out to get him , that the threat to the Jewish community is actually a threat to the empire itself , and he is thus restless . When he learns that Haman is waiting for him out in the courtyard ( 6:4 ), he determines that his dream foretells the future , that indeed the evil one seeks to kill him .
Identifying the king as both Achashverosh and God , this midrash blurs the distinction between human and divine . Moreover , it highlights a morally ambiguous undercurrent in the story – is Achashverosh a naïve pawn or a willing participant and , indeed what is the moral status of God , who is never explicitly mentioned in the Megillah , and seems to be sleeping as the Jews are in distress ?
From the Second Temple period there are several “ Additions ” to the Book of Esther that introduce elements into the story , such as prayers to God . In the first of these additions , Mordechai has a dream :
Noises and confusion , thunders and earthquake , tumult upon the earth ! Then two great dragons came forward , both ready to fight , and they roared terribly . At their roaring every nation prepared for war , to fight against the righteous nation . It was a day of darkness and gloom … 11
We learn in a subsequent addition that the two dragons are actually Mordechai and Haman . 12 But which dragon is which ? In his dream both hero and villain are two ferocious creatures at each other ’ s throats and it is their gearing up for war that brings the darkness and the gloom . Mordechai himself seems
11
Michael V . Fox , “ AddiQons to Esther ,” in L . H . Feldman , James L . Kugel , and L . H . Schiffman edited , Outside the Bible : Ancient Jewish Wri5ngs Related to Scripture ( Philadelphia : JPS ) 1 : 100-101 .
12
AddiQon 10:4
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