Chapter 1: The Vilna Gaon on the Book of Esther
Our guest writer, Rav Berl Nabutovsky, shares the first chapter to his book compiling the Vilna Gaon's commentaries on the Book of Esther.
Our guest writer, Rav Berl Nabutovsky, shares the first chapter to his book compiling the Vilna Gaon's commentaries on the Book of Esther.
וַיְהִ֖יבִּימֵ֣י אֲחַשְׁוֵר֑וֹשׁ ה֣וּא אֲחַשְׁוֵר֗וֹשׁ הַמֹּלֵךְ֙ מֵהֹ֣דּוּוְעַד־כּ֔וּשׁ שֶׁ֛בַע וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים וּמֵאָ֖ה מְדִינָֽה
And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus – he is the Ahasuerus who reignedfrom Hodu to Cush, over seven and twenty and a hundred provinces.
Because of these three the Earth rumbled, and the fourth it could not bear. Because of a slave who reigns; because of a reprobate who is sated with bread; because of a hated woman who weds and because of a maidservant who inherits her mistress.
Proverbs 30:21-23
“And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus” – R. Levi said, … whenever “וַיְהִי” is mentioned, it is nothing but an expression of misfortune.
Megillah 10b
Interpreted Mari bar Mar …“And on it is written: ’ קִנִים וָהֶגֶה וָהִי’ (Ezekiel 2:10). ’קִנִים’ is the suffering of the righteous in this world… ’הֶגֶה’ is the reward that the righteous are given in the world to come… ’וָהִי’ is the suffering of the evildoers in the world to come.
Eruvin 21a
Our sages teach us that the very first word of the book of Esther hints at the plight and the mortal danger that the Jewish population of Ahasuerus’ empire was to face. Rabi Levi says that he has a tradition, according to which the words “and it came to pass” (וַיְהִי) are always a sign of trouble. Of course,the simple meaning of Rabi Levi’s words is that Haman decreed to kill and utterly destroy all the Jews. However, his utterance conceals a hidden meaning as well.
The wisest of all men, King Solomon, wrote that when the power balance is inverted, when lowly individuals are in positions of power, and worthy ones are subservient to them – that’s when the Earth begins to rumble and the troubles start. Talmud describes Ahasuerus’ past. Before becoming emperor, he used to be a simple man of a humble, even demeaning occupation. He used work in king’s stables. But then he managed to buy his way to the throne.
Man’s nature is such that there are always two impetuses that vie for control over him: his good inclination and his evil inclination. His good inclination is a wise, refined and noble king, spiritual and considerate of others. His evil inclination is an egoistic, shortsighted scoundrel. When a person lets himself be controlled by his evil side, he does harm to himself. The more this evil becomes engrained in person’s character, the more difficult it is to unseat this evil emperor from his throne. That is why Rabi Levi says that when plebian Ahasuerus reigns – that is a sign of trouble.
Mari bar Mar adds another explanation to his words. Evil inclination spells trouble both for the righteous and for the wicked. It’s troublesome for the righteous because it constantly tries to show them how the wicked are happy and prosperous in this world, whilst the righteous are often doomed to poverty and suffering. And it is troublesome for the wicked because of the punishment that awaits them in the world to come.
Her adversaries became head.
Lamentations 1:5
[His name means] “head’s brother [1]”.
Megillah 11a
[1] Ahasuerus’ name, “אחשורוש” sounds like the words “brother”, “אח” and“head”, “ראש”.
Man is the pinnacle of creation. G-d created the world for him and because of him. However, the story of creation seems to indicate just the opposite: first, the heaven and the earth were created, then the plants, the fish, various flying creatures and the animals. And only then, seemingly as an afterthought, G-d created man. Why was man created last?
The Gaon writes that “the head”, mentioned by the sages, hints at the primordial snake that tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This raises more questions: why is the snake called “head”, and for what purpose was it created at all?
When Isaac’s two twin sons were born, Esau came out first. In his commentary on the Torah, Rashi informs us of an interesting fact about twins’ conception. He says that Jacob was conceived first, followed by his brother Esau. When Rebecca delivered the twins, Jacob came out second because he developed deeper inside the womb than his brother.
This story, while not necessarily to be taken literally, illustrates an important principle. As sages put it, “the rind precedes the fruit”. In other words, the final goal is first in conception, but last in actualization. Everything that is subordinate to the goal but necessary for its attainment will have to be achieved before the goal can come to fruition.
Thus, while Jacob represents the true purpose of existence, Esau is only a means to the fulfillment of that purpose. Therefore, Esau has to be born first, in order to give Jacob the instruments necessary to accomplish his task.
And his task is a lavish one! The medrash describes how Jacob and Esau divided the whole creation between them. Jacob said to Esau: “My brother Esau! Our father only has two sons, and there are two worlds before us, this world and the World to Come. The physical world consists of eating and drinking, business dealings, marriage and giving birth to male and female offspring. But in the World to Come there is none of that. Would you like to take this world, and I shall take the Next World?” Esau agreed.
Thus, Esau received this world, with all its physical pleasures, with immediate gratification for all his carnal desires. Jacob, for his part, took the World to Come, the realm of the spiritual and the eternal.
Jacob’s eternal world is the true goal of all creation. It is also the only reason that this world exists at all. “This world is only a hallway to the palace, ” to the World to Come. Ramchal explains that G-d wanted to do good to His created beings. However, in order that this good be perfect, He did not want it to be gratuitous. Rather, He wanted us to acquire it through our efforts and to become architects and rightful owners each of his own share in the World to Come. To that end, He created “the hallway”, this world, placed us in it, and gave us evil inclination, whose purpose is to allow us the freedom of choice.
Now it is clear why the evil inclination is called “the head”. It was created early on in order to give man free will. This free will is a means for the achievement of our ultimate goal – a share in the World to Come, where G-d will shower His goodness upon us. Precisely because of its intermediary role, it had to precede other creations; hence, it is called “the head”.
Rebecca delivered Esau first. His twin brother Jacob followed immediately after him. “After that his brother emerged with his hand grasping onto Esau’s heel .” Jacob’s behavior at the time of his birth has implications for the history of the people that emerged from him. Despite the fact that Jacob sold his right to this world to Esau, he will eventually become this world’s ruler.
The Talmud calls the times before the emergence of Messiah “heels of Messiah ”. This tells us that Jacob, who held Esau’s heel, will eventually wrest control of world affairs away from his elder brother.
Moreover, despite his having wholly sold his right to this world to Esau, Jacob was able to regain a foothold in it even before the coming of the Messiah. When he deceived their father Isaac and received the blessings intended for his brother, Jacob acquired the possibility of having a share in the material world as well [2].
[2] The story of Isaac and his sons begs the question: why did Isaac intend to bless his evil son Esau, while his righteous son Jacob was to be bereft of a blessing? Rabbi E. E. Dessler in his book Michtav me-Eliyahu explains what Isaac’s intentions were. He didn’t see Esau as someone who embraced evil and is beyond all hope. He thought that, although Esau was clearly struggling with his innate evil, his calling was to develop the material world and to put it to the service of the spiritual. Isaac wanted Esau to provide for his brother Jacob, while Jacob, who completely overcame the seduction of the material and became perfectly righteous, would be occupied by Torah study alone. (This is hinted at by the verse “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are Esau’s hands” (Genesis 27:22). When the voice that’s being sounded by Jacob is truly apt for Jacob, then Esau’s hands are at Jacob’s service.) However, Rebecca realized that Esau did not intend to support his brother. In order to enable Jacob to survive and to continue his strive for spirituality, she taught him how to get the blessings that were intended for his brother. As the author explains, these blessings is what allowed Jacob to have a share in this world. This measure of material wellbeing gives Jacob the means that are necessary for him to exist and to accomplish his spiritual goals.
Despite having to care about his material needs, Jacob always remembers what his goals are. He knows that this world is only temporary. Therefore, its comforts are inconsequential. Torah hints at Jacob’s attitude, when it describes which food he cooked for himself. Spherical lentils remind us of the futility of all worldly pursuits. Like a turning wheel, which always returns to its original position, man’s life always brings him back to the dust, whence he was taken .
When Esau came from the field hungry and exhausted, he asked his brother for food. Jacob gave him the lentils that he cooked, reminding Esau of his point of view. Esau understood the hint, and said : “I am going to die”! However, the meaning that Esau attached to fact of man’s inevitable demise is decidedly different from Jacob’s understanding of it. Esau says that he does not believe in the World to Come. There is nothing beyond the grave. Therefore, before death condemns him to eternal oblivion, he has to derive as much pleasure from this world as he can .
Jacob intended that deft and aggressive Esau provide for the material needs of his more spiritual brother Jacob. However, Esau’s heresy made him unfit and unwilling to serve his brother. Because of this, Jacob decides to buy Esau’s primogeniture. This move will later justify his deceptive taking of his father’s blessings for himself. His descendants, the Jewish people, fulfill two roles: they both study Torah, and engage in worldly affairs in order to provide support for their spiritual pursuits.
One slew, the other sought to slay; one laid waste, the other sought to lay waste, as it is written (Ezra 4:6) “and in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.”
Megillah 11a
Talmud states that the righteous are called “living” even after their deaths. The evil, on the other hand, are deemed dead even while they are still alive.
Evil inclination is constantly busy trying to convince everyone to cede his moral stature, to succumb to imperfect behavior, and, eventually, to sin. At every step, a person has to make a choice between good and evil. What people often don’t realize is that their very lives depend on those choices! A person who allows himself to vegetate in constant moral decline, is wasting his opportunity for the eternal reward. He is destroying his life both in this world, and in the world to come. Of him it can be said that his evil inclination got the best of him and slayed him!
The righteous are also constantly faced with choices. But they realize the significance of their actions, the importance of making the right and proper choice. Their evil inclination tries to slay them, but fails miserably. Overcoming the natural evil that is in them, they merit an eternal reward.
And this is the hidden meaning of the sages’ words: “this one slew” – this is the evil inclination that succeeded in making the evil as if they were dead even while they’re still alive. “This one sought to slay” – this is evil inclination’s failure to lure the righteous into its trap.
Moreover, evil inclination’s contrivances aren’t directed only against individuals. It tries, and sometimes succeeds, to seduce the whole of the Jewish people.
Because the Jewish people succumbed to the temptations of evil, we lost two Temples. When the third Temple is built, the evil inclination will try his best to have it destroyed as well. But HaShem promises us that it won’t be destroyed. Instead, He will slaughter the evil inclination itself.
Because Israel is G-d’s chosen people, we have to overcome the greatest challenges, more than any other nation on earth does. Recognizing our unique role in history, the evil inclination does his utmost to persuade us to sin. His very life depends on it! That’s why sages bring the verse “they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem” – evil inclination’s efforts are directed mainly against the Jews.
“He is the Ahasuerus” – he remained in his wickedness from beginning to end.
Megillah 11a
“Old and stupid king” (Ecclesiastes 4:13) – that is evil inclination.
Koheles Rabbah, ch. 4
Sages tell us that Ahasuerus’ very name is a hint that he was known and recognized to all as an evil man, from the beginning to the end. The Zohar states that evil inclination’s “old age” is hinted at in the Torah. Torah describes the conversation that took place between Lot’s daughters: “the elder one said to the younger, ’our father is old … Come, let us give our father wine to drink and lay with him’”. The hidden meaning of this verse is this: the part of the human soul that causes man to crave hedonistic pleasures is the one that becomes manifest first (hence the elder daughter). A little child, who has not yet acquired understanding of the spiritual and the sublime, becomes quite cognizant of various physical pleasures at early stages of his life. Then, when he comes of age and gains awareness of the spiritual aspects of existence, he has to deal with a soul that is already deeply rooted in the material world and its gratifications. From the outset, the good inclination is forced to struggle against an experienced and well-entrenched enemy. This is what Lot’s daughter says to her sister: “our father, who is used to drinking and other pleasures of the flesh, is old”. Man, who is necessarily a material, as well as a spiritual, being, has to deal with his physical nature all his life, from the very beginning to the very end.
“Who reigned” – Rav said: ’who assumed the throne of his own accord’.
Megillah 11a
Sages tell us that Ahasuerus wasn’t born into a royal family. How did he become the ruler of the great Persian empire? He managed to force his way into this position of great power and become a ruler of the whole world. In this respect, his actions once again hint at the workings of the evil inclination.
There is a stark difference between the way we acquire good character traits and bad ones. It takes much time, sometimes years or a whole lifetime, to master a good quality. On the other hand, bad character traits come to us naturally, we acquire them through no effort at all. They come as uninvited guests, and then, unless asked to leave, insist on staying with us forever.
Some say this is a praise [of Ahasuerus], and some say this is a disparagement. Some say this is a praise, since no one was as suited for the throne as he. Some say this is a disparagement, since he wasn’t suited for the throne but bought his position with an excessive sum of money.
Megillah 11a
We are used to thinking of the Evil Inclination as something thoroughly negative, something to be overcome and avoided at all costs. Surprisingly, the Medrash seems to tell us that quite the opposite is true.
While recounting the story of creation, Torah describes each of the days (with the exception of the second day) as “good”. However, at the end of the narrative, after man is created in the afternoon of the sixth day, the verse states: “and it was very good”. Sages explain: “’good’ is the good inclination; ’very’ is the evil inclination”. How is it possible that the ultimate cause of all sorrow, of all that is sinful and evil in this world, is “very good”? What makes the question even more difficult is that when the Torah characterizes something by the word “very”, its intention is that the object thus described is not simply great – it wholly transcends the limitations of this world. How is it possible that our sages described the evil inclination as such great good?
The answer to this question is manifold. The first aspect of the answer is that the evil inclination guarantees human beings freedom of choice. Angels, who are bereft of evil inclination, can’t even entertain a possibility of doing something contrary to HaShem’s will. They are like spiritual robots, programmed to do good. Humans’ path, on the other hand, forks at each juncture; a wrong choice presents itself as a viable option, and a man has to actively choose to do the right thing. If, when faced with this difficult choice, he makes the right decision, he earns his reward and adds a building block to his share in the World to Come. Hence, it is the existence of the evil inclination that allows us to transcend the limitations of this world and acquire a foothold in higher spiritual realms. Indeed, evil inclination is “very good”.
Thus, according to the first answer to the question, evil inclination’s only true purpose is to be eschewed. The Gaon provides us with another answer, according to which, the evil inclination itself can be put to a proper use. He writes that the good inclination has to subdue the evil inclination and keep it within limits. This contained and controlled propensity for the physical plays a vital role. Appeal of material pleasures is the only mechanism that drives human beings to continue to nourish themselves and to procreate .
The sages praise Ahasuerus by saying that there was no other person who was as suitable for the role of kingship as he. Struggle with the evil inclination is what gives our lives their true meaning and purpose. In addition to that, it is precisely the evil inclination that, if properly channeled, allows a person to raise a family and to live a happy and healthy life in this world.
[3] In fact, this is the explanation that is given by the medrash itself: “Rav Nachman bar Shmuel bar Nachman says in the name of Rav Shmuel bar Nachman: ’it states “indeed, it was very good” – that’s the good inclination. And “very good” is the evil inclination. Is it possible that evil inclination is “very good”? Yes, because without evil inclination a person wouldn’t build a house, and wouldn’t marry a woman, and wouldn’t father children and wouldn’t have business dealings.’”
Other sages, though, spoke of Ahasuerus disparagingly. They said that he wasn’t suitable for kingship at all. He was only able to seize power by buying his way to the throne. The Gaon says that all the arguments that the Evil Inclination can put forward are despicable and blatantly false. Even the lowliest of sinners can easily discern the patent fallacy of its claims. However, the evil inclination has a way of befuddling the mind. When it shows us the righteous who linger in abject poverty and the evil who enjoy lives of comfort and success, it becomes very difficult to deny its claims. The image of success associated with wickedness is too seductive. Its unsubtle suggestion is: “your evil acts will be lavishly rewarded!” Evil inclination pays this bribe to blind us and to usurp control of our souls.
Rav and Shmuel disputed the meaning of ‘From Hodu to Cush’. One said that Hodu is at one end of the world and Cush is at the other end of the world. The other one said Hodu and Cush are adjacent to each other. He ruled the whole world from end to end just as he ruled Hodu and Cush.
Megillah 11a
The names of the two provinces under Ahasuerus’ rule hint at the beginning and the end of man’s life[5] .
Opinions of the two sages, Rav and Shmuel, reflect two ways to view the human life, both of which are true.
[4] As it says (Exodus 23:8): “bribery blinds the aware”.
[5] The word ‘Hodu’ means ‘praise’. Arrival of a new baby is always greeted with praise and happiness. Midrash states that even a person who has numerous children still loves the youngest child dearly, despite latter’s being covered with phlegm and dirt.
The word ‘Cush’ hints at the name of the African continent, which the Torah also calls ‘Cush’. The color black, associated with Africa, hints at death. The face of a terminally ill patient blackens in the moments preceding his departure from this world.
According to one opinion, Hodu and Cush are extremely distant one from the other – they are worlds apart. This signifies that different stages of man’s life are so vastly different one from another, that each one is considered a world of its own. Talmud[i] tell us that King David lived in five worlds:
• the first one is his mother’s womb,
• the second one is his birth,
• the third one is the time that he was nursing from his mother,
• the fourth one is the time when he saw the downfall of the evil men,
• and the fifth one is the time of death.
The Evil inclination accompanies us from before we are born, to the time we come out into this world and begin suckling at our mothers’ breasts, and, finally, to the time we breathe our last breath and depart from this world.
According to the other point of view, which maintains that Hodu and Cush are adjacent, this verse comes to emphasize the fleeting nature of human life. In the words of the prophet , man “appeared one night and perished the next night”. Since our life in this world is so short, it is the greatest folly not to utilize each moment of it for the attainment of the World to Come.
He ruled the whole world from end to end just as he ruled Hodu and Cush.
Megillah 11a
Influence of the Evil inclination spreads well beyond the confines of an individual man’s life. Man’s being unable to withstand temptation and succumbing to sin eventually effects the whole world. The Torah tells us that because of Adam’s sin, the whole Earth became accursed : “To Adam He said: because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree from which I told you not to eat, the Earth is accursed because of you…” The sins of subsequent generations eventually brought about not only their own destruction, but also the destruction of all life, which was drowned in the waters of the flood, and the destruction of the earth’s surface itself . Noah’s righteous deeds not only saved him and his family, they served to rebuild the entire world. This is the reason why Torah calls Noah “the man of the Earth” – he rebuilt the Earth . In his merit, “I shall continue to curse the Earth no more ”.
Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things G-d will bring thee into judgment. Ecclesiastes 11:9
He, who pampers his servant from youth, shall have him become master at the last.
Proverbs 29:21
‘Seven and twenty and one hundred provinces.’ Rav Chisda said: “In the beginning he ruled over seven, then over additional twenty, and then over additional one hundred.”
Megillah 11a
Evil inclination enters a person’s soul as soon as he is born. Then, for the first seven years of a child’s life, it reigns supreme without anyone to challenge its total authority. Manifestations of this evil nature belong to two general categories: anger and lust. A young child has no tools to keep his urges in check. Because of this, in his first years of life, a child is mostly interested in tasty, satiating food. Also, he is given to various emotions, which in some children turn into outbursts of anger.
Then, the little person starts school, where, for the first time in his life, he is exposed to Torah learning. The sages tell us that the only remedy for the evil inclination is Torah study . Once the schooling starts, the child begins to acquire the tools that can potentially help him overcome the evil that is inherent in human nature. However, using these tools requires a conscious effort on his part.
At the age of thirteen, the youngster acquires the Good inclination, and with it, the ability to control his passions and desires. Now, applying the Torah that he learnt, he can start the process of perfecting himself. However, the Evil inclination is cunning. It will present our youth with a seemingly irrefutable argument: why should you work so hard, control your anger, renounce earthly pleasures? You are afraid of punishment? But don’t you know that the Heavenly Court won’t punish you until you reach the age of twenty ?! Thus, evil inclination gains another seven years of almost unlimited control over a person.
If one allows the evil inclination to control himself for a span of time, it will embed itself in one’s personality. The more a person gives free reign to his burning fury, to the base desires of his flesh, the harder it becomes for him to oust this proclivity from its position. Once the Evil inclination is entrenched in a person, it will not voluntarily surrender any territory. It will strive to control him for the rest of his life – for another hundred years.
This is what King Solomon meant, when he said: “rejoice, oh youth, in your childhood” – evil inclination convinces you that, as a minor, you can freely enjoy all the pleasures of this world with impunity. However, in the end: “for all these things G-d will bring thee into judgment” – because, once you become accustomed to your sinful lifestyle, you won’t be able to repent. As a result, “he is the Ahasuerus who reigned from Hodu to Cush, over seven and twenty and a hundred provinces” – the Evil inclination rules over the man all the years of his life, from birth to death, “from Hodu to Cush”. Seven years turn into twenty, and then another hundred are added on – “seven and twenty and a hundred provinces”.
[6] To see how the Earth was utterly destroyed by sin, consider the following verses: “The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with robbery through them” (6:13). And then: “I will bring the waters of the flood upon the earth to destroy all flesh… everything that is in the ground shall perish” (6:17) “I will blot out all existence that I have made” (7:4).
The blame for annihilation lies squarely upon man: “I shall not continue to curse the earth again because of man” (8:21). Maarsho (commentary to Brachot 61a) states unequivocally that man’s sin was the root cause of the corruption and eventual destruction of the Earth.
After the flood is over, Noah brings a sacrifice to G-d, and as a result: “G-d smelled the pleasing aroma and G-d said in His heart: ‘I shall not continue to curse the earth again because of man… all the days of the earth, sowing and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will not cease’ (8:21-22). This implies that the whole order of creation was restored in Noah’s merit.
Genesis 25:26, based on Bereshit Rabba ch. 63, §8
Brought many times in “Shnei Luchos a-Bris”
Tana de-Vei Eliyahu Zuta, ch. 19
Pirkei Avos ch 4, §17
Beginning of Daas Tvunos, beginning of Derech HaShem
Genesis 25:26
Sotah, ch. 9, §15
See Genesis 3:19
Genesis 25:32
Bava Bathrah 16b
Brachot 18a-b
Genesis 19:31
Even Shleimah ch. 4, §21; see also Zohar II ch. Trumah folio 128a
Genesis 1:31
Bereshit Rabbah ch. 9, §7
See Even Shleima ch. 4, §§1-2 (based on R. Sh. Malchan’s footnote)
See also Deuteronomy 16:19.
Brachot 10a
Jonah 4:10
Genesis 3:17
See Genesis 8:13. See also verse 21, where it states outright that the Earth was cursed because of man’s deeds.
Genesis 9:20
Genesis 8:21
Kiddushin 30b
Jerusalem Talmud, tractate Bikkuritm 2:1, tractate Sanhedrin 11:5
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