What is the meaning of "va'Yman"?
Rashi: It was designated for them. Ibn Ezra ? it is Po'el Yotzei (acts on another). Malbim ? the king himself was concerned for all their needs!
What do we learn from "Devar Yom b'Yomo"?
Malbim: The king's food changed daily. Doctors know what food is good based on the temperature and weather
What is "Pas Bag"?
Rashi: It is the king's food, in Leshon Kasdim.
Rashi: Some say that it is bread. 1
Ibn Ezra: Bag is food. We find "u'Nesaticha l'Vag" (Yechezkel 25:7); we pronounce it l'Vaz. Perhaps it tastes like cooked meat.
Malbim: It is from what the king eats on his table. Fine food and scented wine broaden Da'as and clear the brain ? wine and fragrances make one wise (Yuma 76b).
Malbim (8): Some say that it is bread offered to idolatry.
Rashi: This is wrong. It says that the waiter carried the Pas Bag, and gave to them seeds. Seeds are not in place of bread, rather, in place of a cooked dish!
Why does it say "umi'Yayin Mishtav"?
Ibn Ezra: It does not say Mishto, rather, Mishtav (plural), for there are known days for drinking white wine or red, or from special places. This was to train them in royal etiquette.
Why did he command to raise them for three years?
Malbim: This is the time needed to learn. A Talmid who does not see a sign of Berachah in his learning within three years, he will never see it (Chulin 24a).
Will only some of them stand in front of the king?
Malbim: Yes ? those who succeed in their learning. Also the kings of Egypt and Turkey raise many children, and those who are proper stand in front of the king.
