Chapter 9 is the chapter of the great reversal. Until now we learned how the Jewish people were saved from catastrophe: had it not been for the latter letters, the Jews would have been subject to slaughter and annihilation according to the first letters, but by virtue of the latter letters, the fear of the Jews fell upon all the nations. Now the Megillah tells us what happened when the time arrived, when the sealed scrolls were opened on the thirteenth of Adar, and how the entire campaign was overturned.
וּבִשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ הוּא־חֹדֶשׁ אֲדָר בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם בּוֹ, אֲשֶׁר הִגִּיעַ דְּבַר־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְדָתוֹ לְהֵעָשׂוֹת, בַּיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר שִׂבְּרוּ אֹיְבֵי הַיְּהוּדִים לִשְׁלוֹט בָּהֶם וְנַהֲפוֹךְ הוּא אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁלְטוּ הַיְּהוּדִים הֵמָּה בְּשֹׂנְאֵיהֶם׃ - And in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of it, when the king's command and his decree came to be executed, on the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to rule over them, and it was turned about, that the Jews themselves ruled over those who hated them.
Let us recall the foundation we already learned: in every dispatch there was the "patshegen" - the open copy, and the "ketav hadat" - the hidden decree. In Haman's open letter it was written merely: be ready for the thirteenth day. In Mordechai's open letter it was written: the Jews shall kill their enemies. Consequently, this was the result that remained in practice, for the ministers feared to reveal and carry out Haman's hidden letters, in which the enemies were commanded to strike the Jews, after seeing what happened to Haman for what he had planned to do to the Jews.
"When the king's command and his decree came to be executed" - this means that the time arrived for the hidden decree to be carried out; the scrolls were opened. From here the Malbim notes: it was impossible to remain passive, in a posture of "sit and do nothing," for it is written "to be executed" - on that day the king's command had to be carried out. Even a compromise was impossible, such as declaring a ceasefire wherein the Jews would not kill their foes and the foes would not kill them. The king's command demanded action; one could not remain passive.
Furthermore, we learn here about close Divine Providence. Haman was a great astrologer and stargazer, and he knew that the thirteenth of Adar was a time when the fortunes of Israel were at their lowest ebb, while in contrast the star of Amalek was at its peak; therefore, he specifically chose this day. This is what the verse means by "on the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to rule over them" - they had every astrological reason to think they would prevail and that their star was ascendant. Yet precisely then, the Holy One, blessed be He, overturned the entire situation: "and it was turned about, that the Jews themselves ruled over those who hated them."
The verse teaches us two things. First, not only did the Jewish people overcome their oppressors, but those very oppressors fell from their greatness to utter degradation, while Israel rose from the depths of the abyss to the highest heights. This is the "venahafoch hu" - the complete turnaround: Haman, the premier minister in all of Ahasuerus's realm, swings from the gallows in the wind, while the people of Israel, for whom graves and shrouds had already been prepared, are the ones now killing their enemies and foes.
And second, this did not occur in a natural way. The Malbim explains: it is possible for a person whose fortune is at the lowest ebb to see his situation improve if he attaches himself to someone whose fortune is flourishing. This is the way of sycophants who try to draw close to the wealthy, as the Sages say, "Draw near to the one who is anointed with oil, and you will be anointed" - draw close to someone who pours oil upon himself, and perhaps a few drops will splatter on you. But here it says, "that the Jews themselves ruled" - they alone, without the assistance of any high-ranking patron. This demonstrates the absolute reversal: they were on top and we were at the lowest depth, designated for destruction and slaughter with our plunder to be seized, and behold, everything was completely overturned.
The Maggid of Dubna asks two questions: What is the emphasis on "venahafoch hu" (and it was turned about)? Furthermore, how could the latter letters annul the first ones, given that "an edict written in the king's name and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked"?
The Maggid of Dubna explains that in the second letters, Mordechai sent a surprising notification: Know that the entire purpose of the first letters was for the sake of the latter letters. How so? The king wanted the Jews to kill their enemies so that not a single hater of Israel would remain; however, the problem was that the haters of the Jews hide behind masks. They call themselves by all kinds of nice names, posing as champions of human rights, so how could we know who the true haters of Israel are? Therefore, the king executed a clever stratagem: he sent the first letters stating that enemies should prepare to strike down their foes, and all throughout that year the enemies sharpened their swords and exposed themselves. In this way, the Jews knew exactly who was marked - this one is a hater, that one is a hater, this is the one who told me, "Get ready for the thirteenth of Adar." And now the king deliberately sends the second letters, announcing the true objective: that the Jews shall strike their enemies and foes, and the first letters were nothing other than a means to reveal who those enemies and haters actually were.
According to this approach, there were no hidden and open letters at all, and the Maggid does not follow the approach of the Malbim. Rather, everything was out in the open, and it was merely a ruse designed to expose the enemies of the Jews. This explains what the verse means by "and it was turned about, that the Jews themselves ruled over those who hated them" - the latter letters declared to the nations: contrary to what you think, the very purpose of the first letters from the outset was that the Jews themselves should rule over those who hated them, and it was in order to reverse the situation that the first letters were sent.
Based on this, explains Rav Chaim Kanievsky, we can wonderfully understand why Esther asked that tomorrow also be granted to the Jews in Shushan. For in Shushan they saw that the task was not yet finished: they reviewed the lists and saw how many enemies remained who had not yet been dealt with. Esther asks for another day to complete the work, since we already know who the haters are, and the entire goal was to expose them - therefore, "let tomorrow also be granted."
נִקְהֲלוּ הַיְּהוּדִים בְּעָרֵיהֶם בְּכָל־מְדִינוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ לִשְׁלֹחַ יָד בִּמְבַקְשֵׁי רָעָתָם, וְאִישׁ לֹא־עָמַד לִפְנֵיהֶם כִּי־נָפַל פַּחְדָּם עַל־כָּל־הָעַמִּים׃ - The Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Achashverosh to lay hands on those who sought their harm, and no one could stand before them, for the dread of them had fallen upon all the peoples.
וְכָל־שָׂרֵי הַמְּדִינוֹת וְהָאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנִים וְהַפַּחוֹת וְעֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה אֲשֶׁר לַמֶּלֶךְ מְנַשְּׂאִים אֶת־הַיְּהוּדִים כִּי־נָפַל פַּחַד־מָרְדֳּכַי עֲלֵיהֶם׃ - And all the ministers of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and those who performed the king's work supported the Jews, for the dread of Mordechai had fallen upon them.
The Malbim asks: Why is it said regarding the peoples that "the dread of the Jews had fallen upon them," whereas regarding the ministers it is said that "the dread of Mordechai had fallen upon them"?
The Malbim explains that verse 2 describes the situation in the major cities, where the ministers, governors, and the king's royal forces resided, actively assisting and protecting the Jews. Consequently, the persecutors feared approaching and feared acting, as the army was on the side of the Jews. "The Jews assembled in their cities" - the major cities in the king's provinces, they gathered to defend themselves, and no one stood before them.
And here lies the difference between the peoples and the ministers: the peoples did not know what was written in the sealed scrolls. They did not know that Haman had dispatched letters commanding the gentiles to kill the Jews; they only knew that they were to be ready for the thirteenth day. Therefore, they feared the Jews. But the ministers were the ones who received the sealed letters, and on the thirteenth of Adar they opened them; thus, they had no fear of the Jews at all, possessing an edict permitting them to kill. They could even have aided the persecutors of the Jews, brandishing the first letters and asserting: We hold in our hands a royal decree granting permission to do with the Jews as we see fit.
And yet, even the ministers did not act against the Jews; rather, they "supported the Jews" and actively assisted them. This was not out of fear of the Jews, but "for the dread of Mordechai had fallen upon them." They saw that Mordechai had received the estate of Haman and authority in the royal palace, that Mordechai was a Jew, and that whoever tried to meddle with the Jews - like Haman - was now swinging in the wind. Clearly, one does not mess with Mordechai. A new tune was being sung in the palace, and the tides had turned. They had nothing to fear from the common people, for they possessed an official edict; but whoever tangles with the people of Mordechai, the greatest man in the royal palace, finds himself in grave trouble.
כִּי־גָדוֹל מָרְדֳּכַי בְּבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ וְשָׁמְעוֹ הוֹלֵךְ בְּכָל־הַמְּדִינוֹת כִּי־הָאִישׁ מָרְדֳּכַי הוֹלֵךְ וְגָדוֹל׃ - For Mordechai was great in the king's house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordechai grew greater and greater.
The Malbim explains: There are ministers appointed specifically to manage the royal palace, there are ministers appointed to govern the provinces in general, and there are ministers whose role is to fight the king's external enemies and conquer lands. These latter ones, as long as they succeed, conquer additional lands, and triumph, continually advance in authority and receive further appointments.
And in Mordechai, all three realms of authority coalesced: "Mordechai was great in the king's house" - chief over his entire estate, with everything pertaining to the royal palace under his management. "And his fame spread throughout all the provinces" - he was also the leader of the provinces. And "the man Mordechai grew greater and greater" - he was also in charge of conquering lands, and consequently, he continually acquired more power and honor from the king, adding to his stature in the house of Achashverosh.
וַיַּכּוּ הַיְּהוּדִים בְּכָל־אֹיְבֵיהֶם מַכַּת־חֶרֶב וְהֶרֶג וְאַבְדָן, וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְשֹׂנְאֵיהֶם כִּרְצוֹנָם׃ - "And the Jews struck down all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and they did as they pleased to those who hated them."
The Malbim explains: The Jews certainly were not given license to kill whomever they wished. All that had been authorized in the letters was to avenge themselves on their enemies and persecutors; they had no permission to harm an ordinary Gentile walking in the street. And in the major cities, where "no man stood before them" because the imperial forces assisted them, they were only permitted to kill their enemies - those whose hostility toward the Jews was public and declared, who had threatened them, saying: "Wait for the appointed day, and we will settle accounts with you."
This is the difference between an enemy (oyeiv) and a foe (sonei): "Oyeiv" denotes open enmity - his hatred is overt; "sonei" harbors it in his heart, in secret. They could not kill those who merely hated them, since their animosity was not displayed outwardly. But one who displayed open enmity and declared, "I am going to kill you" - this was an active persecutor of the Jews, and him they were permitted to put to death. Therefore, in the major cities, "the Jews struck down all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction," while with those who hated them - "they did as they pleased to those who hated them," meaning they disgraced and humbled them, but could not actually kill them.
וּבְשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה הָרְגוּ הַיְּהוּדִים וְאַבֵּד חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת אִישׁ׃ - "And in Shushan the capital, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men."
עֲשֶׂרֶת בְּנֵי הָמָן בֶּן־הַמְּדָתָא צֹרֵר הַיְּהוּדִים הָרָגוּ, וּבַבִּזָּה לֹא שָׁלְחוּ אֶת־יָדָם׃ - "The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the persecutor of the Jews, they killed, but on the plunder they did not lay their hand."
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא בָּא מִסְפַּר הַהֲרוּגִים בְּשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - "On that day, the number of those slain in Shushan the capital came before the king."
Since they were only permitted to kill the enemies whose hostility was overt, the death toll revealed precisely how many active persecutors the Jewish people had faced. If five hundred men were killed, it meant that all five hundred of them had actively threatened the Jews. Therefore, the number of the slain was immediately brought before the king, to show him: See, my lord king, how numerous our persecutors were, that even after your royal decree there were still five hundred men who sought to kill us! Even after you commanded that the Jews could deal with their enemies and foes as they wished, these men did not relent: they continued threatening, terrorizing, and describing what would happen to us on that fateful day when the decree was to be carried out. In other words, they were entirely undeterred by your latest letters.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ לְאֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה: בְּשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה הָרְגוּ הַיְּהוּדִים וְאַבֵּד חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת אִישׁ וְאֵת עֲשֶׂרֶת בְּנֵי־הָמָן, בִּשְׁאָר מְדִינוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ מֶה עָשׂוּ, וּמַה־שְּׁאֵלָתֵךְ וְיִנָּתֵן לָךְ וּמַה־בַּקָּשָׁתֵךְ עוֹד וְתֵעָשׂ׃ - "The king said to Queen Esther: In Shushan the capital, the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men, as well as the ten sons of Haman; what, then, have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now, what is your petition, and it shall be granted you, and what is your further request, and it shall be done?"
The Malbim raises three questions here. First, if the king spoke in anger, protesting that five hundred men had been killed, why did he conclude with, "and what is your further request, and it shall be done" - as if to say, do you want more? Just name it! Second, where have we ever heard of a monarch permitting one group of his subjects to kill another, and even inviting them to name who else they want to kill? And third, if the king was indeed voicing displeasure, how could Esther have dared to ask for more? Seeing that the matter was odious to him, how could she demand that yet more people be killed?
Rather, the king was not speaking in anger at all. The king saw how numerous the oppressors of the Jews were, and how much effort was required to save them. He saw that even in Shushan HaBirah, his own royal seat, where the fear of the king should have rested heavily upon the populace - for any slight deviation from the king's will was severely punished there - five hundred men nevertheless set their hearts upon carrying out the decree and threatened to slaughter the Jews, leaving no choice but to kill them. If so, he says to Esther: "What have they done in the rest of the king's provinces?" Who knows what the enemies did there, and who knows whether the Jews managed to overcome the multitude of oppressors? There, the fear of the king does not weigh as heavily upon them, and the gentiles and haters certainly rose up with even greater violence. Therefore, he confers with her: "Now what is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be done" - what counsel do you have to continue rescuing the Jews in the other places, as well as in Shushan?
וַתֹּאמֶר אֶסְתֵּר: אִם־עַל־הַמֶּלֶךְ טוֹב, יִנָּתֵן גַּם־מָחָר לַיְּהוּדִים אֲשֶׁר בְּשׁוּשָׁן לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּדָת הַיּוֹם, וְאֵת עֲשֶׂרֶת בְּנֵי־הָמָן יִתְלוּ עַל־הָעֵץ׃ - And Esther said: "If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do tomorrow also according to today's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged on the gallows."
The Malbim notes the precise phrasing: throughout the Megillah the city is called "Shushan HaBirah", yet here it says merely "who are in Shushan". First, the Malbim explains, Esther found an opening to make her request from the king's own words: since the king himself had pointed out the immense danger hanging over the Jews and invited her to ask, she found the resolve to request that they be permitted to strike their enemies in Shushan tomorrow as well. In that way, dread and terror would fall upon the enemies of the Jews when they saw that the royal favor was still tilted firmly on the side of the Jews.
Furthermore, in the Malbim's view, her request pertained to the city of Shushan rather than to Shushan HaBirah. Shushan was divided into two distinct parts: the citadel where the king and the ministers resided was called "Shushan HaBirah" - and *birah* in Chazal's language denotes a fortress or grand palace, as in "the master of the mansion (*ba'al habirah*) looked down upon him" and "fortified citadels (*biyraniyot*)" - whereas the city itself was simply called "Shushan". Incidentally, archaeological excavations reveal this exact layout between Shushan HaBirah and the city of Shushan, and furthermore, a river ran between them. This is what Chazal expounded regarding the verse "And Mordechai passed (*vaya'avor Mordechai*)" - "he crossed a body of water (*arkauma demaya*)", meaning he crossed the river. In other words, he crossed over from Shushan HaBirah to the city of Shushan, where all the common people dwelt, to inform them of what had happened and assemble them for the fast.
Thus, on the thirteenth of Adar they struck down the enemies in Shushan HaBirah, and Esther came asking permission to eliminate on the fourteenth the enemies who remained in the city of Shushan itself. Not only that, but she also asked to hang Haman's ten sons. What was the purpose of hanging them if they had already been killed? It was to cast greater fear and terror upon the surrounding nations: when the nations saw that they were hanged on the gallows because they posed a threat to the Jews, they would fear to persecute Israel.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ לְהֵעָשׂוֹת כֵּן, וַתִּנָּתֵן דָּת בְּשׁוּשָׁן, וְאֵת עֲשֶׂרֶת בְּנֵי־הָמָן תָּלוּ׃ - And the king commanded that it should be done so; and a decree was given out in Shushan, and they hanged Haman's ten sons.
וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ הַיְּהוּדִים אֲשֶׁר־בְּשׁוּשָׁן גַּם בְּיוֹם אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר לְחֹדֶשׁ אֲדָר, וַיַּהַרְגוּ בְשׁוּשָׁן שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת אִישׁ, וּבַבִּזָּה לֹא שָׁלְחוּ אֶת־יָדָם׃ - And the Jews who were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month of Adar, and killed three hundred men in Shushan; but on the spoil they did not lay their hand.
וּשְׁאָר הַיְּהוּדִים אֲשֶׁר בִּמְדִינוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ נִקְהֲלוּ וְעָמֹד עַל־נַפְשָׁם וְנוֹחַ מֵאֹיְבֵיהֶם, וְהָרוֹג בְּשֹׂנְאֵיהֶם חֲמִשָּׁה וְשִׁבְעִים אָלֶף, וּבַבִּזָּה לֹא שָׁלְחוּ אֶת־יָדָם׃ - And the other Jews who were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and killed of their foes seventy-five thousand; but on the spoil they did not lay their hand.
Here the Malbim raises three questions. First, verses 2, 3, and 5 already recounted how the Jews killed and destroyed their enemies and oppressors; what does this verse add? Second, this verse appears to contradict verse 2: there it states, "and no one could stand before them," whereas here it says, "gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives" - and a person only "stands for his life" when under attack, which implies that they were indeed attacked! Third, here it says "and killed of their haters (*soneihem*)", so how does this accord with what we learned earlier, that they were not permitted to kill passive haters, but only active enemies whose hostility was openly manifest?
The Malbim resolves this by explaining that Scripture is referring to two entirely different locations. The previous verses dealt with the walled cities, which were the seats of the royal ministers, where the king's forces stood and actively protected the Jews. That is why there "no one could stand before them," and why the Jews did not even need to stand for their lives in battle - the army defended them. Here, however, Scripture is describing "the other Jews who were in the king's provinces" - meaning in the open, unwalled towns (*arei ha-perazot*) that were neither walled cities nor seats of royalty and ministers. In those small towns and villages, there were no ministers to elevate and shield the Jews, and there the enemies raised their heads and came out to attack the Jews. Therefore, in those places they "gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives" - they were forced to fight in self-defense, until they "had rest from their enemies" and their hand prevailed.
This is also why it says there, "and slaying their foes" (veharog besoneihem): since actual warfare had already erupted, they included all the seed of Amalek in the killing. In the cities, as long as open warfare had not broken out, there were rules defining who was permitted to be killed - only actual enemies who actively caused distress, and not mere haters, for a hater is not an active assailant, and the king does not permit the arbitrary killing of his subjects. But in the remote villages, war is war: in wartime one strikes indiscriminately, and it is permitted to kill anyone whom there is cause to suspect or fear might strike first, even if he is only a hater and not yet an active combatant. Therefore, on that occasion they were able to seize the opportunity and kill the haters as well - anyone who was from the seed of Amalek and from among the haters of Israel - and there was no complaint brought against them for it.
Chapter 9 depicts the complete reversal (ve-nahafoch hu) in all its depth: on the very day chosen by Haman because Amalek's astrological star was at its height and Israel's star was at its nadir, on that very day the campaign was reversed, and the Jews "themselves" alone, without the aid of any celestial constellation, gained mastery over their foes. The ministers supported the Jews out of fear of Mordechai, and the nations fled out of fear of the Jews; in the walled cities, under the protection of the ministers and the army, only the enemies whose hostility was openly manifested were struck down, whereas in the open, unwalled towns, where open battle erupted, the haters were also struck down. And the tally of the slain brought before the king prompted his concern and his offer to Esther, out of which was born the request for the fourteenth day in the city of Shushan and the hanging of Haman's ten sons - which instilled further terror and dread into the nations, deterring them from ever persecuting Israel again.