MEGILLAS ESTHER II
Can you figure out what each picture has to do with the Megillah?
Rabbi Dani Staum
Megillas Esther – Purim Pix II
Let’s Talk about me – When Haman came home raging that Mordechai didn’t bow to him, he gathered Zeresh and his family and told them all about his favorite subject… himself – 5:11
Upside Down house – The miracle of Purim happened as a complete turnabout – v’nahapoch hu Haman ended up being hung on the gallows he unwittingly built for himself – 9:1
Self-Imposed Exile – When the Jews were exiled by Nevuchadnezzar, Mordechai accompanied them even though he didn’t have to – 2:6 (Gemara Megillah 13a)
Zipped up mouth – Esther refused to divulge her identity no matter how much Achashveirosh pressured her – 2:10, 2:20, 4:14
Megillas Eicha – A few pesukim of Megillas Esther are customarily read in the Eicha tune.
Elegant Curtains – The Megillah details the party of Achashveirosh including the expensive draperies in the palace – 1:6
Benedict Arnold – The gemara (Megilla 16a) relates that Charvona, who informed Achashveirosh about the gallows Haman made for Mordechai, was actually a traitor. He had been part of Haman’s cadre but jumped ship when he saw that the fortunes had turned on Haman. (If you don’t know who Benedict Arnold was, speak to your 6th grade history teacher.)
Keep your enemies closer – One of the reasons the gemara (Megilla 15a in name of Rav Yosi) mentions why Esther kept inviting Haman to her private parties with Achashveirosh was to know where he was.
Rose – The beloved piyyut of Purim begins by referring to the Jewish people at the time of the Purim miracle as “Shoshanas Yaakov – the Rose of Yaakov”.
(In Shir Hashirim 2:2, Klal Yisroel is compared to “a rose among thorns”. At the time of the Purim story the Jewish people reestablished their uniqueness and demonstrated that they are not ‘just another nation’. Therefore, they were worthy of being referred to as a rose, which stands out among the thorns surrounding it.)
