Perek Bet (1-4) begins with the aftermath of the decree from Perek Aleph. Achar Hadevarim Haeleh, Achashverosh remembered Vashti and the decree. Achar Hadevarim Haeleh are three very important words to note when reading the megillah, as they provide a direct link, or connection, between what is coming next and what occurred in the past. Achashverosh seems to regret what he did, but we're unclear. Next, the nearei hamelech, literally, the lads of the king, who were servants on a less prestigious scale, suggested to the king that he take for himself young virgin women. Achashverosh can appoint officers in all the cities to bring all the women to Chagai, the supervisor, in order to spice them up. The girl who is most favorable in the eyes of the king will replace Vashti as queen. Sounds splendid, right? Well, Achashverosh appeared to think so and gleefully agreed.
Next, Pesukim 5-20 begin with the introduction of Mordechai. He was an "Ish Yehudi," a man from the tribe of Binyamin, and a descendent of the people who had been exiled from Yerushalayim. Mordechai was definitely a leader, yet he was in Shushan instead of Yerushalayim. This is a reference to Sefer Zecharyah. Anywho, Mordechai cared for Esther, as he was her cousin and she had no parents. This is the first time we are also introduced to Hadassah/Esther. On a side note, the name Esther comes from Ishtart, the goddess of love and fertility, and Moredechai's secular name was Marduk. This shows that the Jews were assimilated into the values of the society of the time. The remainder of the pesukim lead up to the coronation of Esther, and the persistence of Esther to keep her identity a secret. The third section (21-23) describes the foiled (by Mordechai) plot of Bigtan and Teresh to kill the king.
Then, we ventured on to Perek Gimel. The first section (1-7) is the beginning of Haman and his rise to power. Haman was a descendant of Agag, the king of Amalek (this story extends back to the time of Shaul). As a result of his promotion, all the servants of the king who were at the king would bow down to Haman, with the exception of Mordechai. When the servants saw this, they were in a bit of a kerfuffle and asked Mordechai why he would transgress the law of the king. However, Mordechai unwaveringly continued his refusal to bow down to Haman. When Haman was told about this by his servants and inquired more about the matter, he was enraged to find out it was true. In Haman's mind, things had just gotten personal. Immediately, Haman became intent on destroying all the Jews in the entire kingdom of Achashverosh. In order to do so, Haman decided to cast lots to find the best opportunity to kill the Jews, and wallah, Adar was the perfect time.
I titled my blog, My Lucky Day (if you have not read the book, I highly suggest it). As we saw/will see throughout the Pesukim we studied, Haman relied primarily on luck. In the mere several Pesukim depicting him, he decides to cast lots to determine the fate of the Jewish people. It may even be fair to say Haman possessed somewhat of an external locus of control, if you want to throw in a little psychology reference there. I feel like the theme of luck/coincidence is one of the most prevalent ideas/themes that is manifested throughout the Megillah. It is easy to, on face value, view the events that transpired and the effects that followed as purely coincidental. However, this is not the Jewish ideology. When we first discussed the background to the Megillah, one of the ideas that were presented by our class was Hester Panim, that Hashem hides His face, yet His hand is so intricately woven throughout the Megillah. In fact, this is a theme we have seen in all the Megillot we have studied. It is easy to attribute the good to ourselves and the bad to G-d, or even nothing to G-d. But, everything comes from G-d. And this is something we have to accept, even if we don't see His involvement in such a crystal clear manner.
Have a happy rest of your Purim!
Then, we ventured on to Perek Gimel. The first section (1-7) is the beginning of Haman and his rise to power. Haman was a descendant of Agag, the king of Amalek (this story extends back to the time of Shaul). As a result of his promotion, all the servants of the king who were at the king would bow down to Haman, with the exception of Mordechai. When the servants saw this, they were in a bit of a kerfuffle and asked Mordechai why he would transgress the law of the king. However, Mordechai unwaveringly continued his refusal to bow down to Haman. When Haman was told about this by his servants and inquired more about the matter, he was enraged to find out it was true. In Haman's mind, things had just gotten personal. Immediately, Haman became intent on destroying all the Jews in the entire kingdom of Achashverosh. In order to do so, Haman decided to cast lots to find the best opportunity to kill the Jews, and wallah, Adar was the perfect time.
I titled my blog, My Lucky Day (if you have not read the book, I highly suggest it). As we saw/will see throughout the Pesukim we studied, Haman relied primarily on luck. In the mere several Pesukim depicting him, he decides to cast lots to determine the fate of the Jewish people. It may even be fair to say Haman possessed somewhat of an external locus of control, if you want to throw in a little psychology reference there. I feel like the theme of luck/coincidence is one of the most prevalent ideas/themes that is manifested throughout the Megillah. It is easy to, on face value, view the events that transpired and the effects that followed as purely coincidental. However, this is not the Jewish ideology. When we first discussed the background to the Megillah, one of the ideas that were presented by our class was Hester Panim, that Hashem hides His face, yet His hand is so intricately woven throughout the Megillah. In fact, this is a theme we have seen in all the Megillot we have studied. It is easy to attribute the good to ourselves and the bad to G-d, or even nothing to G-d. But, everything comes from G-d. And this is something we have to accept, even if we don't see His involvement in such a crystal clear manner.
Have a happy rest of your Purim!
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