went right away to tell the king directly.
Yet when Mordechai later asked her to approach the king to save all ...
5
votes
1answer
77 views
How did Achashverosh not think that Mordechai would be disturbed by the decree to kill all the Jews?
In the book of Ester (6:1), Achashverosh can't sleep and asks to bring the book of records to him. Rashi says that the reason why is in case he was done a favor by someone and didn't repay it and that ...
10
votes
4answers
194 views
Why didn't Mordechai keep Mitzvos — serious edition
It says in the Megilla "ויאמרו עבדי המלך אשר בשער המלך למרדכי מדוע אתה עובר את מצות המלך" - "The servants of the King (who were in the King's gates) asked Mordechai 'Why do you go against the command ...
11
votes
3answers
135 views
So should be done unto the man
The verse in Esther 6:11 describing Haman's pulling Mordochai on the streets says:
כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרוֹ
So shall it be done unto the man whom the king ...
7
votes
1answer
81 views
Did Esther eat at the first feast she made for the king and Haman?
Esther 5:1,5:4 says that Esther made the first feast on the third day of the fast.
Earlier (4:16), Esther tells Mordechai that she will also fast for three days.
Did she eat at the feast, or was ...
10
votes
1answer
95 views
Why not “Where is Achashverosh in the Torah”?
In Chullin 139b, the Gemara asks about hints in the Torah for several of the figures in the Megillah, and provides answers:
"Where is {Haman, Esther, Mordechai} hinted at in the Torah?" ...
10
votes
3answers
217 views
Why did Achashveirosh take Esther if she was already married?
According to the opinion that Queen Esther was married to Mordechai.
Achashveirosh was looking for unmarried girls (Esther 2:2–4). Why did he take a married woman? Especially considering that Queen ...
12
votes
4answers
126 views
Would Esther really have kept silent?
In Esther 7:4 we read
וְאִלּוּ לַעֲבָדִים וְלִשְׁפָחוֹת נִמְכַּרְנוּ, הֶחֱרַשְׁתִּי--כִּי אֵין הַצָּר שֹׁוֶה, בְּנֵזֶק הַמֶּלֶךְ ...
... But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I ...
2
votes
2answers
130 views
Achashverosh — was he or wasn't he?
I'm looking to gather some more background, context, sources and opinions, regarding Achashverosh's Jewishness, or lack thereof.
This was inspired by a recent similar question, and, in fact, much of ...
5
votes
5answers
424 views
Mordechai - Religious Leader or Political figure?
I'm looking to gather some more background, context, sources and opinions, regarding Mordechai's religiousness, or lack thereof.
This was the topic of a recent comment thread on Was Darius ...
4
votes
1answer
82 views
wine from his country
The g'mara (M'gila 12a) says that the drinking at Achashverosh's party's being described as "no forcing" means that everyone was given wine from his own country (so he'd be accustomed to it, according ...
4
votes
2answers
75 views
“The drinking was according to doctrine, no forcing.” — Forcing to drink, or forcing to stop drinking?
The party is described at the beginning of the book of Esther as having drinking with "ein oness" -- "there was none forcing."
I'd always heard (assumed?) that meant no one would force you to drink ...
5
votes
3answers
111 views
In the book of Esther, was Haman plotting to kill/overthrow Ahasueros?
At first reading, Haman is very powerful and wants to use that power to kill the Jews, but he's not actually interested in harming his boss, King Ahasueros ("Achashveirosh" to most of us), in any way. ...
