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I had seen written that Mordechai left the king's palace (Esther 8:15) wearing teffilin. Can someone help me locate this source?

In this Shiur, https://alldaf.org/p/116885 he mentions in the beginning about the Gra and Chasam Sofer mentioning either that Mordechai couldn't have been wearing teffilin or that he was wearing teffilin when he left the palace. Can someone help me find the sources in the Gra and Chasam Sofer?

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  • Do you mean 8:16?
    – shmosel
    Commented May 3, 2023 at 20:12
  • No. 8:15. וּמׇרְדֳּכַ֞י יָצָ֣א ׀ מִלִּפְנֵ֣י הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ בִּלְב֤וּשׁ מַלְכוּת֙ תְּכֵ֣לֶת וָח֔וּר וַעֲטֶ֤רֶת זָהָב֙ גְּדוֹלָ֔ה וְתַכְרִ֥יךְ בּ֖וּץ וְאַרְגָּמָ֑ן וְהָעִ֣יר שׁוּשָׁ֔ן צָהֲלָ֖ה וְשָׂמֵֽחָה׃
    – The Targum
    Commented May 3, 2023 at 20:16
  • I edited my question with more information.
    – The Targum
    Commented May 3, 2023 at 20:24

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You can find the Gra here:

ועטרת זהב גדולה היא תפילין שבראש . ותכריך בוץ הם הרצועות שכורכין בהם . וארגמן הם תפילה של יד

There's a related Chasam Sofer here, but I'm not sure it's the one you're looking for.

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  • Good find! Interesting that he doesn't give a source. I haven't learned much Gra on Nakh. Is it typical for him to be mechadesh midrashim like that?
    – Avraham
    Commented May 3, 2023 at 21:00
  • @Avraham I'm not very familiar, but in the linked shiur he suggests that Mordechai would have worn Tefillin on that Pesach because it was a fast day so he was lacking the אות of matzah.
    – shmosel
    Commented May 3, 2023 at 21:14
  • Thank you for this Gr"a! that is a huge help! Now i need to find the Chasam Sofer that the Rabbi in the shiur is referencing.
    – The Targum
    Commented May 3, 2023 at 22:05
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To my knowledge, the earliest source of Mordechai's wearing tefillin is the Targum Rishon on Esther 8:15 which hints a form of תפילין של ראש in the description of Mordechai's golden crown:

וּמָרְדֳּכַ֞י יָצָ֣א מִלִּפְנֵ֣י הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ בִּלְב֤וּשׁ מַלְכוּת֙ תְּכֵ֣לֶת וָח֔וּר וַעֲטֶ֤רֶת זָהָב֙ גְּדוֹלָ֔ה

תרגום ראשון: לְעֵילָא מִנֵיהּ כְּלִילָא רַבָּא דְדַהֲבָא מוּקְדוֹנָא וּלְעֵילָא מִן כְּלִילָא טוֹטְפָן דְמַקְבְּעִין בְּדַהֲבָא דְיָדְעִין כָּל עַמְמַיָא אוּמַיָא וְלִישָׁנַיָא דִי הוּא מָרְדְכַי יְהוּדִי

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  • The Targum is saying that the טוֹטְפָן were above the crown.
    – IsraelReader
    Commented May 4, 2023 at 11:24
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    Correct. From a terse wording in the pasuk re: the crown, the Targum expands things to a fuller description of what was going on in and around the crown. One still might look at the tefillin as being the ultimate crown on top of the regular crown, or possibly a section of the crown apparatus. Also see the two page article here on pp. 31-32 beinenu.com/sites/default/files/alonim/669_15_82.pdf for a discussion re: this Targum on the kashrus of tefillin that were encased in gold.
    – EraserX
    Commented May 4, 2023 at 12:56
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In Ya’aros Devash of Rabbi Yonasan Eibshitz, Chelek 2 page 8c, it says that Mordechai wore his Tallis and Tefillin in public and even in the palace, based on the explanation of the Gemara (Megillah 12b) on why he was called “Yehudi”, - that he was ״מוכתר בנימוסו״ (crowned by his laws/customs) - and he explains that he was like Yehudah who was constantly adorned with his “stamp and fringes/cloak” (Beraishis 38:18) i.e. his Tallis and Tafillin

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Lemaseh, according to the Gr"a (https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=39741&st=&pgnum=38&hilite=)

and Ya'ros Devash (https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=32685&st=&pgnum=16)

(Here is the Chasam Sofer which says the golden crown of mordechai was "Gadol" since he wasnt wearing teffilin due to it being chol hamoed https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=21252&st=&pgnum=444&hilite= )

Mordechai was indeed wearing tefilin when he left the kings palace.

Thank you everyone who assisted with finding these sources!

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