Purim celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people, in the year 3405 from Creation (356 bce), from Haman's plot "to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day."

Haman was prime minister to the Persian emperor Achashverosh. Enraged that Mordechai the Jew "would not bow or prostate himself before him," Haman argued before Achashverosh that "one people, scattered and divided in all provinces of your realm, whose laws are different from those of all peoples" ought not be allowed to exist. Endorsed by an emperor whose dominion extended from India to Ethiopia, Haman's decree boded the physical destruction of every Jew alive on the face of the earth at that time.

Mordechai rallied the Jews to repentance, and gathered 22,000 Jewish children with whom he prayed and studied Torah to awaken G-d's mercy. He also sent word to his cousin, Esther, who had been chosen by Achashverosh as his queen several years earlier, to appeal to the king. At great risk to her own life, Queen Esther engineered Haman's downfall at a private wine-party to which she invited the king and the minister. She prevailed upon Achashverosh to hang Haman and to issue a second decree, empowering the Jews to defend themselves against those who sought to destroy them.

On the 13th of Adar--the day selected by Haman's pur (lottery)--numerous battles were fought throughout the empire between the Jews and those who attempted to carry out Haman's decree (which was never actually revoked). The following day, Adar 14, became a day of feasting and rejoicing in celebration of the Jews' victory over their enemies. In the ancient walled capital, Shushan, where the battle went on for two days, the victory celebration was held on Adar 15.

Mordechai and Esther instituted that these two days should be observed for posterity as the festival of Purim, Adar 15 in walled cities, and Adar 14 in unwalled towns by public readings of the story of the miracle as recorded in the "Scroll of Esther," sending food portions to friends, giving gifts of money to the poor, and enjoying a festive meal accompanied with inebriating drink (recalling the fateful wine-party at which Esther turned Achashverosh against Haman).

A time-honored Purim custom is for children to dress up and disguise themselves--an allusion to the fact that the miracle of Purim was disguised in seemingly natural events. This is also the significance behind a traditional Purim food, the hamantash--a pastry whose filling is hidden within a three-cornered crust. The day before Purim is "The Fast of Esther," in commemoration of the fasts of Esther and her people as they prayed for G-d's salvation from Haman's decree.

Achashverosh Ascends the Throne of Persia
"And it came to pass in the days of Achashverosh..."¹  

More than two thousand years ago (in the year 3392 after the creation of the world), King Achashverosh (Ahasuerus) ascended the throne of Persia. He was not the rightful heir to the Persian throne, but he succeeded in impressing the populace with his riches and power, and he established his government throughout all Persian territories. He waged many successful wars, until he ruled over a vast kingdom of 127 countries, extending from India to Ethiopia.

The people of Persia, already in awe of King Achashverosh's wealth, were further impressed when he married Vashti. She was the daughter of the Babylonian King, Belshazzar, and the granddaughter of Nebuchadnezzar, the powerful world ruler. The people now firmly believed that the Nebuchadnezzar dynasty was destined to rule forever.

King Achashverosh proceeded to rule with an iron hand, never hesitating to persecute those he suspected of treason.

Many years before, King Cyrus of Persia issued a royal edict which permitted the Jews to rebuild the Bet Hamikdash - the Holy Temple, in Jerusalem.

The sly enemies of Yehudah - the Samaritans and the Ammonites - who led a movement to abolish the edict of King Cyrus, now took advantage of the situation. They bribed the Persian governors who ruled over Yehudah and the neighboring countries, to spread the rumor throughout the Persian court that the Jews intended, with the rebuilding of their Temple, to rebel and free themselves entirely from Persian rule.

Knowing that no law could be nullified without the consent of the king, these unscrupulous Samaritans decided to lie. They declared that the Jews were not only rebuilding the Temple, but that they were also reconstructing around the city the fortress walls that had been destroyed by the Babylonian conqueror, King Nebuchadnezzar.

Since the rebuilding of the fortifications of Jerusalem was forbidden by the decree of King Cyrus, the Samaritans claimed that there was sufficient reason for repealing the edict that had allowed the Jews to start rebuilding the Temple.

Yet they were frightened to tell an untruth that might be easily discovered, and even more frightened at the thought of the consequences when the source of the falsehood would be traced to them.

So they contrived a clever scheme by which they could not be held responsible for the false accusations. As the original accusation was written in the language of the Samaritans, they bribed the corrupt secretaries of the King who were to translate it, to add the words "fortress-walls" to the manuscript which spoke of the Temple. Thus, if caught, it would seem an accidental error in the translation.

The two secretaries who presented the document to the King were Rachum and Shamshi,² both of whom felt bitter hatred for the Jews. The scheme proved successful, and the Jews were ordered to halt the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

King Solomon's Throne
"In those days, as King Achashverosh was about to sit upon the throne of the Kingdom..." ³

As soon as Achashverosh proclaimed himself King of Persia, he decided to use King Solomon's throne, which had been captured from Jerusalem, as his own.

King Solomon's throne was the most wonderful throne that any king ever sat upon. It was fashioned of ivory and covered with gold. It was set with rubies, sapphires, emeralds and other precious stones that shone with the most brilliant, the most dazzling, the most fascinating hues and colors.

Six steps led to the seat, and each step served to remind the king of one of the six special commandments that the kings of Israel were commanded to observe.

On the side, rising over the throne stood an exquisite Menorah of pure gold decorated with golden cups, knobs, flowers, blossoms and petals. On each side of the Menorah seven branches turned upwards. On the branches of one side were engraved the names of the seven fathers of the world: Adam, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, with Iyov (Job) in the center. On the other seven branches of the Menorah the names of the most pious men were engraved: Levi, Kehot and Amram, Moshe and Aaron, Eldad and Medad, with Chur in the center.

On each side of the throne there was a special golden chair, one for the High Priest, and one for the Segan (assistant High Priest), surrounded by seventy golden chairs for the seventy elders of the Sanhedrin (Supreme Court Judges). Twenty-four golden vines formed a huge canopy above the throne.

When King Solomon stepped upon the throne, a mechanism was set in motion. As soon as he stepped upon the first step, the golden ox and the golden lion each stretched out one foot to support him and help him rise to the next step. On each side, the animals helped the King up until he was comfortably seated upon the throne. No sooner was he seated than a golden eagle brought the great crown and held it just above King Solomon's brow, so that it should not weigh heavily on his head.

Thereupon the golden dove flew over the Holy Ark and brought out a tiny scroll of the Torah and placed it in King Solomon's lap, in accordance with the commandment of the Torah that the Torah shall always be with the king and should guide him in his reign over the Jewish People.

A time-honored Purim custom is for children to dress up and disguise themselves--an allusion to the fact that the miracle of Purim was disguised in seemingly natural events

King Solomon's throne was the talk of all the reigning kings and princes. They came to marvel at its wonders and admire its beauty.

Many years later, when King Pharaoh-Necheh invaded the land of Yehudah, he carried away this wonderful throne, but when he set his foot on the first step, the golden lion gave him such a kick in the thigh that he toppled over and remained a cripple for life. That is why he was named Necheh, "the lame one."

Still later, when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple and subsequently conquered Egypt as well, he carried the throne away to Babylon. But when he tried to ascend it, the lion threw him over, and he did not venture to sit on it again.

Later, King Darius of Persia conquered Babylon and carried the throne with him to Media.

Now when Achashverosh tried to ascend the throne, he too got a kick in the pants and toppled down. Achashverosh did not try to sit on it again. Instead he sent for a team of great Egyptian engineers and ordered them to construct for him a throne similar to King Solomon's. For nearly three years the great Egyptian masters worked on a throne for the King, and at last they completed it. On this occasion Achashverosh ordered a great feast.

The Royal Feast
"In the third year of his reign he made a feast..."⁴  
 
Being a usurper, King Achashverosh was constantly seeking new ways to strengthen his kingdom and to become popular with his subjects and with the powerful Persian statesmen who surrounded his court.

One of the important moves in this direction was to transfer his capital from Babylon to Shushan in Persia.

But even more important was his royal feast, which lasted one hundred and eighty days, nearly half a year. To this feast he invited representatives from all the nations of his vast empire. Then at the end of the half-year, he made a special seven-day feast for the entire populace of Shushan. At this feast, designed especially to win the favor of the masses, common men were given seats of honor, and their slightest request was immediately granted.

There was an old Persian custom (of great benefit to the brewers and vintners) of providing at every important repast

a huge goblet of wine, nearly five-eighths of a bucket, which every guest was required to drink to the bottom. But King Achashverosh, who wanted to satisfy everyone, disregarded this custom, because he was unwilling to impose upon any of his guests, or force them to do anything against their will.

G-d, seeing this, said, "You conceited fool! How can you seek to satisfy everyone? When two ships are sailing in opposite directions, one needing a south wind, and the other needing a north wind, can a human being make one wind speed both of them on their way? Tomorrow two men will come to you, Mordechai and Haman, and you will not be able to please both of them. You will need to exalt the one and debase the other. Only G-d alone can satisfy everyone."

King Achashverosh had become somewhat disturbed at having stopped the reconstruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

He became especially worried when the seventy years of exile, that had been predicted by the Jewish prophets approached their end. He was afraid that the restoration of the Jewish commonwealth and the rebuilding of their Temple in Jerusalem might shake the foundations of his world empire. So he anxiously waited for the end of those seventy years.

According to Achashverosh's reckoning, the seventy years of the Jews' exile were to end in the third year of his reign. When that time came and nothing happened, he became very jubilant, believing that now the Jews would remain his subjects, without ever regaining power and independence.

Like all other nations, the Jews also were invited to attend the King's feast. This was Haman's plan; he saw an opportunity of luring the Jews into eating non Kosher food and then using G-d's momentary anger at His people for the persecution and destruction of the Jews which he had been planning.

Mordechai, the great Jewish leader at that time, was aware of this sly scheme. He exhorted the Jews to avoid the palace and thus avert G-d's anger. The vast majority of the Jews followed his advice, but many Jews did not heed his words of caution. They went to the feast at the palace. To their consternation they discovered the holy vessels of the Temple on the King's tables, and they drew back. But the King quickly commanded his servants to set up tables especially for the Jews. The Jewish guests swallowed their pride and remained for the feast, eating and drinking the non kosher food and wine, and making merry like the other guests.

And G-d, whose anger was aroused by His people's disobedience, decreed in Heaven that His people should suffer the full weight of the wicked Haman's persecution, until they returned to G-d wholeheartedly and would then be saved.

The Death Verdict
"And Queen Vashti refused to appear..."⁵  
 
Shabbat was the last day of the great seven day feast in the King's palace. While pious Jews everywhere ceased working, and spent the day in prayer and Torah study, the wild revels at the palace did not abate. The King, his tongue loosened by wine, began to boast of his riches, of his vast empire, and then of Vashti, his queen, whose extraordinary beauty and wondrous charm surpassed those of all other women. Made reckless by the intoxicating liquors he imbibed, one of the guests challenged the King to prove the truth of his words and allow Vashti to display her beauty before the guests. The King immediately sent for Vashti, his queen, to appear before his guests.

In Vashti's heart burned a vicious hate for the Jews, which she had acquired from her grandfather, King Nebuchadnezzar. She delighted in tormenting Jewish children by sending for them on Shabbat and forcing them to perform all sorts of demeaning tasks. When the King sent for her, she cried indignantly, "Am I to be sent for like a common slave, a mere servant girl?" and she boldly refused to do the King's bidding to come to the banquet hall.

King Achashverosh was enraged. He called upon the wise men of his kingdom to pass sentence upon Vashti for her disobedience. But all were afraid to answer. All, with the exception of one Haman, then an obscure official by the name of Memuchan, the lowest ranking official present. He advised the King to have Vashti executed, as her disgraceful act would have far reaching consequences. And so Vashti was executed for her rebelliousness. But it was not a mere coincidence that the cruel Vashti was executed on the very day of Shabbat; it was the penalty she paid for the suffering she had inflicted upon the Jewish children on the holy day of Shabbat.

Mordechai and Esther
"A Jewish man lived in the capital of Shushan..."⁶   

Vashti was no more, and the King needed a new queen. The King ordered a search throughout his kingdom for a fitting wife. All the beautiful daughters of the country were brought to the palace so that the King might choose one whom he desired for a wife in place of Vashti.

Mordechai, who lived in the capital city of Shushan (Susa), dreaded the moment when the King's men might come knocking on his door in search of a possible queen. For he was in charge of a very charming and good hearted cousin named Esther, or Hadassah. As Esther was an orphan, her cousin Mordechai brought her up.

To most parents it would have been a rare honor and a great privilege to have a daughter married to the King. But Mordechai feared the day when Esther would be called to the palace. He knew that he could not hide her successfully for long, and finally, the authorities heard of Esther and came to take her to the royal palace.

The Plot That Failed
"In those days ... two of the king's chamberlains sought to lay hands on the King Achashverosh..."⁷  

After Esther was chosen queen of Persia she asked the King why he had not chosen for himself a Jewish adviser, as other Kings had done. She reminded him that even the mighty Nebuchadnezzar had a Jewish adviser, the prophet Daniel. The King replied that he did not know of any Jew who was worthy of being his adviser.

"There is Mordechai," said Esther, "wise, pious and loyal."

Mordechai thus became adviser to the King.

One day, Mordechai overheard in the court a conversation between two of the King's attendants, Bigtan and Teresh. He learned that they planned to poison the King because he had deposed them from their rank as chief chamberlains and subordinated them to Mordechai. They wanted everybody to believe that so long as they took care of the King, he was safe, but as soon as a Jew was appointed the King was poisoned!

Although they were Tartians and spoke in their native tongue, Mordechai, who was a member of the Sanhedrin and therefore required to understand all languages, had no difficulty in understanding their conversation. He told Esther of the wicked plot. Esther, in turn, informed the King of it in Mordechai's name. When the King requested his usual drink after his afternoon rest, the unsuspecting attendants, Bigtan and Teresh, brought him his drink containing the poison they has put in it. The poison was immediately discovered in the cup, and the two were condemned to die. Thereupon it was recorded in the Royal Book of Chronicles that Mordechai had saved the King's life.  

Although Esther was by no means the most beautiful of all the assembled maidens, the King preferred her above all the others. When Esther found out that she was destined to be queen, she surrounded herself with faithful Jewish servants who provided her with kosher food and did not betray the fact that she was a Jewess -- for Mordechai had told her to keep her ancestry a secret until the day came for her to reveal it.

Thus Esther became the new queen. Esther did not tell the King that she was Jewish. All he knew was that she was an orphan. Each day, Mordechai would come to the palace to obtain news of Esther. He regarded Esther's lot as very unfortunate but found consolation in the thought that perhaps Esther was chosen by G-d, for her true devotion to Him, to help the Jewish nation in time of need. Mordechai began to feel that a dark cloud was looming upon the horizon, boding trouble for his brethren.

The New Prime Minister
"After these things did King Achashversoh promote Haman..."⁸  
 
 
The wicked Haman was a descendant of the implacable enemy of the Jewish people, Amalek, and was the wealthiest man of his time. He had dishonestly acquired his riches by seizing the treasures of the Kings of Yehudah. King Achashverosh, who was greatly impressed by Haman's fabulous wealth, appointed him Prime Minister. Then the King issued an order commanding everyone in the palace to bow down in deference to Haman.

Now Haman wore on his chest an image of the idol he worshipped. Mordechai refused to bow before Haman, despite the many warnings he had received from various officials. When Haman himself reprimanded him for not extending to him the honor which was bestowed upon him by the King, Mordechai answered: I am a Jew, and would never bow down to any human being wearing the image of a pagan idol on his chest.

Mordechai and Haman had occasion to meet before under very different circumstances. It happened many years before, in the days of King Cyrus, when the Jews had just begun to rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem. At that time there lived a certain tribe in Samaria whom King Sancherib had settled there after leading away many Jews into exile. These Samaritans partly accepted the Jewish faith, but did not fully identify themselves with the Jewish people and the Torah. Now, that the special royal decree issued by King Cyrus permitted the Jews to rebuild their Temple, they wanted to be partners in it. But the Jews did not want to have anything to do with them. The Samaritans therefore tried to do everything possible to hinder the Jews in the fulfillment of their cherished ambition. When force was met with force, bringing the Samaritans no satisfaction, they turned to the royal house in Persia with an accusation to the effect that the Jews were not merely rebuilding the Temple, but were also organizing themselves to rebel against the Persian rule.

According to Achashverosh's reckoning, the seventy years of the Jews' exile were to end in the third year of his reign

The two delegates set out on their way to Persia at the same time. As their way took them through a desert they brought with them provisions for the journey. Haman, who was greedy, ate his all at once, while Mordechai allowed enough to remain for the whole journey. Soon Haman became very hungry and begged Mordechai to share the remainder of his fare with him. At first, Mordechai refused his request, but later, he relented on the condition that Haman agree to become Mordechai's slave. As they had no paper to upon which to write a contract, Haman wrote the following pledge upon the sole of Mordechai's shoe: "I, Haman the Agagite, have sold myself to Mordechai as his slave in consideration of bread."

Since then Haman could never forgive Mordechai for his humiliation, and he was in constant dread lest Mordechai enforce his slave claim over him.

Mordechai, of course, never dreamed of doing it. Later, however, when Haman became Prime Minister, and demanded that Mordechai bow down to him, Mordechai would merely remove his shoe and wave it at him. Haman had to hold his tongue and keep silent. The enraged Haman swore he would destroy Mordechai and all the Jews.

Haman's Scheme
"Said Haman to King Achashverosh: 'There is one people...'"⁹   

It did not take the sly Haman very long to work out a scheme by which he hoped to destroy all the Jews in the 127 provinces of King Achashverosh, and among them his most hated enemy Mordechai.

Haman lost no time in compiling a long list of false accusations against the Jews, intermingled with a few truths and half-truths to make it appear genuine to the foolish King.

Haman came to the King and told him that the people were getting restless, and that it was necessary to give them some diversion. "The time is now ripe," Haman said, "for persecuting the Jews."

"But," said the King timidly, "they have a powerful G-d, and perhaps I will suffer the same fate as Nebuchadnezzar and other Kings who caused harm to the Jews?"

"Oh, they have long deserted their G-d,'' replied Haman.

"But are there not among them any pious and devoted Jews?" continued the King.

"They are all alike, one is no better than the other," Haman replied.

"They are scattered over the entire Kingdom and their elimination would not be noticed," answered Haman readily.

Haman thereupon proceeded to slander and malign the Jews before the King: "They keep themselves apart from everyone; they live amongst themselves, and eat and drink amongst themselves. They do not mingle with the rest of the people and do not marry our daughters. They are good for nothing and lazy for they are forever observing days of rest: Shabbat, Pesach, Shavuot, Succot and many others."

Hearing this, G-d said, "You wicked man! Because you complain of the many holidays the Jews celebrate, I will give them yet another one, which they will celebrate over your downfall! "

Haman offered the King ten thousand silver pieces to offset any financial loss that the persecution of the Jews might entail.

But the King smiled and said, "Keep the money and take the Jews as well. Do with them as you wish."

To show that he really meant it, King Achashverosh removed his signet ring from his finger, and handed it to Haman the Agagite, thus investing him with absolute power.

The wicked Haman now had a free hand. He alone could issue decrees and orders concerning the fate of the Jews. They were completely at his mercy. Haman gloated over his new success.

He wasted no time in carrying out his evil designs. He sent for the King's scribes without delay, and commanded them to prepare two royal decrees addressed to all the King's ambassadors and governors in all the one hundred twenty seven provinces.

The first decree was an open order to all the governors of the provinces, to arm the population for the thirteenth of Adar, when they should rise to a man and massacre "a certain group of harmful people." The identity of this group was contained in the second decree, which was a sealed order not to be opened before the thirteenth day of Adar.

In this sealed order the decree was clearly spelled out. The people of Persia should attack and kill all the Jews, young and old, women and children, wherever they might be found in the vast Persian Empire.

Both decrees were duly signed, sealed and delivered posthaste to the various governors of the provinces. They bore the impression of the King's royal signet and could not be revoked.

The sly Haman had taken every precaution to keep his plan secret, so that the Jews would be taken completely by surprise and would not be in a position to avert their doom. Haman rubbed his hands with evil satisfaction and left the palace to tell his wicked wife, Zeresh, of his clever scheme.

Mordechai, who was standing outside the gates of the royal palace, noticed the expression of glee on Haman's wicked face. He knew that the wicked Haman had something up his sleeve. He stopped three Jewish school children coming out of school, and asked them to quote to him from what they had learned that day.

Said one: "Do not fear sudden terror, nor of the destruction of the wicked when it comes."¹⁰

Said the second: "Contrive a scheme, but it will be foiled; conspire a plot but it will not materialize; for G-d is with us."¹¹

Said the third: "Even to your old age I am with you; even to your hoary years will I sustain you; I have made you, and I will bear you; I will sustain and deliver you."¹²

Mordechai's face lit up, and he lovingly embraced the children.

Haman, witnessing the scene, became curious.

"What did the children tell you, Mordechai, that made you so happy?" asked Haman.

"They told me good tidings, bless them; they told me to have no fear of your evil designs . . . " Mordechai answered triumphantly.

Haman flew into a rage. "I will get even with the Jewish children first!" he roared, shaking his hand at them menacingly.

Mordechai in Action
"And Mordechai new all that was done..."¹³   

That night, the Prophet Eliyahu - that wonderful protector who appears in time of distress to warn the Jewish people of impending danger - appeared to Mordechai in his dream and revealed to him Haman's wicked plans.

Eliyahu further revealed to Mordechai that this menace was a punishment for the Jews' disobedience of the Torah in partaking of King Achashverosh's feast. Only complete repentance by all the Jews, he told him, could save them from Haman's sword.

When Mordechai awoke, he rent his clothes and went out into the city in mourning, weeping with a loud and bitter cry that aroused all the Jews of Shushan. The sad tidings spread throughout the city, and the Jews were filled with great and overwhelming sorrow, for they knew that they were all doomed to perish on the thirteenth day of Adar.

Clothed in sackcloth, and with ashes on his head, Mordechai came to the gate of the palace. Esther's faithful servants hastened to tell the Queen of Mordechai's great distress, and she became quite disturbed. Wishing to learn from Mordechai himself the reason for his distress, Esther sent Mordechai a change of clothing, and bade him come in to tell her what happened, for he could not enter the palace dressed in sackcloth.

Mordechai, however, refused to take off his sackcloth. Instead, he sent word to Esther through her faithful servant Hatach, with a copy of the royal decree, which was now made public in Shushan. Mordechai begged her to appeal to the King in behalf of her people.

"It is clear," Mordechai said, "that you were chosen as Queen so that you might be of service to your people just in such a fateful day. The time has come for you to reveal your nationality to the King, and to plead with him to save his loyal Jewish subjects, about whom the arrogant Haman has been deceiving him."

Esther sent word back to Mordechai: "I am ready to do all I can, dear cousin, but you surely know of the royal order, initiated by Haman, that anyone entering the King's inner court uninvited shall be put to death except when the King holds out his golden scepter. Unfortunately, I have not been in the King's favor recently, nor have I been invited to the King for the past thirty days! How can I be sure that the King will be pleased to see me, and hold out his scepter to me? Of course, I am not afraid to die for my people, but surely nothing would be gained if I shall have died in vain?"

The Fast of Esther
"Said Esther: ... 'Gather all the Jews ... and fast for me ... I and my maidens shall fast likewise."¹⁴   

Esther now fully realized the grave danger facing the entire Jewish people. Yes, she would gladly risk her life for her people. But what a hopeless situation! Even if her life were spared and her pleas accepted by the King, the decree which bore the King's own signet would remain irrevocable. Even the King himself could not nullify them! What a slim chance there was for her poor attempt to succeed! Yet, Mordechai was right; there was no alternative, and Esther was resolved that she would not fail her people in their hour of need.
Esther had but one request to make of Mordechai:

"Gather all the Jews of Shushan, young and old alike, and fast and pray on my behalf for three days, until their pleas will reach Heaven and G-d will have mercy on us. Here in the palace, I and my maidens will fast and pray likewise, for nothing but a miracle of G-d can save our people. After the three days, I will go to the King despite the law, and if I perish, I perish . . . ."

It was difficult for Mordechai to grant Esther's wise and just request, for the fast would coincide with the feast of Passover, but as the fate of the entire Jewish people hung in the balance, Mordechai readily announced the fast.

All the Jews living in all the one hundred twenty seven provinces of the Persian Empire eventually accepted the fast. In the meantime, wherever Haman's decree was proclaimed by order of the King, all Jews responded with great mourning and fasting, weeping and wailing, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. Thus a movement of sincere repentance swept the Jewish communities throughout the Persian Empire.

In Shushan, Mordechai gathered around him the Jewish children from all the Jewish schools. Sitting in sackcloth and ashes, in the manner of mourners, the children raised their voices in weeping and prayer to G-d day and night.

When G-d saw those innocent children and heard their heartbreaking prayers, He was filled with mercy. "For the sake of the children, I will save My people," He said.

To most parents it would have been a rare honor and a great privilege to have a daughter married to the King. But Mordechai feared the day when Esther would be called to the palace

Haman's cruel heart did not soften. "Your prayers will be of no avail," Haman mocked them. "Nothing can save you now!" And he ordered his men to place the children in chains and keep guard over them. "The children shall be the first to die!"

Heartbroken, the mothers rushed to their children, bringing them food and water. But the brave little children swore that they would rather perish in the fast. "We shall remain here with our dear Mordechai until we are torn from him by force," they declared.

At that moment, twelve thousand Jewish Kohanim, priests, each one holding a scroll of the Torah in one hand and a Shofar in the other, raised their voices with prayers and supplications to the Almighty:

"0 G-d of Israel!" they cried, "If Your chosen people perish, who will study Your Torah? Who will praise Your holy name? Answer us, 0 G-d, answer us!"

Then each one blew his shofar. The sound of the shofar joined with the supplications of the children, and pierced the very Heavens...

Esther Intercedes With The King
"And it came to pass on the third day that Esther put on her royal apparel, and appeared in the inner court of the palace..."¹⁵  
 
During the three days of her fast, Esther ceaselessly prayed to G-d to grant her success in her attempt to save her people. On the third day, she mustered all her courage and made her way to the throne room.

On the way she felt divinely inspired, and though weak and pale from the prolonged fast, she boldly ignored the King's bodyguard and entered the throne room. The King was on his throne surrounded by his attendants.

Among the King's attendants were Haman's sons and followers. They could scarcely disguise their glee at seeing Queen Esther enter the throne room uninvited. If only the King would ignore the unbidden guest, Esther would be no more....

Just then the King saw Esther, standing at the entrance. She looked very pale and troubled, but there was something about her face that made her look like an angel.

Achashverosh eagerly extended to her his golden scepter, and Esther, overcome with relief and hope, drew near and touched the top of the scepter.

Greatly surprised at Esther's unexpected visit, the King asked her affectionately:

"What troubles you, my dear Queen Esther, and what is your request? Even to the half of my Kingdom, it shall be granted to you."

Esther, did not see a favorable opportunity to speak to the King of her true intention just then. So she merely asked the King if he would come to a banquet she had prepared especially for the King and his Prime Minister, Haman.

The King immediately granted her request, and sent for Haman to appear at the banquet.

Esther had many reasons for inviting Haman to the banquet instead of inviting the King alone. The most important reason was that she did not want the Jews to rely solely on her, but to constantly remember that their true salvation lay with G-d, and with Him alone. When they would hear that she made a banquet in this hour of distress and invited their greatest enemy, Haman, they would begin to doubt her loyalty. They would then turn to G-d with even greater earnestness and more fervent prayers than before. In addition, Esther also wanted to allay any fear or suspicion on Haman's part that she was plotting against him. For Haman might then have instigated an open revolt to depose the King. Finally, Esther planned for an opportunity to arouse the King's suspicion and anger against his treacherous Prime Minister, and thereby cause his immediate downfall.

Zeresh's Advice
"Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, 'Let a gallow be built fifty cubits high..."¹⁶

Haman was overjoyed at the special attention and honor Queen Esther had bestowed upon him. "Even the queen recognizes my importance! Who can compare to me in power and wealth!" he boasted.

But as he left the palace he met Mordechai at the gate. Mordechai defied him as usual by not doing him homage, and Haman's anger rose just as his good spirits had risen a moment before. Haman quickly consoled himself with the thought that his revenge was certain and near.

Haman rushed home and called a great family conference. When all his sons, wives, and advisers were assembled in his palatial home, Haman began to boast of all the honors that had been given him. "Look, even Queen Esther invited no other minister but me to her banquet with the King, and I am invited again tomorrow to dine with the King and Queen! Yet what are all these honors to me so long as Mordechai, the Jew, sits at the King's gate and never bows down to me? I cannot wait for the thirteenth of Adar any longer!"

Calling upon his relatives and friends to think of some way of disposing of the hated Mordechai without delay, Haman cautioned them:

"We must devise a plan that has never been defeated before, for their G-d always sends a miracle to rescue His devoted Jews. Beheading Mordechai will not do, for did not Pharaoh try to kill Moses by the sword, yet Moses's neck turned into stone! Nor will drowning be any good, for the Jews walked through the Red Sea on dry land, the waters having parted for them. Should we want to gore his eyes out, let's not forget what a blind Samson did to the Philistines! Equally useless would it be to burn Mordechai at the stake, for it was not so long ago that the three Jewish ministers of Nebuchadnezzar, Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah, walked out of the fiery furnace unscathed. Personally, I should have liked to see Mordechai torn to shreds by hungry lions, but everybody knows that the Jewish prophet Daniel went out of the lion's den unharmed and saw his adversaries thrown into it and torn to bits in his stead. So now, my wise men, think hard, and devise an execution that has never before been prevented by the Jewish G-d."

A deep silence ensued for a moment, as all racked their brains to come up with a terrible death for Mordechai. Then Haman's wife, Zeresh, whose cruelty was surpassed only by her husband's, exclaimed triumphantly:

"Let us hang Mordechai! I know of no Jew that has ever been saved from the gallows. Now, let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning go to the King and ask his permission to hang Mordechai thereon. Surely the King will grant you such a little favor! And then you can go merrily with the King to the banquet!"

Haman was delighted, and he wasted no time in erecting the gallows, fifty cubits high, in his own courtyard.

"On that night the King's sleep was disturbed . . "

That Fateful Night

On that night there was a great clamor in Heaven. The tears and prayers of the distressed Jews, their sincere repentance and true remorse, broke through all the gates of Heaven. The angels, in great consternation, asked one another, "Is G-d truly going to destroy the world?"

No one slept that night. Mordechai and the Jews spent the whole night in prayer and supplication to the Almighty. Esther was busy preparing for the banquet for the King and Haman; even the wicked Haman did not sleep that night, for he was busy erecting the gallows for Mordechai. Only King Achashverosh slept a quiet and undisturbed sleep.

When G-d saw Achashverosh sleeping so peacefully, he said to the Angel Gabriel: "My children are in mortal danger, and this fool is sleeping unperturbed. Go disturb his rest. "

The King suddenly awoke, and could not fall asleep again. A grave suspicion crept into his heart: Why did Esther invite Haman to the banquet? Were the two plotting against him? Achashverosh tossed about on his bed, trying to drive his fears away. "Surely there must be a faithful servant in the palace that would warn me of any danger," he thought, "unless, indeed, I have neglected to reward him fittingly!"

"Shamshi!" the King called, "bring the Royal Book of Chronicles, and read to me of recent events in the palace! Hurry!"

Shamshi, Haman's son, who was the chamberlain in attendance that night, brought the book and prepared to read to the King. As Shamshi opened the book, his eyes fell upon the story of how Mordechai saved the King's life, when he uncovered the plot of Bigtan and Teresh. Quickly Shamshi turned to another page, but the leaf turned itself back again. King Achashverosh, who was becoming impatient with Shamshi's fumbling, cried, "Why are you turning the pages back and forth? Read on, delay no longer!"

"My eyes are failing . . .," said Shamshi in a trembling voice.

But suddenly the words began to be read of themselves. G-d had sent the Angel Gabriel, who began reading the story of Mordechai's loyalty, and of course he did not omit the slightest detail. Even as Gabriel read, the King's eyes began to close....

" . . . In the seventh year of the reign of the mighty and illustrious King Achashverosh, long may he live and prosper, two treacherous chamberlains, Bigtan and Teresh the Tartians, were discovered plotting against the life of the great and illustrious King Achashverosh . . . The loyal Chief Chamberlain Mordechai the Jew, recently appointed head of the King's personal attendants, having overheard the plot, reported it to her Majesty the gracious Queen Esther . . . The Queen recounted the plot to his Majesty the King . . . The two knaves were caught red-handed passing poisoned wine to the King in the royal goblet. . . They confessed that they were driven to their act of high treason by having been subordinated to Mordechai the Jew, upon whom they hoped to cast the blame. Bigtan and Teresh were hanged forthwith . . . The faithful and loyal Chief Chamberlain, Mordechai the Jew, should be rewarded at the earliest date . . ."

The King dreamed that Haman was standing over him with an upraised sword. Achashverosh awoke with a start. In the hall he heard approaching footsteps.

"Who is there?" called the King.

"Haman," answered the servants.

"Then it was no dream after all . . .," thought the King to himself, and to the servants he called, "Let him enter!"

"Tell me, Haman, my wise counselor, what shall be done to the man whom the King wishes to honor?"

Haman's heart leaped for joy.

"The King wishes to honor me" he thought. "And it's about time, too." But assuming an air of indifference, Haman said modestly, "The man whom the King wishes to honor should be arrayed in the King's own apparel; he should wear the royal crown upon his head, and he should ride through the streets of the city on the King's own horse, while the highest minister of state should run before him announcing: 'Thus it is done to the man whom the King desires to honor! . . ."

"So," thought the King, "the villain has indeed designs upon my crown!"

With a twinkle in his eyes he said to Haman:

"Make haste, Haman, go and do all this to Mordechai." The words came like a thunderbolt, leaving Haman speechless.

"Don't stand there like a mule!" the King cried impatiently, "Hurry, do all this honor unto Mordechai!"

Haman pretended not to understand the King. "Which Mordechai?" he asked.

"Mordechai the Jew, of course!" answered the King.

"But there are many Jews by that name," complained Haman.

"The one that stands outside the palace gate, you idiot!"

"He!" cried Haman tearfully, "He is my sworn enemy. I would rather give him ten thousand silver pieces than do him this great honor!"

"Give him the money, indeed, but honor him in the manner you described."

Esther did not tell the King that she was Jewish. All he knew was that she was an orphan

"What insolence!" cried the King. "Is it not enough that Mordechai saved my life? Now, enough of your wrangling. Go to Mordechai at once, and follow my command to the letter, if you value your life at all!"

Haman's Downfall
"And Haman hastened to his house, wailing and disgraced..."¹⁷   

With bowed head and trembling knees, Haman went in search of Mordechai.

At that moment, Mordechai was sitting in the synagogue, surrounded by his beloved students. Lifting up his eyes, he saw Haman through the window.

"Escape, dear children! The villain is coming!"

But the brave children replied, "No, we will not leave you now. We have lived with you, and will die with you!"

Mordechai was saying his last prayers, when Haman came in. Haman waited patiently until he finished, and then said to him:

"Mordechai, son of Abraham the Hebrew, you have a truly great G-d. Whenever you pray to Him, He hears your prayers and performs miracles for you. Now arise, Mordechai, and put on these royal robes, this golden crown. . .

"Haman, you villain, son of Amalek! Why do you come here to mock me? Is it not enough that you want to hang me?" cried Mordechai.

"No," answered Haman bitterly, "I do not come to mock you. Would that what you say were true, but alas, it is the King's own command!"

Mordechai could scarcely believe his ears. The children began to dance for joy.

Presently Mordechai said gravely, "Honorable Prime Minister, am I fit to don the royal robes in the state I am in? For three days I have fasted; I am covered with ashes . . . "

Haman nodded. He took Mordechai to the public baths, where he washed him, and anointed him with the finest oils and perfumes.

As Haman was trimming Mordechai's hair, Mordechai heard him sighing and groaning to himself.

"Why do you moan so, son of Agag?" asked Mordechai.

"What Prime Minister would not moan upon turning into a barber." Haman said bitterly.

"At last you are doing a job that befits you. It's like the good old days again when you were a barber in the village of Karzum, remember?" answered Mordechai.

Haman continued his job in silence.

Having finished dressing Mordechai in the royal robes, Haman fetched the King's horse from the royal stables and bade Mordechai mount it.

"Your distress has dulled your senses, Haman." said Mordechai. "I am weak and feeble after the fast. How do you expect an old man like myself to mount the horse unaided?"

Haman knew that the King's words were not to be trifled with. Already the King must be getting impatient, he thought. Without further ado, Haman bent down to permit Mordechai to step upon him, and Mordechai mounted the royal horse.

Arrayed in full majesty and now looking quite stately, Mordechai rode through the streets of Shushan, while Haman led the horse, crying, "Thus shall be done to the man whom the King desires to honor! Thus shall be done to the man whom the King desires to honor!"

The streets of Shushan were filled with people. The royal heralds loudly sounded their silver trumpets. The highest officers of state escorted the procession, while conjurers and jesters tossed silver and golden goblets in the air. It was a wonderful sight to behold.

And above all the cheers and shouts of joy, Haman's voice sounded clear and loud, "Thus shall be done to the man whom the King desires to honor!"

Seeing the procession from atop of the roof of her palatial house, Haman's daughter called to her mother: "Mother, look! There is father riding on the King's horse, and Mordechai is leading him through the streets!"

Dejected and disgraced, his clothes soiled, Haman staggered home after the procession was over.

"I will yet take revenge on Mordechai! I will hang him on the gallows and shall yet feast my eyes on his lifeless body dangling in the air!" he said to Zeresh.

"Haman, you must have lost your mind! Forget about your plan, it has already failed. The Jews are likened to the sands and the stars. When they stray from their G-d and disobey His commandments, they can be oppressed and humiliated, and trodden upon like sand. But when they return to their G-d and serve Him with true devotion, they become exalted like the stars in heaven! As for you, my poor Haman, since you have begun to fall before Mordechai, your fate is sealed . . ."

While they were still talking, the King's chamberlains arrived to take Haman to Queen Esther's second banquet.

The End of Haman
"And they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordechai..."¹⁸
 
 Pleased and obviously still in a festive mood from the events of the day, Achashverosh sat in the King's chair that night at the banquet. What fun it was to see Haman accord such great honor to his most hated adversary! That would teach Haman a well-earned lesson....

"Esther, my Queen," said Achashverosh affectionately, "surely there is some request you wish to make. You have not arranged these two banquets for the pleasure of Haman's company! Pray tell me, what is your petition? Even to the half of my kingdom and it will be granted to you. Only do not ask me to permit the Jews to commence construction of their Temple again, for that is in my half of the Kingdom . . ."

Esther, who regarded the great honors bestowed upon Mordechai that day as a truly auspicious sign from Heaven, was confident and sure, though her voice shook with emotion:

"Your Majesty, I ask only that my life be spared together with the lives of my people! For my people and I have been treacherously condemned to die, to be mercilessly butchered and destroyed . . ."

"Who has dared to do such a thing?" cried the King, trembling with dread at the thought that his own beloved queen was not safe in his palace.

"A very wicked and cruel man, a ruthless enemy, who has already sent Queen Vashti to her doom and now would also take my life! The villain is no other than this wicked Haman!" cried Esther, pointing an accusing finger at Haman. Haman grew pale and was terrified. He sank at Esther's feet, begging for mercy. But King Achashverosh turned to him with uncontrollable rage: "So it is you who dared plot against the Queen in my own home! " In a fit of wrath, he ran out into the garden for a breath of air.

To his great amazement, the King noticed several people cutting down the rare and exotic trees of the royal gardens. In reality they were not people but angels disguised as humans, sent down to arouse to the utmost the King's wrath at Haman.

"Who has ordered you to do this?" roared the King.

"Haman!" answered the gardeners.

Like a wounded animal, the King rushed back to the banquet hall, to find the miserable Haman prostrate on the Queen's couch still begging for his life. At that moment, Charvonah, one of the King's attendants, said "Is the King aware that Haman erected a gallows fifty cubits high for the loyal Mordechai? There it is towering over Haman's house. . . ."

"Hang the vile Haman thereon!" cried the King.

Haman was lead away and hanged upon the very gallows that he had prepared for Mordechai, and only then was the King's wrath appeased.

Purim
"And Mordechai went forth from the King in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a robe of linen and purple, and the city of Shushan cheered and rejoiced."¹⁹  

King Achashverosh now had every reason to be proud of his Queen Esther, for he had learned that she was a descendant of the royal family of Saul, the first King of the Jews. When the King heard that Mordechai was a descendant of the same noble family, and in fact was Queen Esther's cousin, he immediately appointed him to succeed Haman as Prime Minister.

Achashverosh presented Haman's palatial house to Esther, and the royal signet, which he had taken from Haman he gave to Mordechai.

Although Mordechai and Esther were deeply grateful to the King for his favors, and could feel safe under the King's own protection, they did not for a minute lose sight of the danger that still faced their people. Haman's cruel decree was still unchanged, and unless it was withdrawn in time, the Jews would be lost.

Esther, therefore, again beseeched the King in behalf of her doomed brethren. She fell at his feet and with tears in her eyes pleaded with the King to avert the terrible fate that threatened them.

"How can I endure to see the evil that will come unto my people? How can I endure to witness the destruction of my kindred?" Esther cried in anguish.

The King was deeply moved, and he wanted to allay her grief. Unfortunately, it was not so easy to rescind the decree, for it was sent out by order of the King, in his name, bearing the King's own seal. Such a decree was irrevocable.

Finally, a plan was hit upon. A new decree was to be issued in the name of the King, declaring that Haman had abused the King's confidence by issuing falsified decrees. Instead of issuing decrees to do away with the persecution of the Jews throughout the vast Persian empire, as was the King's intention and desire, the treacherous Haman had ordered the extermination of the loyal Jewish subjects! A further proof of the King's displeasure with Haman was the fact that Haman had been executed by the King's express command.

The news of the great salvation of the Jews spread like lightning to the remotest comers of the Persian Empire, and the Jews were now treated with respect.

When the thirteenth day of Adar arrived, the day on which the Jews were to be slain and exterminated by Haman and his evil forces, the Jews gathered in the public places of each town and hamlet. By order of the King, they sentenced to death all those who had revealed themselves as enemies. Throughout the kingdom of Persia, seventy five thousand would-be murderers were executed, and five hundred more in Shushan. All ten sons of Haman were likewise executed.

The King brought the news to Esther. "I have but one more request to make," she said. "There are still many dangerous enemies at large in Shushan. They must be executed or there can be no peace in the land. Let tomorrow also be set aside for a day of judgment in Shushan over the enemies of our people who are also the enemies of all mankind. And may the bodies of Haman's ten sons be hanged on the gallows."

Esther's request was immediately granted.

And so while the Jews outside Shushan celebrated their victory on the fourteenth of Adar, the Jews of Shushan were still grimly engaged that day in the task of ridding the city of the villains and murderers. Only on the following day did they celebrate the great and miraculous salvation.

"The time has come for you to reveal your nationality to the King, and to plead with him to save his loyal Jewish subjects, about whom the arrogant Haman has been deceiving him."

From that time, the fourteenth day of Adar was consecrated as the festival of Purim, to commemorate the great miracle of our people's salvation, and the downfall of the wicked Haman.

And the Jews who lived in walled cities, like Shushan, consecrated the fifteenth day of Adar as the day of festivity. This day we now call "Shushan Purim."

The name "Purim," means "lots," in commemoration of the lots that Haman had cast to choose the day most suitable for the destruction of the Jews.

In Heaven, too, these two days were consecrated as everlasting festivals, which shall never be abolished. For the Jewish people they are to be days of feasting and gladness, and of sending gifts of food (Mishloach Manot) to one another, and of giving gifts to the poor (matanot 1'evyonim).

At the same time the Jews obligated themselves to observe, every year, the Fast of Esther, on the thirteenth day of Adar, the day before Purim, to commemorate the fasts and prayers of the Jews in those days, and to emulate their repentance and devout worship.

The story of Purim was recorded by Mordechai and Esther in the Book of Esther (Megillat Esther), which forms part of Torah, and which is read in the synagogue every year on the eve of Purim and again on the following morning.

The Festival of Purim has now been celebrated for twenty three centuries, year after year, generation after generation. To the enemies of the Jewish People, the Hamans of all ages, the festival of Purim is a solemn and timely warning. But to us this wonderful and happy festival serves as an undying inspiration of courage and faith, of loyalty and devotion to our great and merciful G-d. It is the herald of our certain and miraculous salvation which is not far off.

Republished with permission of the publisher www.kehotonline.com.