מגילת אסתר
ןיֵּ ב דָרֹפְמ ו רָ זֻפְמ דָחֶא םַע ֹונְ שֶי שֹורֵּוְ שַחֲא
ךֶלֶ מַל ןָמָה רֶמאֹ
יַו
ָךֶת
וכְלַמ תֹוניִּדְמ לֹכְ ב םיִּ
מַעָה וְדָ תֵּיהֶם ש ֹנוֹת מִּ כל עָם
וְאֶת יֵּתָ
ד
ךֶלֶ
מַה אֵּינָם עֹשִּׂים
ךֶלֶ
מַלְו אֵּין ש ֹוֶה םָחיִּ
נַהְל...
Haman said to King Achashverosh, "There is one people, scattered and divided among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different from every nation, and they do not keep the king's laws. It is not worthwhile for the king to leave them."
The Ohr Hachaim, in his Sefer Rishon Lezion, asks a number of questions on this possuk, explaining the nefarious plans of Haman in his unique way.
First, he parses the possuk, showing the seeming superfluity of some words, and misleading intent of others. The word יֶּשְׁנוֹ – there is, seems superfluous. Achashverosh surely knew of the existence of Am Yisroel, would it not have been sufficient to tell him that the scattered and divided nation do not keep the king’s laws and should be destroyed? Why did he introduce them as though they only came to his notice? Indeed, Haman did not actually mention them by name, he expected Achashverosh to know their name on his own.
Another word that seems superfluous, as well as misleading, is אֶּחָד. This usually denotes an importance and elevated level – they are the one. Why would Haman wish to describe in such honorable terms? Would it not serve his purpose better to describe them in degenerative terms? Does it not contradict his description of them further in the possuk?
He also notices the double expression, how Klal Yisroel are scattered among the peoples, and also in the provinces of your kingdom. Why mention both? Are they not the same thing?
The Rishon Lezion explains matters based on a story in the Gemara in Avoda Zara. There was a certain Roman emperor who hated the Jews. He said to the important members of the kingdom’s ruling cabinet: If one had an ulcerous sore rise on his foot, should he cut it off and live, or leave it and suffer? They said to him: He should cut it off and live. The ulcerous sore was a metaphor for the Jewish people, whom the emperor sought to eliminate as the cause of harm for the Roman Empire.
Ketia, son of Shalom, said to them: It is unwise to do so, for two reasons. One is that you cannot destroy all of them, as it is written: “For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, says Hashem” (Zechariah 2:10). He clarified: What is it saying? Shall we say that the verse means that Hashem has scattered them to the four winds of the world? If so, this phrase: “As the four winds,” is inaccurate, and it should have said: To the four winds. Rather, this is what the possuk is saying: Just as the world cannot exist without winds, so too, the world cannot exist without the Jewish people, and they will never be destroyed. Furthermore, if you attempt to carry out the destruction of the Jews, they will call you the severed kingdom, as the Roman Empire would be devoid of Jews, but Jews would exist in other locations.
Ketia had two claims against the destruction of Klal Yisroel – one that Hashem would not permit a world to exist without Klal Yisroel, and that people would make fun of him for cutting off part of his kingdom.
Haman needed to find a way to answer both claims. The only one that could destroy Klal Yisroel was Achashverosh. He was the king of the entire world, as the Gemara tells us. He can destroy Klal Yisroel, because he was in charge of the world. And his Kingdom wouldn’t be cutting off a part of itself, as Klal Yisroel was also spread out all over the world, no hole would be visible in the Kingdom of Achashverosh.
The possuk hints to this by saying יֶּשְׁנוֹ עַם אֶּחָד מְפֻזָר וּמְפֹרָד בֵין הָעַמִּים בְכֹל מְדִּינוֹת מַלְכוּתֶּךָ – telling us that the nation exists in a spread out manner, all over the ruler’s kingdom. The יֶּשְׁנוֹ isn’t referring to the existence of this nation, it is referring to the fact that they exist all over. There is no reason for Achashverosh to worry about being called a king that cuts off part of his realm, or that the world needs Klal Yisroel.
The Ohr Hachaim uses this explanation to shed light on the first possuk of the Megilla. וַיְהִּי בִּימֵי אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ הוּא אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ הַמֹלֵךְ מֵהֹדּוּ וְעַד כוּשׁ שֶּׁבַע וְעֶּשְרִּ ים וּמֵאָה מְדִּינָה - In the days of Achashverosh, this is Achashverosh who reigned from India to Ethiopia, over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces. The Gemara tells us that the word וַיְׁהִי always denotes pain. There are many explanations as to what pain was caused by Achashverosh’s governing the entire world.
According to this explanation of the Ohr Hachaim’s, the answer is self-understood. Haman would never have persuaded Achashverosh to attempt to destroy Klal Yisroel if not for the fact that Achashverosh was king of the known universe.
The Ohr Hachaim then explains the possuk in a homiletic fashion, with Haman making his claim, and Ruach Hakodesh answering him back immediately. (The Ohr Hachaim writes that this explanation was revealed to him in a dream. The Kamarna Rebbe in his Kesem Ofir on Megila writes that he heard this in the Heavenly Yeshiva.)
Haman said יֶּשְׁנוֹ עַם – there is a people, and Ruach Hakodesh answered אֶּחָד – one. They are a unique and holy nation, uplifted from all others.
Haman said מְפֻזָר וּמְפֹרָד בֵין הָעַמִּים - scattered and divided among the peoples, and Ruach Hakodesh answered בְכֹל מְדִּינוֹת מַלְכוּתֶּךָ - in all the provinces of your kingdom. They were not desert people or primitive jungle dwellers; they were civilized city citizens who were an integral part of the kingdom.
They are called מַלְׁכוּתֶּךָ – your kingdom, because the kingdom only existed due to them. If not for Klal Yisroel, Achashverosh could never call himself king over the world.
Haman said וְדָתֵיהֶּם – and their laws, making fun of their laws and rules, and Ruach Hakodesh answered שֹנוֹת – lit. are different, but Ohr Hachaim explains that this means learning Torah. Chazal say that as long as Klal Yisroel are learning in the Beis Haknesses and Beis Hamedrash, no nation can triumph against them.
The possuk indeed continues מִּכ ל עָם – from all nations. Their learning places them out of reach of all nations.
Haman said וְלַמֶּלֶּךְ אֵין שׁוֶֹּה – and it is not worthwhile for the king, meaning that they produce no value for the king and his kingdom. Ruach Hakodesh answered לְׁהַנִיחָם - it is better to leave them alone. The greatness of the king will be increased if he leaves them alone.
