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Why did the king just go along with Haman’s plot to murder all the Jews?

by Mrs. Dinka Kumer

  

Library » Holidays » Purim » The Story | Subscribe | What is RSS?

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King Ahasuerus was far from an innocent bystander.

Even before Haman entered the picture, Ahasuerus demonstrated his dastardly design to lead the Jews to their spiritual downfall by inviting them to his lavish feast, which they were forbidden to attend and where they would undoubtedly sin. He knew that his dominion over the Jewish people was dependent upon their rebelling against G-d; if they sinned, G-d would allow Ahasuerus to harshly rule over them, and this was the king's aim.

When Haman generously offered to buy his way into an ethnic cleansing on behalf of the king, Ahasuerus couldn’t have been more pleased. Any feigned innocence on the king’s part was exactly that—an elaborately designed act.

Why doesn’t the Megillah clearly paint Ahasuerus’ true colors for us to see? Since Mordechai and Esther wrote the Megillah during Ahasuerus’ life time, it was an obvious necessity to be discreet, though they managed to hide a good many hints about Ahasuerus’ nefarious nature in between the lines.


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Megillah
A scroll. Usually a reference to the Book of Esther, one of the books of the "Written Torah", which is read--from a scroll--on the holiday of Purim.
Haman
Descendant of anti-Semitic tribe of Amalek and prime minister of the Persian Empire in the 5th century b.c.e. Schemed to annihilate all the Jews, and the holiday of Purim was established when the plot was foiled.
Esther
1. Jewish wife of Persian King Ahasuerus in the 4th century BCE. Foiled the plot of Haman, the prime minister, to exterminate all the Jews. The holiday of Purim commemorates this miraculous salvation. 2. One of the 24 Books of the Bible, which chronicles the abovementioned story.
Ahasuerus
King of the Persian Empire in the 4th century BCE. Husband of Esther, heroine of the Purim story.
Mordechai
Cousin of Queen Esther, and Jewish leader in the 4th century BCE. Played a large role in saving the Jews after Haman, the Persian prime minister, plotted to exterminate them all. The holiday of Purim was established to commemorate this miracle.
G-d
It is forbidden to erase or deface the name of G-d. It is therefore customary to insert a dash in middle of G-d's name, allowing us to erase or discard the paper it is written on if necessary.