אסתר, פרק ט׳, פסוק י׳

The pinnacle of the Jewish victory centers on the execution of the enemy's ten sons, paired with a conscious, collective decision by the people to refuse any of the enemy's plunder. The focus on these ten men is far from random. Historical tradition links them directly to the effort to halt the construction of the Second Temple, as they were the ones who authored the accusations against the residents of Judah and Jerusalem during the transition of power between Cyrus and Ahasuerus [רש״י]. Their appearance together as a single block at the end of the casualty list emphasizes their shared demise. Because the descendants of Amalek represent a fundamental opposition to the unity of God, their punishment reflected a precise measure for measure: their souls departed in a single moment, and they were hung together on one tree. This total defeat is also mirrored in the physical layout of the scroll, where their names are written in a stacked, brick-like pattern. This specific formation symbolizes an absolute downfall from which there is no recovery, standing in sharp contrast to other biblical songs that are written in a wider layout to represent the expansion of Israel's relief [אור חדש].

Alongside this decisive victory, the people actively refrained from taking any spoils. Although the king's decrees explicitly permitted them to seize the property of their attackers, the Jews chose to walk away. The primary approach among commentators views this as an act of profound political and moral wisdom. On a political level, leaving the vast wealth of the dead to flow into the royal treasuries was a strategic move to appease Ahasuerus and prevent him from looking upon the Jews with envy [רש״י, אבן עזרא]. Morally, abstaining from the plunder proved to the world that their military response was purely an act of justified self-defense rather than a campaign driven by greed. Had they taken the property, they risked being perceived as mere thieves and murderers. By leaving the wealth behind, they made it unmistakably clear that they only targeted those who sought to harm them [עמנואל הרומי, מנות הלוי, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אור חדש]. This strict policy also served an internal purpose, preventing lawless individuals within the community from exploiting the chaos to kill innocent people for financial gain [מנות הלוי].

Beyond politics and public perception, avoiding the spoils carried deep historical and theological weight. The battle in Shushan was understood as a direct continuation of the ancient war against Amalek, a conflict in which the Israelites were strictly commanded to destroy all enemy property. Centuries earlier, King Saul lost his kingdom precisely because he took pity on the Amalekite spoils. To ensure history did not repeat itself, the leaders of the generation established a firm decree against touching the plunder, avoiding Saul's tragic mistake [מנות הלוי]. Moreover, the intense focus required to fulfill this Commandment, which serves as a necessary precondition for building the Temple, left the people with no time or attention to spare for gathering personal wealth [מגילת סתרים].

Conceptually, the miracle granted to the Jews was designed exclusively to remove the threat of total annihilation, not to serve as a source of sudden wealth. Because the people remained in exile under the rule of Ahasuerus, taking the spoils would have created a dangerous and false illusion of complete redemption and total relief, whereas the true purpose of the miracle was simply the removal of their enemies [אור חדש]. Ultimately, their ability to withstand the temptation of vast wealth stands as a testament to their noble spirit. By walking away from the plunder, they proved themselves to be the true spiritual heirs of Abraham, who famously refused to take even a thread or a shoe strap from the king of Sodom [יוסף אבן יחיא].