Midreshet Amit

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Team Simcha

By: Avital Mannis

People say that Jewish history can be summed up in three phrases: They tried to kill us. We won. Let's eat. This connects to no other holiday better than Purim. In fact, most of what happens around Purim centers around seudot and eating. Yet, there must be a deeper meaning to the simcha of Purim. Where does it come from?

As we all know Mordechai asks Esther to intercede on behalf of the Jewish people and go ask Achashverosh to stop Haman's decree to destroy the Jews. At first Esther is reluctant to go because there is a rule in the kingdom that no one—including the queen—can go to the king unannounced. Yet she goes nonetheless.

When she arrived, Achashverosh not only accepts her, but asks her what she wants. Because he knows how much it took for her to come without permission, he offers her up to "half the kingdom".

This was now her chance to ask to save the Jews, but what does she ask for? She asks him to join her at a mishteh. At the mishteh, he again asks Esther what she wants from him. Again she is offered anything up to half the kingdom and once again what does Esther say? She invites him to another mishteh.

At the second mishteh, Achashverosh again offers her "up to half the kingdom." Only now does Esther build up the courage to tell Achashverosh that she is Jewish and that Haman is trying to destroy her and her people. The question is, why did she keep pushing off her request? She had so many opportunities before to ask Achashverosh; what took her so long?

Rashi asks, what exactly did Achashverosh mean when he said Esther could have "up to half the kingdom"? He answers that he was saying that she can ask for anything except the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash. The mmidrash says that Achashverosh was told by his astrologers that the king that would be following him would be Jewish. He always interpreted this to mean that the Jews would rebel and force him out. So what he was saying was that he could not do anything that will support a Jewish monarchy. He was paranoid about a Jew taking over his kingdom. Once he said that to Esther she knew that she couldn't make her request as she originally wanted.

What changed that allowed Esther able to finally ask him at the second mishteh? The change is that between the two parites, Achashverosh found out that it was Mordechai who saved his life and Haman never rewarded him. He understood that it was Haman who was trying to steal the kingdom, not the Jew. Once Achashverosh was already down on Haman, Esther knew this was her opportunity to ask that Haman be killed and that the Jews be saved.

Haman is now dead and during the war, Achashverosh again asks Ester what she wants from him. However, this time he doesn't limit it to half the kingdom- it's an unlimited offer- so what changed? His whole understanding of what his advisors had said changed- he now knows that Esther is Jewish so there is no longer a threat- it is clear him and Esther's son will be the next king and continue his kingdom.

This helps us define what the true simcha of Purim is. The simcha of a meal lasts only during the meal but the real simcha was that Hashem was watching over the Jews the entire time.

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