127 PROVINCES

The Scroll of Esther reports that King Ahasuerus ruled over 127 provinces.

The Vilna Gaon cites a Midrash that locates 100 of Ahasuerus' provinces on continental land masses. The remaining 27 were islands in the sea. He then cites the verse, "King Ahasuerus levied a tax on the land and the islands of the sea" (Esther 10:1) as proof of this statement. The gematria of "mas" (tax) is 100 and the gematria of "vi-eyay" (and the islands) is 27.

This verse may then be interpreted: King Ahasuerus had 100 provinces on the mainland and 27 in the sea.

ON THE SABBATH

The Talmud reports that Queen Vashti was killed on the Sabbath, because God always metes out punishment, measure for measure. Every Sabbath day, Vashti would strip her Jewish maids of their clothing and force them to work.

Therefore, on the Sabbath, God caused the king to demand that she appear in public stripped of her clothing. (Talmud - Megillah 12b)

The commentator Arameiz Badavar finds in Vashti's name an allusion to her profanation of the Sabbath. The gematria of "Vashti" is 716, the same as that of "Shabbat Baza" - she insulted the Sabbath.

ONLY THE CROWN

When King Ahasuerus asked Haman what to do for the man he wished to honor, Haman thought the king was referring to him (Esther 6:6). And since the king had already raised Haman above all the other officials in his kingdom (3:1), Haman lacked nothing. In fact, he considered himself on a par with Ahasuerus.

[Even his name alluded to royalty: "Haman" has a gematria of 95, the same as "Hamelech" - the king.]

The one thing Haman did not have was the king's crown. And that he coveted greatly. So Haman replied that the man the king desires to honor should be dressed royally "with the royal crown on his head." (Esther 6:8)

The commentator Arameiz Badavar points out an allusion to Haman's lust for the crown, the only thing separating him from the king:

The first time Haman is mentioned in the Scroll of Esther (3:1), he is called "Haman son of Hammedasa the Agagite." The gematria of this phrase is 619, exactly one less than the gematria of "keter" - crown - 620. Haman was just one short of the crown!

THE TEST OF SOBRIETY

The Talmudic dictum, "A person is obligated to become intoxicated on Purim until he does not know the difference between "cursed be Haman" and "blessed be Mordechai," is the subject of much rabbinic discussion regarding the amount one must actually drink to fulfill this obligation.

According to the commentator Abudraham, one is required to drink enough so that he will become too intoxicated to be able to compare two sets of numbers to determine whether they are equal. The Talmud expresses this tersely as the difference between "cursed be Haman" and "blessed be Mordechai," two phrases with the same gematria - 502.