Purim Sameach!
At the end of Megilat Esther, it says, “Mordechai was wanted by most of his brothers.”
Rashi explains that it says most (and not all) because part of the Sanhedrim distanced themselves from him when he became involved in government and wasn’t learning as much as he should.
But the Ibn Ezra offers a different explanation for this. Mordechai was only wanted by most of his brothers, because, as he says, you can’t please everyone all the time. And the reason for this, says the Ibn Ezra is,
בעבור קנאת אחים
Because of jealousy of brothers.
You can’t make everybody happy all the time, and it’s not because there is something wrong with you. It’s because there is something wrong with them. People are naturally jealous, and it is hard to see somebody else being successful. This is human nature. We can’t hide the fact or squelch those feelings. And if you are not aware of it, you can’t work on it. Human nature is such, that if one sees someone successful, it bothers him, because he’s jealous. Therefore, he’ll find something wrong with that person.
Mordechai saved the Jewish nation; he was an Adam Gadol. There was nothing wrong with Mordechai, but people found something wrong because they were jealous.
Jealousy is one of those basic of human natures. The Gaon of Vilna says that the two main Yetzer Haras are jealousy and desire. If a person says they don’t have jealousy, then they are totally unaware of their Middot, because it’s a basic Middah.
It goes all the way back to Kayin and Hevel. The root of the word Kayin is Kin’ah/ jealousy. He was jealous of his brother. This is built into our make up. Human beings are jealous. The Gaon of Vilna says that this is why the last of the 10 Commandments, which includes everything, is Lo Tachmod/Don’t Covet. Because we are naturally jealous people. We have to be aware of that. If you find yourself putting down or finding fault in someone who has experienced some type of success, even if the faults are true, ask yourself where it’s coming from.
Does it hurt to see that someone else has surpassed you?
The Ibn Ezra points out this very powerful message, and it’s one of the final takeaways of Megilat Esther.
Have a wonderful day and enjoy your Purim!