Purim

Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them; But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

Esther 9:24ff (Spoke 17, Cycle 1)

If a single word could be associated with the book of Esther it would be Purim. The entire book is an explanation of the origin of that feast. It is therefore simply astounding to see the Pey - Resh root appearing time and again on Spoke 17. Yet this is but one of the Pey KeyWords governing the structure of Esther. This table list the most prominent that we will meet as we review this most wonderful book:

I will now survey the book from beginning to end.

The King's Glory - The Story Begins

Now it came to pass in the days of Achashverosh, (this is Achashverosh which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty [127] provinces:) That in those days, when the king Achashverosh sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him (L'Paniv): When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore [180] days.

The numbers presented here are symbolic of King Achashverosh's desire to show off his כבוד (kavod, glory). This theme manifests throughout Spoke 17, from the completely mundane exhibitionism of King Achashverosh to the most sublime theophany of Jesus Christ when his face (panim) "did shine as the sun" (see The Transfiguration, Matthew 17 and Genesis 17). The Gematria Reference offers insight into the symbolic meaning of the numbers 127 and 180:

"The King of Glory" appears on Spoke 2 of [Inner Cycles] > Psalm 24. The Number 127 is profoundly integrated with the Second Commandment which sums to 99 (Amen) x 127. It links to Spoke 17 and the letter Pey through the identity 127 = 17₆ = Spoke 17, Cycle 6 (using modular notation).

The word Panim sets the tone for the entire story of Esther. It is used in the construct L'Pani HaMelek (Before the King) which occurs in Esther more than any other book, even the Books of the Kings. The spirit of Achashverosh is plain for all to see - he was showing off "the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty" in the face of man and God.

Vashti refuses to come before the King

On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded ... the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king (Et Pani HaMelek), To bring Vashti the queen before the king (L'Pani HaMelek) with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on. But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.

Scripture does not state why Vashti risked her life by refusing the command of her husband and King. Feminist authors tend to see Vashti as a heroine, being the first time a woman in the Bible to stand up for herself by refusing to be displayed as just another possession. Rabbinical tradition differs markedly (cf. Orthodox Union site > The Scroll of Esther). It suggests that when the King said he wanted her to come before him with the royal crown he meant with only the royal crown, and that in her Pritzuth (wanton licentiousness) Vashti would have delighted to parade naked for the crowd if not for some horrible deformity inflicted by God just before the party.

Vashti's Contempt

Vashti's refusal caused a great consternation in the King's Court not merely because of the affront to the King, but because it was seen as a threat to the order throughout the Kingdom:

And the next unto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, which saw the king's face, and which sat the first in the kingdom;) What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains? And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not. Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king's princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath.

The word translated as despise is Bazah (S# H0959), which also is the root of Bizyon (S# H0963) translated above as contempt. This root is very similar to the root Pazar used in the description of the Jews by Hamon, the Pey and Beyt being interchanged in many words. Bazah also appears with unusual frequency in Malachi and forms the basis of a very strong theme linking all three books on Spoke 17 (cf. God's Name Despised).

Given the total power of the King and his great wrath, Vashti gets off light:

If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him (milpani - lit. from his face), and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus (L'Pani HaMelek Achashverosh); and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.

Rabbinical tradition adds to this that Vashti was immediately beheaded.

Esther Hides Her Heritage

Esther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him.

The name Esther means "I will hide" as discussed at length in Unveiling the Hidden. The theme of Hiding and Unveiling are found throughout. This also is traditionally understood as part of the reason no explicit reference to God is found herein.

The story continues, establishing the event that God will later use to save the Jews:

In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the door, were wroth, and sought to lay hand on the king Achashverosh. And the thing was known to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther the queen; and Esther certified the king thereof in Mordecai's name. And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out; therefore they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king (L'Pani HaMelek).

There is a very interesting foreshadowing of Haman's fate in this passage. Note the theme of a thing made known and then told. The highlighted words form a bwheel KeyLink to Malachi as discussed in A Book of Remembrance.

The Wicked Haman

After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. Then the king’s servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment? Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.

Here we see Mordecai apparently causing the problem by refusing to bow to Haman. The theme of show and tell continues with the explicit statement that Mordecai "told them that he was a Jew."

Haman is called an Aggagite, presumably identifying his as a descendant of Agag. Agag was the son of Amalek who was an early enemy of the Jews kept alive against the commandment of God. He manifests along with Haman on Spoke 17 of the Inner Cycles of the Psalms (cf. Amalek's Tumult).

The phrase translated as "wrath" is the same used to describe the King when Vashti refused to appear before him. The similarity is striking. We have here a variation on the theme of Vashti and the King enacted now between in Mordecai and Haman.

And he thought scorn (bazah) to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.

Pur Cast Before Haman

In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman (L'Pani Haman) from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar. And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered (pazar) abroad and dispersed (parad) among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries.

The two words used to describe the Jews are Pey KeyWords that express the essence of the Pey-Resh root:

Both of these words describe the quality of books found in Spokes 15 - 17, which consists of the following symmetric triplet of triplets:

Destruction decreed for all Jews everywhere

Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring. And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.

After the declaration "to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women" the addendum "to take the spoil of them for a prey" seems a little anti-climatic. But the evidence shows that God very carefully designed this verse. The word used here links to the theme that began with Vashti's Bazah (Contempt) which is cognate with (and spelt with the same letters as) Bizah (S# H0961) meaning prey, spoil, booty, or rob. This little word combines with the word Gorel (Lot, S# H1486) to form an astounding KeyLink with Isaiah 17 which includes a barely hidden reference to the very name of Haman, as discussed at length in God's Lot for His Enemies.

More to come ...

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