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Megillas Esther ends by saying: וְדֹבֵר שָׁלוֹם לְכָל־זַרְעוֹ - and speaking peace to all his seed. I realize Rashi applies this to the previous clause, of all the nation, but perhaps there are interpretations that are not in accordance with this.

Did Mordechai have children? With whom? What information, if any, is available about them?

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    You're asking about Mordochay's children only according to views that the final pasuk of Ester is referring to such children?
    – msh210
    Jan 21, 2013 at 4:31
  • @msh210, yes, if any such views exist Jan 21, 2013 at 4:33
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    So -- just to be clear -- if Rashi talks about Mordochay's children somewhere, you don't want to know about it. Right?
    – msh210
    Jan 21, 2013 at 4:35
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    @msh210 +1 on your top comment just because I enjoyed seeing "Mordochay."
    – Fred
    Jan 21, 2013 at 4:44
  • @msh210 Rashi's different explanations are not necessarily interdependent.
    – Double AA
    Jan 21, 2013 at 5:04

3 Answers 3

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Megilla 13b says that Ester would "rise from the bosom of Achashverosh and immerse herself and sit in the bosom of Mordechai". Tosfos Harosh asks how this was permitted due to the law of "havchana" (the requirement for a women to abstain from relations for three months between husbands to identify the father), and explains that she utilized anti-contraceptive techniques to avert the problem. He then asks if so, how was Koresh born, and (according to one answer) explains that Koresh was in fact Mordechai's biological son, and was only referred to as Achashverosh'es son because he grew up in his house.

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  • Nice, but it would still be good to have a direct source for לְכָל; it can't mean all of his one child.
    – Fred
    Jan 21, 2013 at 5:02
  • @michoel see judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/13095/was-darius-jewish By the way, I think it's daryavesh and not koresh
    – response
    Jan 21, 2013 at 6:57
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    @response I was just quoting Tosfos Harosh who says Koresh. But see Rosh Hashana 3b that Koresh and Daryavesh are the same person.
    – Michoel
    Jan 21, 2013 at 7:22
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Chazal say (and the medrash brings this pasuk as a proof) that a person's students can be considered like his children. Thus וְדֹבֵר שָׁלוֹם לְכָל־זַרְעוֹ is referring to his students who are viewed as his children.

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If you want to discount Rashi you can simply say that זַרְעוֹ refers to Mordechai's descendants through Esther (whom the Megillah calls his daughter). She had a son, Daryavesh who would be Mordechai's grandson.

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  • Esther was Mordechai's daughter??
    – Double AA
    Jan 22, 2013 at 14:59
  • @DoubleAA that is what the words say וּבְמוֹת אָבִיהָ וְאִמָּהּ, לְקָחָהּ מָרְדֳּכַי לוֹ לְבַת
    – user2110
    Jan 22, 2013 at 15:20
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    So she's his adopted daughter...
    – Double AA
    Jan 22, 2013 at 16:32

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