Mordechai's Refusal to Bow/2

Mordechai's Refusal to Bow

Exegetical Approaches

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Personal Rivalry

Sources:First Targum of Megillat EstherTargum Rishon Esther 3:2About First Targum of Megillat Esther,¹ Hoil MosheEsther 3:2About R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi

Was Mordechai justified? According to this approach, it is possible that Mordechai was not justified and should have bowed down to Haman as it seems like from the Bavli and Tanchuma.

"כִּי הִגִּיד לָהֶם אֲשֶׁר הוּא יְהוּדִי" – This approach might maintain as does the  Northern French Commentary that these words do not explain why Mordechai refused to bow, but rather why the officers informed on him.  Since he was a Jew, they were jealous and desired his fall.

Mordechai's religious identity – The First Targum of Megillat Esther says that Mordechai was an observant Jew.² It is possible, though, to say that Mordechai was assimilated into Persian society. He had climbed his way into a position of power in the king's palace and was jealous his rival Haman.  Though Mordechai had just saved the king's life, it was Haman who was promoted. He, thus, refused to bow to a "superior" whom he did not view as such.

"כֹּרְעִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים"

Who was supposed to bow down to Haman? Everyone.

Why was everyone supposed to bow down to Haman?

"וְאֶת דָּתֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵינָם עֹשִׂים"

Did Mordechai know what the consequences would be? This position would probably hold that Mordechai did not know what the consequences will be, since if he did know he wouldn't have sacrificed the whole nation's lives just for his personal pride.

A Portrait of Mordechai

Biblical parallels

Religious Prohibition

Mordechai did now bow down due to a religious prohibition to bow.  The commentators disagree about what the halakhic prohibition was.

Sources:BavliMegillah 10bMegillah 12b-13aMegillah 19aSanhedrin 61aAbout the Bavli, First Targum of Megillat EstherEsther 3:2About First Targum of Megillat Esther, Esther Rabbah6:27:88:7About Esther Rabbah, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer(Higger) 49About Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, R. Saadia GaonIntroduction to EstherAbout R. Saadia Gaon, RashiEsther 3:2About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, Lekach TovEsther 3:2About R. Toviah b. Eliezer, R. Yosef KaraEsther Version A 3:2Esther Version B 3:2-4About R. Yosef Kara, Ibn EzraEsther Version A 3:2-4About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, R. Y"S ReggioEsther 3:2About R. Yitzchak Shemuel Reggio

What was the halakhic prohibition? The commentators offer two possibilities

• Idolatry – Most of these sources suggest that bowing would have been a violation of the prohibition against idolatry either because Haman wore an idol on him,³ or because Haman considered himself a god.⁴
• Bowing down to people – R. Yosef Kara and R. Y"S Reggio instead suggest that Mordechai thought that it was prohibited to bow down to anyone other than Hashem.⁵

Was Mordechai halakhically justified?

• Justified – 
• Idolatry – According to those who assert that bowing constituted worship of idolatry, Mordechai's refusal was justified since the law requires one to die rather than transgress the prohibition (ייהרג ואל יעבור). 
• Era of Destruction – According to the alternative, it would seem that Mordechai's actions were not necessary since there is no prohibition against bowing to people.⁶  R"Y Kara, though, might suggest that the era was a "period of destruction" (שעת השמד) during which one might be prohibited from doing even the slightest action upon command of another who is intent on the nation's spiritual destruction.⁷ 

• Unjustified - R. Reggio claims that Mordechai simply made a mistake, thinking he was being pious in not bowing to people, when in reality he did not understand the Torah's intentions (טעה בהתחסדות). Moreover, since the law states that one must abide by the laws of the land (דינא דמלכותא דינא), Mordechai was actually obligated to listen to the king's command and bow!

"כִּי הִגִּיד לָהֶם אֲשֶׁר הוּא יְהוּדִי" – These commentators find support for their position in this verse, understanding that Mordechai had given a religious reason ("הוּא יְהוּדִי") for his actions.

Mordechai's religious identity – According to this approach Mordechai was an observant Jew.

"כֹּרְעִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים"

Who was supposed to bow down to Haman? Everyone.

Why was everyone supposed to bow down to Haman? Esther Rabbah holds that the reason Haman wanted everyone to bow down to him was so they will worship idolatry.

"וְאֶת דָּתֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵינָם עֹשִׂים"

Did Mordechai know what the consequences would be? According to most of these commentators, even if Mordechai knew in advance that Haman would try to annihilate the nation in retaliation, he would have still been obligated to refuse to bow. According to R. Reggio, though, Mordechai was unaware and horrified at the outcome of his actions. He suggests that Mordechai regretted his decision and felt guilty that he had caused the edict of destruction.⁸ 

A Portrait of Mordechai – Most of these sources view Mordechai as a devout Jew, ready to give his life for the observance of Hashem's commandments.  Reggio, in contrast, paints a somewhat foolish Mordechai, unaware of the intricacies of Torah laws, whose "extra" piety put the entire nation in danger.

Biblical parallels

Political Opposition

Jewish Pride

Sources:Second Targum of Megillat Esther3:3About Second Targum of Megillat Esther, Esther Rabbah7:8About Esther Rabbah,⁹ Midrash Panim AcherotVersion B Parashah 3About Midrash Panim Acherot, Yosef LekachEsther 3:2About R. Eliezer Ashkenazi

Was Mordechai justified? Yosef Lekach tries to justify Mordechai's actions by saying that Mordechai was not obligated to bow down to Haman since he was not one of "עבדי המלך".

"כִּי הִגִּיד לָהֶם אֲשֶׁר הוּא יְהוּדִי" – These commentators explain that "כִּי הִגִּיד לָהֶם אֲשֶׁר הוּא יְהוּדִי" is the reason why Mordechai did not bow down to Haman.

Mordechai's religious identity – Mordechai was proud of his Jewish heritage but was not necessarily a halakhic observant Jew.

"כֹּרְעִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים"

Who was supposed to bow down to Haman? Yosef Lekach holds that only "עבדי המלך" who were "בשער המלך" needed to bow to Haman.

Why was everyone supposed to bow down to Haman?

"וְאֶת דָּתֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵינָם עֹשִׂים"

Did Mordechai know what the consequences would be?

A Portrait of Mordechai

Biblical parallels

Aegean Threat

Sources:SeptuagintEsther section E, vss. 7-14About the Septuagint, Dr. Yisrael Eldad

Was Mordechai justified?

"כִּי הִגִּיד לָהֶם אֲשֶׁר הוּא יְהוּדִי" – This approach holds that "כִּי הִגִּיד לָהֶם אֲשֶׁר הוּא יְהוּדִי" isn't the reason for Mordechai's refusal but rather the reason why Haman wanted to kill Mordechai (see Northern French Commentary).

Mordechai's religious identity

"כֹּרְעִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים"

Who was supposed to bow down to Haman?

Why was everyone supposed to bow down to Haman?

"וְאֶת דָּתֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵינָם עֹשִׂים"

Did Mordechai know what the consequences would be?

A Portrait of Mordechai

Biblical parallels

¹ The First Targum of Megillat Esther holds that there was also a religious prohibition of Idolatry.

² Hoil Moshe does not address the issue.

³ See First Targum of Megillat Esther, Esther Rabbah, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer and Ibn Ezra who suggest this.

⁴ See Bavli, R. Saadia Gaon, Rashi, and Lekach Tov.

⁵ R. Reggio points out that the first alternative is absent from the book; if the problem was one of idolatry the verses would have said so. Since they speak only of bowing to a person, that in itself must have been the issue.

⁶ R. Y"S Reggio brings proof from the fact that Avraham bowed down to the people of the land (Bereshit 23:7), Yaakov to Esav (Bereshit 33:3), Yosef's brothers to him, David to Yonatan and many other similar cases.  Cf. R. Saadia Gaon who also claims that there is no prohibition in a honorary bow leading him to conclude that the problem must have been idolatry. Cf. Second Targum of Megillat Esther and Esther Rabbah who say that Haman told Mordechai to bow down to him since Yaakov bowed down to Esav.

⁷ See the discussion in Bavli Sanhedrin 74a-b, which speaks of being killed before violating even a minor command, such as changing one's style of shoelaces.  It is not clear, however, whether Mordechai's refusal actually took place in a setting of "destruction" since there is no evidence of religious coercion in the Megillah; even the physical threat was only after Mordechai's actions.

⁸ He pains a picture of a man so overcome by guilt that all he can do is cry out in grief.  He suggests that Mordechai was not even capable of thinking clearly;  it never occured to him to pray for salvation nor even to speak with Esther.  It is she who sees him dressed in sack cloth and inquires to the reason; Mordechai on his own had not planned to ask for her help.

⁹ Esther Rabbah holds that there was also a religious prohibition of Idolatry.