Mordechai's Religious Identity/2

Mordechai's Religious Identity

Exegetical Approaches

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Spiritual Leader (גדול הדור)

Sources:SeptuagintEsther section A, vss. 1-11Esther 2:20Esther section C, vss. 1-11Esther section A, vss. 1-11About the Septuagint, Seder Olam Rabbah20About Seder Olam Rabbah, BavliMegillah 12bMegillah 13bMegillah 15aMegillah 16bMenachot 65aAbout the Bavli, First Targum of Megillat Esther2:52:11About First Targum of Megillat Esther, Second Targum of Megillat Esther2:5-64:1About Second Targum of Megillat Esther, Shemot Rabbah38:4About Shemot Rabbah, Esther Rabbah6:27:138:58:7About Esther Rabbah, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer(Higger) 49About Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, RashiEsther 2:5Esther 2:10-11Esther 2:22Esther 3:2Esther 2:22Megillah 16b s.v. שפירשו, מעיקראAbout R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, R. Yosef KaraEsther Version B 2:5-6Esther Version B 2:19-20Esther Version B 10:3About R. Yosef Kara, RashbamEsther 2:6Esther 10:3About R. Shemuel b. Meir, Ibn EzraEsther Version A 2:9Esther Version A 10:3Esther Version B 2:5Esther Version B 2:11Esther Version B 3:4About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, Eshkol HaKoferEsther 2:5-8Esther 2:21Esther 3:4Esther 10:3About R. Avraham Saba

Keeping Mitzvot – According to all these commentators, Mordechai was a fully observant Jew.  Seder Olam Rabbah¹ adds that he was a prophet, and the Bavli² says Mordechai was one of the Sanhedrin.  R"A Saba notes that it was a virtue of Mordechai that he kept Mitzvot even though he was in exile where it is hard to keep Mitzvot.³

• Kashrut – Esther Rabbah 7:13 has Mordechai warning the whole nation not to go to Achashverosh's party, but they refused to listen.
• Learning Torah – Esther Rabbah 6:2 writes that Mordechai in his generation is equivalent to Moshe in his generation who both taught Torah to the nation.  In 8:7 they also have Mordechai gathering the children and teaching them Torah.
• Prayer – The Septuagint brings in the middle of chapter four an entire text of Mordechai's prayer to Hashem to save them,⁴ and other Midrashim talk about Mordechai praying in general.⁵
• Idolatry –

"אִישׁ יְהוּדִי"

Why conceal Esther's religious identity?

"וּמׇרְדֳּכַי יֹשֵׁב בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ"

Mordechai's refusal to bow – This approach understands Mordechai to have intended to avoid violating a religious prohibition.  Esther Rabbah, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and R"A Saba⁶ all understand Haman to have proclaimed himself to be a deity, or to have worn an idol on his clothing, so bowing to him would violate the prohibition of bowing to idolatry.  On the other hand, R. Yosef Kara says there is a religious prohibition to bow down to an human regardless of him wearing an idol or not.

"וַיִּזְעַק זְעָקָה גְדוֹלָה וּמָרָה"

Mordechai's name

Religious identity of the whole nation

Absence of Hashem in the Megillah

"וְרָצוּי לְרֹב אֶחָיו" – Bavli Megillah 16b⁷ explains that Mordechai wasn't acceptable to all his brethren rather to only some, because some of the Sanhedrin withdrew from him once he became second in command and stopped learning.  R"Y Kara says people were angry at Mordechai that he didn't bow to Haman and caused them to be sentenced to death, and Ibn Ezra suggests similarly that it is impossible for someone to please everybody.  Finally, Rashbam understands that the verse refers to all his brethren.

Simple Jew (עם הארץ)

Sources:R. Y"S ReggioEsther pp. 6-10Esther pp. 15-16About R. Yitzchak Shemuel Reggio

Keeping Mitzvot

"אִישׁ יְהוּדִי"

Why conceal Esther's religious identity?

"וּמׇרְדֳּכַי יֹשֵׁב בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ"

Mordechai's refusal to bow – R. Reggio suggests that Mordechai mistakenly assumed that one may not bow to a human and that he endangered the entire nation due to his erroneous piety.

"וַיִּזְעַק זְעָקָה גְדוֹלָה וּמָרָה"

Mordechai's name

Religious identity of the whole nation

Absence of Hashem in the Megillah

"וְרָצוּי לְרֹב אֶחָיו"

Assimilated Persian

Sources:R. Yaacov Medan⁸

Keeping Mitzvot

"אִישׁ יְהוּדִי"

Why conceal Esther's religious identity?

"וּמׇרְדֳּכַי יֹשֵׁב בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ"

Mordechai's refusal to bow

"וַיִּזְעַק זְעָקָה גְדוֹלָה וּמָרָה"

Mordechai's name

Religious identity of the whole nation

Absence of Hashem in the Megillah

"וְרָצוּי לְרֹב אֶחָיו"

¹ The Bavli Megillah 15a says this regarding Mordechai Bilshan, and similarly the Septuagint has Mordechai dreaming about two dragons coming to destroy a small nation and them being saved like what actually happened in reality.  Esther Rabbah 8:5 also includes this dream.

² Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer also repeats this.

³ He notes that Mordechai was exempt from Mitzvot like slaves.

⁴ The Second Targum 4:1, Esther Rabbah 8:7, and Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, have similar versions.

⁵ See Bavli Megillah, First Targum, and Shemot Rabbah.

⁶ R"A Saba notes that Mordechai put himself in danger and didn't bow, to atone for the nations' sin of bowing to Haman.  And Esther atoned for the sin of eating from Achashverosh's party by calling for a fast.

⁷ Followed by Rashi.

⁸ See his article, "‏ומרדכי לא יכרע ולא ישתחוה" – מדוע?‏", in הדסה היא אסתר, (Jerusalem, 1997): 151-171.