Why does it say both "va'Titav ha'Na'arah b'Einav" and "va'Tisa Chesed Lefanav"?
Vilna Gaon: The woman needs two attributes. (a) She is beautiful. (b) She has grace in his eyes. This is like we say 'Kalah Na'eh v'Chasudah' (Kesuvos 17a).
Malbim: She and her overseer should have been punished for hiding her. She had grace in his eyes, so he did not punish her.
What do we learn from "va'Yvahel"?
Rashi: He rushed to give her cosmetics to her more than for all others [Vilna Gaon, Malbim - for he understood that she will be queen].
What is the significance of seven young girls?
Torah Temimah citing Megilah 13a: Esther would count the days of the week through them (to know when it is Shabbos).
What are "ha'Re'uyos Lases Lah"?
Rashi: They are proper to serve her. Every girl was given seven Na'aros.
Yosef Lekach: He gave to Ivriyos, for he knew that she grew up among Jews, in Mordechai's house.
Vilna Gaon, Malbim: The queen has seven girls to serve her. Hegai gave them to her immediately, for he was sure that she will be queen 1 .
Who authorized him to do so?! (PF)
How did [Hegai] change her?
Torah Temimah citing Megilah 13a #1: He fed to her food of Yisraelim 1 .
Torah Temimah citing Megilah 13a #2: He fed to her necks of swine 2 .
Torah Temimah citing Megilah 13a #3: He fed her seeds (like Daniel, Chananyah, Misha'el and Azaryah ate) - "the steward removed the royal food and gave them seeds" (Daniel 1:16).
Vilna Gaon: He gave to her girls the best quarters in the women's house, for they are the queen's girls.
Malbim: (a) For others, he began to give to them Tamrukin only at the beginning of a season 3 , like I explained (12). For Esther, he began immediately, so the 12 months would finish as soon as possible. (b) He gave Manos only to Esther, for he understood that she will be queen. (c) Refer to 2:9:4:2. (d) For her and her seven girls, he gave the best and biggest rooms, and the best food.
If Hegai know that she is Jewish, he had great self-control not to tell the king, who made such efforts to determine her nation! (PF)
Tosfos (13a): She did not eat them. Rashi - she was not punished for eating them, for she was forced. Maharsha - he changed her food from that of other Jews. Or, he gave to her nicer, fattier food than to the others.
Malbim (12) explains that the 12 months are to test if she is prone to get sick during one of the four seasons. Normally, Hegai began [with myrrh oil] at the start of a winter season, or [with fragrances] at the start of a summer season, so she finishes 12 months after a season began. For Esther, he did not wait for the coming season to begin, so her 12 months began the day she arrived. Even though she came to the king (and therefore began the 12 months) in Teves, perhaps this was weeks before or after Tekufas Teves (the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere); he did not wait for the coming Tekufah. (PF)
