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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.

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Haman 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.

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Sources

  1. 1אסתר ג' (Esther 3)
  2. 2אסתר ז' (Esther 7)
  3. 3אסתר ט' (Esther 9)
  4. 4שמואל א' ט"ו (I Samuel 15)
  5. 5מגילה ט"ז ע"א
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Last reviewed: October 21, 2026. Spotted an error? Let us know.

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