What is the significance of "Rechum Be'al Te'em"?
Ibn Ezra: Te'em is like "Ta'amu u'R'u"; Rechum was Ba'al Ta'am (had understanding) and counsel.
Here it says that Rechum Be'al Te'em and Shimshi wrote the letter. Verse 7 said that Misredas and Tav'el wrote it!
Rashi: Rechum Be'al Te'em was the secretary to arrange the letter. Shimshi was the scribe; he was Haman's son. Both of them are needed - "Elichoref va'Achiyah Bnei Shisha Soferim Yehoshafat ben Achilud ha'Mazkir", "v'Shevna ha'Sofer v'Yo'ach ben Asaf ha'Mazkir." Rechum and. Shimshi wrote like Misredas and Tav'el commanded them. All of them lived in Arei Shomron.
Malbim: Paras was a great kingdom. It had many nations that spoke their own languages. Anyone who wrote to the king wrote in his own language and Kesav - "Kol Ish... u'Medaber ki'Lshon Amo 1 ." In every Medinah were two Sarim appointed to receive letters written in the language of that Medinah, and translate them into Persian and send them to the king. The king replied in Persian, and the Sarim translated them to the local language and sent this to the initial sender. In Surya, Rechum Be'al Te'em and Shimshi translated; the local language was Arame'ic. The initial authors were Bishlam, Misredas and Tav'el.
That was later, in the days of Achashverosh! Malbim merely shows that Malchus Paras allowed nations to keep their language. (PF)
Was the letter about Yerushalayim?
Rashi: It was about Binyan Beis ha'Mikdash in Yerushalayim.
Malbim: The initial letter was about Binyan ha'Bayis. The king trusted Rechum and Shimshi; they fraudulently changed the letter to complain about building Yerushalayim, that the Jews are fortifying it 1 .
What is the meaning of "k'Nema"?
Rashi: Like Nomar (we will say). This is like it says in the Gemara 'like we will say below.'
Ibn Ezra: Like we will say, so was the letter that they sent.
