## Rashi on Esther Chapter 5

###### Rashi on Esther 5:1:1
[Rashi on Esther 5:1:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Esther/r/5:1:1)

**מַלְכוּת.** בִּגְדֵי מַלְכוּת. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ: שֶׁלְּבָשַׁתָּה רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ, כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר "וְרוּחַ לָבְשָׁה אֶת עֲמָשַׂי":

**The Metsudah Five Megillot, Lakewood, N.J., 2001:**
**In majesty.** Regal clothing. But our Rabbis said that Divine Inspiration enwrapped her,¹ as it is says, “And a spirit enwrapped Amasai.”²

footnotes:
¹ Maseches Megillah 14b. The text should have stated בגדי מלכות [regal clothing]. The inference is that she was cloaked in majesty itself, i.e., in Divine Majesty.
² I Divrei Hayomim 12:19.


###### Rashi on Esther 5:3:1
[Rashi on Esther 5:3:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Esther/r/5:3:1)

**עַד חֲצִי הַמַּלְכוּת.** דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא בְאֶמְצַע וּבַחֲצִי הַמַּלְכוּת. הוּא בֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, שֶׁהִתְחִילוּ לִבְנוֹתוֹ בִּימֵי כֹרֶשׁ, וְחָזַר בּוֹ וְצִוָּה לְבַטֵּל הַמְּלָאכָה. וַאֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ שֶׁעָמַד אַחֲרָיו גַּם הוּא בִּטֵּל הַמְּלָאכָה. וּפְשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא: אַף אִם תִּשְׁאֲלִי מִמֶּנִּי חֲצִי הַמַּלְכוּת, אֶתֵּן לָךְ:

**The Metsudah Five Megillot, Lakewood, N.J., 2001:**
**Up until half the empire.** A thing that is in the middle and at the halfway mark of the empire; that is, the Beis Hamikdosh, which they started to build in the days of Koresh, and he reneged and commanded to discontinue the work.³ And Achashveirosh, who succeeded him, he too discontinued the work. The simple meaning of the verse is, “Even if you request half of the empire from me, I will give it to you.”

footnotes:
³ See Maseches Megillah 15b.


###### Rashi on Esther 5:4:1
[Rashi on Esther 5:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Esther/r/5:4:1)

**יָבוֹא הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהָמָן.** רַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ טְעָמִים הַרְבֵּה בַדָּבָר: מָה רָאֲתָה אֶסְתֵּר שֶׁזִּמְּנָה אֶת הָמָן כְּדֵי לְקַנְאוֹ בַּמֶּלֶךְ וּבַשָּׂרִים, שֶׁהַמֶּלֶךְ יַחְשֹׁב שֶׁהוּא חוֹשֵׁק אֵלֶיהָ וְיַהַרְגֶנּוּ, וְעוֹד טְעָמִים רַבִּים:

**The Metsudah Five Megillot, Lakewood, N.J., 2001:**
**Let his majesty and Haman attend.** Our Rabbis listed many reasons for the matter.⁴ What did Esther see [i.e., what motivated her] to invite Haman? In order to make the king and the princes jealous of him, [or], so that the king should think that he desired her and kill him; and many other reasons.⁵

footnotes:
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Another reason given is that she felt that the Jews would rely on her influence with the king rather than on G. She therefore created the impression that she abandoned them in favor of Haman, so that they would concentrate fully on prayer and penitence. (Megillah 15b)


###### Rashi on Esther 5:4:2
[Rashi on Esther 5:4:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Esther/r/5:4:2)

**אֶל הַמִּשְׁתֶּה.** כָּל סְעוּדָה נִקְרֵאת עַל שֵׁם הַיַּיִן שֶׁהוּא עִיקָר:

**The Metsudah Five Megillot, Lakewood, N.J., 2001:**
**At the feast.** Every feast is called מִשְׁתֶּה on account of the wine, which is the principal feature.


###### Rashi on Esther 5:8:1
[Rashi on Esther 5:8:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Esther/r/5:8:1)

**וּמָחָר אֶעֱשֶׂה כִּדְבַר הַמֶּלֶךְ.** מַה שֶּׁבִּקַּשְׁתָּ מִמֶּנִּי כָּל הַיָּמִים, לְגַלּוֹת לְךָ אֶת עַמִּי וְאֶת מוֹלַדְתִּי:

**The Metsudah Five Megillot, Lakewood, N.J., 2001:**
**And tomorrow I shall comply with his majesty’s command.** That which you requested of me all these days, i.e., to reveal my nationality and lineage to you.


###### Rashi on Esther 5:10:1
[Rashi on Esther 5:10:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Esther/r/5:10:1)

**וַיִּתְאַפַּק.** נִתְחַזֵּק לַעֲמֹד עַל כַּעְסוֹ, כִּי הָיָה יָרֵא לְהִנָּקֵם בְּלֹא רְשׁוּת. וַיִּתְאַפַּק אישטנט"ר בְּלַעַ"ז:

**The Metsudah Five Megillot, Lakewood, N.J., 2001:**
**[Haman] restrained himself.** He strengthened himself to control his anger because he was afraid to take revenge without [the king’s] permission. וַיִּתְאַפַּק is *e se retint* in O.F. [and he controlled himself].


###### Rashi on Esther 5:13:1
[Rashi on Esther 5:13:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Esther/r/5:13:1)

**אֵינֶנּוּ שֹׁוֶה לִי.** אֵינִי חָשׁ לְכָל הַכָּבוֹד אֲשֶׁר לִי:

**The Metsudah Five Megillot, Lakewood, N.J., 2001:**
**[This] is meaningless to me.** I do not care for all the honor that I have.


###### Rashi on Esther 5:13:2
[Rashi on Esther 5:13:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Esther/r/5:13:2)

**בְּכָל עֵת וגו'.** אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁהָיָה מַרְאֶה לוֹ שְׁטַר שֶׁמָּכַר עַצְמוֹ לְעֶבֶד עַל חֹסֶר מְזוֹנוֹת כְּשֶׁנִּתְמַנּוּ רָאשֵׁי גְיָסוֹת מָרְדְּכַי וְהָמָן בְּמִלְחָמָה אַחַת:

**The Metsudah Five Megillot, Lakewood, N.J., 2001:**
**Whenever, etc.** Our Rabbis said that he [Mordechai] would show him [Haman] a deed that he had sold himself [to Mordechai] as a slave because of lack of food when they were appointed—Mordechai and Haman as commanders of troops—in the same war.⁶

footnotes:
⁶ Maseches Megillah 15a-b.