Chapter 8: Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
From the outset, it seems like a 'happily ever after' situation is taking place: Mordechai was brought before Achashverosh, revealed as uncle to the queen. Almost immediately afterward, he was appointed to the post that Haman had occupied. As a sign of his gratitude and trust, Achashverosh gave his signet ring to Mordechai, allowing him to issue any orders he sees fit, with the power of the throne behind him.
But all is NOT well. Sure Haman is gone, but the royal edict to eradicate the kingdom of all Jews still stands!
Esther finds herself in a very awkward position. She has no more tricks up her sleeve. She can no longer manipulate Achashverosh like she did before. So what now? How can she convince him to rescind the order?
Abject begging.
She throws herself at the king's feet, crying. He extends his scepter to her once again, and asks what she wants (noticeably absent is the offer of half the kingdom). Esther pleads with all her heart:
"If it pleases the king, and if his majesty does love me; if the king sees that it is the right thing to do, and if I'm still his majesty's chosen queen, his majesty will please send out an order to retract the edict sent out by that traitor, Haman. For how can I go on, knowing that my people are doomed? How can I see them destroyed?"
And now, when all is laid bare, free of pretense, we see Achashverosh's true colors - He could not care less about the Jews:
"Look, I've given you and your uncle Haman's post, and I've executed Haman on the gallows meant for your uncle. You want to write an order? Write any order you want. Sign it with my ring. I will back up whatever you write, with one proviso: no edict of the king shall ever be rescinded."
So Esther and Mordechai realize they're on their own. The king is obviously more interested in his public opinion as a strong and confident ruler than in making sure his queen is happy. Not to mention the impending slaughter of every Jew in the realm. All Achashverosh cares about is being (or at least appearing to be)a strong ruler.
It's at this point that Mordechai, in the name of Achashverosh, writes a new edict:
"As stated in an earlier decree, the enemies of the Jews will be allowed to kill the Jews on the 13th of Adar, and whoever kills them may take their property. However, the king wishes to add one detail. On that day, the Jews will be allowed to defend themselves. Furthermore, the property of anyone killed by the Jews will be forfeit to them."
What does this actually do for the Jews?
Originally, what Haman proposed was a state-sponsored pogrom. The enemies of the Jews would be allowed to kill their Jewish neighbors, and the unwritten implication was that the king would not mind if local governors lent a hand. What Mordechai did, by allowing the Jews to defend themselves, was turn the pogrom into a civil war. Now the governors would have to consider: do they help the Jews or their enemies? How can they decide? How can they know who the king favors?
Mordechai plays his next move brilliantly.
He dresses in his princely garments and has a huge, ticker-tape parade in Shushan. A bit premature, isn't it? I mean, after all, the Jews have yet to be saved. But this is not a victory parade, it's a PR move: when the news that the king's new vizier is a Jew, and he's beloved by the everyone in the capital, they will assume that the king is showing favor to the Jews. And maybe it would behoove them to help the Jews instead of their enemies.
Sounds a little far-fetched, huh? Well, it works.
News of Mordechai's appointment spreads throughout the kingdom. Wherever the news reaches, there are incredible celebrations among the Jews. Singing, dancing, public displays of glee and joy are the order of the day.
And how does the news effect the non-Jewish population? They are so impressed by/scared of the Jews that there is a mass movement towards conversion to Judaism. And for those who don't convert, their sympathies strongly shift over from anti- to pro-Semitic (if that's even a word).
Politically, we've won!
But there's still an actual war to be fought.
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