With Questions: I, II, III
I. King Ahashverosh's Great Feast
It happened in the days of Ahashverosh, who reigned from Hodu [India] as far as Kush, over 127 provinces. In those days, when the King Ahashverosh sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the capital, in the third year of his reign, he made a feast for his princes and servants, the army of Paras and Maddai, the noblemen and princes of the provinces being before him.
On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he told Mehuman, Bizzeta, Harvona, Bigta and Avagta, Zetar and Karkas, the seven chamberlains who served in the presence of King Ahashverosh, to bring Queen Vashti before the king with the royal crown, to show the people and the princes her beauty, for she was beautiful. But the Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment which the chamberlains brought. The king became enraged and his anger burned in him.
Memukhan said before the king and the princes: Queen Vashti has not sinned against the king only, but also against all the princes and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of the King Ahashverosh. If it pleases the king, let a royal commandment go out and let it be written in the laws of Paras and Maddai, so that it not be altered, that Vashti may come no more before King Ahashverosh and the king will give her queenship to another who is better than her.
The king's servants who attended upon him said, let beautiful young maidens be sought for the king, and the maiden who pleases the king shall be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king, and he did so.
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1. Why did King Ahashverosh make a feast for all his princes and servants?
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2. Why did the king want another queen in place of Vashti?
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II. Esther the Queen
There was a Jewish man in Shushan the capital, whose name was Mordekhai, son of Yair, son of Shimi, son of Kish, a Binyaminite. He brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The girl was fair and beautiful, and when her father and mother died. Mordekhai took her for his own daughter. When the king's commandment and his decree were heard, and when many young girls were gathered in Shushan the capital, in the custody of Hegay, Esther was brought to the king's house, to the custody of Hegay, keeper of the women.
Mordekhai walked every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther was doing and what was being done with her.
Esther was taken to King Ahashverosh into his royal house, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tevet, in the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his eyes, more than all the maidens, and he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Esther did not reveal her origin and her people, as Mordekhai had bidden her, and Esther did as Mordekhai told her, just as when she was being brought up by him. In those days, while Mordekhai was sitting in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Bigtan and Teresh, of those who guarded the door, became angry, and wanted to lay hands on the King Ahashverosh. The thing became known to Mordekhai, who told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in Mordekhai's name. The matter was investigated and it was found out, and both were hanged on a tree. And it was written in the book of chronicles, in the presence of the king.
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1. Why did Esther not tell anyone that she was Jewish?
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2. Why did Ahashverosh order Bigtan and Teresh to be hanged on a tree?
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III. Haman Wants to Kill the Jews
After these things, King Ahashverosh promoted Haman, son of Hamdata, the Aggagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. And all the king's servants, who were in the king's gate, kneeled and bowed to Haman, because the king had ordered to do so to him. But Mordekhai did not kneel and did not bow. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordekhai alone, for they had told him to which people Mordekhai belonged. So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who lived throughout the whole kingdom of Ahashverosh -- the people of Mordekhai. In the first month, that is, the month of Nissan, in the twelfth year of King Ahashverosh, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman, from day to day and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar. Haman said to King Ahashverosh: There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different from all people, nor do they keep the king's laws. Therefore it is of no benefit to the king to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let it be written that they should be destroyed, and I will weigh out ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who are in charge of the task of bringing the money into the king's treasury. The king took his ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman, son of Hamdata.
And the letters were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, little children and women, in one day, namely on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take their possessions.
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1. Why did Mordekhai the Jew not bow to Haman?
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2. Why is this feast called Purim? ____________________________________________________________
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From: Purim Resources, edited by Haim Weinreb
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