ובמלואת הימים האלה עשה המלך לכל העם הנמצאים בשושן הבירה למגדול ועד קטן משתה שבעת ימים בחצר גנת ביתן המלך
“At the end of this period, the king made a banquet for seven days in the court of the king’s palace garden for all the people who lived in the fortress Shushan, high and low alike.” (Esther 1:5)
The Medrash Rabbah (Ch. 7) tells us that Reb Yishmoel says 18,500 went to the feast of Achashveirosh. Where do we know this from and what is the significance of this number?
Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l explains that this cheshbon [calculation] is not a rough estimate, but is rather is an exact calculation. The Targum Sheini says that the feast made after 180 days for the people of Shushan, was especially for the Yidden who did not want to partake together with the goyim. The Megillah tells us that it took place בחצר גינת ביתן המלך : - “In the courtyard of the garden of the royal palace”.
The Gemara in Eruvin (26a) says that the courtyard of a king is a beis kur which is 30 se’ah. A beis seah is 50 x 50 amos, which totals 2,500 square amos. Therefore, a beis kur which is 30 x 2,500 = 75,000 square amos.
The Gemara in Succah establishes that a person seated occupies a space of one amoh. However, Achashveirosh would not have wanted his guests to be squashed, rather he would have wanted them to have ample space so that they were able to stretch out their arms and legs, so let’s assume a space of 2 x 2 = 4 square amos. So, in an area of 75,000 divided by 4, which = 18,750, 18,750 were able to be seated comfortably.
בשושן הבירה הרגו חמש מאות איש – “In Shushan the capital, 500 people were killed”. The Targum says, that the 500 people killed in Shushan were Amalekim. Presumably, those who did not go to the party were the ones who merited to kill these Amalekim because it was those that attended the feast who were the cause of the whole decree.
The Yerushalmi (Sotah 3:1) asks how much of the megillas sotah – the passage written for a woman who had to drink the waters of the sotah must be rubbed out to be considered a mechika [an erasure]. Beis Hillel say that two letters is considered a mechika but less than that not. The pasuk says: ומחה אל מי המרים - “They should be erased into the bitter waters”. The Torah tells us: תמחה את זכר עמלק – “To obliterate the memory of Amalek”, using the same expression as by the sotah. Therefore, just like by sotah, mechika means two, similarly by Amalek, in order to fulfill the mitzvah of mechiyas Amalek [obliterating Amalek] one has to kill at least two Amalekim.
Mordechai and his followers who did not go to the party must have been a group of 250. Each one killed 2 Amalekim (חמש מאות איש).
Achashveirosh would have certainly prepared seats for all the Yidden in Shushan since he did not know how many would turn up and would not have wanted to leave anyone without a place. The: חצר של מלך – courtyard of the king, held space for 18,750 people. However, Mordechai and his followers, which totaled 250 didn’t attend. 18,750 – 250 = 18,500. The exact number the Medrash gives, for the number of attendees at Achashveirosh’s feast. Unbelievable!
