Rabbotai, the Ye’arot Devash builds a magnificent structure around Matanot La'evyonim with a stunning insight (Chelek Bet, Drush 16). The Gemara (Megillah 16a) tells us that on the day Haman came to take Mordechai on the horse, Mordechai was teaching his students the laws of kemitzah – the act of a Kohen taking a fistful of the meal offering – demonstrating how the Omer offering is performed. Why? Because the date was the sixteenth of Nisan, the day the Omer was offered in the time of the Beit Hamikdash. And as Chazal teach, whoever engages in the Torah of the Omer is considered as if he actually offered the Omer.
Haman arrived at the shiur and saw Mordechai performing the kemitzah. He asked: “What is this?” The students explained, and he said: אֲתָא קוֹמְצָא דִ ידְ כוֹן וּדְ חָא לַעֲשֶׂרֶ ת אַלְפֵּי כִּכַּר כֶּסֶף דִּ ידִ י – Your fistful has come and pushed aside my ten thousand silver talents. Haman said: “I have lost. If I now have to lead Mordechai through the city on horseback, I’ve lost the campaign.”
The Ya'arot Devash asks: what is the connection between the kemitzah and the ten thousand silver talents? The kemitzah is to Hakadosh Baruch Hu; the ten thousand talents are to Achashveirosh. How do you put them on the same scale?! He also asks: the Gemara states that it was revealed and known before Hakadosh Baruch Hu that Haman would one day weigh out shekels against Yisrael, so He had our shekalim precede his (Megillah 13b): ָלוּי וְיָדוּעַ לִפְנֵי מִי שֶׁאָמַר וְהָיָה הָעוֹלָם שֶׁעָתִיד הָמָן לִשְׁקֹל שְׁקָלִים עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְפִיכָךְ הִקְדִּים שְׁקָלֵיהֶם לִשְׁקָלָיו.
But, the Ya'arot Devash asks: what is the connection between Haman weighing shekels against Yisrael and our giving a contribution for communal offerings? And moreover, Haman never actually paid! Achashveirosh said: הַכֶּסֶף נָתוּן לָךְ – The silver is given to you, and the people, to do with as you see fit." The king did not want to touch the money; he wanted clean hands! Chazal say Haman hated the Jews, but Achashveirosh hated them even more, and when Haman arrived, Achashveirosh said: “Welcome, I've been waiting for you!”
The Ye'arot Devash explains why Achashveirosh hated the Jews. He and Vashti had no children. He asked his astrologers: “Who will inherit my throne?” They told him: “A Jew will sit on your throne.” Achashveirosh concluded: “The Jews will stage a coup,” and he harbored deep hatred as a result. When Haman arrived with his proposal, Achashveirosh said: “Take the signet ring – I saw nothing, I heard nothing. Do what you want!” The Gemara (Megillah 14a) provides a parable: מָשָׁל לְבַעַל הַתֵּל וּלְבַעַל הַחָרִיץ. זֶה רוֹצֶה לְמַלֵּא חָרִיצוֹ וְזֶה רוֹצֶה לִקְצֵץ תֵּלוֹ. נִפְגְּשׁוּ זֶה עִם זֶה, אָמְרוּ: נַעֲשֶׂה שְׁנֵינוּ כְּאֶחָד.
A parable of one who owns a mound and one who owns a ditch. One wants to fill his ditch and the other wants to level his mound. They met and said: let us work together. Achashveirosh and Haman shared the same desire – to destroy the Jews. Haman from Amaleki hatred; Achashveirosh from fear of a Jewish heir to his throne.
The Ye'arot Devash then reaches a stunning climax. After Vashti died and Achashveirosh married Esther, she bore him a son – Daryavesh (Darius), a key narrative detail which becomes pivotal in what follows. When Esther came at the second banquet and said: כִּי נִמְכַּרְנוּ אֲנִי וְעַמִּי – For we have been sold, I and my people,“ Achashveirosh said: “Who are you? You told me you didn't even know your own background and now you have a people?!” She answered: “I am Jewish.” Stunned, he answered, “Jewish? Then our son Daryavesh – what is he?” Esther confirmed: “Jewish.” The king was settled by this news: “And so, the prophecy that a Jew would sit on my throne – that is my own son! The Jews are not plotting a coup at all!” In an instant, everything was overturned. He turned completely against Haman – “Kill him and all the Amalekim immediately.”
Now the Ye'arot Devash reveals the mystery. Achashveirosh promised ten thousand silver talents but never paid. Why? Because Haman the wicked wanted to give that money as tzedakah to the poor of Bnei Yisrael. You heard correctly – Haman the Amaleki wanted to give the ten thousand silver talents as charity to the poor of Yisrael! This is analogous to Hamas donating its property to the Ponevezh Yeshiva! V'nahafoch hu!
In Sefer Daniel (4:24), Nevuchadnetzar dreamed he was destined to become an animal. Daniel gave him advice – as the Pasuk states: בְּצִדְקָה פְרוֹק חֲטָאָךְ – Redeem your sins through charity. The Midrash Tanchuma tells us that after the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, the Jewish people were in dire poverty. Daniel, seeing their suffering, on his own initiative obtained authorization from Nevuchadnetzar to distribute food vouchers to Jewish families every week. For a full year, Yisrael benefited from this budget. After a year, Nevuchadnetzar went out to his balcony on distribution day and saw hundreds of people in line. He asked: “What is this? Food distribution – for all of Bnei Brak?!” He ordered it stopped. The day the tap was closed, Nevuchadnetzar dropped to all fours and became an animal, eating straw.
The sefer Emunat Itecha then asks a powerful question. The Gemara in Bava Batra (4a) states: מַאן הוּא הָתָךְ? זֶה דָּנִיאֵל. וְלָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ הָתָךְ? שֶׁכָּל עִנְיְנֵי מַלְכוּת נֶחְתָּכִים עַל פִּיו. Who is Hatach? That is Daniel. And why was he called Hatach? Because all matters of the kingdom were decided (nechtakin) through him.
And Tosafot there note that Hatach disappeared – Haman killed him, seeing he was the messenger running between Esther and Mordechai. Emunat Itecha asks: a person cannot be harmed unless he deserves punishment. A non-Jew cannot touch a Jew unless granted that power from above. If Haman was given the power to harm Daniel – where did that power come from? He answers that Hakadosh Baruch Hu had not authorized Daniel to give Nevuchadnetzar the advice to give tzedakah to the Jews. Daniel acted on his own initiative – he saw the Jewish people in dire straits and acted unilaterally. Hakadosh Baruch Hu overlooked this, knowing Daniel's intent was entirely for Yisrael's sake. But a subtle accounting remained.
When Haman came and proposed his ten thousand silver talents, intending to give them as charity to the poor of Yisrael in order to succeed in destroying them, he had learned this strategy from what Daniel gave to Nevuchadnetzar. He heard how powerful tzedakah is. Because Daniel had given this idea to the enemy, Hakadosh Baruch Hu now held him accountable, and that is why Haman was given the power to harm Hatach (Daniel).
But as a result of Haman giving tzedakah, even with terrible intent, he merited that not all his sons died. The Gemara (Megillah 16a) tells us he had 208 children. How many were hanged? Only ten – those who had produced pamphlets against rebuilding the Beit Hamikdash, as Rashi explains. Of the remainder, the Gemara states: וְשִׁבְעִים בְּלֶחֶם נִדַּחוּ לֶאֱכֹל. וּמִבְּנֵי בָנָיו שֶׁל הָמָן לָמְדוּ תוֹרָה בִּבְנֵי בְרַק. Seventy were reduced to begging for bread. And from the grandchildren of Haman, there were those who studied Torah in Bnei Brak.
You heard correctly – grandchildren of Haman studied Torah in Bnei Brak! The Ye'arot Devash asks: where did all this (positive outcome) come from? It all came from the merit of Haman having given tzedakah to the poor of Yisrael – even with the worst of intentions.
This explains what Hakadosh Baruch Hu did. Knowing that Haman would give tzedakah to the poor of Yisrael, which would accrue to his credit, He said: “Let your shekels precede his. Bring your charity first.” And now you understand what Haman meant by "Your kemitzah has come and pushed aside my ten thousand silver talents." Why? Because your Torah study of the Beit Hamikdash service – the kemitzah – is equivalent to the actual offering, and: עֲשֹׂה צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט נִבְחָר לַה' מִזָּבַח: To do justice and judgment is more desired by Hashem than sacrifice.
If the offering outweighs tzedakah, then the kemitzah – namely, the Torah study of the offering – outweighs the ten thousand talents. “Your kemitzah has neutralized my silver.”
But why ultimately did Haman's tzedakah not help him? Because Haman was Mordechai's slave. During a military campaign, Haman's unit ran out of provisions and came to Mordechai for food. Mordechai said: sign here that you are my slave. Haman signed, and Mordechai kept the document on his leg. Every time Haman passed with everyone bowing to him, Mordechai would tap the document and say: “I don't bow to you – you're my slave.” And when Haman's tzedakah should have protected him: כָּל מַה שֶׁקָנָה עֶבֶד קָנָה רַבּוֹ – the principle of whatever a slave acquires belongs to his master was applied. The merit of all that tzedakah was credited entirely to Mordechai. Therefore, concludes the Ye'arot Devash, we give Matanot La'evyonim – as a countermeasure to what Haman intended to do with his silver against Yisrael.
