אסתר רבה ח׳Esther Rabbah 8

Section 1א׳

וּמָרְדֳּכַי יָדַע אֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה וַיִּקְרַע מָרְדֳּכַי אֶת בְּגָדָיו (אסתר ד, א), בִּנְיָמִין גָּרַם לַשְּׁבָטִים לִקְרֹעַ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (בראשית מד, יג): וַיִּקְרְעוּ שִׂמְלֹתָם, וְהֵיכָן גָּרְמָה לוֹ קְרִיעָה, בְּשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב: וַיִּקְרַע מָרְדֳּכַי אֶת בְּגָדָיו, וְהוּא אִישׁ יְמִינִי. וַיִּלְבַּשׁ שַׂק וָאֵפֶר, אָמַר רַבִּי אַיְּבוּ מִשֶּׁתָּפַס יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ אֶת הַשַֹּׂק, דִּכְתִיב (בראשית לז, לד): וַיָּשֶׂם שַׂק בְּמָתְנָיו, שׁוּב לֹא זָז מִבָּנָיו, אַחְאָב כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ (מלכים א כא, כז): וַיָּשֶׂם שַׂק עַל בְּשָׂרוֹ. יוֹרָם בְּנוֹ (מלכים ב ו, ל): וַיַּרְא הָעָם וְהִנֵּה הַשַֹּׂק עַל בְּשָׂרוֹ. מָרְדֳּכַי, וַיִּלְבַּשׁ שַׂק וָאֵפֶר וַיִּזְעַק זְעָקָה גְּדוֹלָה וּמָרָה. וְהֵיכָן נִפְרַע לוֹ בְּשׁוּשָׁן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיִּזְעַק זְעָקָה גְדוֹלָה וּמָרָה. אָמַר רַבִּי חָנִין מַאן דְּאָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וַתְּרָן הוּא יִתְוַתְּרוּן בְּנֵי מְעוֹהִי, אֶלָּא מַאֲרִיךְ רוּחֵיהּ וְגָבֵי דִילֵיהּ, תֵּדַע שֶׁהֲרֵי זְעָקָה אַחַת הִזְעִיק יַעֲקֹב לְעֵשָׂו, דִּכְתִיב (בראשית כז, לד): וַיִּצְעַק צְעָקָה גְדֹלָה וּמָרָה.

“Mordekhai knew everything that had been done, and Mordekhai rent his garments and donned sackcloth and ashes. He went out in the midst of the city and cried a loud and bitter cry” (Esther 4:1). “Mordekhai knew everything that had been done, and Mordekhai rent his garments.” Benjamin caused the tribes [his brothers] to rend; that is what is written: “They rent their garments” (Genesis 44:13). Where was he caused to rend? It was in Shushan the citadel; that is what is written: “Mordekhai rent his garments,” and he was from the tribe of Benjamin. “He donned sackcloth and ashes.” Rabbi Aivu said: Once Jacob our patriarch adopted sackcloth, as it is written: “He placed sackcloth on his loins” (Genesis 37:34), it never again left his descendants. It is written about Ahab: “He placed sackcloth on his flesh” (I Kings 21:27); his son Yoram: “The people saw, and behold, the sackcloth was on his flesh” (II Kings 6:30); Mordekhai, “He donned sackcloth and ashes.” “He [Esau] cried a loud and bitter cry” (Genesis 27:34). Where was he repaid? In Shushan, as it is stated: “[Mordekhai] cried a loud and bitter cry.” Rabbi Ḥanin said: Anyone who says that the All-Merciful is One who forgoes, his innards will be forgone. He is forbearing, but then collects His due. Know that Jacob caused Esau to cry one cry, as it is written: “He cried a loud and bitter cry” [and as a result, Jacob’s descendant, Mordekhai, cried a loud and bitter cry].

Section 2ב׳

וּבְכָל מְדִינָה וּמְדִינָה מְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר דְּבַר הַמֶּלֶךְ וְדָתוֹ מַגִּיעַ אֵבֶל גָּדוֹל לַיְּהוּדִים (אסתר ד, ג), וְכִי יֵשׁ אֵבֶל גָּדוֹל וְיֵשׁ אֵבֶל קָטָן, אֶלָּא בְּנֹהַג שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם כָּל הָאֲבֵלִים אֶבְלָן מִתְמָעֵט וְהוֹלֵךְ עַד לְשִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים, תָּקְפּוֹ יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן, וְכָל שֶׁהוּא הוֹלֵךְ הוּא תָּשֵׁשׁ, עַד שֶׁהוּא שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ, אֲבָל זֶה דְּהָמָן כָּל מַה שֶּׁהוּא הוֹלֵךְ מִתְגַּבֵּר, שֶׁכָּל יוֹם שֶׁהוּא הוֹלֵךְ וְיוֹצֵא הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים כְּבָר יָצָא יוֹם אֶחָד מֵחַיֵּינוּ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אֵבֶל דְּעָלְמָא כְּשֶׁמֵּת לוֹ בֵּן אוֹמְרִין לוֹ הַמְנַחֲמִין יִחְיֶה בִּנְךָ הָאַחֵר הַנִּשְׁאָר לְךָ, וְאִם לֹא הָיָה לוֹ אַחֵר, אוֹמְרִים לוֹ הַאֲרֵךְ יָמִים, אֲבָל כָּאן הַכֹּל לְקוּחִין לְמִיתָה, לְהַשְׁמִיד לַהֲרֹג וּלְאַבֵּד.

“And in each and every province, any place where the word of the king and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews” (Esther 4:3). Is there great mourning and minor mourning? Rather, the way of the world is that all mourners, their mourning gradually diminishes during the seven days [of mourning]. It is greatest on the first day, and the more it progresses it weakens, until twelve months [have passed]. However, in this case of Haman it continuously intensified, as with each day that passed they would say: One day of [the short time we have left in] our lives is already gone. Alternatively: A standard mourner, when his son dies, the comforters say to him: May your remaining son live. If he did not have another, they say to him: Live long. But here, everyone is being taken to die, “to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate.”

Section 3ג׳

וַתָּבוֹאנָה נַעֲרוֹת אֶסְתֵּר וְסָרִיסֶיהָ וַיַּגִּידוּ לָהּ וַתִּתְחַלְחַל הַמַּלְכָּה מְאֹד (אסתר ד, ד), רַבָּנָן דְּתַמָּן אָמְרִין שֶׁפֵּרְסָה נִדָּה, וְרַבָּנָן דְּהָכָא אָמְרִין הִפִּילָה עֻבָּרָהּ, וּמִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהִפִּילָה שׁוּב לֹא יָלְדָה. רַבִּי יוּדָן בְּרַבִּי סִימוֹן אָמַר בְּמוֹךְ הָיְתָה מְשַׁמֶּשֶׁת. אָמַר רַבִּי יוּדָן בְּרַבִּי סִימוֹן דָּרְיָוֶשׁ הָאַחֲרוֹן בְּנָהּ שֶׁל אֶסְתֵּר הָיָה, טָהוֹר מֵאִמּוֹ וְטָמֵא מֵאָבִיו.

“Esther’s young women and her chamberlains came and told her, and the queen was greatly shocked” (Esther 4:4). The Rabbis from there say: She menstruated. The Rabbis from here say: She miscarried her fetus, and once she miscarried, she never gave birth again. Rabbi Yudan son of Rabbi Simon said: With an absorbent cloth she would engage in relations. Rabbi Yudan son of Rabbi Simon said: The last Darius was the son of Esther; he was pure from his mother’s side and impure from his father’s side.