Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 2:20-3:7 (Megillah 13b)
Appendix: The Concept of the Seventy Languages as Representing All Global Languages in the Talmud
Part of a series on the extended aggadic sugya in Tractate Megillah 10b-17a. See the previous installments here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
The Talmudic exegesis of the Book of Esther in Megillah 13b offers a rich and often surprising expansion of the biblical narrative. This passage explores key moments in the story, revealing layers of theological insight, rabbinic polemic, and historical allusion.
The Sages interpret Esther’s continued obedience to Mordecai (Esther 2:20) as not merely political deference but an ongoing commitment to halakhic observance, even within the constraints of the royal palace. Mordecai's role is elevated beyond that of a loyal subject—his linguistic knowledge and divine favor position him as an agent of providence, much like Joseph in Egypt. Meanwhile, Haman’s rising hatred, his manipulation of King Ahasuerus, and his miscalculated reliance on omens expose the interplay between fate, free will, and divine oversight in Jewish thought.
These interpretations reflect broader Talmudic concerns: the struggle for Jewish survival in exile, the power of repentance, and the hidden hand of divine justice. They also reveal the rabbinic method of reading between the lines of the biblical text, supplementing historical gaps with theological reasoning and moral lessons.
Outline
Esther's Adherence to Mordecai's Teachings (Esther 2:20): Esther continued to consult the Sages regarding niddah; she alternated between King Ahasuerus and Mordecai, immersing in a mikveh before reuniting with Mordecai
Divine Intervention in Mordecai's Favor (Esther 2:21-22): the plot against Ahasuerus was divinely orchestrated to assist Mordecai, paralleling how Joseph's imprisonment was a stepping stone to his rise in Egypt (Genesis 41:12)
Mordecai's Linguistic Prowess: Bigthan and Teresh, the conspirators, assumed secrecy by speaking Tarsian, unaware that Mordecai, as a Sanhedrin member, understood seventy languages
The Preordained Remedy Before the Blow: Divine Providence in the Story of Esther (Esther 3:1, Hosea 7:1, Isaiah 19:22)
Haman’s Expanding Hatred (Esther 3:6): Initially targeting Mordecai alone, Haman extended his animosity to Mordecai’s associates—the Sages—and ultimately sought to annihilate all Jews
Misinterpretation of Adar’s Omen (Esther 3:7): Haman, believing Adar to be a cursed month due to Moses’ death, rejoiced at the lot’s selection; However, he was unaware that Moses was also born in Adar
Appendix – The Concept of the Seventy Languages as Representing All Global Languages in the Talmud
The physical and intellectual qualifications for members of the Sanhedrin (Sanhedrin 17a)
The Identification of Petaḥya Among the Officials of the Second Temple and Mordecai as a Master of Languages (Mishnah Shekalim 5:1)
The Torah was inscribed in seventy languages on monumental stones at Mount Ebal (Mishnah Sotah 7:5)
Joseph’s Divine Linguistic Mastery: Gabriel’s Intervention and the Seventy Languages (Sotah 36b)
The Passage
Esther's Adherence to Mordecai's Teachings (Esther 2:20): Esther continued to consult the Sages regarding niddah; she alternated between King Ahasuerus and Mordecai, immersing in a mikveh before reuniting with Mordecai
R' Yirmeya interprets the verse as evidence that Esther consulted the Sages about her niddah status, seeking rulings on purity and impurity of her menstrual blooid.
Rabba bar Lima, citing Rav, suggests that Esther continued her relationship with Mordecai even after becoming queen. He describes a dramatic scene in which she would “leave the lap (חיקו) of Ahasuerus”, immerse,1 and then return to Mordecai’s lap.
״ואת מאמר מרדכי אסתר עושה״,
אמר רבי ירמיה: שהיתה מראה דם נדה לחכמים.
״כאשר היתה באמנה אתו״,
אמר רבה בר לימא (משמיה דרב):
שהיתה עומדת מחיקו של אחשורוש
וטובלת ויושבת בחיקו של מרדכי.
The Gemara returns to its exposition of the Megilla.
The verse states: “For Esther adhered to the words of Mordecai, as she did when she was brought up with him” (Esther 2:20).
R' Yirmeya said: This teaches that she would show discharges of her menstrual blood to the Sages to inquire whether she was pure or impure.
The verse continues: “As she did when she was brought up with him” (Esther 2:20).
Rabba bar Lima said in the name of Rav:
This means that she maintained a relationship with Mordecai, as she would arise from the lap of Ahasuerus,
immerse herself in a ritual bath, and sit in the lap of Mordecai.
Divine Intervention in Mordecai's Favor (Esther 2:21-22): the plot against Ahasuerus was divinely orchestrated to assist Mordecai, paralleling how Joseph's imprisonment was a stepping stone to his rise in Egypt (Genesis 41:12)
R' Ḥiyya bar Abba, citing R' Yoḥanan, explains that God caused a “master” (אדון - Pharaoh) to become angry (הקציף) with his servants to fulfill the will of a righteous man (צדיק)—Joseph. This is evident from the chief butler’s account of how Pharaoh’s anger led to Joseph’s imprisonment and eventual rise to power (Genesis 41:12).
Similarly, God caused servants (Bigthan and Teresh) to become angry with their master (Ahasuerus) to bring about a miracle for another righteous man—Mordecai. This is demonstrated in Mordecai’s discovery of their plot, as the verse states: “And the matter became known to Mordecai” (Esther 2:22).
״בימים ההם
ומרדכי יושב בשער המלך
קצף בגתן ותרש״,
אמר רבי חייא בר אבא, אמר רבי יוחנן:
הקציף הקדוש ברוך הוא אדון על עבדיו, לעשות רצון צדיק.
ומנו? יוסף,
שנאמר: ״ושם אתנו נער עברי וגו׳״.
עבדים על אדוניהן לעשות נס לצדיק, ומנו? מרדכי,
דכתיב: ״ויודע הדבר למרדכי וגו׳״.
The Megilla continues: “In those days,
while Mordecai sat in the king’s gate,
two of the king’s chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those that guarded the doors, became angry, and sought to lay hands on the king Ahasuerus” (Esther 2:21).
R' Ḥiyya bar Abba said that R' Yoḥanan said:
The Holy One, Blessed be He, caused a master to become angry with his servants in order to fulfill the will of a righteous man.
And who is this? It is Joseph,
as it is stated in the chief butler’s account of how Pharaoh had become angry with him and with the chief baker and sent them to jail: “And there was with us there a young man, a Hebrew” (Genesis 41:12).
Similarly, the Holy One, Blessed be He, also caused servants to become angry with their master in order to perform a miracle for another righteous man.
And who is he? It is Mordecai,
as with regard to the plot to kill the king it is written: “And the matter became known to Mordecai” (Esther 2:22).
Mordecai's Linguistic Prowess: Bigthan and Teresh, the conspirators, assumed secrecy by speaking Tarsian, unaware that Mordecai, as a Sanhedrin member, understood seventy languages
Bigthan and Teresh, the conspirators, assumed secrecy by speaking Tarsian (טורסי), unaware that Mordecai, as a Sanhedrin member, understood all seventy languages.2
As Bigthan and Teresh planned the logistics of the assassination plot, one pointed out that their posts (משמרתי - “watches”) were not identical, making it difficult to execute the plan. The other offered to cover both positions.
When the plot was investigated, officials found that one of the conspirators had abandoned his post, confirming Mordecai’s report and leading to the foiling of their scheme.
אמר רבי יוחנן:
בגתן ותרש שני טרסיים הוו,
והיו מספרין בלשון טורסי,
ואומרים:
מיום שבאת זו, לא ראינו שינה בעינינו,
בא ונטיל ארס בספל, כדי שימות.
והן לא היו יודעין, כי מרדכי מיושבי לשכת הגזית היה,
והיה יודע בשבעים לשון.
אמר לו: והלא אין משמרתי ומשמרתך שוה?
אמר לו: אני אשמור משמרתי ומשמרתך.
והיינו דכתיב: ״ויבקש הדבר וימצא״ —
שלא נמצאו במשמרתן.
The Gemara explains how the matter became known to him. R' Yoḥanan said:
Bigthan and Teresh were two Tarsians,
and they would talk with one another in the Tarsian language.
They said:
From the day that Esther arrived we have not slept, as Ahasuerus has been with Esther all night, and he has been busying us with his demands.
Come, let us cast poison in the goblet from which he drinks so that he will die.
But they did not know that Mordecai was one of those who sat on the Sanhedrin, which convened in the Chamber of Hewn Stone,
and that he knew seventy languages, a necessity for members of the Sanhedrin.
While planning their plot, one of them said to the other: But my post and your post are not identical. How then can one of us leave our position to succeed in our plot to poison the king?
The other one said to him: I will guard both my post and your post.
And this is as it is written with regard to the king’s verifying Mordecai’s revelation of the plan to kill the king: “And when inquiry was made of the matter, it was found to be so” (Esther 2:23);
it was discovered that they were not both found at their posts.
The Preordained Remedy Before the Blow: Divine Providence in the Story of Esther (Esther 3:1, Hosea 7:1, Isaiah 19:22)
The Talmud asks what specific events preceded Haman’s promotion.
Rava explains that Haman was only appointed after God had already set the stage for the salvation of the Jewish people, ensuring that the “remedy” existed before the decree against them.
Reish Lakish states that God does not bring suffering upon the Jewish people without first preparing their deliverance (“remedy”), as seen in Hosea 7:1 (first mentioning healing, then their sin).
In contrast, for non-Jewish nations, God first strikes and only later provides a remedy, as implied by Isaiah 19:22 (first mentioning their punishment, then their healing).
״אחר הדברים האלה״.
(אחר מאי?) אמר רבא: אחר שברא הקדוש ברוך הוא רפואה למכה.
דאמר ריש לקיש:
אין הקדוש ברוך הוא מכה את ישראל
אלא אם כן בורא להם רפואה תחילה,
שנאמר:
״כרפאי לישראל
ונגלה עון אפרים״.
אבל אומות העולם אינו כן —
מכה אותן, ואחר כך בורא להם רפואה,
שנאמר:
״ונגף ה׳ את מצרים
נגוף ורפוא״.
The verse describes when the rest of the events of the Megilla occurred: “After these events did King Ahasuerus promote Haman” (Esther 3:1).
The Gemara asks: After what particular events?
Rava said: Only after the Holy One, Blessed be He, created a remedy for the blow and set in place the chain of events that would lead to the miraculous salvation was Haman appointed, setting the stage for the decree against the Jews to be issued.
Rava explains: As Reish Lakish said:
The Holy One, Blessed be He, does not strike at the Jewish people
unless He has already created a remedy for them beforehand,
as it is stated:
“When I would have healed Israel,
then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered” (Hosea 7:1).
But this is not so with regard to the nations of the world.
With them, God first strikes them and only afterward does He create a remedy,
as it is stated:
“And YHWH shall smite Egypt,
smiting and healing” (Isaiah 19:22).
Haman’s Expanding Hatred (Esther 3:6): Initially targeting Mordecai alone, Haman extended his animosity to Mordecai’s associates—the Sages—and ultimately sought to annihilate all Jews
Initially targeting Mordecai alone, Haman extended his animosity to Mordecai’s associates—the rabbis (רבנן)—and ultimately sought to annihilate all Jews (illustrating the escalating nature of his vendetta).
״ויבז בעיניו לשלוח יד במרדכי לבדו״.
אמר רבא:
בתחילה במרדכי לבדו,
ולבסוף בעם מרדכי,
ומנו — רבנן,
ולבסוף בכל היהודים.
The verse states: “But it seemed contemptible in his eyes to lay his hand on Mordecai alone; for they had made known to 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” (Esther 3:6).
Rava said:
At first he wanted to lay his hands on Mordecai alone,
and in the end on the people of Mordecai.
And who were the people of Mordecai? They were the Sages, i.e., Mordecai’s special people.
And ultimately he sought to bring harm on all the Jews.
Misinterpretation of Adar’s Omen (Esther 3:7): Haman, believing Adar to be a cursed month due to Moses’ death, rejoiced at the lot’s selection; However, he was unaware that Moses was also born in Adar
Haman, believing Adar to be a unlucky month for the Jews due to the historical fact of Moses’ death on the 7th of that month, rejoiced (שמח) at the lot’s (פור) selection.
However, he was unaware that Moses was also born in Adar, on that same date (making Adar a month of national strength and renewal for the Jews).
״הפיל פור הוא הגורל״,
תנא:
כיון שנפל פור בחודש אדר
שמח שמחה גדולה,
אמר: נפל לי פור בירח שמת בו משה.
ולא היה יודע
שבשבעה באדר מת,
ובשבעה באדר נולד.
The verse states: “They cast pur, that is, the lot” (Esther 3:7).
A Sage taught the following baraita:
Once the lot fell on the month of Adar,
he, Haman, greatly rejoiced, for he saw this as a favorable omen for the execution of his plans.
He said: The lot has fallen for me in the month that Moses died, which is consequently a time of calamity for the Jewish people.
But he did not know that
not only did Moses die on the seventh of Adar,
but he was also born on the seventh of Adar, and therefore it is also a time of rejoicing for the Jewish people.
Appendix – The Concept of the Seventy Languages as Representing All Global Languages in the Talmud
The physical and intellectual qualifications for members of the Sanhedrin (Sanhedrin 17a)
In the context of discussing the physical and intellectual qualifications for members of the Sanhedrin, R’ Yoḥanan states that candidates must possess height (קומה), wisdom (חכמה), and a pleasant appearance (מראה), as well as be of a respectable age (זקנה).
They must be knowledgeable in sorcery3 and proficient in all seventy languages to understand court proceedings without a translator (מתורגמן).
אמר רבי יוחנן:
אין מושיבין בסנהדרי אלא
בעלי קומה,
ובעלי חכמה,
ובעלי מראה,
ובעלי זקנה,
ובעלי כשפים,
ויודעים בשבעים לשון
שלא תהא סנהדרי שומעת מפי המתורגמן.
R’ Yoḥanan says:
They place on the Great Sanhedrin only men of
high stature,
and of wisdom,
and of pleasant appearance,
and of suitable age so that they will be respected,
and they must also be masters of sorcery, i.e., they know the nature of sorcery, so that they can judge sorcerers,
and they must know all seventy languages
in order that the Sanhedrin will not need to hear testimony from the mouth of a translator in a case where a witness speaks a different language.
The Identification of Petaḥya Among the Officials of the Second Temple and Mordecai as a Master of Languages (Mishnah Shekalim 5:1)
Mordecai’s command of language is also mentioned elsewhere, see my piece “Fifteen Named Officials Who Served in Specific positions in the Late Second Temple, in the Context of Late Biblical Books (Mishnah, Shekalim 5:1)“, list item # 4 (with adjustments to the translation):
פתחיה על הקנין.
פתחיה, זה מרדכי.
למה נקרא שמו פתחיה?
שהיה פותח בדברים ודורשן,
ויודע שבעים לשון.
Petaḥya was responsible for the nests (קנין)
[Incidentally, the Gemara mentions:]
Petaḥya is Mordecai [from the book of Esther.]
And why was he called Petaḥya [which resembles the word for opening [petaḥ] ]?
[The reason is] that he would open, [i.e., elucidate, difficult] topics and interpret them [to the people,]
and [because] he knew all seventy languages
And see my discussion there, section “Petaḥya (#4 - פתחיה)“, where I write:
The idea that Mordechai “knew all seventy languages known at the time” is based on homiletically reading the two names “Mordechai Bilshan” (מרדכי בלשן) in the list of signatories in Nehemiah 7 as one. (See my appendix, #7-8.)
And then conflating this Biblical “Mordechai Bilshan” with “Petahya”. (On the Talmudic conflation of different Biblical personalities, see my previous piece.)
The Torah was inscribed in seventy languages on monumental stones at Mount Ebal (Mishnah Sotah 7:5)
Mishnah_Sotah.7.5 (=Sotah.32a.13)
Deuteronomy 27:2-8 commands the Israelites to set up large stones on Mount Ebal, plaster them, and inscribe the Torah upon them.
The verse there uses the phrase באר היטב ("clearly elucidated"), which the Mishnah homiletically interprets to mean that the Torah was written on the stones in seventy languages (making it universally understandable):
וכתבו עליו את כל דברי התורה בשבעים לשון.
שנאמר: ״באר היטב״.
and they wrote on it all of the words of the Torah in seventy languages,
as it is stated: “And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law clearly elucidated” (Deuteronomy 27:8), indicating that it was to be written in every language.
Joseph’s Divine Linguistic Mastery: Gabriel’s Intervention and the Seventy Languages (Sotah 36b)
Pharaoh’s astrologers (איצטגניני) argued that if Joseph were truly of royal descent, he should know the seventy languages.4
The angel Gabriel came to teach Joseph all seventy languages, but he struggled to learn them. Gabriel then added the letter “heh” to Joseph’s name, drawing from God's name, and this enabled him to master the languages (this anecdote is homiletically based on Psalms 81:6).
The next day, when Pharaoh tested him, Joseph was able to respond in every language Pharaoh used (demonstrating his newly acquired linguistic proficiency).
אמרו לו: אם כן, יהא יודע בשבעים לשון!
בא גבריאל ולימדו שבעים לשון.
לא הוה קגמר.
הוסיף לו אות אחת משמו של הקדוש ברוך הוא, ולמד,
שנאמר:
״עדות ביהוסף שמו
בצאתו על ארץ מצרים
שפת לא ידעתי אשמע״.
ולמחר, כל לישנא דאישתעי פרעה בהדיה, אהדר ליה.
They said to him: If that is so and he is a child of royalty, he should know the seventy languages that all kings’ children learn.
The angel Gabriel then came and taught him the seventy languages, but he could not learn all of them.
Gabriel then added one letter, the letter heh, to Joseph’s name from the name of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and then he was able to learn the languages,
as it is stated:
“He appointed it in Joseph [Yehosef] for a testimony,
when he went forth against the land of Egypt,
the speech of one that I did not know I heard” (Psalms 81:6).
And the next day, when he appeared before Pharaoh, in every language that Pharaoh spoke with him, he answered him.
שבעים לשון.
See my appendix to this piece for other talmudic sources mentioning this idea.
כשפים - to judge related cases effectively.
Since princes are taught foreign languages.