One of the things which seems to make an non-insignificant appearance in the Megillah is the sum of money. Haman is constantly stressing the fact that he wants to give the king money to have the Jews killed, whilst Achashveirosh refuses such an offer. Why is the money an important part of the story that the Megillah sees it fit to tell us about it? Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld gives a remarkable insight here. He writes that Haman had a cunning plan here. He would ask Achashveirosh for permission to kill off the Jews, but at the same time he would give Achashveirosh money so it would look like Haman was paying Achashveirosh for this right. When the various ethnic groups would see that Haman has paid Achashveirosh for the right to kill of a sect of society, they’d all get extremely worried; ‘what if someone comes up with enough money to persuade the king to have us killed next?’ they’d think. The outcome would be that there would be a rebellion and Achashveirosh would be overthrown, with the convenient consequence of Haman becoming the new king. In other words, the money was part of Haman’s plan to overthrow Achashveirosh – ultimately something that Achashveirosh did not fall for. And, Esther, having realised that this was Haman’s intention via the money all along, does not forget to drop this into her claims against Haman to the king when she is pleading for her life – ‘for my people have been sold.’
Previous Article
By The Light of The Moon
Next Article
