History
Haman המן הרשע
Haman son of Hamdasa the Agagite is the villain of Megillas Esther, who plotted to wipe out all the Jews in Achashverosh's empire.
Fix / add informationHaman son of Hamdasa the Agagite is the villain of Megillas Esther. Achashverosh made him his highest minister (Esther 3:1).
Mordechai would not bow to him (3:2), so Haman decided to destroy all the Jews. He cast lots (pur), chose 13 Adar, and obtained a royal decree (3:7–13).
Through Queen Esther's feasts everything turned around: Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordechai (7:10), and his ten sons were hanged too (9:7–14). This is the miracle of Purim.
'Agagi' is understood to mean he descended from Agag, king of Amalek (see I Shmuel 15). The Gemara says Haman had been a barber in Kfar Karzum for 22 years (Megillah 16a). The custom is to make noise at Haman's name during the Megillah reading.
Sources
Know more? Send us info
Last reviewed: October 21, 2026. Spotted an error? Let us know.
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first!