What Changed Between the First and Second Feast
אל המשתה אשר אעשה להם
“To the meal I will make for them.” (Esther 5:8)
Although Esther risked her life by going to Achashveirosh when she had not been called, he extended his golden scepter to her. After she touched the end of the scepter and approached, he asked her what she wanted. Esther invited Achashveirosh and Haman to join her at a royal mishteh [banquet]. At that meal, Achashveirosh again asked Esther what her request was, and she responded that she wanted them to join her at another feast the following day.
The Meshech Chochmah points out a subtle change in the wording of Esther’s invitations. When she told Achashveirosh about the first mishteh (5:4), she described it as: המשתה אשר עשיתי לו – “The feast I will make for him”, meaning Achashveirosh. The second time, she said (5:8): המשתה אשר אעשה להם – “The meal I will make for them”, referring to Achashveirosh and Haman. Why did she change her wording?
The Gemara (Megillah 15b) explains that one of Esther’s intentions in inviting Haman to the banquets was to make Achashveirosh suspicious that something was going on between Haman and his wife. When the first mishteh came and went without Achashveirosh showing any signs of jealousy, Esther decided to up the stakes.
Although she invited Haman to the first feast, she made it clear that her husband was the guest of honor, describing it as the meal I am making for the king. The second time she implied that Haman would be an equally important guest at the:משתה אשר אעשה להם – “The meal I will make for them”, equating Haman to her husband. The Gemara says that Achashveirosh picked up on this subtle change in wording, and this was one of the reasons he could not sleep (6:1). He was worried that there might be a secret plot going on between Esther and Haman to assassinate him.
Still, why didn’t Esther present her request on behalf of her nation at the first mishteh? Seemingly, nothing changed from one meal to the next, so what was she hoping to gain by delaying her entreaty until the second one?
The Ibn Ezra explains that at the first banquet, Esther was watching for a heavenly sign indicating that the time was right. When none was forthcoming, she decided to postpone her plan until the following day. In the interim, she saw Haman being humbled and ordered to lead Mordechai through the streets of Shushan on the royal horse. Esther interpreted this as a sign from Hashem that now the time was right, and she proceeded with her intervention on behalf of the Jews later that day.
