In this chapter, we stand at the turning point: Haman has been hanged, Haman's estate has been granted to Esther, and Mordechai has appeared before the king. Yet the central problem remains intact - the first letters have already been dispatched throughout all the king's provinces, and an edict written in the king's name and sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revoked. Consequently, the entire strategy for saving the Jewish people had to be structured not as an annulment of the decree, but rather as an explanation of it. The Malbim builds his interpretation of the entire chapter upon this concept, and through it, every detail falls into place.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרֹשׁ לְאֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה וּלְמׇרְדֳּכַי הַיְּהוּדִי: הִנֵּה בֵית הָמָן נָתַתִּי לְאֶסְתֵּר, וְאֹתוֹ תָּלוּ עַל הָעֵץ עַל אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח יָדוֹ בַּיְּהוּדִים. - And King Achashverosh said to Queen Esther and to Mordechai the Jew: Behold, I have given Haman's house to Esther, and him they have hanged on the gallows because he laid his hand upon the Jews.
וְאַתֶּם כִּתְבוּ עַל הַיְּהוּדִים כַּטּוֹב בְּעֵינֵיכֶם בְּשֵׁם הַמֶּלֶךְ וְחִתְמוּ בְּטַבַּעַת הַמֶּלֶךְ, כִּי כְתָב אֲשֶׁר נִכְתָּב בְּשֵׁם הַמֶּלֶךְ וְנַחְתּוֹם בְּטַבַּעַת הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵין לְהָשִׁיב. - And you, write concerning the Jews as you see fit, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for an edict that is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet ring cannot be revoked.
The Malbim explains that it was precisely for this purpose that Achashverosh said to her, "Behold, I have given Haman's house to Esther." To understand how this alleviated the concern, we must first note that when the later letters reached the nations, two distinct concerns arose.
The first concern: In the meantime, the nations had heard oral rumors, and even though the thirteenth day had not yet arrived, they were already preparing for it, and even beforehand were beginning "on account" to harass and distress the Jews. To this the king responded: This I can resolve easily. In Haman's first letters, in the open copy of the text (the patshegen), it was merely written that people should be "ready for that day" - without specifying who was to be ready, or for what purpose. Now I am sending another copy. Notice: just as Haman sent an open text alongside a sealed text to be opened on the thirteenth of Adar, Achashverosh adopted that very same method - an open document, alongside a sealed, confidential letter to be opened on the thirteenth. In this second open document, it would be explicitly clarified who was to be ready: the Jews. And for what they were to be ready: to avenge themselves upon their enemies. This effectively prevented the nations from sharpening their swords in advance, since the open text stated explicitly that the Jews were preparing to avenge themselves upon their enemies. Thus, the second open copy did not contradict the first, but merely clarified it: the first vaguely stated "to be ready," while the second defined who was preparing and for what. What had until then been mere rumors that the Jews were presumably to be annihilated was now overturned by an explicit royal letter declaring that the intention was for the Jews to take vengeance against their enemies.
Yet a second concern remained: When the thirteenth day arrived, Haman's sealed, confidential letters would be opened, ordering the nations to avenge themselves upon the Jews and slaughter them all. True, Achashverosh's sealed letter would also be opened, stating that the Jews were to avenge themselves upon their enemies, and technically there is no contradiction here - each side fighting the other - but Esther's argument was completely justified: What if the gentiles prevailed? You are granting permission to attack my people, and who can guarantee that the Jews will emerge victorious?
To this the king replied: I have a solution. "Behold, I have given Haman's house to Esther, and him they have hanged on the gallows because he laid his hand upon the Jews." Here the Malbim answers the question of how this statement was meant to reassure her. The governor in each province would receive two conflicting letters, while hearing that the tune played at the palace had completely changed: there was a man who plotted evil against the Jews - and he was eliminated; his house was handed over to Esther and Mordechai. Which letter would that governor choose to disclose? Surely the second one, which stated that the Jews were to avenge themselves upon their enemies, for he saw that the king favored the Jews. He would conceal the first letter, unwilling to cross Achashverosh, who had already punished the Jews' persecutor and had no desire to see them destroyed. Consequently, the second concern was also removed: there would be no evenly matched battle, for the royal officials would suppress Haman's letters and publish only the second ones.
וַיִּקָּרְאוּ סֹפְרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ בָּעֵת הַהִיא בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁי הוּא חֹדֶשׁ סִיוָן בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁה וְעֶשְׂרִים בּוֹ, וַיִּכָּתֵב כְּכׇל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מׇרְדֳּכַי אֶל הַיְּהוּדִים וְאֶל הָאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנִים וְהַפַּחוֹת וְשָׂרֵי הַמְּדִינוֹת אֲשֶׁר מֵהֹדּוּ וְעַד כּוּשׁ שֶׁבַע וְעֶשְׂרִים וּמֵאָה מְדִינָה, מְדִינָה וּמְדִינָה כִּכְתָבָהּ וְעַם וָעָם כִּלְשֹׁנוֹ, וְאֶל הַיְּהוּדִים כִּכְתָבָם וְכִלְשׁוֹנָם. - Then were the king's scribes called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordechai commanded to the Jews, and to the satraps, and the governors and officials of the provinces which are from Hodu to Kush, a hundred twenty-seven provinces, to every province according to its script, and to every people in their language, and to the Jews according to their script and their language.
At first glance, this is puzzling: Why did Mordechai wait until the twenty-third of Sivan? Esther, after all, had approached the king during Pesach. While one could suggest that there was plenty of time, given that the decree was set for the following Adar, in matters of mortal danger one acts as swiftly as possible, especially since the first letters had already circulated throughout all the kingdom's provinces - which should have created great urgency. What was the rationale behind this delay?
The Malbim cites the Abarbanel: Mordechai waited until the 23rd of Sivan because he wanted the very same couriers who carried Haman's letters to deliver the new letters as well, so that their words would be believed. For if a person receives a royal missive and sometime later a contradictory missive arrives, there is reason to suspect that the second is a forgery - perhaps the Jews forged letters to save themselves. But if the exact same courier who delivered the first letter returns a month later and delivers the second, it is a clear sign that the decree originates from the king. We must realize that this was not like today, where one can send an email, pick up the phone, or send a fax to verify a decree. A stranger arrives and hands over a letter, and it may well be that you are being deceived and this is not the king's letter at all. Therefore, specifically using the first couriers gave the second letters full credibility. And that explains the date: on the 23rd of Sivan, the couriers had only just returned from their journey with Haman's first letters, and Mordechai had to await their return.
The Malbim notes another detail: "and to the Jews according to their script and language" - why did Mordechai make a point of writing to the Jews as well? There are two reasons. First, the ministers and governors had received two sets of letters that seemed contradictory - on the one hand, the gentiles were to kill the Jews, and on the other hand, the Jews were to kill their enemies - and they might act however they saw fit. Mordechai said: I will ensure that the matter is publicized according to my intent; therefore, I am sending the letters to the Jews themselves as well, so they know to be prepared; and any Jews who had not yet heard of the decree would now hear through this distribution. Second, anyone who had not received the first letters and received only the second might say to himself that he is not obligated to carry out what is written in them. Therefore, it was written directly to them: this is an obligation, a second royal decree, which stands and in practice nullifies the first decree.
וַיִּכְתֹּב בְּשֵׁם הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרֹשׁ וַיַּחְתֹּם בְּטַבַּעַת הַמֶּלֶךְ, וַיִּשְׁלַח סְפָרִים בְּיַד הָרָצִים בַּסּוּסִים רֹכְבֵי הָרֶכֶשׁ הָאֲחַשְׁתְּרָנִים בְּנֵי הָרַמָּכִים. - And he wrote in the name of King Achashverosh and sealed it with the king's signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, riders of swift royal steeds, bred from mares.
Haman sent couriers on foot, whereas here they were sent on horses. The Malbim explains that based on what we have established, this makes wonderful sense: these couriers were the very same ones who had just returned from delivering the first letters. Having traversed the entire empire, they came back exhausted; therefore, transportation was provided for them - horses - so that they could reach their destinations despite their weariness. Another reason: the Jews were terrified and trembling, and they needed to be reassured immediately. The good tidings could not be delayed, but had to be dispatched as swiftly as possible to remove grief and sighing from the Jewish people.
אֲשֶׁר נָתַן הַמֶּלֶךְ לַיְּהוּדִים אֲשֶׁר בְּכׇל עִיר וָעִיר לְהִקָּהֵל וְלַעֲמֹד עַל נַפְשָׁם, לְהַשְׁמִיד וְלַהֲרֹג וּלְאַבֵּד אֶת כׇּל חֵיל עַם וּמְדִינָה הַצָּרִים אֹתָם טַף וְנָשִׁים, וּשְׁלָלָם לָבוֹז. - That the king granted the Jews in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to slay, and to annihilate every armed force of any people or province that might besiege them, children and women, and to plunder their spoil.
בְּיוֹם אֶחָד בְּכׇל מְדִינוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ, בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁה עָשָׂר לְחֹדֶשׁ שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר הוּא חֹדֶשׁ אֲדָר. - On one day in all the provinces of King Achashverosh, on the thirteenth of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
Haman commanded to destroy on one day and then stated "and to plunder their spoil," implying that the looting would take place afterward. Mordechai, on the other hand, connected "and to plunder their spoil" to "on one day" - meaning that both the battle and the plundering were to occur on the very same day. What is the difference, and why did Haman separate them into two days while Mordechai combined them into one?
The Malbim explains: Mordechai wanted the Jews not to take any of the spoil. Why? Because taking spoil would look bad - it would appear as though they went out simply to plunder and loot, as if a Jew was killing a gentile for money. Therefore, he decreed: on the very same day you fight for your lives, on that day alone may you take the spoil. And when a person is faced with the need to defend against an enemy trying to kill him, who would turn to gather plunder while his life is in mortal danger? The result was that there would be no time at all to seize the spoil.
This is especially pertinent given the common question: was not the property of Amalek forbidden, as we see regarding Agag - "What, then, is this bleating of sheep in my ears?" How, then, could Mordechai permit them to take plunder? There are various answers explaining when it became forbidden, and some say that at this stage it was not yet forbidden. But the primary answer emerges from the textual dynamic itself: since the second letters were written to clarify and supplement what was left unspecified in the first letters, they could not diminish anything written in the original decrees, but could only add to them. Therefore, Mordechai was compelled to include the phrase "and to plunder their spoil."
The Malbim notes that Mordechai would have preferred not to mention spoil at all - why permit it when it only creates a problem? But he was constrained. To use an analogy: when building a house from scratch, one can design it however one pleases; but when renovating an existing home, one is bound by the contractor's support pillars and plumbing lines, unable to do whatever one wishes. Mordechai said: I am not building from scratch. Had I been building from scratch, I would have issued an order forbidding anyone to touch the spoil, for we are not after money. But since I am merely renovating - there are initial letters that I must interpret through these second letters - I have no choice but to conform to them. In the first letters, Haman wrote "and to plunder their spoil," and I am interpreting that to mean that the Jews may plunder the spoil of the gentiles; otherwise, I would be diminishing from the king's decree. And so that no harm would come of this, Mordechai engineered the situation so that it would not become an issue: "and to plunder their spoil on one day" - they would have no time to gather any plunder.
Haman, by contrast, said: today we kill, and tomorrow we plunder the spoils. And why? Because Haman was very fearful of his men. He knew that if they were permitted to take spoils, they would pounce upon the loot and say: Why should I care about killing right now? Here is money; I will take the money, and only at the second stage will I kill. Therefore he commanded: first of all kill - finish the job; food comes only after the work. Haman therefore split the matter into two days, for if he were to make everything on one day, no one would go to kill; everyone would run to take spoils.
פַּתְשֶׁגֶן הַכְּתָב לְהִנָּתֵן דָּת בְּכׇל מְדִינָה וּמְדִינָה גָּלוּי לְכׇל הָעַמִּים, וְלִהְיוֹת הַיְּהוּדִים עֲתִידִים לַיּוֹם הַזֶּה לְהִנָּקֵם מֵאֹיְבֵיהֶם. - A copy of the written decree was to be issued as law in every single province, made open to all the peoples, and that the Jews should be ready for that day to avenge themselves upon their enemies.
As we have explained, the open document stated explicitly that the Jews were to be ready to avenge themselves upon their enemies - it specified clearly who and what. Only in the sealed document, which was to be opened on the thirteenth day, would there be an explanation of Haman's first sealed letters: that what was written there "regarding the Jews" meant nothing other than that the Jews would take retribution from the nations.
הָרָצִים רֹכְבֵי הָרֶכֶשׁ הָאֲחַשְׁתְּרָנִים יָצְאוּ מְבֹהָלִים וּדְחוּפִים בִּדְבַר הַמֶּלֶךְ, וְהַדָּת נִתְּנָה בְּשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה. - The couriers, riding the swift royal steeds, went out startled and hurried by the king's command, and the decree was issued in Shushan the capital.
What is meant by "startled" (mevohalim)? The Malbim explains that the couriers went out startled because they did not understand why they were being dispatched a second time. Delivering a decree is understandable; but suddenly, you have barely arrived, and instead of sitting down to eat, they tell you to mount the horse and take new letters. Therefore he went out in bewildered haste, not understanding the reason for this repeated dispatch.
Furthermore, Mordechai acted with great wisdom, says the Malbim: "And the decree was issued in Shushan the capital" - he did this last. At first, he handed the letters to all the runners to distribute everywhere, and only at the very end did he reveal the matter in Shushan. And why? Because he feared that if the decree were issued in Shushan first, all the enemies of the Jews would hear that the decree had been overturned and would lobby the king, attempting to annul the revocation and sway Achashverosh's mind back to destroying the Jews. Therefore, he first dispatched the couriers to all the king's provinces, and once the couriers were already on their way and could not be recalled, he then proclaimed in Shushan that the decree had been revoked. Even if someone were now to plead with Achashverosh to reinstate the decree, the second letters were already delivered, and it was already too late to change anything.
וּמׇרְדֳּכַי יָצָא מִלִּפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ בִּלְבוּשׁ מַלְכוּת תְּכֵלֶת וָחוּר וַעֲטֶרֶת זָהָב גְּדוֹלָה וְתַכְרִיךְ בּוּץ וְאַרְגָּמָן, וְהָעִיר שׁוּשָׁן צָהֲלָה וְשָׂמֵחָה. - And Mordechai went out from before the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold, and a cloak of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
The Malbim explains that the verse comes to demonstrate Mordechai's righteousness: he was unwilling to accept any greatness, any prestige, or any honor upon himself until he was certain that the decree had been abolished and that his Jewish brethren were safe from the dreadful decree of annihilation. As long as they remained in danger, he did not say, "What do I care? I have already received the appointment over the house of Haman; let me dress in royal garments" - for "how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?" Mordechai therefore continued to conduct himself in lowliness, and only after the couriers had gone out in haste and the decree was revoked - "and Mordechai went out from before the king in royal apparel of blue and white."
And there is another nuance: "And the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad" - and immediately afterward, "For the Jews there was light and gladness." If the second verse speaks of the Jews, the first verse must necessarily refer to the gentiles. And why should they rejoice? To fulfill the words of the Wise King: "When the righteous increase, the people rejoice." All the nations as well, says the Malbim, rejoiced when Mordechai the righteous rose to power. Indeed, the gentiles knew how to appreciate the righteous who lived in their midst. Once, a question arose concerning the burial place of the Chofetz Chaim, when there was an effort to bring his remains to Eretz Yisrael. The gentiles of Radin came and objected, refusing to allow the grave to be moved. They said: There was a Jewish "rabbi" here, and he saved and protected us, and we do not agree to have him taken elsewhere. When there is a righteous person, even the gentiles recognize his greatness and distinction.
לַיְּהוּדִים הָיְתָה אוֹרָה וְשִׂמְחָה וְשָׂשֹׂן וִיקָר. - The Jews had light, gladness, joy, and honor.
For the Jews in particular, the joy was doubled and redoubled. We have already explained previously that the Malbim clarifies multiple times the distinction between simchah and sason: simchah is an internal joy felt in the heart, while sason is its outward expression - a person rejoicing and dancing. The two do not necessarily go together: there can be one who experiences simchah without sason, such as someone who rejoices in his heart but is wearing mourner's clothes; and there can be one who displays sason without simchah, dancing and smiling outwardly while inwardly mourning in his heart. Among the Jews, there was both outward sason and an inner expression in the simchah of the heart.
And why was there joy at that particular moment? "The rose of Jacob was cheerful and glad when they saw together the royal blue of Mordechai" - why did they rejoice specifically when they saw Mordechai emerge in such attire? According to the Malbim, this is wonderfully understood: after all, Mordechai refused to put on garments of honor until he knew that the decree was annulled. Consequently, when they saw him emerge in royal apparel of blue and white, they immediately understood that the decree had been rescinded, and therefore they rejoiced and celebrated.
I saw another explanation for this. When Mordechai came to put on the royal garments, Haman sought to lessen his shame somewhat, and said to him: "Give me your clothes, so that I will not suffer such great humiliation when people see me leading the horse and calling out, 'So shall be done to the man.' Give me your kapote, your chalat, and your streimel, so that at least they will think a Jew is leading you and not Haman." Mordechai agreed. Then everyone saw a man dressed like a Yerushalmi leading the horse and proclaiming, "So shall be done to the man." Who saw him from above? Haman's daughter, and she recognized the clothes: here are Mordechai's clothes, so the one leading the horse must be Mordechai. Therefore, as Chazal relate, she took the chamber pot and emptied it over his head, fully convinced it was Mordechai - because they had swapped clothes. However, Mordechai gave Haman all of his garments except for one thing: the tzitzit. Would he give tzitzit to a non-Jew? That is a sign between us and Hashem. And what was the color of the tzitzit? Techelet (sky-blue). Therefore, at first, when the Jews saw a man who looked like Mordechai leading someone in royal attire, they were terrified: could this be Mordechai's fate, to show honor to Haman? But "when they saw together the techelet of Mordechai" - they looked closely and saw the tzitzit hanging down specifically from the rider on the horse, and realized that this was Mordechai's techelet, the tzitzit of Mordechai the Jew. At that point, their panic turned into joy: "The rose of Jacob was cheerful and glad when they saw together the techelet of Mordechai."
וּבְכׇל מְדִינָה וּמְדִינָה וּבְכׇל עִיר וָעִיר מְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר דְּבַר הַמֶּלֶךְ וְדָתוֹ מַגִּיעַ, שִׂמְחָה וְשָׂשׂוֹן לַיְּהוּדִים מִשְׁתֶּה וְיוֹם טוֹב, וְרַבִּים מֵעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ מִתְיַהֲדִים כִּי נָפַל פַּחַד הַיְּהוּדִים עֲלֵיהֶם. - And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and decree arrived, there was gladness and joy for the Jews, a feast and a holiday; and many of the peoples of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.
The Malbim notes: Notice that here it says "in every province and in every city," whereas regarding Haman it did not say "in every city." The reason is that here the copy of the document was fully explained; it clarified who was to be ready and for what purpose, and therefore the matter reached every single city. With Haman, by contrast, the matter was not explained and was known only by word of mouth; thus, it was specifically here that the joy reached every single city.
The entirety of chapter 8 is built upon a single fundamental principle of the Malbim: Haman's letters could not be revoked, but only elucidated. For this reason, an open transcript was sent explaining who was to be ready and for what purpose, alongside a sealed dispatch to be opened on the thirteenth of Adar; for this reason, the phrase "and to plunder their spoil" was retained, but restricted to a single day so that there would be no time left to plunder; and for this reason, Mordechai waited until the twenty-third of Sivan so that the very same couriers would return and lend credibility to the second letters, and dispatched them on fresh horses due to their exhaustion and the urgent need to reassure the Jewish people. The promulgation in Shushan was postponed to the very end, preventing the enemies from having time to lobby the king. Above all, Mordechai's righteousness shines forth: he did not accept greatness and honor until he knew that his brethren were safe - and once he went out in royal apparel, all knew that the decree was nullified, and the Jews had light, gladness, joy, and honor, in both internal gladness and outward joy alike.