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Someone related this question at the s'udas Purim:

Haman's decree was promulgated on the 13th of Nisan and would not take effect until the 13th of Adar following. Yet, Mord'chay urged Ester to seek redress from Achashverosh immediately. This would not be surprising, except that she had told him she had not been called to Achashverosh in a month, so was risking her life: why not wait until she would be called (which would surely happen with time to spare before Adar)?

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  • I've posted two answers, but welcome more. Any with a source would be especially great.
    – msh210 ♦
    Mar 21, 2011 at 4:18

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Malbim (to 4:13-14) writes (translation taken from The Malbim Esther, by R. Jonathan Taub (Feldheim, 1998)):

Mordechai informed Esther of several fundamental principles: ...

For any tragedy that befalls the Jews, there is a specific time and day ready for their deliverance by certain prepared means. If these means are not actualized, then the Omnipresent will prepare other means to save them.

...

Since Esther was granted her position as queen only in order to help the Jews, and since the date for their salvation had already been determined, if she did not act immediately she might miss the appointed time and the Almighty would use other agents to effect their deliverance.

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  • 1. Wasn't Ester a prophet? 2. {how] Does it justify to cancel Pesach? 3. "Omnipresent will prepare other means to save them." - why rush!
    – Al Berko
    Mar 23, 2019 at 23:27
  • @AlBerko 1. Just because someone’s a prophet doesn’t mean that they’re always prophesying. Just because Esther could prophesy doesn’t mean that Hashem gave her a prophecy. 2. ...you’ve asked that already. No need to bring it up here. 3. Did you even read the Megillah? “For if you remain quiet at a time like this, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish.”
    – DonielF
    Mar 24, 2019 at 14:25
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I suggested (no source):

The g'mara (12:2, with Rashi) notes that, had Achashverosh not sent out the decree that men rule their homes, the gentiles would have killed out the Jews long before Adar in their zeal to comply with the law to do so. Only because they questioned their king (because of the earlier law) did they forbear. So perhaps Mord'chay was worried that the gentiles would not wait for Adar.

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  • So Mordechai didn't know about the first letters?
    – AEML
    Feb 1, 2013 at 19:27
  • @EfraimMatityahu If this answer is correct, he didn't know the first letters would cause the gentiles to desist until Adar.
    – msh210 ♦
    Feb 1, 2013 at 20:39
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My father-in-law suggested (no source):

The Y'rushalmi (B'rachos 1:1) says "כך היא גאולתן של ישראל בתחילה קימאה קימאה", that redemption starts little by little (and the Jews' did at that time, what with the Bigsan story and all), so perhaps Mord'chay saw a need to start the process going although it was yet early.

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