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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial>From: Zev Sero <zev@sero.name><BR><BR>> The lots of Haman
occurs in Nisan and falls on Purim in Adar 11 months later.<BR>><BR>> 1)
Esther says that she has not be called to the king for 30 days.<BR>> What is
the rush why not wait a while longer after all there are 11 months to
go<BR>><BR>> 2) Esther suggests a fast for 3 days that includes Pesach.
Again why not set the<BR>> fast for after Pesach since there is plenty of
time until the following Purim.[--RET]<BR><BR>Mordechai was the one in a hurry,
not Esther. Esther didn't want to go to<BR>the king, and gave her not
having been called for 30 days as an excuse for<BR>not going. Either
(according to e.g. Rashi) this shows that the king is<BR>getting tired of her,
and if she shows her face uninvited she will be killed<BR>immediately and do no
good, so why go? Or (according to Malbim) the king<BR>will surely summon
her soon, and then she'll be able to put in a good word<BR>when he's in a
receptive mood, so why risk her life now? </FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial>Mordechai is the<BR>one who rejected her excuses and said there is no
time to waste, we only<BR>have 11 months, so we'd better start now. Go to
the king immediately. So<BR>Esther said in that case I need some
ammunition; go fast for three days, to<BR>get Hashem on our side, and then I'll
risk my life. If you want to postpone<BR>the fast till after Pesach, fine,
then I'll go after Pesach.<BR><BR><BR>-- <BR>Zev
Sero
</FONT></FONT></DIV>
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<DIV>>>>>></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Haman cast lots on Rosh Chodesh Nisan so it makes you wonder why the decree
becomes an emergency for Mordechai (and Esther) only two weeks later,
on erev Pesach or the first day of Pesach.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Apparently there were two letters sent to all the provincial
governors, an open letter that said "Be ready for military action on the 13th of
Adar, eleven months from now" and a secret, sealed letter marked, "Not to be
opened until the 13th of Adar" and that second letter said what the military
action was: kill all the Jews. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Mordechai only found out the contents of the second, sealed letter through
nevuah or ruach hakodesh. One can speculate that he received this Divine
message on erev Pesach. And precisely because it was given to him by
supernatural means, he inferred that he had to act on that information
immediately.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>You could further speculate that the reason Hashgachically speaking for
such a Divine revelation to have been made on or just before Pesach was
precisely because it /was/ so out of the ordinary to fast on Pesach. It would
make a much greater impression on the Jews as to the seriousness of the decree
hanging over their heads, and the urgency of the need to daven and do
teshuva.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Some of the above is from R' David Fohrman's book, *The Queen You Thought
You Knew*, some is from *Turnabout: The Purim Story* -- a book by R' Mendel
Weinbach z'l based on the Malbim. And some is my own
speculation.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>PS It could be that the date of the fast is not mentioned in the Megillah
because it was only a one-time deal, to fast on Pesach -- never to be
repeated. The date on which we now fast is not the date on which they
fasted that year, obviously.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff></FONT><BR><FONT color=#0000ff><STRONG>--Toby
Katz</STRONG></FONT><FONT lang=0 color=#ffffff size=2 face=Arial
FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR><STRONG>..</STRONG></FONT><FONT lang=0
color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><STRONG>=============</STRONG><BR><BR><BR>-------------------------------------------------------------------</FONT></DIV>
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