1 Study of Parts of Megillat Esther February 23, 2021 10-11 am on Zoom THE BOOK OF ESTHER OVERVIEW- CHAPTER 1 -- KING ACHASHVEROSH THROWS A PARTY 1. A lavish six-month celebration marks the third year in the reign of Achashverosh, king of Persia. 2. Queen Vashti refuses the king's request to appear at the celebration and display her beauty for the assembled guests. 3. The king's advisors counsel that Vashti be replaced with a new queen. CHAPTER 2 -- ESTHER BECOMES THE QUEEN 1. Across the Persian Empire, officials are appointed to identify beautiful candidates to succeed Vashti as queen. 2. A Jewish girl, Esther, the niece of Mordechai, is brought to the capital of Persia as one of the candidates. 3. Mordechai tells Esther to conceal her identity. 4. Esther is chosen to be the queen. 5. Mordechai learns of a plot to overthrow the king. Mordechai informs Esther, Esther tells the king, and the plotters are hanged. CHAPTER 3 -- THE RISE OF HAMAN 1. Achashverosh appoints Haman to be his prime minister. All bow in homage to Haman. 2. Mordechai consistently refuses to bow to Haman. 3. An enraged Haman vows to kill all the Jews of Persia. 4. Haman prevails upon Achashverosh to destroy the Jews. 5. A royal edict is disseminated throughout Persia. The 13th of Adar is designated as the date to exterminate all the Jews and plunder their possessions. CHAPTER 4 -- ESTHER'S MISSION BECOMES CLEAR 1. Mordechai tears his clothes and puts on sackcloth and ashes as a sign of public mourning. 2. Mordechai sends a copy of the decree to Esther and asks her to intercede with the king. 3. Esther replies that to approach the king without being summoned is to risk death. 4. Mordechai tells her that she has no choice. 5. Esther tells Mordechai to ask the Jews to fast and pray for three days before she will approach the king. 2 CHAPTER 5 -- ESTHER'S STRATEGY, HAMAN'S FURY 1. King Achashverosh receives Esther and grants her virtually any request. 2. Esther's request: that the king and Haman join her at a banquet. 3. After the banquet, Haman sees Mordechai who once again refuses to bow. 4. When Zeresh, Haman's wife, suggests that Mordechai be hanged, the gallows are prepared. CHAPTER 6 -- THE REVERSAL BEGINS 1. The king can't sleep and asks to hear the royal chronicles. 2. For the first time, the king learns of the assassination plot that Mordechai had revealed. 3. That same night, Haman comes to see the king about hanging Mordechai. 4. Before Haman can speak, the king tells Haman to honor Mordechai by dressing him in royal garments, to place him on a royal stallion and to personally lead him through the streets of Shushan, capital of Persia. CHAPTER 7 -- REVERSAL OF FORTUNE 1. At the second banquet, Esther reveals her identity and announces that she and her people are about to be murdered. 2. Esther identifies Haman as her arch enemy. 3. The king has Haman hung on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordechai. CHAPTER 8 -- THE REVERSAL IS COMPLETE 1. Mordechai is named prime minister to replace Haman. 2. A second royal edict is promulgated empowering the Jews to fight and kill anyone who would try to harm them. CHAPTER 9 -- THE HOLIDAY OF PURIM 1. On the 13th of Adar, a day that had been designated for Jewish destruction, the Jews are victorious over their enemies. 2. The 10 sons of Haman are hung. 3. The 14th and 15th of Adar are designated to celebrate the salvation. These are the days of Purim. 4. Mordechai initiates the Purim practices -- consisting of a festive meal, the exchange of gifts of food, and the giving of monetary gifts to the poor. CHAPTER 10 -- MORDECHAI AND PERSIA 1. Persia, with Mordechai as prime minister, flourishes. 2. The role of Mordechai in the history of the Persian empire is recorded in the king's chronicles. THE SEVEN CUSTOMS OF A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PURIM 3 Purim comprise seven distinct mitzvot. Six of these are positive mitzvot; one is a negative requirement. In order of their appearance during Purim, the six positive mitzvot are: 1. Adding the paragraph beginning Al HaNissim [lit. “For the miracles”] to the day’s Shemoneh Esrei silent prayers and to Birkat HaMazon, the Blessing after Meals, (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, 693:2, 695:3) 2. Reading the Megillah, the Scroll of Esther, at night and again in the morning 3. Reading the Torah passage (Shemot/Exodus 17:8-16) regarding Amalek’s attack on Israel soon after the nation was redeemed from Egypt (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 693:4) 4. Sending food portions to friends 5. Giving gifts to the poor, and 6. Having a festive meal 7. The negative mitzvah is the prohibition against delivering eulogies and fasting [ibid. 697:1]. READING THE MEGILLAH - PERCEIVING GOD'S HIDDEN HAND Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 687:2; Mishnah Berurah 1. A person is obligated to read the Megillah twice: once at night and again in the day. Shulchan Aruch 2. It is read twice to recall the miracle that occurred through the Jews crying out in their troubles by day and by night. Mishnah Berurah 3. [The Megillah reading is so important that even] Torah study is postponed to hear the reading; all the more so, other Torah mitzvot are overridden to hear the reading. Shulchan Aruch 4. Even if a person has one hundred people in his home at the Megillah reading with him, but the community is reading it in shul at the same time, it is still a mitzvah for him to hear it in shul with the larger group. This is due to the concept of b’rov am hadrat melech – “with the multitude of the nation is the King honored” (Mishlei 14:28). Mishnah Berurah CAN WE MAKE NOISE IF WE HAVE TO HEAR? 1. The custom is to make noise when Haman’s name is mentioned during the Megillah reading in shul, to fulfill the command to wipe out the remembrance of Amalek [Devarim/Deuteronomy 25:17-19] Shulchan Aruch, Rema, Orach Chaim 690:17 2. All present must listen intently, and hear every word from the reader. If the reader misses a single word, or the listener did not hear a single word, they do not fulfill their obligation, and are required to re-read the missed words. Mishnah Berurah 690:48 4 Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 689:1-2 (1) All are obligated in reading [the megillah]: men, women, resident aliens, and freed slaves. We teach the children to read. (2) It is the same whether one reads or hears from someone who reads - he has fulfilled his obligation. That is, if he hears from someone who is obligated in reading it. Therefore, if the reader was a deafmute, or a minor, or mentally infirm, one who hears from him does not fulfill [his obligation]. And there are those who say that women do not fulfill the obligation for men. (Rama): And there are some who say, if a woman reads for herself, she blesses "to hear the megillah," because she is not obligated in reading (Mordechai first chapter of megillah) GIVING GIFTS OF FOOD TO FRIENDS - GIVING GENERATES LOVE AND UNITY 1. How does one perform this mitzvah? On the day of Purim one must send two items of food to at least one person (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 695:4). 2. What is the reason for this mitzvah? (a) To ensure that everyone has sufficient food for the Purim meal (Terumas HaDeshen, responsa 111). (b) To increase love and friendship between Jews [thereby dismissing Haman’s accusations of strife and dissention among Jews, [Esther 3:8] (Rabbi Moshe Shternbuch, Moadim U’Zmanim 2:186). [This is an ideal opportunity to repair broken relationships with others by sending parcels of food to them.] 3. Is it praiseworthy to send to many people? Yes, it is praiseworthy (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 695:4), but it is better to spend more money on gifts to the poor [matanot l’evyonim, see Part E] than on one’s Purim meal or mishloach manot (Mishnah Berurah 694:3). 4. Are all types of food suitable? [Preferably,] one should send food that is ready to be eaten immediately, and does not require cooking. If one sends a cooked dish, wine, or fruit, then it can be eaten at the recipient’s Purim meal. However, raw meat [or raw fish] that requires cooking should not be sent (Moadim U’Zmanim 2:186). 5. May one send two portions of the same food? [No, the two food items must be different:] one should either send two different types of food, or two different types of drink, or a food and a drink (Aruch HaShulchan, Orach Chaim 695:14). 6. What is the minimum quantity of food? [Ideally, the food should be of a respectable quantity according to the standards of the sender and recipient.] If one sends something very small to a wealthy person then one has not fulfilled this mitzvah [i.e. one should send a nicer package to a wealthy person than to a poor person] (Biur Halachah 695, s.v. chayiv lishloach). A wealthy person should send a nicer package than a poor person (Rabbi Moshe Shternbuch, Teshuvos V’Hanhagos 2:354). 5 GIVING GIFTS TO THE POOR - GOING BEYOND OUR SELF-CENTEREDNESS 1. How does one perform this mitzvah? [On the day of Purim,] a person must give one gift each to at least two poor people.