Deception or Reality? The Conspiracy That Justified Haman’s Final Solution for the Jews

(The following is a small excerpt and a preview of the upcoming book I’ve written about Megillat Esther.)

Let’s share some afterthoughts on Megillat Esther from a new perspective. While we read the Megillah as the true account of events, it does not show how Haman’s supporters in Shushan perceived the story. Though they were factually wrong, their perspective was built on enough evidence to seem entirely real in their eyes. To fully grasp the story, we should view it from two perspectives—one through the eyes of the Jewish people, who saw the truth, and the other through the lens of Haman’s supporters, who genuinely believed they were right. From their perspective, as events unfolded, it seemed clear that the 'Jews' posed a threat to the Persian Empire, a danger they felt needed to be contained before it spiraled out of control.
When Haman came to complain about what he believed the Jews were plotting against the entire world, his words seemed eerily convincing. Even those who never entertained conspiracy theories found themselves unable to dismiss his claims. What he said made so much sense—so perfectly aligned with their fears and biases—that it simply had to be true.

Let's review some of the claims made by Jew-haters in Shushan about how the Jews are said to promote their agenda of global control. One of the oldest tactics they accused them of using is blackmail.

According to the Gmara (Megilah 15; 1 in Rashi, Yalkut Shimoni 856 and other sources), before Haman rose to power, he and Mordechai were both generals in the Persian army. During a military campaign, they found themselves in desperate need of food. Haman, having no provisions of his own, begged Mordechai for food. Mordechai agreed to provide for him, but only on the condition that Haman sell himself to him as a slave. Out of desperation, Haman agreed and even wrote a contract confirming his servitude.

Later, when Haman became the highest-ranking official in Persia and demanded that everyone bow to him, Mordechai refused. One reason given by the Midrash is that Mordechai reminded Haman that he was, in fact, his slave. A slave cannot demand that his master bow to him. This infuriated Haman and fueled his deep hatred for Mordechai and the Jewish people, leading him to seek their destruction.

Eventually, Haman rose to power and became a close adviser to the king. Later, when the story of Haman becoming Mordechai's slave became widely known in Shushan, it seemed to everyone that Mordechai had used this leverage to force Haman into submission.

This is the essence of blackmail—Mordechai gave Haman an ultimatum: either follow my instructions, or I will exercise my right as your master, ruining your status and future. Haman had no choice but to comply. This is how Haman was infiltrated, becoming a Jewish informer and agent, ultimately carrying out the Jewish mission.
The very next event was the grand party where the king became drunk. This, according to the people of Shushan, was when the Jewish plan began to unfold. Agents the Jews had planted at the feast urged the king to summon Queen Vashti in a manner they knew she would be unable to comply with (Megilah 12; 2). Anticipating the king’s fury, they believed the ultimate goal was to have her removed and replaced with a Jewish queen, securing leverage over the throne. Indeed, the king was enraged and turned to his advisors for counsel. Haman, whom they suspected was secretly acting as a Jewish informant, advised the king to have Vashti executed and replace her with another woman (Memuchan is Haman).

The next step in the plan was to present a Jewish woman to the king, ensuring she would outshine all other candidates. To achieve this, all women were gathered and underwent twelve months of beauty treatments.
Hegai, the official in charge of the women, was suspected by many of being a Jewish agent. Their suspicion stemmed from the fact that Esther received kosher food (Megilah 13; 1), despite not revealing her Jewish identity. How did Hegai know? Furthermore, the Gemara (Megilah 13; 1) states that he provided the women with a certain lotion that caused hair loss, while Esther received special care to enhance her beauty (Esther 2; 9).

After twelve months, the women were brought before the king, but many had lost their hair, making them far less appealing. In contrast, Esther, who had been carefully prepared, stood out among them. This is how a Jewish woman ultimately became queen.

Now, remember, we are still wearing Haman's hat, seeing things the way the residents of Shushan saw it. Keep that perspective as we move to the next chapter.

The next step was to elevate Mordechai to a position of power. Esther approached the king and questioned why he lacked a Jewish advisor, noting that other kings had one. Convinced by her argument, the king asked if she could recommend someone. She mentioned hearing of a great sage named Mordechai. Sure enough, Mordechai was appointed (Midrash).

The problem arose when Mordechai was replaced by two of the king’s close advisers, Bigtan and Teresh. They decided they needed to find a way to eliminate Mordechai. When Mordechai learned of their plot to kill him, he warned the king, revealing that the real target was the king himself. The king quickly launched an investigation and found the two advisers guilty. The Malbim explains that poison was found, which had been intended for the king. However, what the people of Shushan believed was that Mordechai himself had planted the poison to frame Bigtan and Teresh.

In this way, Mordechai cleverly saved his own life while orchestrating the elimination of the two advisers.
Finally, Haman rose to the highest level of power, losing his fear of Mordechai. He decided it was time to reveal what he believed to be the Jewish grand plan for world domination. He went before the king and presented his version of the Jewish agenda, claiming that the Jews were seeking to infiltrate key positions of power in the empire. Haman was the first to speak of what is known today as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a fabricated document that falsely accuses Jews of plotting to control the world. In his mind, Haman believed that exposing this "conspiracy" would justify his actions against the Jewish people.

This claim, based on unfounded fears and biases, was the foundation for Haman's attempts to incite the king to annihilate the Jews, convincing him that they were a threat to the empire's stability.

Just as in the time of Haman and his followers, today antisemites claim that Jews use various deceptive tactics to gain global control, based on unfounded conspiracy theories. These include:
These baseless ideas rely on prejudice and have been repeatedly debunked but still persist among hate groups.