שאלו תלמידיו את רשב"י מפני מה נתחייבו שונאיהן של ישראל שבאותו הדור כליה אמר להם אמרו אתם אמרו לו מפני שנהנו מסעודתו של אותו רשע אם כן שבשושן יהרגו שבכל העולם כולו אל יהרגו אמרו לו אמור אתה אמר להם מפני שהשתחוו לצלם אמרו לו וכי משוא פנים יש בדבר אמר להם הם לא עשו אלא לפנים אף הקב"ה לא עשה עמהן אלא לפנים והיינו דכתיב (איכה ג, לג) כי לא ענה מלבו:
The students of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai asked him: For what reason were the enemies of Jewish people, a euphemism for the Jewish people themselves when exhibiting behavior that is not in their best interests, in that generation deserving of annihilation? He, Rabbi Shimon, said to them: Say the answer to your question yourselves. They said to him: It is because they enjoyed the feast of that wicked one, Ahasuerus, and they partook there of forbidden foods [see source #2]. Rabbi Shimon responded: If so, those in Shushan should have been killed as punishment, but those in the rest of the world, who did not participate in the feast, should not have been killed. They said to him: Then you say your response to our question. He said to them: It is because they prostrated before the idol that Nebuchadnezzar had made, as is recorded that the entire world bowed down before it, except for Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They said to him: But if it is true that they worshipped idols and therefore deserved to be destroyed, why was a miracle performed on their behalf? Is there favoritism expressed by God here? He said to them: They did not really worship the idol, but pretended to do so only for appearance, acting as if they were carrying out the king’s command to bow before the idol. So too, the Holy One, Blessed be He, did not destroy them but did act angry with them only for appearance. He too merely pretended to desire to destroy them, as all He did was issue a threat, but in the end the decree was annulled.
Points to ponder:
Are either sins deserving of the death penalty?
Is there a connection between the two sins?
לָמָּה בָּאוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּסָפֵק בִּימֵי הָמָן, רַבָּנָן וְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחָאי, רַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי עַל שֶׁעָבְדוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים, וְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אָמַר עַל שֶׁאָכְלוּ מִתַּבְשִׁיל הַגּוֹיִם.
Why were the Jews nearly annihilated in the times of Haman? There are two opinions: The Rabbis say it was because they worshiped idols; Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says they ate non-kosher foods.
לעשות כרצון איש ואיש אמר רבא לעשות כרצון מרדכי והמן, מרדכי דכתיב איש יהודי המן איש צר ואויב
“That they should do according to every man’s pleasure” (Esther 1:8). Rava commented on the literal meaning of the verse, which is referring to two men, a man and a man [ish va’ish], and said: The man and man whom they should follow indicates that they should do according to the wishes of Mordecai and Haman. The two of them served as butlers at the feast, and they were in charge of distributing the wine.
וְהַשְּׁתִיָּה כַדָּת אֵין אֹנֵס (אסתר א, ח)... רַב אָמַר אֵין אוֹנֵס בְּיַיִן נֶסֶךְ.
"And the drinking was according to the law [with] no one coercing" (Esther 1:8) ...Rav says that this means that no one was coerced to drink non-kosher wine.
הרי"ף לעין יעקב
...משתה זה עשאו כשמנה כפי דעתו שנתמלא שבעים ולא אפרוק אמר מדהשתא לא אפרוק תו לא מפרקו ועשה משתה על ביטול בנין המקדש וכל מי שנהנה מאותה סעודה הוא יורה שהוא שמח על חורבן המקדש
Rif to Ein Yaakov
...Achashveirosh made the feast because according to his calculations, the 70 years [that had been promised by G-d to be the date when the exile would conclude and the Jews would be redeemed] had passed, and he [incorrectly] concluded that if the Jews had not yet been redeemed, they would not be redeemed at all. Thus, he made the feast in celebration of the destruction of the Holy Temple. Anyone who participated in this feast would be indicating that he was [also] happy about the destruction of the Holy Temple.
(13) Accordingly, written instructions were dispatched by couriers to all the king’s provinces to destroy, massacre, and exterminate all the Jews, young and old, children and women, on a single day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month—that is, the month of Adar—and to plunder their possessions.
Point to ponder:
Even if they were somehow deserving of annihilation, why should the children be killed? They didn't do anything!
אַדְרִיָּאנוֹס אָמַר לְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, גְּדוֹלָה הַכִּבְשָׂה הָעוֹמֶדֶת בֵּין שִׁבְעִים זְאֵבִים. אָמַר לוֹ: גָּדוֹל הוּא הָרוֹעֶה שֶׁמַּצִּילָהּ וְשׁוֹמְרָהּ וְשׁוֹבְרָן לְפָנֶיהָ.
Hadrian said to R. Joshua: “Mighty is the lamb that can survive among seventy wolves.” And he replied: “Mighty is the shepherd who can save and protect the lamb, and destroy the wolves surrounding her.”
"והסתרתי פני מהם והיה לאכול ומצאוהו רעות רבות וצרות ואמר ביום ההוא הלא על כי אין אלוקי בקרבי מצאוני הרעות האלה". ומבואר הוא ש'הסתרת הפנים' הזאת אנחנו סיבתה ואנחנו עושים זה המסך המבדיל בינינו ובינו - והוא אמרו "ואנכי הסתר אסתיר פני ביום ההוא על כל הרעה אשר עשה".... הנה התבאר לך כי הסיבה בהיות איש מבני אדם מופקר למקרה ויהיה מזומן לאכל כבהמות הוא היותו נבדל מהאלוקה.
"And I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall find them: so that they will say in that day, 'Have not these evils found us, because our God is not among us?'" (Deut. 31:17). It is clear that we ourselves are the cause of this hiding of the Face, and that the screen that separates us from God is of our own creation. This is the meaning of the words: "And I will surely hide my face in that day, for all the evils which they shall have wrought" (ibid. ver. 18)... It is now clearly established that the cause of our being exposed to chance, and abandoned to destruction like cattle, is to be found in our separation from God.
וַיִּקַּ֤ח הָמָן֙ אֶת־הַלְּב֣וּשׁ וְאֶת־הַסּ֔וּס וַיַּלְבֵּ֖שׁ אֶֽת־מָרְדֳּכָ֑י וַיַּרְכִּיבֵ֙הוּ֙ בִּרְח֣וֹב הָעִ֔יר וַיִּקְרָ֣א לְפָנָ֔יו כָּ֚כָה יֵעָשֶׂ֣ה לָאִ֔ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ חָפֵ֥ץ בִּיקָרֽוֹ׃
וַיָּ֥שָׁב מָרְדֳּכַ֖י אֶל־שַׁ֣עַר הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וְהָמָן֙ נִדְחַ֣ף אֶל־בֵּית֔וֹ אָבֵ֖ל וַחֲפ֥וּי רֹֽאשׁ׃
So Haman took the garb and the horse and arrayed Mordecai and paraded him through the city square; and he proclaimed before him: This is what is done for the man whom the king desires to honor!
Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate, while Haman hurried home, his head covered in mourning.
והיינו דכתיב וישב מרדכי אל שער המלך אמר רב ששת ששב לשקו ולתעניתו
And this is as it is written: “And Mordecai returned to the king’s gate” (Esther 6:12). Rav Sheshet said: This means that he returned to his sackcloth and his fasting.
רבי ינאי בדיק ועבר רבי ינאי לטעמיה דאמר לעולם אל יעמוד אדם במקום סכנה לומר שעושין לו נס שמא אין עושין לו נס
Rabbi Yannai said: A person should never stand in a place of danger saying that they (i.e., Hashem) will perform a miracle for him, lest in the end they do not perform a miracle for him.
When you do set him free, do not feel aggrieved; for in the six years he has given you double the service of a hired man. And Hashem will bless you in all you do.