What does Yehudi mean in the Megillah? TB Megillah 13

The Megillah informs us of Mordechai’s lineage. He is from the tribe of Benjamin “In the fortress Shushan lived a Jew by the name of Mordecai, son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, a Benjaminite. [Kish] had been exiled from Jerusalem in the group that was carried into exile along with King Jeconiah of Judah, which had been driven into exile by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon” (2:5-6). Kish was King Saul’s father and we know from I Samuel that Saul was a Benjaminite. However, the verse also describes him as a “Yehudi” which formally meant he was from the tribe of Judah.  The Gemara is sensitive to this dissonance and provides this answer on daf TB Megillah 13. “Rabbi Yoḥanan said a different explanation of the verse: Actually, Mordecai came from the tribe of Benjamin. Why, then, was he referred to as Yehudi? On account of the fact that he repudiated idol worship, for anyone who repudiates idolatry is called Yehudi. It is understood here in the sense of yiḥudi, one who declares the oneness of God, as it is written: “There are certain Jews [Yehuda’in] whom thou hast appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylonia, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not regarded you: They serve not your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up” (Daniel 3:12). These three individuals were in fact Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who were not all from the tribe of Judah but are referred to as Yehuda’in because they repudiated idol worship.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Adele Berlin explains in the New JPS Commentary of the book of Esther about this dissonance. “Not from the tribe of Judah, for he is from the tribe of Benjamin. Originally derived from ‘Judah,’ the name of the kingdom, it refers to all of Judah’s population no matter what the tribe of origin. It is an ethnic epithet, and is used in reference to Mordechai many times (5:13; 6:10; 8:7; 9:29, 31; 10:3). (Compare ‘the Moabitess’ used in reference to Ruth.) By placing this designation before Mordechai’s proper name, emphasis is given to this aspect of his identification, which becomes crucial as the story unfolds. In Babylonian sources, foreigners are sometimes mentioned by their ethnic identity, but this is not common. The ethnic designation ‘Judean’ is not found in Babylonian records from the Chaldean or Achaemenian periods except when referring to King Jehoiachin.” (Page 24) And “In the post-exilic period the tribal area of Benjamin remained closely associated with Judah, as it had been during the divided monarchy. In Ezra ‘Judah and Benjamin’ signify those returnees from Babylonia who have a legitimate claim to Judah; they constitute the authentic Jewish community (see Ezra 1:5; 4:1). This connotation may also adhere to Mordechai’s genealogy. By virtue of Mordechai’s being a Yehudi and a Benjaminite he is a symbol of the authentic exilic Jew.” (Page 25)

Now that we know what the term “Yehudi” means, you might be wondering what their nice Jewish girl like Esther eat in King Ahasuerus’s palace. The Gemara gives three different answers. ““And he advanced her and her maids to the best place in the house of the women.” Rav said: The advancement in the verse signals that he fed her food of Jews, i.e., kosher food.

“And Shmuel said an alternative understanding: The advancement was a well-intentioned act in that he fed her pig hinds, thinking she would view it as a delicacy, although in fact they were not kosher.

״. And Rabbi Yoḥanan said a third understanding: He gave her vegetables, which did not pose a problem with regard to the kosher laws. And so it states with regard to the kindness done for Daniel and his associates: “So the steward took away their food and the wine that they should drink; and gave them vegetables” (Daniel 1:16).” (Sefaria.org translation)

Did she really eat trief according to Shmuel? Rashi ד"ה קְדָלֵי דַחֲזִירֵי says yes she did, but she wasn’t punished because she had to eat it against her will. Tosefotד"ה קְדָלֵי דַחֲזִירֵי says absolutely not, God forbid.

Now you see where we have the custom of eating poppy seed delicacies on Purim. Thanks to Rabbi Yoḥanan we now enjoy mun hamentaschen.