Megillat Esther begins with King Ahasuerus hosting a massive banquet for 180 days. Or maybe it was only 7 days?
In this article I will focus on Esther 1:4. Here are the first 5 verses of the book to provide some context:
1. And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, this is Ahasuerus who reigned, from Hodu to Kush, one hundred and twenty seven provinces;
2. That in those days, when the King Ahasuerus sat on the royal throne, which was in Shushan the capital,
3. In the third year of his reign, he made a banquet for all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces before him;
4. When he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, one hundred and eighty days.
5. And when these days were fulfilled, the king made a banquet for all the people who were present in Shushan the capital, both to great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.
Note that the phrase “made a banquet” appears in both verses 3 and 5, but not in verse 4.
What He Showed Them
What did King Ahasuerus show to the princes, the servants, and the other people?
Midrash Rabbah Esther
“the riches of his glorious kingdom” – the school of Rabbi Yannai and Chizkiah both said that he [Ahasuerus] would open [his treasury] and display six treasures each day.
As Tzror Hamor writes, it would be possible to understand “when he showed …” to mean the king showed everything all at once.
Rather, each day he showed them something new. At the end of 180 days they had seen “the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty.”
Vilna Gaon
The Vilna Gaon expands on this idea.
He writes that Nebuchadnezzar had 1080 store houses filled with treasures. These were inherited by Ahasuerus. The purpose of the banquet was to display his riches.
He wanted the residents of his 127 provinces to view him favorably. He couldn’t just tell them that. So he made a banquet. Then he opened for them 6 treasure houses each day.
To show them 6 per day took 1080 / 6 = 180 days. Thus we see that “many days” in the verse means 180 days.
Why So Many Words?
What are “riches of his glorious kingdom”? What are “honor of his excellent majesty”?
Rav Saadia Gaon (Beliefs and Opinions 2:13) writes that one way to honor a person is to use more words of praise. That is why Esther 1:4 uses two phrases with these six words: riches, glorious, kingdom, honor, excellent, majesty. He concludes that these attributes are meant to be synonymous.
Accepting Rav Saadia’s approach, why would Mordechai and Esther want to praise King Ahasuerus? After all, he participated in Haman’s decree to destroy the Jewish people.
Rabbi Steinsaltz (introduction to Esther) points out that Mordechai and Esther are very gentle in their treatment of the king. This is because Megillat Esther had the status of a “semi-official document of the Persian Empire.” Granted that King Ahasuerus had a significant role in Haman’s plot against the Jews, but he was still king. It was not a good idea to antagonize him.
How Many Banquets? How Many Days?
One of the problems with Megillat Esther is accepting that anyone would make a party that lasts six months.
Rav Dr. Raphael Breuer (grandson of Rabbi Hirsch) explains the objections to the simple understanding of the words in our verse:
- No one has ever heard of a banquet lasting 180 days.
- The first banquet has no connection to the overall narrative of Megillat Esther. The real action wasn’t until the last day of the second banquet.
- Wouldn’t Ahasuerus want to show off Vashti to the larger crowd?
- Esther 1:11 says he wanted to show Vashti “to the people and the officials.” But the second banquet didn’t include the officials.
Rabbi Immanuel of Rome (Italy, c.1285 – c.1325) has a unique idea about the banquets and how long they lasted.
He writes that the “many days” were 180 days. But it does not mean that everyone was at the feast for six months. Ahasuerus wanted this feast to include all the people of his kingdom. To accomplish this he made a feast for the people of one country for certain days, and after that he made a feast for the people of another country. At the end of 180 days he completed making a feast for all the great men of his kingdom.
Rabbi Dr. Breuer makes a very different suggestion. There was, in fact, only 1 banquet and it lasted 7 days. This was a banquet for all of the people “both to great and small” (Esther 1:5).
King Ahasuerus gave this banquet after showing the glory of his kingdom for 180 days.
In other words, the banquet came as a sort of reward after a royal conference that lasted six months.
After suggesting this approach, he reminds us that we shouldn’t be so quick to reject Rashi.
Rashi makes only one comment on Esther 1:4. He writes “many days – he made a banquet for them.”
Rashi links the words “many days” back to the words “he made a banquet” in verse 3. He understands that there were two banquets: one that lasted 180 days and one that lasted only 7 days.
Rabbi Dr. Breuer defends Rashi. Just because a banquet lasted 180 days, that doesn’t mean that those attending did nothing but eat and drink. It can be understood as a conference that lasted 180 days with a festive meal each day.
We can also understand that the second banquet of 7 days was a last minute decision of the king to extend the event. He then decided to “reward” them with a viewing of Vashti as a new highlight of the festivities.
He also points out that the repetition of the phrase “made a banquet” in verses 1:3 and 5 support Rashi’s approach of two distinct banquets.
The King
One of the significant facts about Megillat Esther is that God’s name does not appear even one time. However, that does not mean that God had abandoned His world.
Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, Every place in this megillah where it is written “King Ahasuerus” it is about the king Ahasuerus. Every place where it is written only “the King [Hebrew: hamelech]” it is both sacred and profane.
In Megillat Esther, the Hebrew “hamelech” without mentioning a person’s name is a reference to God.
On the surface, it’s clear that “hamelech” refers to the acts of King Ahasuerus. It’s our job to understand that God is acting behind the scenes. What appears to be random events and coincidences are actually the result of God working in subtle ways.
The word “hamelech” without a name appears for the first time in Esther 1:5. God is working behind the scenes. What appears to be merely a week of partying is the catalyst that will bring Esther into the royal palace four years later.
I want to suggest one more idea, though I admit it’s a bit of a stretch.
King Ahasuerus showed off his riches and majesty for 180 days. He had many treasures and crafts to display.
We live in the world of “hamelech” that is full of His riches and treasures. Every stone, plant, animal, and celestial object surpasses in glory and majesty the treasures of King Ahasuerus. It is up to us to take the opportunity to view and appreciate them each day.