Sir Moses Montefiore once tried to convince the Chiddushei HaRim to introduce secular subjects, particularly the study of foreign languages, into the yeshiva curriculum. He brought proof to his position from Megillas Esther.
One of the crucial events in the narrative was when Mordechai overheard Bigsan and Seresh plotting to kill Achashveirosh and relayed the information to Esther so that their plan could be thwarted. Rashi writes that they were conversing in their native tongue. If Mordechai only spoke one language, he would not have been able to comprehend their scheme and put a stop to it. This teaches us the value of learning and being fluent in foreign languages.
The Chiddushei HaRim responded that a closer examination yields precisely the opposite conclusion. The only reason Bigsan and Seresh felt comfortable discussing their proposal in Mordechai’s presence was because they assumed that as a Jew, he would not understand what they were saying, and they could freely speak in front of him without worry.
Although Mordechai was required to know 70 languages to serve on the Sanhedrin, it is clear that Bigsan and Seresh took for granted that the average Jew had no such familiarity. If the Jews of the time had studied foreign tongues, Bigsan and Seresh would have been on guard around Mordechai, and the Megillah may have had a very different ending. Thus, it was precisely because they were content to speak only their own language that they were able to be saved.
