ויאמר המלך מי בחצר והמן בא לחצר בית המלך החיצונה לאמר למלך לתלות את מרדכי על העץ אשר הכין לו
“The king asked, ‘Who is in the courtyard?’ Haman was just coming into the outer courtyard of the royal palace to speak to the king about hanging Mordechai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.” (Esther 6:4)
Haman wanted to hang Mordechai on the gallows that he had prepared “for him.” Why does the pasuk add the word לו, for him? The Megillah could have simply stated the Haman wanted to hang Mordechai “on the gallows that he had prepared.” The Gemara in Megillah (16a) addresses this question, and in the following five words of Gemara lie the key to understanding the entire events of Purim: הכין לו תנא לו הכין – “[The words] ‘prepared for him’ teach (i.e. mean) ‘prepared for himself.’”
The pasuk states, “the gallows which Haman had prepared for him.” We are taught in a beraisa that these words should be interpreted, “on the gallows that Haman had prepared for himself.” The seemingly extraneous word לו indicated that he was actually making it for himself. As Rashi writes, “L’tzorech atzmo, for his own use.” Haman thought he was constructing gallows on which to hang Mordechai, but in reality, he was building it for himself.
And, in fact, this is what eventually transpired: Haman was executed on the very gallows that he had constructed. Ironically, he unknowingly had built the gallows on which he himself would hang.
A Common Theme
This was not an isolated incident; rather, much of what Haman did as he plotted to annihilate the Jews actually set the stage for our salvation. Hashem directed events in such a way that the efforts that were הכין לו, that Haman prepared for the downfall of Klal Yisroel, actually were unwittingly לו הכין, prepared for himself, readying his own disgrace and defeat.
Eitzah vs. Machshavah
On Purim, we recite in Al HaNissim:ואתה ברחמך הרבים הפרת את עצתו וקלקלת את מחשבתו והשבות לו גמולו בראשו ותלו אותו ואת בניו על העץ – “And You, in your abundant mercy, annulled his counsel, frustrated his intention, and brought his evil plan upon his own head, and they hanged him and his sons upon the gallows.”
We thank Hashem because הפרת את עצתו, He annulled his [Haman’s] counsel, and also וקלקלת את מחשבתו, frustrated his intentions.
How does eitzah differ from machshavah? What is the distinction between Hashem “annulling his counsel”, and “frustrating his intention”?
The Vilan Gaon (Aderes Eliyohu, Iyov 5:6) teaches that an eitzah is an idea that comes to fruition. Machshavah, on the other hand, is a plan that is never actualized. Rav Dovid Cohen (Yemei Purim pg. 308) employs this understanding of the Vilna Gaon to explain the pasuk: רבות מחשבות בלב איש ועצת ה' היא תקום – “Many thoughts are in a man’s heart, but the counsel of Hashem, only it will prevail” (Mishlei 19:21).
People formulate many machshavos, thoughts, plans, and ideas, which are never actualized. Hashem counsels eitzos, and these actually become reality and come to fruition.
Only Hashem’s plans are realized. Man’s ideas never move past the planning stage unless they are in accordance with Hashem’s will. Hashem’s ideas are therefore referred to as eitzos, while those of humans are called machshavos.
On Purim, we are celebrating not only Hashem’s annulment of all of Haman’s עצתו, his counsels. Not only did his ultimate plan not come to fruition. Hashem did more than that: וקלקלת את מחשבתו , Hashem appropriated all of Haman’s schemes and machinations and used them against him. So first we thank Hashem for הפרת את עצתו, foiling Haman’s plot, but then we acknowledge a much higher level of Divine intervention. וקלקלת את מחשבתו, Hashem used every scheme of Haman, and in an ultimate display of hashgachah pratis, each מחשבה, of Haman was the very instrument used to bring about his downfall. In essence, Haman planned his own demise.
Below we will cite a number of examples:
The Hundred-Foot-Tall Gallows
The Vilna Gaon (Pirush on Megillas Esther 5:14) points out how absurd it was for Haman to have constructed gallows that were fifty amos high. There is no reason to execute someone by hanging him one hundred feet in the air.
Haman made a cunning calculation in erecting the gallows to such a ludicrous height. He knew that Achashveirosh had trouble committing to a decision and would often change his mind. Even if he were to give Haman permission to execute Mordechai, it was possible that he would change his mind shortly afterward.
Haman knew that the only way to ensure that the hanging would take place was to have everything ready to go at a moment’s notice, with the means to hang Mordechai clearly visible to the king. Then, once Achashveirosh gave his approval, Mordechai could be hanged immediately, and there would not be time for Achashveirosh to change his mind. And if he were to regret doing so in the future, it would be too late to reverse what had happened.
When Haman learned that Esther was Jewish, he pleaded for his life. He fell onto the couch on which she was lying, which served to make an already enraged Achashveirosh even more furious. While in a fit of rage, Achashveirosh glanced up and saw Haman’s gallows, towering over all the surrounding buildings. He impulsively reacted to Charvonah’s comment, “Furthermore, the gallows which Haman made for Mordechai ... is standing in Haman’s house,” sending Haman to his death.
Had the gallows not been so tall and readily visible to a furious Achashveirosh, he may have calmed down before deciding Haman’s fate, and explains the Vilna Gaon, he may not have ordered Haman’s death.
Haman’s precise calculations in erecting such exceedingly tall gallows in his quest to kill Mordechai is the very reason he was so quickly and easily dispatched to his own death.
