What We Can Learn from Haman

by Eliezer Segal

Most of us read the book of Esther as a thrilling and inspiring narrative that explains the origin of the Purim festival. There were however some interpreters who found an additional dimension to the book—as a practical guide to social and political conduct, especially for Jews who have dealings with foreign governments. Questions of this kind were of particular interest to the 13th-14th century Provençal scholar Levi ben Gerson (Gersonides, Ralbag) who appended a list of useful lessons (to‘alot) to every one of his commentaries on the books of the Bible. For Gersonides there are useful lessons that can be found in almost every episode and person in the book of Esther, including some quite surprising habits of effective people.

Esther herself exemplifies the ideal qualities of a master strategist. Before she acted she was careful to weigh all the possibilities and to keep her options open, timing her steps with unhurried deliberation. 

Gersonides understood that by postponing her accusation of Haman until she had hosted him at two banquets, she was allowing for the possibility of his achieving a reconciliation with Mordecai. At the same time (in keeping with an interpretation in the Talmud) she was sowing a suspicion in the king’s mind that her inclusion of Haman on the exclusive guest list stemmed from the fact that the prime minister’s political power now rivaled and threatened that of the king. She was thus giving the king additional time to indulge in paranoia about a potential usurper. And her decision to approach the king while she was in a frail physical state following her three-day fast would also disquiet Ahasuerus’ conscience and make him more solicitous of her predicament—but she nonetheless took care to be attired in her regal finery, in case that would make a more powerful impression.

In pleading before the king, she tactfully linked the collective fate of the Jews to Ahasuerus’ personal devotion to her, effectively stifling any further rejoinders that might otherwise be uttered by Haman. 

Gersonides presents Esther’s meticulously planned multi-pronged strategy as a paradigm from which we can all learn to good advantage.

A person should seek advice from whoever can provide it. This is a verity that Gersonides learns from—of all people—Haman, who sought counsel from “his wise men and Zeresh his wife.” Yes, Gersonides himself was pleased to derive practical lessons even from a brutal villain.

From Mordecai’s conduct we may learn the importance of providing all the relevant facts when we approach a person for advice; as Mordecai was careful to do when he approached Esther seeking help in overturning Haman’s plot. This full disclosure was necessary to enable her to formulate an informed strategy, whether for dissuading Haman or for thwarting him. 

Even the royal feast that provides the setting for the Megillah’s opening scene can teach us valuable lessons about how a graciously hosted social function can promote mutual respect and harmony in a community. 

We can learn from Ahasuerus that any person who has been blessed as he was with “honour of his excellent majesty” should try to share some of that opulence with the general public. The monarch achieved this objective by opening the event “unto both the great and the small,” allowing them all to enjoy the lavish settings of gold and silver, and to drink the finest wines without any distinctions of class. More specifically, when it came to the drinking, “none did compel”; the servers were instructed to “do according to every man’s pleasure.” Gersonides understood this in the sense that the servers should anticipate the tastes of every diner without waiting to be asked. In this way they could avoid potentially awkward situations in which a guest might feel inhibited about making personal requests—which would diminish the overall enjoyment of the event. In order to avoid any such discomfort, the menu should take into account all possible dietary tastes and culinary preferences.

From the fact that queen Vashti convened a separate banquet for the ladies, Gersonides learned that this is indeed the preferred etiquette for all social gatherings. This was not merely a matter of preventing immodest interaction between the sexes, especially when large quantities of alcohol are being consumed—but he insisted that this protocol would enhance the ladies’ enjoyment of the feast, lest the presence of the males inhibit them from freely asking for the things that they really wanted.

This was notwithstanding the fact that Gersonides, a typical representative of his medieval culture, sided entirely with Ahasuerus’ extreme reaction to Vashti’s disobedience, “since it is fitting that women should submit to their husbands’ will, as they were created in order to carry out the wills of the men.”

The king’s handling of the Vashti incident was, in Gersonides’ view, wise and appropriate. Ahasuerus was careful not to act impulsively in the heat of the moment when his judgment might be impaired by rage. We readers are expected to emulate his example, and never take decisive steps before consulting with qualified advisors. Ahasuerus deliberated with seven wise counsellors who were authorities on law and political philosophy—and particularly in the science of astrology that was recognized as an accurate, mathematically based framework for making important decisions. The last name to be mentioned in the list of the royal advisors, Memucan, was presumably the lowest ranking of them; and yet he was the one who spoke out first. This is indicative of the best practices in such councils (as it was in the Jewish Sanhedrin), that the junior members should be encouraged to state their positions first, lest they be intimidated or unduly influenced by the arguments of their superiors.

And we also learn from the Megillah that subjects should always be respectful of their political leaders. This was exemplified in Mordecai’s interactions with the heathen king Ahasuerus. For example, when he was accused of not bowing to the prime minister, he was careful to explain that he was constrained by his religious scruples rather than by any disrespect for a representative of the throne. 

Gersonides contrasts Mordecai’s tact with the fatal miscalculation of Bigthan and Teresh. They had plotted against Ahasuerus in the mistaken expectation that they could evade detection. Mordecai’s service in uncovering the assassination plot was not motivated primarily by an expectation that the favour would be reimbursed, but rather by his principled appreciation of the need for stable government. Nevertheless, he was careful to make sure that Esther reported the incident to the king “in Mordecai’s name”—just in case an occasion should arise some day to repay the favour. 

By the same token, everyone can learn a valuable practical lesson from Ahasuerus’ practice of maintaining an updated list of all those to whom he owed favours. 

Mordecai also scores points from Gersonides for his ability and readiness to set tactical priorities when making crucial decisions. This valuable skill was demonstrated when he encouraged Esther to marry a heathen monarch in what was undoubtedly a transgression of Jewish religious law (Gersonides politely characterizes it as “a slight departure from the ways of the Torah”). He justified it strategically, in consideration of the greater good that she might bring thereby to the nation.

There is thus quite a lot of useful guidance that astute readers can take away from the book of Esther if they listen to it from the proper perspective—useful morsels of practical advice that can provide more lasting satisfaction than even wine or hamentashen.

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• First Publication:
  • The Jewish Free Press, Calgary, February 15, 2019, p. 12.

• For further reading:
  • Green, Alexander. The Virtue Ethics of Levi Gersonides. Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.
  • Hazony, Yoram. God and Politics in Esther. Second edition. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2016.
  • Klein-Braslavy, Sara. Without Any Doubt: Gersonides on Method and Knowledge. Edited by Lenn Schramm. Supplements to the Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy, v. 13. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2011.
  • Koller, Aaron J. Esther in Ancient Jewish Thought. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014.
  • Sirat, Colette. “Biblical Commentaries and Christian Influence: The Case of Gersonides.” In Hebrew Scholarship and the Medieval World, edited by Nicholas de Lange. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
  • Walfish, Barry. Esther in Medieval Garb: Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Esther in the Middle Ages. SUNY Series in Judaica. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1993.

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My email address is: [email protected]

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