וחור תכלת מלכות בלבוש המלך מלפני יצא ומרדכי ושמחה צהלה שושן והעיר ואגרמן בוץ ותכריך גדולה זהב ועטרת
Mordechai went out from before the king, adorned in royal clothing of techeiles and white, a large gold crown, and a linen cloak with purple wool, and the city of Shushan was jubilant and rejoiceful.
שושנת יעקב צהלה ושמחה בראותם יחד תכלת מרדכי
The rose of Yaakov was jubilant and rejoiceful when they all saw together the techeiles of Mordechai.
When Mordechai heard about the terrible decree against the Jews, his first reaction was to tear his clothing. He wore sackcloth and ashes, left the king’s gate, and prayed. He screamed and yelled for salvation from Hashem. Now, what would have been the reaction of the average person? Let’s say someone had a sister who was married to the king, a king who had just issued a terrible decree. Their first reaction normally would be to immediately request their sister to intercede to annul the decree.
However, Mordechai was told about the decree through prophecy. He knew the reason for this decree, for it was due to the sins of the Jews. The only solution to this problem was to rectify its cause. He knew he needed to pray for Hashem’s forgiveness. This is the way of prayer for the righteous, with sackcloth and ashes. This meant that Mordechai could no longer enter the palace. He was forced to send a messenger to inform Esther of what happened so that she would pray as well. One might have thought that it would have been more effective to go in person, for that would have given Esther a greater impression of the present danger. Mordechai even refused to change into the fresh garments Esther sent him. Mordechai didn’t want to sacrifice a second of his prayers and instead sent a messenger.
When the decree was lifted, the verse tells us that Mordechai was granted special royal clothing made up of various colors and materials. The verse then tells us that the city of Shushan was jubilant and rejoiceful. The Brisker Rav had a chakira, two ways of looking at this verse. Is the fact that the city of Shushan was rejoiceful a separate statement? Or is it somehow connected to the fact that Mordechai went out in royal clothing? He resolves this question with the popular piyut that is sung after the Megillah, Shoshanas Yaakov. We say that the Jewish people rejoiced upon seeing the techeiles of Mordechai. This can be read as an allusion to the royal clothing that Mordechai wore, and we see that this was the cause of the Jews’ joy. However, this raises the question: Why were they so jubilant upon seeing Mordechai in royal clothing?
The reason is that the Jews were certain that if Mordechai didn’t know that the decree was totally abolished, he never would have abandoned his sackcloth and ashes. Why were they so certain? We know that towards the end of the Megillah, Haman was ordered to escort Mordechai in royal clothing.
However, the verse says that right after the whole parade, Mordechai went right back to the king’s gate. He went straight back to his sackcloth and ashes. The reason is that although this whole episode was a blow to Haman and his ego, the decree still loomed. However, at the end of the story, when the Jews saw that Mordechai was fully free from his prayers for salvation, they knew with certainty that their redemption had in fact arrived.
RABBI RAFI WOLFE
