Tehillim 106 – How David HaMelech Outwitted Haman

Tehillim 106 – How David HaMelech Outwitted Haman

Tehillim 106:3 - “Zochreini Ado-nai birtzon amecha, pokdeini bishuatecha” - (Remember me, O L-rd, when You favor Your people). The Midrash “Esther Rabbah” explains Haman’s actions as follows: “hipil pur hu hagoral” — he cast lots, seeking to determine which day to choose for the destruction of the Jews (chas veshalom). He began by casting lots for the days, but when the angel of each day stood up to defend the Jews before Ha-Shem, Haman moved on to examining the months. When the lot fell on the month of Adar, in which the Jews had no merits, Haman turned to the constellations. There, too, the lot fell on the constellation of Pisces, which influences the month of Adar. Haman rejoiced: “In Adar they have no merits; moreover, Moshe—their teacher—died on 7 Adar.” And he placed his bet on 7 Adar, not knowing that Moshe Rabbeinu had also been born on 7 Adar. He said: “Just as large fish swallow small ones, so will I swallow them.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said: “Wicked one, fish are sometimes swallowed, and sometimes they swallow others themselves. Now this man will be swallowed by those who swallow.” (Midrash Esther Rabbah 7) In “Midrash Talpiyot,” Rabbi Eliyahu Cohen of Izmir writes that Haman’s lot consisted of gaming dice. The special feature of these dice is that, however they are cast, the sum of the numbers on their upper and lower faces always equals 7: if the number on top is 1, the number below is 6; if the number on top is 3, the number below is 4; and if the number on top is 5, the number below is 2. The “Midrash Talpiyot” says that Haman cast the dice three times: the first time, the number 1 appeared on top, and the second and third times, the number 3 appeared—for a total of 7. Haman rejoiced and thought that his plan would succeed—that the planned slaughter of the Jewish people would take place on 7 Adar. But Ha-Shem said to him: “Wicked one, look at the other side.” The other side showed the numbers 6, 4, and 4, which add up to 14—corresponding both to 14 Adar and to the gematria of the name of King David—דיד. What connection does David HaMelech have to these events? It is stated in Tehillim 106: “Zochreini Ado-nai birtzon amecha, pokdeini bishuatecha” — (Remember me, O L-rd, when You favor Your people). The Midrash Tehillim says that David HaMelech asks Ha-Shem, in the time of Mordechai and Esther, to remember him, and Ha-Shem promises him that He will not merely remember him, but will remember him first, as it is stated in Megillat Esther about Mordechai: “Ish Yehudi, hayah be-Shushan… ish Yemini” — first, the son of Yehudah, and only at the end, the son of Binyamin. The tribe of Yehudah is mentioned first, and only afterward the tribe of Binyamin is mentioned, although Mordechai belonged to the tribe of Binyamin. Despite the fact that Jewish lineage follows the father, while Mordechai’s mother was from the tribe of Yehudah, Ha-Shem, in the merit of David, calls Mordechai “Ish Yehudi.” (Yalkut Shimoni) Rabbeinu Chida cites a Midrash stating that everything David HaMelech did preceded Haman’s actions. When David HaMelech collected money for the construction of the Beit HaMikdash—10,000 coins, consisting of 7,000 silver coins and 3,000 gold coins—he foresaw that this money would protect the people of Israel from calamities financed by Haman’s money. Haman, for his part, collected 10,000 talents of silver. To thwart Haman’s plan, through which he gave 10,000 talents of silver to the treasury of Achashverosh, David reminds the Almighty of the 10,000 coins that the leaders of the people of Israel donated, at his call, for the needs of the future Temple in Jerusalem.   (Rav Shlomo Baruchov, “Pearls of Megillat Esther”)