How Many Sons Did Haman Have?
ויספר להם המן את כבוד עשרו ורב בניו ואת כל אשר גדלו המלך ואת אשר נשאו על השרים ועבדי המלך
“Haman recounted to them the glory of his wealth and of his many sons, and all [the ways] in which the king had prompted him and elevated him above the officials and royal servants.” (Esther 5:11)
The Gemara in Megillah (15b) records a dispute as to how many sons Haman had. Rav posits that Haman had thirty sons. Ten died, ten were hanged, and ten were reduced to abject poverty, compelled to beg for food.
The Rabbonon disagree, stating that the group of paupers begging for alms consisted of seventy sons. That is, Haman had ninety sons, among them whom there were seventy impoverished survivors.
Rami bar Abba has a third opinion. He believes Haman to have fathered two hundred and eight sons. The Megillah alludes to this in the pasuk:ויספר להם המן את כבוד עשרו ורב בניו ואת כל אשר גדלו המלך ואת אשר נשאו על השרים ועבדי המלך.
The word ורב numerically equals 208, an allusion to the two hundred and eight sons of Haman. The Chasam Sofer (Droshas, Parshas Zachor, pg. 194) explains why Haman felt it necessary to allude to the number of his sons. It is because the gematria of the name “Yitzchak” is also two hundred and eight.
Yitzchak Avinu represent middas hadin, the strict letter of the law. Haman sought to arouse Hashem’s Middas HaDin against Klal Yisroel. He did this by referencing the number two hundred and eight, which is both the number of his sons and the numerical value of the name Yitzchak, the forefather who exemplified middas hadin. By doing so, Haman intended that Hashem’s attribute of strict judgement would be aroused, bolstering the chances of his success.
