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 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 – The First Targum of Megillat Esther says that Mordechai was an observant Jew.  It is unclear what Hoil Moshe holds but it is possible to say that Mordechai was an assimilated Jew and only cared about his position in the king's palace.

"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 constituted a violation of the prohibition against idolatry either because Haman wore an idol on him,² or because Haman considered himself a god.³
• 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.⁴

Was Mordechai halakhically justified? If in bowing down there was a prohibition of idolatry then Mordechai was justified because one should prefer to die rather then commit idolatry (ייהרג ואל יעבור).  According to R"Y Kara it is unclear whether Mordechai was correct in his actions.⁵  However, R. Y"S Reggio holds that Mordechai was not justified and made a mistake.⁶

"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 – 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 this approach, Mordechai did not worry about what the consequences will be since he thought bowing down to Haman was prohibited halakhically.

A Portrait of Mordechai

Biblical parallels

Political Opposition

Jewish Pride

Sources:Second Targum of Megillat Esther3:3About Second Targum of Megillat Esther, Esther Rabbah7:8About Esther Rabbah,⁷ 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 See First Targum of Megillat Esther, Esther Rabbah, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer and Ibn Ezra who suggest this.

³ See Bavli, R. Saadia Gaon, Rashi, and Lekach Tov.

⁴ 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.

⁵ According to the Bavli Sanhedrin 74a-b, when one is in public one should be killed before violating even a minor mitzvah, including even changing one's style of shoelaces.  If so, Mordechai was certainly justified in refusing to bow to Haman (especially if Mordechai was uncertain that he will be killed for his actions).

⁶ R. Y"S Reggio brings proof from the fact that Avraham bowed down to עם הארץ (Bereshit 23:7), Yaakov bowed to Esav (Bereshit 33:3), and other similar cases, that one is allowed to bow down to others.  Cf. R. Saadia Gaon who also claims that there is no prohibition in a honorary bow and therefore says that it 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 Esther Rabbah holds that there was also a religious prohibition of Idolatry.