Mordechai Defeated Haman Because of His Concern for Esther:
The pasuk states (Esther 2:11) that Mordechai would walk every day in the king’s courtyard to know how Esther was doing. The Sefas Emes zy”a (Purim 5637) writes that since everything mentioned in the Megillah is related to the miracle, this too must have some relevant. He explains that for years after Esther was taken to the palace, Mordechai would go every day to encourage her and make sure she was okay. Since she was an orphan, and because she was taken against her will and forced to live in a non-Jewish house, he was very worried about her.
The miracle occurred in the merit of Mordechai’s concern for Esther. Since he went every day to encourage Esther, the orphan, he merited defeating Haman and saving Klal Yisroel.
The Fast on Pesach:
The pasuk states (Esther 4:17): “Vaya’avor Mordechai.” (And Mordechai passed.) The Gemara (Megillah 15A) understands this to mean that Mordechai was “oiver” (transgressed) the first day of Pesach by fasting on that day. Rav Yissochor Dov of Belz zy”a asks why he declared a fast specifically on that day.
He answers with a story about Rav Yitzchok of Radvil zy”a. As a young man, before he became famous, Rav Yitzchok was very poor. He made his living as a melamed, teaching the children of a villager. One day, his employer became very sick. Rav Yitzchok advised him to give tzedakah to ten poor men, and to ask them to fast for one full day and daven for his recovery.
Rav Yitzchok himself was one of the ten poor men who the villager gave money to, but he did not fast like the others. Instead, he used the money to buy fish and other refreshments, and he made a festive meal for his family.
The villager soon was healed. When he heard that not only had Rav Yitzchok not fasted for him but, on the contrary, he had arranged a festive meal, he became very angry. He asked him, “How could you do this? Weren’t you the one who gave me the idea in the first place?”
Rav Yitzchok answered, “Yes. I originally had planned on fasting. However, I then thought that if I fasted, that would do you no good. That wouldn’t cause any commotion in Shomayim, as it wouldn’t be at all out of the ordinary for me to go without food. Therefore, I realized that it would be better for me to make a big meal, which is very unusual for me and would cause a commotion in Shomayim. They would wonder how I managed to arrange such a meal, and it would be discovered that you had given tzedakah to my family. And this zechus would lead to your refuah.”
Rav Yissochor Dov says that this was Mordechai’s intent. If he would declare a fast on a regular day, it wouldn’t create any commotion in Shomayim, as it is common for Klal Yisroel to fast when faced with danger. But since Pesach is usually a time of rejoicing, when no one fasts, he specifically established the fast on this day so that they would ask in Shomayim why the people were not celebrating as usual, and it would be answered that Mordechai had declared a day of fasting and praying for the salvation of Klal Yisroel.
The Tiferes Shlomo (Yom Bais L’Pesach) also asks why Mordechai declared the fast on the first day of Pesach, rather than waiting a day until Chol Hamoed. He answers similarly that on the first night of Pesach, when tzadikim eat matzohs and marror, relate the story of yetzias Mitzrayim, and do all the mitzvos of the day, they create a great commotion in Heaven, and the world can only exist when tzadikim create such tremendous hashpa’os in the Upper Worlds. By telling people to fast on Pesach, Esther and Mordechai were arousing Hashem’s love for His nation by displaying to Him, so to speak, how empty every world would be without the mitzvos of Klal Yisroel. And, indeed, when the night of Pesach arrived and the Heavens were missing those mitzvos, it created a great commotion and aroused Hashem’s mercy.
In this vein, he explains the pasuk that says that “on that night, the king’s sleep was disturbed.” Chazal (Megillah 15B) say that this refers to Hashem, the King of the world. On that night, He was disturbed by the missing mitzvos, so He said “to bring His book of remembrances” of mitzvos that had been done in the past. He found written there that “Mordechai related”, meaning that He remembered how Mordechai had related the Haggadah and performed the mitzvos of Pesach in the past, and this aroused His mercy.
