דניאל, פרק א׳, פסוק י״ד

The decision to alter a royal menu and test the captive youths nutritionally carried significant personal risk for the appointed steward. However, he agreed to the request, moved by God's providence and guided by a series of practical calculations [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The steward knew the king would not inspect the youths until their lengthy training period was entirely complete. Furthermore, the proposed trial was brief. If the simple diet of seeds proved harmful to their health, the steward could immediately halt the experiment and restore the regular royal rations. He also reasoned that the king's original command was not strictly about the specific type of food, but rather the ultimate goal of producing healthy, robust young men. As long as this goal was met, even through a simple diet, he assumed he would not be viewed as disobeying the king [מלבי״ם].

Daniel had originally presented a two-part request: to receive the seeds directly from the royal suppliers and to conduct a ten-day trial. The steward, however, recognized the danger in the first part of this plan. Sharing the secret with additional suppliers increased the risk of the king discovering the scheme, which would place his own life in jeopardy. Consequently, he agreed only to the trial itself. He kept the food supply strictly under his own direct control, refusing to involve any outside parties [אלשיך].

Once the ten-day trial began, the steward did not simply wait for the period to end before checking the results. Instead, he carefully examined the youths' faces every single day, closely monitoring their physical condition to ensure they were not deteriorating [אבן עזרא].