We continue with Megilat Esther. We are up to first Chapter, the fifth pasuk, which says that after the 180-day party, the king made an additional party
לְמִגָּ֧דוֹל וְעַד־קָטָ֛ן מִשְׁתֶּ֖ה שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים
for all of the people in Shushan, for 7 days.
בַּחֲצַ֕ר גִּנַּ֥ת בִּיתַ֖ן הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃
In the courtyard, the garden, and the house.
What does this mean? Why three different places? Where actually was the party?
The Gemara in Masechet Megillah explains that it depended how important the guests were. Some people were in the “economy class” courtyard section. Others who were more important, made it into the garden- like the business class section. If they were even more important, they got into the actual palace. That was first class.
Why is this important? The rule is that there is not a pasuk that doesn’t have to do with the miracle. So, what’s the miracle here?
We will get to that shortly....
The next pasuk describes the materials at the party, the blue and purple wools, the beds of silver and gold...
Why all the detail?
Who cares?
The Gemarah explains that people got the silver or the gold, again depending on their class. This put a certain jealousy and competitiveness into the Seuda. The Gemarah calls this
קנאה בסעודה -jealousy of the Seuda.
And so naturally, people started comparing themselves to each other at this party. If one guest was bragging that he’d made it into the garden, another would say, “You might be in business class, but your wife is ugly. I’m in economy class but at least my wife is prettier than yours.” This went on and on, until finally Ahashverosh, in his boastful mood, said “My wife is prettier than everyone else’s wife!” And that’s what led him to call Vashti in.
So, all of this, like everything else, was set up and planned by Hashem, to set the mood and tone of the party. Someone just reading through the Megillah might wonder what the big deal is about these details, and wonder why they’re mentioned, but all of this is directed by G-d, to reach a certain point.
It’s like the Rube Goldberg machine that our avid listeners may recall, which takes 80 steps to get a light bulb to turn on, or like the trick bank shot on a pool table, that bounces of the different sides before the ball goes in: Hashem does things with many, many steps beforehand, in order to set up the perfect shot.
Every pasuk is guided toward that end game.
In the eighth pasuk ח,
וְהַשְּׁתִיָּ֥ה כַדָּ֖ת אֵ֣ין אֹנֵ֑ס כִּי־כֵ֣ן ׀ יִסַּ֣ד הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ עַ֚ל כָּל־רַ֣ב בֵּית֔וֹ לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת כִּרְצ֥וֹן אִישׁ־וָאִֽישׁ׃
And the rule for the drinking was, “No restrictions!” For the king had given orders to every palace steward to comply with each man’s wishes.
The king wanted everyone to be happy. He wanted them to do whatever they wanted. He wanted it to be like Disney World. No one would be forced to drink or do anything.
What’s the miracle here?
Regarding this pasuk, Yosef Lekach, our source for commentary on the Megillah, points out that on one hand, Ahashverosh wanted this to be the happiest place on earth, and not force anyone to do anything, yet on the other hand, he forced his very own wife to be presented!
Wasn’t the whole theme for everyone to be happy?
Here, Hashem is showing that even though the nature of the party was that everyone could do as they wished, He arranged it so that Ahashverosh would end up forcing his own wife to come.
Every pasuk has a beautiful chiddush!
In the next pasuk, it says
גַּ֚ם וַשְׁתִּ֣י הַמַּלְכָּ֔ה עָשְׂתָ֖ה מִשְׁתֵּ֣ה נָשִׁ֑ים בֵּ֚ית הַמַּלְכ֔וּת אֲשֶׁ֖ר לַמֶּ֥לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרֽוֹשׁ׃ (ס)
In addition, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for women, in the royal palace of King.
She also made a party, for the ladies, in the King’s palace.
This was a strange thing to do. In those days, the king and queen had separate places.
Here it says she literally went into his bedroom and made the party in that area.
What does that have to do with anything?
If her party hadn’t been so close to where Ahashverosh was, it would not have been so easy for him to call her in. But she was right there, in that inner area, in the first-class section near the pilot. If she was far away, in row 150, it would have been too much of a hassle.
In the next pasuk we learn when the actual miracle occurs...
בַּיּוֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י כְּט֥וֹב לֵב־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ בַּיָּ֑יִן....
On the seventh day, when the king was merry with wine......
This was the seventh and final day of the extra, super-party for the people of Shushan, after 180 days, and it’s the ultimate pinnacle of the miracle.
That’s when Ahashverosh crashes.