Megillas Esther 10:3 tells us that Mordechai was great among the Jews and accepted of the multitude of his brethren; "seeking the good of his people and speaking peace [v'dover shalom] to all his seed." What does the Megillah mean by v'dover shalom? Is the reference to "his seed" literal, or is it speaking of the entire nation, as context would suggest?
asked Feb 25, 2013 at 19:42
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3Rashi says the entire nation's seed (i.e. it means "all its seed," referring to the לעמו previously mentioned). Most translations to English say his own seed.– b aFeb 25, 2013 at 19:43
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1Possible duplicate of Did Mordechai have children?– Seth JFeb 25, 2013 at 19:45
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1@Sethj: They are not duplicates. ba is closer to where I am thinking -- that context suggests that Mordechai spoke peace to the entire community. But that really is only half of the issue; how did he convey words of peace? Did he urge tolerance for fellow Jews or the gentiles? On the other hand, I heard a tape from Rabbi Frand that cites this verse as an instruction for child rearing.– Bruce JamesFeb 25, 2013 at 20:16
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1 Answer
Rabbi Shlomo Kluger explains this posuk according to what the gemara writes about Hillel, that once he was going on his way and heard an outcry in the city, and he said: I am certain that this is not coming from my house.
The Maharsha explains that Hillel did not think of himself as a tzaddik and for this reason he was certain that there would not be any outcry in his house. What he meant was that he had taught his household that even if, G-d forbid, a mishap occurred to them, they should not cry out, but instead keep quiet and accept everything with joy, and bless Hashem for the bad in the same way that one blesses Hashem for the good.
One who teaches like Hillel did is called one who makes peace between Hashem and the one to whom the mishap occurred, G-d forbid, by teaching them that they should not complain about Hashem’s conduct and cry out, because then they would be making a quarrel between themselves and Hashem, but rather they should accept everything with joy and understand that the ways of Hashem are straight and everything that He does is for the good. Thus with this he is making peace between them and Hashem.
This is what the posuk is saying, “And speak peace to all his offspring” - to his offspring Mordechai would command that whatever happened to them, whether good or bad, they should remain peaceful with Hashem and not complain.
The full text can be found here.