Purim 5786 – And they all went home and got Taxed

Where does the word “tax” appear in the Megillah?

The answer is, of course, the last perek.

“And King Achashverosh placed a tax upon all the land and the islands.” (10:1)

Why is this relevant to the story? How is it connected to the miracle? Surely it wasn’t included merely to provide content for the world’s first and only Torah & Taxes blog.

The Brisker Rov explains that this, too, was part and parcel of the miracle. After Achashverosh gave the Jews the opportunity not only to save themselves but also to defeat their enemies, many antisemites were left deeply unhappy. A large group had supported Haman and would have been perfectly content to see the Jews massacred. These people could easily have turned their resentment into a rebellion against the king — yet they did not.

Why not? Logically, things should not have simply continued as normal. The kingdom had undergone major upheaval and widespread confusion. However, Hashem had another plan: miraculously, everything calmed down.

What greater sign of stability and normalcy is there than taxes?

Achashverosh was not a particularly powerful ruler — yet he even managed to impose a tax increase without unrest.

Purim teaches us to look beyond the mundane, to peer past the mask and the external appearances. Even in something as bland and ordinary as taxes, there is a Divine hand calmly and quietly guiding the world in the right direction.

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Happy Purim!!!!