CHAPTER XLIX THE SEED OF AMALEK [69B. i.] || RABBI SIMEON, son of Jochai, said: The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to destroy and to cut off all the seed of Amalek. [ See supra, p. 346.] He sent to Saul, the son of Kish, to destroy and to cut off all the seed of Amalek. Saul and the people heard, and did not spare any vile man except Agag, as it is said, [ The verse reads: “But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them.”] "But Saul and the people spared [ The quotation ends here in the MS.; it is continued in the first editions.] Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen" (1 Sam. 15:9). Samuel heard (thereof), and he went to meet them, and he said to them: Ye have spared Amalek, and ye have left over a remnant of him. [ See Lev. Rab. 25:8 and xxvi. 7.] They said to him: The sheep and the oxen are for sacrifices [ See T.B. ‘Abodah Ẓarah, 24b.] unto thy God. (Samuel) said to (Saul): The Omnipresent hath no delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, but only in obeying His voice and in doing His will, as it is said, "And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight [ The quotation ends here in the MS.; it is continued in the first editions.] in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (ibid. 22).
Rabbi Phineas said: The Holy One, blessed be He, saw that in the future there would arise from Agag a man, a great enemy and adversary of the Jews. [ See supra, p. 384; Ex. Rab. xxxviii. 4; T.B. Megillah, 12a and 19a; and cf. infra, p. 399.] Who was this? This was Haman, as it is said, "Because Haman, the son of Hammedatha, [ The quotation ends here in the MS.] the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews" (Esth. 9:24). From the seed of Saul (arose) an avenger and a redeemer for Israel, (who delivered them) out of the hand of Haman. Who was this? This was Mordecai, as it is said, "There was a certain Jew [ The quotation ends here in the MS.] in Shushan, the capital, whose name was Mordecai… the son of Kish, a Benjamite" (ibid. ii. 5).
And there stood Samuel before the Holy One, blessed be He, and he said: Sovereign of all the Universe ! Do not forget the sin [ The first editions and MS. Gaster read: “The sorrow which the wicked Esau caused his father.”] which Esau did to his father, || for he took strange women (for his wives), who offered sacrifices and burnt incense to idols, to embitter the years of the life of his parents. [ The first editions and MS. Gaster add: “as it is said, ‘and they were a bitterness of spirit unto Isaac and unto Rebecca’” (Gen. 26:35). The Book of Jubilees offers a parallel here; see ch. xxvii. 7 ff. and ch. xxv. 1, which reads: “My son, do not take thee a wife of the daughters of Canaan, as Esau, thy brother, who took him two wives of the daughters of Caanan, and they have embittered my soul with all their unclean deeds: for all their deeds are fornication and lust, and there is no righteousness with them, for (their deeds) are evil.”] Remember his sin unto his sons and unto his grandsons unto the end of all generations, as it is said, "Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered [ The quotation ends here in the MS.] with the Lord" (Ps. 109:14). Samuel heard the voice of Agag muttering with his mouth, saying: Perhaps the bitterness of the evil death has passed from me, as it is said, "And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past" (1 Sam. 15:32). Samuel said to him: [ The first editions add here: “Just as thy sword made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women.”] Just as the sword of Amalek thy ancestor consumed the young men of Israel who were outside the cloud, [ See supra, p. 346.] so that their women dwelt (as) childless women and widows, [ The Prague edition adds: “so shall thy mother be childless.” MS. Gaster omits the rest of the paragraph, except the quotation.] so by the prayer of the women [ This idea is due to the Midrashic interpretation of the words in 1 Sam. 15:33, i.e. “by women (Esther and her maidens) shall thy mother be made childless.”] all the sons [ The first editions read: “every son.” The Prague edition has “every male.”] of Amalek shall be slain, and their women shall dwell (as) childless women and widows. And by the prayer of Esther and her maidens all the sons of Amalek were slain and their women remained childless and widowed, as it is said, "And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, [ The quotation ends here in the MS. and in the first editions.] so shall thy mother be childless among women" (ibid. 33).
The prayer of Samuel destroyed [ The Prague edition reads: “diminished” (חסר).] the power of the children of Agag against Israel, [ The first editions add: “in Gilgal.” MS. Gaster reads “Amalek” instead of “Agag.”] as it is said, "And Samuel broke [ i.e. destroyed the power of Amalek. The Targum renders וימסף by ופשח (cf. Targum to Ps. 7:3): “and he flayed”; see also 2 Chron. 14:13: “for they were broken before the Lord.” In the MS. the quotation ends here; it is continued in the first editions.] Agag before the Lord in Gilgal" (ibid.).
The Holy One, blessed be He, said: He has made his attack against the heavenly beings, [ The first editions read: “Everyone who acts with the pride of the mighty.” See Gen. Rab. 10:7. The point here is that Haman’s pride was punished by the hand of a woman. On God’s ways with man, see Num. Rab. 18:19 (on Num. 16:35).] (and God) will send against them insignificant things, to teach them that the power of their might is nought. When Titus, [ See Lam. 4:12 with Midrash Rab. thereon. See Aboth de R. Nathan (b) vii. p. 11a; T.B. Giṭṭin, 56b; and cf. J.E. xii. p. 164a.] the wicked, entered the Holy of Holies, he said: No adversary || or enemy can prevail against me. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do to him? He sent a single gnat, [ The first editions add: “against him.”] and it went into his nostril, and it ate its way into his brain. That gnat became like a young pigeon, weighing two pounds, [ ליטרין (λίτρα), litra; the Roman libra or pound weight.] to teach him that there was nothing at all in the might of his power. When Israel [ Represented by the High Priest.] walked in the Holy of Holies with a proud heart, and said: No adversary or enemy [ See Lam., loc. cit.] is able to stand before us. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do to them? He sent against them a man, proud and like one sifting the sea, Nebuchadnezzar, whose name was Kabbīr Mayim (like one sifting the sea), [ Cf. Tanna de bê Elijahu Rab. 31 p. 158; Shocher Ṭob on Ps. 137 p. 262b; and Pesiḳta Rabbathi, p. 144a. The first editions read: “He sent against them Nebuchadnezzar the wicked, who was a very proud enemy against them.” Kabbīr Mayim might mean “the mighty one of the waters.” According to Kebra Nagast (G.T.), p. 79, Nebuchadnezzar was the one who “escaped from the water” at his birth; cf. Ex. 2:10.] to teach; "For by strength shall no man prevail" (ibid. ii. 9). [ See Ezek. 7:20: “As for the beauty of his ornament, he turned it to pride”; see also ibid. xxiv. 21. On Nebuchadnezzar, see J.E. ix. pp. 201 ff.]
Rabbi Chakhinai [ The Prague edition and Brode’s edition read: “Chaninah.”] said: The Holy One, blessed be He, set [ The first editions omit: “and to the kingdom of Babylon. Whence do we know this about the Egyptian bondage?”] no limit to the kingdoms, except to the Egyptian bondage, [ Cf. T.B. Joma, 9a and 9b.] and to the kingdom of Babylon. Whence do we know this about the Egyptian bondage? Because it is said, "And they shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years" (Gen. 15:13). The Holy One, blessed be He, dealt according to the abundance of His tender mercy, [ The first editions add: “and according to His abounding love.” As Isa. 63:7 says: “I will make mention of the loving-kindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed upon us; and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses.”] and He shortened (this time limit) by its half, [ The first editions read: “in the number of ‘Rdu’ 210 years.”] 210 years. [ Cf. supra, p. 376.] Whence do we know about the Babylonian kingdom? Because it is said, "For thus saith the Lord, [ The MS. and the first editions omit this part of the verse; the MS. reads: “After seventy years be accomplished”; the first editions add “for Babylon.”] After seventy years be accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place" (Jer. 29:10).
Rabbi Abbahu said: Forty-five years did Nebuchadnezzar reign. Know that it is so. In the year [ Luria’s emendation reads: “In the second year.”] when he began to reign, he went up to Jerusalem, and conquered Jehoiakim, king of Judah, as it is said, "In the third year of the reign of || Jehoiakim, king of Judah, [ The quotation ends here in the MS.; it is continued in the first editions.] came Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem, and besieged it" (Dan. 1:1). For eight years he ruled over the kingdom of Jehoiakim, and eleven years Zedekiah ruled. [ The first editions read: “he ruled over the kingdom of Zedekiah.”] (Behold,) nineteen years before he destroyed the Temple. (Thereafter he ruled) twenty-six years. [ The first editions read: “Behold nineteen years (elapsed) before the Temple was destroyed.” The Venice edition and MS. Gaster add: “After the Temple had been destroyed (he reigned) twenty-six years.” This is omitted in the 1st ed. See T.B. Megillah, 11b, and Rashi, who quotes Seder ‘Olam Rab.] Know that it is so. Come and see from the exile of Jehoiachin until his son Evil-Merodach [ Son of Nebuchadnezzar.] reigned thirty-seven [ Deduct from these thirty-seven years the eleven years of Zedekiah’s reign prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, and we have twenty-six years, mentioned in our book.] years elapsed, as it is said, "And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin, [ The quotation ends here in the MS.; it is continued in the first editions.] king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-Merodach, king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, did lift up the head of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, out of prison" (2 Kings 25:27).
Rabbi Jonathan said: The last of the kings of Media [ The first editions add: “and Persia.”] was Artaxerxes, [ He is apparently identified by R. Tachanah in the next paragraph of our book with the “fourth king” of Dan. 11:2.] king of Babylon, and he reigned thirty-two years, as it is said, "But in all this time I was not in Jerusalem; [ The quotation ends here in the MS. and in the first editions.] for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon, I went unto the king" (Neh. 13:6). [ See Seder ‘Olam Rab. 28 p. 65a and xxx. p. 68b, note 10. According to some Jewish traditions (see T.B. Rosh Ha-Shanah, 4a) Artaxerxes 11. is Darius 11., who sanctioned the rebuilding of the Temple. This king appears to have reigned thirty-six years; see Esth. Rab. 8:3, and Lev. Rab. 13:5. See also J.E. iv. p. 442, and cf. Josephus, Ant. xi. 6. 1.]
Rabbi Tachanah [ The first editions and MS. Gaster read: “Tanchum.” See supra, p. 308.] said: Come and see how wealthy Ahasuerus was, for he was wealthier than all the kings of Media and Persia, and concerning him the Scripture saith, "And the fourth shall be far richer than they all" (Dan. 11:2). What was the wealth of Ahasuerus? He erected couches of gold and silver in the streets [ This is the paraphrase of Esth. 1:5: “in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.”] of the city, to show all the peoples [ The first editions read: “to let all the world know.”] how rich he was, as it is said, "The couches were of gold and silver" (Esth. 1:6). All the vessels used by Ahasuerus were not vessels of silver, but vessels of gold. [ Cf. 1 Kings 10:21, and Assumption of Moses iii. 2.] He brought the vessels of the Temple, and all the vessels of his palace were changed in appearance, [ Because they became dim in splendour when brought together with the beautiful sacred vessels of the Temple. This constituted the diversity referred to in the text (Esth. 1:7); see Targum 1. thereon, which is probably the source of P.R.E.’s version.] so that they became like lead, as it is said, "The vessels being diverse one from another" (ibid. 7).
All the pavement of his palace consisted of precious stones and pearls, || as it is said, "Upon a pavement of porphyry, and white marble, [ The quotation ends here in the MS.; it is continued in the first editions.] and alabaster, and stone of blue colour" (ibid. 6).
Rabbi Eliezer said: For half the year Ahasuerus made great banquets for all the peoples, as it is said, "Many days, even an hundred and eighty days" (ibid. 4). Every people [ The first editions read: “Everyone.”] who ate its food in impurity, [ i.e. this food lacked the characteristics which marked the levitically pure food.] had its food provided in impurity, and every people who ate its food in purity [ The Jewish Law determines the kind of food which may be eaten by its adherents. Such food is pure. The expression used here in our author, “Every people who ate its food in purity,” points to priestly regulations and conditions. The subject has been dealt with exhaustively by Dr. Büchler in his Der Galiläische ‘Am-ha ‘Areṣ des Zweiten Jahrhunderts.] had its food provided (according to the regulations of) purity, [ The first editions reverse the order of the clauses.] as it is said, [ The first editions read: “to fulfil that which is written.”] "That they should do according to every man's pleasure" (ibid. 8). [ See Esth. Rab., in loc.; Jalḳuṭ, Esth. § 1056; T.B. Megillah, 12a; and cf. Jalḳuṭ, Esth. § 1048.]
Rabbi José [ The first editions read: “Simeon.”] said: It was the universal custom of the kings of Media [ Although Ahasuerus was the king of Persia he was apparently a Mede by race. On the morals of the Medes see T.B. Berakhoth, 8b.] when they were eating and drinking to cause their women to come before them stark naked, playing and dancing, in order to see the beauty of their figures. When the wine entered the heart of Ahasuerus, he wished to act in this manner [ For other instances of the evil effect of too much wine see Gen. 9:21, and supra, p. 170; see also Hos. 4:11, and cf. T.B. Soṭah, 7a.] with Vashti the queen. She was the daughter of a king, [ Belteshazzar; see T.B. Megillah, 9b, and Jalḳuṭ, Esth. § 1050.] and she was not willing to do this. [ The first editions and MS. Gaster read: “that she should come naked before him,” and then add: “She sent to him saying: Foolish drunkard ! If I come they may see that I am ugly, (then) they will despise thee at thy table; and if they see that I am beautiful, one of thy princes will kill thee in the hour of (his taking) wine. The king heard her words and commanded that she should be slain.”] He decreed concerning her, and she was slain. When the wine had passed from the heart of Ahasuerus, he sought after Vashti, but he did not find her. They told him of the deed which had been done, [ The first editions read: “His princes told him of the decree which he had ordained against her.”] and (also) of the decree which had been ordained concerning her. Why was the decree passed against her? Because she used to make the daughters of Israel come [ The first editions add: “naked.”] and toil for her on Sabbaths, therefore was the decree ordained against her that she should be slain naked on the Sabbath, [ In the first editions the words “on the Sabbath” follow the words “ordained against her.”] as it is said, "He remembered Vashti, [ The quotation ends here in the MS.; it is continued in the first editions. On the theme see Esth. Rab., in loc., and Targum 1. to Esth. 2:1.] and what she had done, and what was decreed against her" (ibid. ii. 1).
Rabbi Zechariah said: || Merit is transmitted by the hand of the worthy. By the hand of Daniel [ The first editions and MS. Gaster add: “who was Memucan.” See the Targum 11. to Esth. 1:16, and cf. Esth. Rab. 4:2 and 6. The latter does not, however, identify Memucan with Daniel. In Targum 1. to Esth. 1:16 he is compared with Haman; cf. T.B. Megillah, 12b. P.R.E. is the source used by Targum 11. in identifying Memucan with Daniel. Memucan means the “establisher.”] the sovereignty was transferred to Esther, because he said to the king, Let not the king weep, since all that thou hast done [ The first editions add: “to Vashti.”] thou hast done according to the Torah. And whosoever keeps the Torah, [ The first editions read: “the precepts of the Torah.” See Ezra 6:11, 12 for a parallel to the expression in our text.] the Holy One, blessed be He, preserves his kingdom; for thus the Torah says that the man shall rule his wife, as it is said, "And he shall rule over thee" [ This was said to the first woman, and is one of the nine afflictions imposed upon womankind. See supra, p. 100.] (Gen. 3:16). The king sent in all the provinces to do according to his words, [ The first editions read: “the words of Memucan.”] as it is said, "That every man should [ The quotation ends here in the MS.; it is continued in the first editions.] bear rule in his own house" (Esth. 1:22). He also said to the king: "Let there be sought for the king [ The quotation ends here in the MS.; it is continued in the first editions.] fair young virgins" (ibid. ii. 2). Not [ The first editions and MS. Gaster read: “Young virgins” and not “all young virgins.”] "all young virgins," but "fair young virgins." [ The first editions add: “as it is said.”] "And let the maiden which pleaseth [ The quotation ends here in the MS.; it is continued in the first editions.] the king be queen instead of Vashti" (ibid. 4); and it is written elsewhere, "And the maiden pleased him" (ibid. 9). This refers to Esther. The Holy One, blessed be He, invested her with grace and love [ Cf. Targum 11. to Esth. 2:17: “and she was rewarded by (the king) with more grace and favour than all the virgins.”] in the eyes of all who saw her. [ The first editions add: “as it is said.”] "And Esther obtained favour [ The quotation ends here in the MS.; it is continued in the first editions.] in the sight of all them that looked upon her" (ibid. 15 ). [ The 1st ed. adds: “for the sake of the merit that was to be (accomplished) at her hands.”]