Just as Esther is taken to the king’s palace, forbidden from ever returning home, she encounters Hegai: the eunuch entrusted with Achashverosh’s harem. While Esther’s situation begins to feel hopeless, Chazal commonly perceive Hegai as a source of comfort or familiarity.1 How did Hegai earn his favorable reputation?

Hegai is described as “seris ha-melech shomer ha-nashim.”2 The term “seris,” generally translated as chamberlain or eunuch, appears sparsely throughout Tanach. There are only three sarisim in Tanach who are mentioned by name outside of Megillat Esther: Potiphar,3 Eved-Melech,4 and Ashpenaz.5 As with Esther, these sarisim appear at turning points for three other Biblical heroes: Yosef, Yirmiyahu, and Daniel. To better understand Hegai’s character, let us briefly examine the significance of these sarisim.

Potiphar buys Yosef from the Yishmaelites, ultimately resulting in Yosef becoming second to the king and saving his family from famine. Eved-Melech rescues Yirmiyahu from a trench, enabling him to resume his efforts at saving Bnei Yisrael from the fate of exile. Ashpenaz favors Daniel — a grieving exile — giving him the opportunity to make a kiddush Hashem as an attendant of the king.

Each of these sarisim appears at a moment of transition between despair and hope. Rav Hirsch6 notes that the word “saris” comes from the word “sarsur,” or agent, someone who manages and promotes the affairs of others. The sarisim7 of Megillat Esther are no exception. As Esther apprehensively faces an unknown future, she is greeted by Hegai, someone who she innately feels she can trust.8 He provides her with a sense of reassurance and sustenance and Esther becomes queen after following Hegai’s advice.9 As in the rest of Tanach, the saris has a part in catapulting our hero from hopelessness to royalty, ultimately enabling her to save her people.

Endnotes

1. See discussion in Megillah 13a, regarding the special accommodations provided by Hegai for Esther as well as the Yafeh Anaf on Esther Rabbah 5:3.

2. Esther 2:3.

3. See Bereishit 37:36.

4. See Yirmiyahu 38:7.

5. See Daniel 1:3.

6. See Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch on Bereishit 37:36.

7. Although this piece focuses on the role of Hegai, other sarisim who appear in Megillat Esther include Charvonah, Bigtan, and Teresh, all of whom also play active roles in the salvation of Mordechai, Esther, and the Jewish people.

8. This can be gleaned from the text of the Megillah itself (Esther 2:15) and is described more explicitly by Da’at Mikra on Esther 2:15.

9. See Esther 2:15.