As in many aspects of Jewish life, myths abound concerning the Purim story. One of those myths portrays Haman as a maniacal, genocidal Jew-hater, while painting Achashverosh as a harmless, bumbling old fool, pulled to and fro by his wives and advisors.
Yet, the Gemara, in Megillah, makes it abundantly clear that Achashverosh hated the Jews no less than did Haman, and yearned for their destruction. In fact, the midrash says that Achashverosh hated the Jews more than Haman. As proof of this, they point out that when Haman offered 10,000 talents of silver to the king so he would approve Haman's plan to wipe us out, Achashverosh refused the gift ("The silver is given to you," said Achashverosh to Haman; Esther 3:11).
And yet, some time before Achashverosh and Haman become partners in crime, a very different image is set before us. The Megillah opens with an elaborate, orgiastic six-month revelry (which makes Mardi Gras and Carnivale pale in comparison) to which the Jews are invited as full citizens. And not only are the Jews invited, their every need is catered to. Chazal say, commenting on verse 1:8, "The king commanded his officers to fulfill every man's pleasure." The Jews were served (glatt) kosher meals, and allowed to sit separately.
But all is not rosy. At this same meal, where the Jews feel like honored guests, they watch aghast as Achashverosh appears dressed in the clothes of the Kohen Gadol, and then brings out the holy vessels of the Beit HaMikdash from which to drink and eat.
What is going on here? What message is Achashverosh trying to convey, by both inviting the Jews to his banquet and then doing something that shocks them to their very core? And what happens to make both Achashverosh and Haman determined to solve their "Jewish question" once and for all?
The answer to these questions go the essence of what Megilat Esther is really about.
Like many rulers in history, Achashverosh is willing to tolerate the Jews, to welcome them, even, because he knows how "clever" Jews are, how good they are for business, what excellent advisors they make on issues of finance, foreign policy and social welfare. (Mordechai joins the ranks of Joseph, Abravanel, Daniel, et al, as expert counsel to the royal court).
Achashverosh is even willing to accommodate the special needs of the Jews, their meals and minhagim, because that represents no threat to him. But there is one thing that Achashverosh, like so many other of our "hosts", cannot abide. He cannot permit us Jews to fulfill our ultimate destiny of living in our own land, under our own rule, with our own Beit HaMikdash.
And so, even as he provides separate dishes and Mehadrin hashgacha, he draws the line. By wearing the garments of the Kohen Gadol and using the utensils of the Temple for his own drunken feast, he sends the message: 'You Jews can practice your faith here as a minority, but you are not going back to Jerusalem, you will not rebuild your Beit HaMikdash and re-establish the Temple service; you are confined to the Diaspora.' As he is wont to say, more than once, "Up to half of the kingdom, and it shall be granted to you." What is the half he will not grant? Explains the Gemara (Megillah 15b): The restoration of Jewish sovereignty; that alone is not up for discussion.
So what changes his disposition and turns him into a partner to genocide? Mordechai! For who is Mordechai, after all? He is a proud Jew, an uncompromisingly courageous Jew, who is a member of the Sanhedrin. Yes, the Sanhedrin, our "Supreme Court", that is a major component of our national identity. The Sanhedrin, which can only operate freely in Israel. The Sanhedrin, which is one of the most potent symbols of our nationhood and spiritual supremacy.
When Achashverosh is confronted by the model of Mordechai, who will have none of the "Diaspora mentality practiced by his co-religionists," he accedes to the urgings of Haman and seals the edict of our destruction.
The real miracle of the Megillah is the fact that HaShem hears our cry, answers our prayers and reverses Achashverosh's mindset. Not only does he execute Haman, but he becomes the very instrument for the Beit HaMikdash to be rebuilt - through his (and Esther's) son, Darius, who renews the decree of Cyrus to allow the Temple to be restored. In fact, it is this crucial post-script that permits us to celebrate Purim at all. While chazal rule that only events occurring in Israel can become national celebrations, Purim is celebrated because its ultimate purpose is the restoration of the Temple.
The message of all this for us today should now be obvious. While we may enjoy periods of prosperity and popularity in the Diaspora, while we may get oodles of kosher noodles and all the accoutrements of Yiddishkeit in countries around the globe, the real point of our existence is to re-establish ourselves in our own Land, operating under our own rule, fulfilling the Torah to its fullest. When that is our mandate and our mission, we have at least a fighting chance to restore the Sanhedrin, to bring the Moshiach and introduce the Geulah.
Anything else is just a mask.
Yet, the Gemara, in Megillah, makes it abundantly clear that Achashverosh hated the Jews no less than did Haman, and yearned for their destruction. In fact, the midrash says that Achashverosh hated the Jews more than Haman. As proof of this, they point out that when Haman offered 10,000 talents of silver to the king so he would approve Haman's plan to wipe us out, Achashverosh refused the gift ("The silver is given to you," said Achashverosh to Haman; Esther 3:11).
And yet, some time before Achashverosh and Haman become partners in crime, a very different image is set before us. The Megillah opens with an elaborate, orgiastic six-month revelry (which makes Mardi Gras and Carnivale pale in comparison) to which the Jews are invited as full citizens. And not only are the Jews invited, their every need is catered to. Chazal say, commenting on verse 1:8, "The king commanded his officers to fulfill every man's pleasure." The Jews were served (glatt) kosher meals, and allowed to sit separately.
But all is not rosy. At this same meal, where the Jews feel like honored guests, they watch aghast as Achashverosh appears dressed in the clothes of the Kohen Gadol, and then brings out the holy vessels of the Beit HaMikdash from which to drink and eat.
What is going on here? What message is Achashverosh trying to convey, by both inviting the Jews to his banquet and then doing something that shocks them to their very core? And what happens to make both Achashverosh and Haman determined to solve their "Jewish question" once and for all?
The answer to these questions go the essence of what Megilat Esther is really about.
Like many rulers in history, Achashverosh is willing to tolerate the Jews, to welcome them, even, because he knows how "clever" Jews are, how good they are for business, what excellent advisors they make on issues of finance, foreign policy and social welfare. (Mordechai joins the ranks of Joseph, Abravanel, Daniel, et al, as expert counsel to the royal court).
Achashverosh is even willing to accommodate the special needs of the Jews, their meals and minhagim, because that represents no threat to him. But there is one thing that Achashverosh, like so many other of our "hosts", cannot abide. He cannot permit us Jews to fulfill our ultimate destiny of living in our own land, under our own rule, with our own Beit HaMikdash.
And so, even as he provides separate dishes and Mehadrin hashgacha, he draws the line. By wearing the garments of the Kohen Gadol and using the utensils of the Temple for his own drunken feast, he sends the message: 'You Jews can practice your faith here as a minority, but you are not going back to Jerusalem, you will not rebuild your Beit HaMikdash and re-establish the Temple service; you are confined to the Diaspora.' As he is wont to say, more than once, "Up to half of the kingdom, and it shall be granted to you." What is the half he will not grant? Explains the Gemara (Megillah 15b): The restoration of Jewish sovereignty; that alone is not up for discussion.
So what changes his disposition and turns him into a partner to genocide? Mordechai! For who is Mordechai, after all? He is a proud Jew, an uncompromisingly courageous Jew, who is a member of the Sanhedrin. Yes, the Sanhedrin, our "Supreme Court", that is a major component of our national identity. The Sanhedrin, which can only operate freely in Israel. The Sanhedrin, which is one of the most potent symbols of our nationhood and spiritual supremacy.
When Achashverosh is confronted by the model of Mordechai, who will have none of the "Diaspora mentality practiced by his co-religionists," he accedes to the urgings of Haman and seals the edict of our destruction.
The real miracle of the Megillah is the fact that HaShem hears our cry, answers our prayers and reverses Achashverosh's mindset. Not only does he execute Haman, but he becomes the very instrument for the Beit HaMikdash to be rebuilt - through his (and Esther's) son, Darius, who renews the decree of Cyrus to allow the Temple to be restored. In fact, it is this crucial post-script that permits us to celebrate Purim at all. While chazal rule that only events occurring in Israel can become national celebrations, Purim is celebrated because its ultimate purpose is the restoration of the Temple.
The message of all this for us today should now be obvious. While we may enjoy periods of prosperity and popularity in the Diaspora, while we may get oodles of kosher noodles and all the accoutrements of Yiddishkeit in countries around the globe, the real point of our existence is to re-establish ourselves in our own Land, operating under our own rule, fulfilling the Torah to its fullest. When that is our mandate and our mission, we have at least a fighting chance to restore the Sanhedrin, to bring the Moshiach and introduce the Geulah.
Anything else is just a mask.