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Home , Tribe of Benjamin

Venahafoch Hu: Was Mordechai the Villain of the Purim Story? Ezer Diena, [email protected]

1. Ayalon Eliach, Shalom Hartman Institute Faculty Directory Ayalon Eliach is a Hartman Center Fellow and grew up in the Modern Orthodox community of New York City. He attended Manhattan Day School and the Yeshivah of Flatbush before spending a year studying at Yeshivat HaKotel in . While at Yale, Ayalon began to explore other approaches to Judaism both academically, majoring in Religious Studies, and experientially, participating in non-Orthodox communities for the first time in his life. After Yale, Ayalon’s journey to find his place in the Jewish world took him on a Dorot Fellowship in Israel, where he ran an afterschool program for teenagers of Ethiopian and Russian descent in Ashqelon, as well as a year waiting tables in Tel Aviv. After a few years at Harvard Law School and practicing tax law in New York, Ayalon decided that he wanted to play a more active role in the creation of the Jewish future. He went to Hebrew College Rabbinical School and now serves as the Director of Learning and Strategic Communications at Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living , where he assists the foundation in supporting applications of Jewish wisdom that help people live better lives and shape a better world.

2. Ayalon Eliach, Mordechai the Villain: Rava's Shocking Reason for Drinking on Purim (formatting modified for presentation) For a narrative explanation of this source sheet, see Mordechai the Villain: The Untold Story of Drinking on Purim by Ayalon Eliach in Ha'aretz, February 26, 2015, available at: http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/the-jewish- thinker/.premium-1.644369

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Megillah 7b .א אמר רבא: מיחייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי. Rava said: A person is obligated to become intoxicated with wine on Purim until one does not know how to distinguish between cursed is Haman and blessed is .

Why would Rava (280-352 CE) want people to stop distinguishing between how to relate to Mordechai, the hero, and how to relate to Haman, the villain of the Purim story recorded in the Book of ? Also, why use alcohol to accomplish this goal?

Yoma 76b .ב דאמר רבא: חמרא וריחני פקחין. Rava said: Wine and good scents make me wise.

This statement suggests that Rava believed alcohol helps people become wiser and more insightful, rather than confused (note that Rava doesn't suggest that a lot of alcohol is needed to gain insight). How is it wise to stop distinguishing between Mordechai and Haman? Aren't they polar opposites?

Esther 1:5-8 .ג )ה(ּובִמְלֹ֣ואת׀הַיָּמִ֣ ים הָּאֵ֗ לֶּה עָּשָּ֣ההַמֶֶּּ֡ לְֶּך לְכָּל־הָּעָּ֣ם הַנִמְצְאִ ים֩ ןבְׁשּוׁשַַׁ֨ הַבִירָָּ֜ ה לְמִגָָּּ֧דֹול וְ עַד־קָּטָָּ֛ן מִ ׁשְתֶֶּּ֖ה ׁשִבְעַ֣תיָּמִִ֑ ים רבַחֲצַַ֕ גִנַַּ֥ת בִיתֶַּ֖ן הַ מֶֶּּֽ לְֶּך׃ )ו( חּ֣ור ׀כַרְ פַ֣סּותְ כ ֵ֗ לֶּתאָּ חּוז֙ בְ חַבְ לי־בּ֣וץוְאַרְ ןגָּמָָּ֔ עַל־גְלִַּ֥יל יכֶֶּּ֖סֶּף וְעַמ֣ ּוד יׁש ִ֑ ׁשמִטֹ֣ות׀זָּהָּ֣ב וָּכֵֶּ֗סֶּף עַָ֛ל רִֶּֽ צְפַַּ֥ת בַהַט־וָּׁש ֶּ֖ ׁש וְדַַּ֥ר וְסֹחֶָּּֽרֶּ ת׃ )ז( וְהַׁשְ קֹות֙ בִכְל ֣י בזָּהָָּ֔ וְכלִֶּ֖ים מִ כלִ֣יםׁשֹונִִ֑יםוְי ַּ֥יןמַלְכָּ֛ות ברֶָּּ֖ כְיַַּ֥דהַמֶֶּּֽ לְֶּך׃ )ח( וְ הַשְתִ יַָּּ֥הכַדֶָּּ֖ת א ֣ ין אֹנ ִ֑ס כִ י־כ ֣ן ׀ יִסַ֣ד הַמֵֶּ֗ לְֶּךעַַ֚ל כָּל־רַ֣ ב ביתָ֔ ֹו לַעֲשֶּ֖ ֹות כִרְ צַּ֥ ֹון אִ יׁש־ וָּאִֶּֽ יׁש׃ (5) At the end of this period, the king gave a banquet for seven days in the court of the king’s palace garden for all the people who lived in the fortress Shushan, high and low alike. (6) [There were hangings of] white cotton and blue wool, caught up by cords of fine linen and purple wool to silver rods and alabaster columns; and there were couches of gold and silver on a pavement of marble, alabaster, mother-of-pearl, and mosaics. (7) Royal wine was served in abundance, as befits a king, in golden beakers, beakers of varied design. (8) And the rule for the drinking was, “No restrictions!” For the king had given orders to every palace steward to comply with each man’s wishes.

Megillah 12a .ד ״לעשות כרצון איש ואיש״ )אסתר א:ח(. אמר רבא: לעשות כרצון מרדכי והמן. מרדכי דכתיב ״איש יהודי״ )אסתר ב:ה( המן ״איש צר ואויב״ )אסתר ז:ו(. “To comply with each man’s wishes” (Esther 1:8). Rava commented on the literal meaning of the verse, which is referring to two men, a man and a man [ish va’ish], and said: The man and man whom they should follow indicates that they should do according to the wishes of Mordecai and Haman. The two of them served as butlers at the feast, and they were in charge of distributing the wine. Why is the verse interpreted in this way? Mordecai is called “man,” as it is written: “There was a certain Jewish man [ish] in Shushan the castle, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair” (Esther 2:5). And Haman is also called man, as it states: “A man [ish] who is an adversary and an enemy, this evil Haman” (Esther 7:6).

Is Rava's interpretation in any way an implied reading of Esther 1:8? If not, why would he offer another equation of Mordechai and Haman?

Megillah 12a .ה שאלו תלמידיו את רשב"י: מפני מה נתחייבו שונאיהן של ישראל שבאותו הדור כליה? אמר להם: אמרו אתם. אמרו לו: מפני שנהנו מסעודתו של אותו רשע. The students of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai asked him: For what reason were the enemies of Jewish people, a euphemism for the Jewish people themselves when exhibiting behavior that is not in their best interests, in that generation deserving of annihilation? He, Rabbi Shimon, said to them: Say the answer to your question yourselves. They said to him: It is because they partook of the feast of that wicked one, Ahasuerus.

This extremely negative conception of Ahasuerus's feast is, for all purposes, universally accepted in rabbinic sources. Why then would Rava go out of his way to offer a far-fetched interpretation of Esther 1:8 to suggest that Mordechai was in charge of wine (along with Haman) at the party?

Esther 6:1-3 .ו )א( בַלַ֣יְלָּה הַהָ֔ ּואנָּדְדֶָּּ֖ה ׁשְ נַ֣ת הַמִֶּ֑לְֶּךוַיֵֹ֗אמֶּר לְהָּבִִ֞ יא אֶּ ת־סֵ֤פֶּר הַזִכְרֹנֹות֙ דִבְר י֣ הַיָּמִָ֔ יםוַיִהְיַּ֥ ּו נִקְרָּאִֶּ֖ ים לִפְנ ַּ֥יהַמֶֶּּֽ לְֶּך׃ )ב(וַיִמָּצ ֣א כָּתֵ֗ ּוב אֲׁשֶּ ר֩הִגִַׁ֨ ידמָּרְ דֳּכַָ֜ י עַל־בִגְתָּ֣ נָּאוָּתֵֶּ֗רֶּ ׁש נׁשְ י֙ סָּ רִיס֣י הַמֶָּ֔ לְֶּךמִ שֹמְר ֶּ֖ י הַסִַ֑ף אֲ ׁשֵֶּ֤רבִקְׁשּו֙לִׁשְל֣חַיָָּ֔ד בַמֶֶּּ֖לְֶּך אֲחַׁשְ ו רֶּֽ ֹוׁש׃ )ג( וַיֹ֣אמֶּ ר הַמֶָּ֔ לְֶּךמֶַּֽ ה־נַעֲשִָּ֞ היְקָּ רָּ֧ ּוגְדּולָָּ֛ה לְ מָּרְ דֳּכֶַּ֖י עַל־ זִֶּ֑הוַיַֹׁ֨אמְרָ֜ ּו נַעֲר ֵ֤יהַמֶּ֙ לְֶּך֙ מְׁשָּ֣רְ תָָּ֔ יו לֹא־נַעֲשַָּּ֥ה עִמֶּ֖ ֹו דָּבֶָּּֽ ר׃ (1) That night, sleep deserted the king, and he ordered the book of records, the annals, to be brought; and it was read to the king. (2) There it was found written that Mordecai had denounced Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the threshold, who had plotted to do away with King Ahasuerus. (3) “What honor or advancement has been conferred on Mordecai for this?” the king inquired. “Nothing at all has been done for him,” replied the king’s servants who were in attendance on him.

Megillah 16a .ז ״לא נעשה עמו דבר״ )אסתר ו:ג(. אמר רבא: לא מפני שאוהבין את מרדכי אלא מפני ששונאים את המן. The verse states that Ahasuerus was told with regard to Mordecai: “Nothing has been done for him” (Esther 6:3). Rava said: It is not because they love Mordecai that the king’s servants said this, but rather because they hate Haman.

Is Rava's interpretation in any way an implied reading of Esther 6:3? If not, why does he go out of his way to say that people don't like Mordechai? Esther 2:5-6 .ח )ה( אִ֣ יׁש יְהּודִָ֔ י הָּיֶָּּ֖ה בְ ׁשּוׁשַ֣ןהַבִירִָּ֑הּוׁשְמֹ֣ו מָּרְ דֳּכֵַ֗ י בֶּ֣ןיָּאִָּ֧ יר בֶּן־ׁשִמְעִָ֛ י בֶּן־קִ ֶּ֖ יׁש אִַּ֥ יׁש יְמִ ינִֶּֽ י׃ )ו( אֲׁשֵֶּ֤ר הָּגְלָּה֙ מִ ירּ֣וׁשָּלַָ֔ יִם עִם־הַגֹלָּה֙ אֲׁשֶּ֣ ר ההָּגְלְתָָּ֔ עִֶּ֖ ם יְכָּנְיָּ֣ה מֶֶּּֽ לְֶּך־יְהּודִָּ֑ה אֲׁשֶּ֣רהֶּגְלָָּ֔ ה נְ בּוכַדְ נֶּאצֶַּ֖ר מֶַּּ֥ לְֶּך בָּ בֶֶּּֽ ל׃ (5) In the fortress Shushan lived a by the name of Mordecai, son of Jair son of Shimei son of , a Benjaminite. (6) [Kish] had been exiled from Jerusalem in the group that was carried into exile along with King Jeconiah of Judah, which had been driven into exile by King Nebuchadnezzar of .—

Megillah 13a .ט ״אשר הגלה מירושלם״ )אסתר ב:ו(. אמר רבא: שגלה מעצמו. The verse states with regard to Mordecai: “Who had been exiled from Jerusalem” (Esther 2:6). Rava said: This language indicates that he went into exile on his own, not because he was forced to leave Jerusalem.

Is Rava's interpretation in any way an implied reading of Esther 2:6? If not, why does he go out of his way to suggest that Mordechai voluntarily abandoned the holy city of Jerusalem so that he could live in Persia?

Megillah 12b-13a .י אמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר ר' יהושע בן לוי: אביו מבנימין ואמו מיהודה. ורבנן אמרי: משפחות מתגרות זו בזו. משפחת יהודה אומרת אנא גרים דמתיליד מרדכי דלא קטליה דוד לשמעי בן גרא. ומשפחת בנימין אמרה מינאי קאתי. רבא אמר: כנסת ישראל אמרה לאידך גיסא: ראו מה עשה לי יהודי ומה שילם לי ימיני. מה עשה לי יהודי דלא קטליה דוד לשמעי דאתיליד מיניה מרדכי דמיקני ביה המן. ומה שילם לי ימיני דלא קטליה שאול לאגג דאתיליד מיניה המן דמצער לישראל. Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said an alternative explanation: Mordecai’s father was from the tribe of , and his mother was from the . Therefore, he was both a Yemini, a Benjamite, and a Yehudi, from the tribe of Judah. And the Rabbis say that the dual lineage is due to a dispute: The families competed with each other over which tribe could take credit for Mordecai. The family of Judah would say: I caused the birth of Mordecai, as only because David did not kill Shimei, the son of Gera, when he cursed him (see II Samuel, chapter 16) was it possible for Mordecai to be born later from his descendants. And the family of Benjamin said in response: In the end he came from me, as he in fact was from Benjamin’s tribe. Rava said: The Congregation of Israel at the time said this from the opposite perspective, not as a boast, but as a complaint, remarking: See what a Judean has done to me and how a Benjamite has repaid me. What a Judean has done to me is referring to the responsibility of Judah, as David did not kill Shimei, although he was liable to the death penalty. The grave consequences of this failure included that Mordecai was born from him, and it was he against whom Haman was jealous, leading Haman to issue a decree against all of the Jewish people. And how a Benjamite has repaid me is referring to the fact that , who was from the tribe of Benjamin, did not kill the Amalekite king Agag immediately, from whom Haman was later born, and he caused suffering to the Jewish people.

Notice Rava's alternative explanation in which he says it would have been good if Mordechai's ancestors would have been killed so that Mordechai would have never been born and, therefore, not have incited Haman. Why would Rava say this? Wasn't Mordechai a hero for following the Jewish tradition by not bowing down to Haman?

Sanhedrin 61b .יא איתמר: העובד עבודת כוכבים מאהבה ומיראה, אביי אמר חייב, רבא אמר פטור. אביי אמר חייב דהא פלחה. רבא אמר פטור אי קבליה עליה באלוה אין אי לא לא... אמר אביי: מנא אמינא לה? דתניא ״לא תשתחוה להם״ )שמות כ:ד( להם אי אתה משתחוה אבל אתה משתחוה לאדם כמותך. יכול אפילו נעבד כהמן? ת"ל ״ולא תעבדם״ )שמות כ:ד(. והא המן מיראה הוה נעבד. ורבא: כהמן ולא כהמן. כהמן דאיהו גופיה עבודת כוכבים. ולא כהמן דאילו המן מיראה והכא לאו מיראה. It has been taught: If one engages in idolatry through love or fear of people, but does not actually accept the divinity of the idol, Abaye said, he is liable to punishment; but Rava said, he is free from a penalty. Abaye ruled that he is liable, since he worshipped it; but Rava said that he is innocent: only if he accepts it as a god is he liable, but not otherwise... Abaye said: What is the source for my position? It has been taught in an earlier rabbinic source: "You shall not bow down to them" (Exodus 20:4): You shall not bow down to them (i.e., to other gods), but you may bow down to a person like yourself. Could a person like Haman therefore be worshipped? The continuation of the verse in the Torah teaches that you may not: "And you shall not worship them" (Exodus 20:4).

After bringing in his proof text, Abeye [sic] explains how this rabbinic source proves his point: And Haman was worshipped through fear, which means that this earlier rabbinic source held that it was prohibited to bow to him even though it was done in fear. Rava responds by reading the earlier rabbinic source differently: The prohibition in the source only applies to someone "like Haman" but not altogether like Haman. To bow down to one "like Haman" is forbidden, since he set himself up as a divinity; but the prohibition only extends to someone not altogether like Haman for Haman was worshipped through fear, while the prohibition applies only to a voluntary action. In this text, Rava says explicitly that it was not prohibited for Mordechai to bow to Haman because he would have been doing so out of fear, and such bowing is permissible…

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3. Shelal David to Esther 4:5 ויש לדקדק, מה ראה רבא על ככה דכנסת ישראל היו מתרעמים על דוד ועל מרדכי, ולא דרש לזכות כמו אידך אמוראי. ונראה דרבא לשיטתו אזיל, דהתוספות בשבת דף ע"ב ]ע"ב ד"ה רבא[ כתבו, וא"ת ולרבא דאמר העובד מאהבה ויראה פטור אמאי לא השתחוה מרדכי להמן. וי"ל משום קידוש השם, כדאשכחן בירושלמי ]שביעית י, א[ בפפוס ולולינוס אחיו שנתנו להם מים בזכוכית צבועה ולא קיבלו מהם. והנה ודאי פפוס ולולינוס קידשו השם בסכנת עצמם דוקא ולא לכל ישראל וודאי שפיר עבדו, אבל מרדכי שהכניס כל ישראל בסכנה לא הותר לו לקדש השם ולסכן כל ישראל, וזה היה תרעומת ישראל על מרדכי. One can [question]: why did Rava [explain] that the Jewish Nation were complaining about David and Mordechai, and he didn’t expound positively like the other Amora’im? It seems that Rava is following his own opinion, as Tosfot in Shabbat 72(b, d.h. Rava) wrote: “[One may ask], according to Rava who said that one who worships [Avodah Zarah] out of love or fear is exempt [from punishment], why didn’t Mordechai bow to Haman? [One may answer] that [it is permitted to do so] to sanctify G-d’s name, as we find in Yerushalmi (Shevi’it 10a) about Pappus and Lulianus his brother, to whom they gave water in a coloured glass, and they did not accept it. And certainly, Pappus and Lulianus, who sanctified G-d’s name by endangering themselves, but not the entire Jewish Nation, certainly acted appropriately, but to Mordechai who endangered the entire Jewish Nation, it was not permitted to sanctify G-d’s name and endanger the entire Jewish Nation, and this was the complaint of the Jewish Nation against Mordechai.

4. William Horbury, Jewish War under Trajan and Hadrian, Cambridge University Press, Page 265 To put together some of the scattered notices, Pappus and Lulianus were rich men, the pride of Israel, whose execution fulfilled the prophecy ‘I will break the pride of your power’ (Sifra, Behuqqothay, Pereq v 2, on Lev. 26:19 ‘I will break the pride of your power’); they set up banks from Acco to Antioch to aid those coming into Judaea (Bereshith Rabbah lxiv 10); after their arrest they were offered water in a coloured glass, to make it appear that they had drunk idolatrous libation-wine, but they would not receive it ( Yerushalmi, Sheb. iv 2, 35a; Sanh. iii 5, 21b); before Trajan slew them in Laodicaea, they exchanged pitter repartee with him, and told him that their blood would be required at his hands – and ‘it is said that Trajan had not moved from there before a despatch came from Rome, and they knocked out his brain with clubs’ (Sifra, Emor, Pereq ix 5, on Lev. 22:32 ‘but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel’).

5. Tanchuma Vayechi 6:6 מרדכי עמד כנגד השעה והיה לו להחניף לרשע ולפי שעמד כנגד המן הרשע קמעא כבר היו ישראל כלים מן העולם. Mordechai stood up [wrongly] and he should have flattered the Rasha. Since he stood up against Haman a little bit, he almost caused the to be destroyed!

6. Esther 10:3 (Alhatorah translation) כִ֣ י׀מׇרְ דֳּכַ֣י יהַיְהּודִֵ֗ מִׁשְ נֶּה֙ לַמֶּ֣לְֶּך אֲחַׁשְ ורָ֔ ֹוׁש וְ גָּדֹול֙ לַיְ הּודִָ֔יםוְרָּצֶּּ֖וי לְרֹ֣ באֶּחִָּ֑יו דֹרַּ֥ ׁשטֹוב֙ לְעַמָ֔ ֹו וְדֹבַּ֥ר ׁשָּלֶֹּ֖וםלְכׇל־זַרְ עֶּֽ ֹו׃ For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren; seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his seed.

7. Rashbam to Esther 10:3 לרוב אחיו – לא דקדק הכתוב. הוא הדין לכל אחיו, לפי פשוטו. To most of his brothers - the verse was not exact. The same was true of all of his brothers, according to the simple understanding.

8. Talmud Bavli Megillah 16b (Davidson Edition translation) כי מרדכי היהודי משנה למלך אחשורוש וגדול ליהודים ורצוי לרוב אחיו לרוב אחיו ולא לכל אחיו מלמד שפירשו ממנו מקצת סנהדרין. The verse states: “For Mordecai the Jew was second to the king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted by the majority of his brethren” (Esther 10:3). The Gemara comments: The verse indicates that Mordecai was accepted only “By the majority of his brethren,” but not by all his brethren. This teaches that some members of the Sanhedrin parted from him, because he occupied himself with community needs, and was therefore compelled to neglect his Torah study. They felt that this was a mistake and that he should have remained active on the Sanhedrin.

9. Torah Temimah, Esther 10:3 (note 1) פירש"י לפי שבטל מן התורה ונכנס לשררה, עכ"ל. וצ"ל דמרצונו החפשי נכנס, דאלו מטעם המלכות הלא גזירה היא. Rashi explained: “This was because he was idle from Torah and entered an official position.” And we must say that he entered of his own free will, as if it was from the kingdom, it is a decree [that he would not be held responsible for].

10. Midrash Lekach Tov to Esther 10:3 ורצוי לרוב אחיו – מלמד שאין אדם יכול להוציא ידי חובתו לכל העם. שהרי לא נמצא טוב לישראל כמרדכי, וכתיב בו ורצוי לרוב אחיו ולא לכל אחיו... “And accepted by most of his brothers” – this teaches that a person is unable to fulfill their obligation to an entire nation. For there was never anyone as good for the Jewish People as Mordechai, and it is written about him that he was “accepted by most of his brothers” and “not all of his brothers”…

11. Maharsha, Chiddushei Aggadot, Megillah 16b מלמד שפירשו ממנו סנהדרין כו' דהיינו אחיו חביריו שהיו מכלל אנשי כנסת הגדולה: This teaches that the Sanhedrin parted from him… As “his brothers” refers to his friends, who were part of the Anshei Knesset Hagedolah.