As every year at the eve of 14th Adar (in Jerusalem of the 15th), we fulfil the mitzva of reading the Megillah, the ancient Scroll of Esther, as part of the Purim celebrations.
The story of an attempted annihilation of Persian Jews during the reign of the king Achashverosh is widely known. I will share just a few thoughts, that came upon my mind during this years reading (well, rather listening).
Three questions:
1) Who was perplexed and who rejoiced in Shushan?
2) Did the Jews go literally after the king's decree?
3) Where did the mishloach manot (food portions to our friends) and matanot laevyonim (gifts to the poor) pop from, out of the blue?
1) Who was perplexed and who rejoiced in Shushan the capital?
It says: 'The couriers hurried out with the order of the king and the law was proclaimed in Shushan the capital. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, and the city of Shushan was in turmoil.' (3, 15; the translation of the verses is taken from the Chabad site, www.chabad.org) the news spread very quickly. Everyone knew at instance, that there is a great pogrom planned on the Jews. A decree from above. This is the first time in the Jewish history when the ruler decides (pushed by his evil minister Haman, who even eagerly offers to sponsor the genocide) to let the Jews in his lands be murdered. This remained an unrepeated attempt, until the first half of the 20th century. There were numerous expulsion decrees from above and numerous pogroms launched and executed by the subjects of rulers, but rarely a combination of the two.
The city of Shushan was in turmoil... According to Rashi and Avraham ibn Ezra, only the Jews residing in the capital panicked. But there is an alternate opinion: Even the non-Jewish Shushanites were overwhelmed by the decree. They roughly said: Today the Jews, tomorrow it can be us (Or Chadash).
Could it also be, that they had some friends among the Jews and simply were thrilled by the planned murder of them? Or, did they understand, that they might be asked to participate on the genocide? We probably shouldn't be overly optimistic, but who knows. They were informed ahead, had a plenty of time to contemplate, Persia was a thriving country - who would wish to spoil the present and the future of the city and the lands?
That also non-Jews panicked in Shushan is a minor opinion. It seems, that the parallel - yet with opposite meaning - was less ambiguous. 'And Mordechai left the king's presence wearing a royal garment of blue and white, a large golden crown, and a shawl of fine linen and purple wool. And the city of Shushan celebrated and rejoiced.' (8, 15) Here, most of the commentators agree, that Jews and non-Jews alike rejoiced and celebrated. This view is supported by the next verse proper, which describes the reaction of the Jews: 'For the Jews there was light and happiness, joy and prestige.' (3, 16)
The genocide is averted. There is a good reason to rejoice. There is always a good reason for happiness when a righteous and modest people are to be found in the highest ranks of the ruling class (However, Mordechai's close ties with the court were reason for some contemporary Jewish spiritual leaders to reject him, as it is written: 'For Mordechai the Jew was second to King Achashverosh, a leader to the Jews, and loved by his many brethren.' 10, 3 - Read: Many brethren, but not all of them!).
2) Did the Jews follow exactly after the king's decree?
When the king Achashverosh enacts the edict of the annihilation of the Jews, the texts goes:
'Letters were sent with couriers to all the provinces of the king: to annihilate, murder and destroy all the Jews, young and old, children and women, on one day--the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar and to plunder their possessions.' (3, 13)
When the king Achashverosh gives the Jews permission to defend themselves at the day of the planned pogrom (which could not have been cancelled), he gives the following formula:
'That the king had allowed the Jews of every city to gather and stand up for their lives; to annihilate, kill and destroy every army of any nation or province that might attack them, [including their] children and women, and to plunder their possessions,' (8, 11)
What did the Jews do in reality?
'The Jews gathered in their cities throughout the provinces of King Achashveirosh to attack those who sought to harm them.' (9, 2) ... 'And the Jews struck at all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying, and they did with their enemies as they pleased.' (9, 5) ...'...the ten sons of Haman, son of Hamdata, persecutor of the Jews, they killed; but they took none of the spoils.' (9, 10)
And after an extra given day to the Jews in Shushan:
'So the Jews of Shushan gathered again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men in Shushan, but took none of the spoils.' (9, 15)
And the score outside of the capital: 'And the rest of the Jews of the king's provinces gathered and stood up for their lives to relieve themselves of their enemies and killed seventy-five thousand of their foes, but took none of the spoils.' (9, 16)
The king simply gave permission to kill anyone, even the helpless, and take all their possessions.
The Jews, on the contrary, killed only those who stood up to kill them, i.e. the enemy, and took no spoil!! That is something unprecedented in the military history of the humanity.
It seems that the Jewish people, even when living in the midst of the culture, where a war spoil, rape, child murder etc. was an uncriticised commonplace, they kept with their moral standards, those that we are taught about in the Torah. (The Torah admittedly brings the cases of the - usually female - prisoners of war, as it doesn't ignore the social standards of some times and some cultures, but gives exact limits to what can be done to such prisoner, and a detailed guide how to treat him/her, which again is something beyond what was seen as 'human nature' in those days).
3) Where did the mishloach manot (food parcels to our friends) and matanot laevyonim (gifts to the poor) pop from, out of the blue?
Our last question leads to the 'after party' of the whole story. Mordechai, Esther and the Sanhedrin decided to coin a new festival, that would commemorate what had happened. Surprisingly enough, they chose two acts to be carried out on this day each and every year in every place, in every country, in every family: '... to make them days of feasting, rejoicing, sending food portions one to another and giving gifts to the poor.' (9, 22).
We read that portions were sent by one to another spontaneously, as part of the celebrations. Tsedakah is something new.
What do the two acts have in common and how they related to the message of the story?
The connecting theme in the megillah is the theme of 'unity' (or, alternatively, the lack of unity).
When Esther gives Mordechai instructions what to do, she says: 'Go and gather all the Jews...' (4, 16)
When the day of the pogrom comes, 'The Jews gathered in their cities throughout the provinces of King Achashverosh to attack those who sought to harm them.' (9, 2)
The message is clear. The Jewish people can survive as a nation only when it is united. This doesn't mean that everybody is the same, has the same minhagim (customs), the same political views or social ideals, but there must be a notion of 'imagined community' at any given time and in every place. Moreover, the various Jewish communities should strive for inner unity of the shared goal and peaceful relations. This is by no means an easy task, but the Megillah tells it quite clearly - we have no other way to survive.
Giving portions of food to our neighbors and friends and giving means (monetary or material) to the poor, is the easiest way how to promote and encourage the plan of 'unity'. And as such, these acts should be also perceived by us, the doers. Our tradition give some minimal amount of portions and gifts, and it is not a coincidence. It is better to give less, but with positive and proper intentions, than to give a lot, but with a bitter taste and against our good will.
May we experience the true unity soon, with our best efforts.
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