Megillah 11a (יא.) — the Talmud in English

Rav Dimi bar Yitzḥak opened his introduction to this passage from here:

“For we are servants, and in our servitude our God has not forsaken us; He has extended kindness to us before the kings of Persia

to grant us sustenance.”

When was this? In the time of Haman.

For Haman sought to destroy, kill, and annihilate, and the king extended kindness to us, granting us life.

Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa opened his introduction to this passage from here: “You set men over our heads; we came into fire and water”.

And this is how he expounded the verse:

“Into fire”—

in the days of the wicked Nebuchadnezzar,

who cast us into the furnace.

“And water”—

in the days of Pharaoh.

“And You brought us out into abundance”—

in the days of Haman.

Rabbi Yoḥanan opened his introduction to this passage from here: “He remembers His kindness and faithfulness to the House of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”

When did all the ends of the earth see the salvation of our God—

in the days of Mordekhai and Esther,

when the salvation of God was revealed to all the nations, for letters were sent throughout the entire world.

Reish Lakish opened his introduction to this passage from here: “A roaring lion and a growling bear, a wicked ruler over a poor people.”

And this is how he expounded the verse:

“A roaring lion”—

this is the wicked Nebuchadnezzar, as it is written about him: “A lion has risen from its thicket.”

“A growling bear”—

this is Ahasuerus, as it is written about him: “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear”

that is, the verse means: And another beast came, a second one, resembling a bear.

And Rav Yosef taught: These are the Persians.

They eat and drink like a bear, and are enveloped

in clothing

with flesh like a bear, grow hair like a bear, and have no rest like a bear.

And Ahasuerus was Persian.

“A wicked ruler”—

this is Haman.

“Over a poor people”—

these are Israel, who are poor in mitzvot.

Rabbi Elazar opened his introduction to this passage from here: “Through laziness the beams sink, and through slack hands the house leaks.”

And this is how he expounded the verse:

Because of the laziness that Israel had

in that generation,

as they did not engage in Torah study—

the adversary of the Holy One, blessed be He, became

a euphemistic expression referring to the Almighty

poor,

as though He were unable to save, and they became liable to annihilation.

And “poor”—

means only poor, as it is stated: “And if he is poor with regard to your valuation.” And “beam”—

means only

the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated: “Who lays His upper chambers upon the waters.”

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak opened his introduction to this passage—

from here: “A Song of Ascents. Were it not for the Lord who was with us, let Israel now say: Were it not for the Lord who was with us when a man rose against us.”

As it is written in this verse:

“A man” \-

and not a king,

and this refers to Haman.

Rava opened his introduction to this passage from here: “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people sigh.”

“When they increase

in the sense of greatness

the righteous, the people rejoice”—

this is Mordekhai and Esther, as it is written: “And the city of Shushan exulted and rejoiced.”

“But when the wicked rule, the people sigh”—

this is Haman, as it is written: “And the city of Shushan was bewildered”.

Rav Mattana said

that

from here

we open the introduction:

“For what great nation is there that has a god so near

to it

as the Lord our God whenever we call upon Him?”

Rav Ashi said: From here: “Or has a god ever tried, etc.

to take for himself a nation from within a nation, through trials, signs, and wonders, etc., as all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?”

“And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus.” Rav said: Woe and mourning,

an expression of distress.

This

is

as it is written: “And you shall be sold there to your enemies as male and female slaves, etc.,”

for the end of the verse is: “and there will be no buyer.” Haman decreed that no one would be permitted to purchase a slave from among them.

And Shmuel said

an opening

from this verse: “I will not reject them, nor will I spurn them to destroy them.”

And this is how he expounded it:

“I will not reject them”—

in the days of the Greeks.

“Nor will I spurn them”—

in the days of Vespasian.

“To destroy them”—

in the days of Haman.

“To break My covenant with them”—

in the days of the Romans.

“For I am the Lord their God”—

in the days of Gog and Magog.

In the matnita a tanna taught

as follows:

“I will not reject them”—

in the days of the Chaldeans, when I appointed for them

the

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

“Nor will I spurn them”—

in the days of the Greeks, when I appointed for them

the

Shimon HaTzaddik, the Hasmonean and his sons, and Mattityahu the High Priest.

“To destroy them”—

in the days of Haman, when I appointed for them

the

Mordekhai and Esther.

“To break My covenant with them”—

in the days of the Persians.

When I appointed for them the House of Rabbi and the Sages of the generations.

“For I am the Lord their God”—

in the future, when no

nation or tongue will be able to rule over them.

Rabbi Levi said

an opening

from here: “And if you do not dispossess the inhabitants of the land

etc., then those whom you leave from them, etc., will harass you, etc.”

For here too, Israel in that generation was punished for Saul’s having shown mercy to Amalek.

Rabbi Ḥiyya said: From here,

from the end of that verse, as it is written:

“And it shall be that just as I planned to do to them—

so I will do to you.”

And Israel in that generation, in the time of Ahasuerus, was also almost annihilated.

“Ahasuerus”—

Rav said: The brother of the head,

that is, one resembling him.

And of the same nature

that is, of the same fate

as the head.

Both had the same outlook, as follows:

The brother of the head—

the brother of the wicked Nebuchadnezzar, who was called the head, as it is stated

that Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar:

“You are the head of gold”

that is, you are the head of gold of the statue that appeared to me in my dream.

And in what way was Ahasuerus

of the same nature as the head?

He

—Nebuchadnezzar—

killed

many of the Children of Israel. Likewise,

he

—Ahasuerus—

sought to kill.

He

—Nebuchadnezzar—

destroyed

the Temple. Likewise,

he

—Ahasuerus—

sought to destroy

the foundation that Zerubbabel had built in the days of Cyrus [who reigned before Ahasuerus].

As it is stated: “And in the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem,”

meaning that he acted as an adversary against them, preventing them from building the Temple.

And Shmuel said

that this is how we expound the name “Ahasuerus”:

that the faces of Israel became black in his days

like the bottom of a pot.

And Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Whoever remembers him,

Ahasuerus,

says: Woe

that is, alas

to his head!

That is, woe to the king’s head; alternatively, “woe and distress” to the head of the one who remembers him. Maharsha.

And Rabbi Ḥanina said: Everyone became destitute in his days, as it is stated: “And King Ahasuerus imposed a tax.”

And we expound it as follows: “Woe”—for they all cried out in distress; “and destitute”—because they became poor in his days. Maharsha.

And since it is written:

“He was Ahasuerus”

we expound:

He was wicked from beginning to end.

“He was Esau”—

he was wicked from beginning to end.

“He was Dathan and Abiram”—

they were wicked from beginning to end.

“He was King Ahaz”—

he was wicked from beginning to end.

And similarly we expound this regarding the righteous, concerning whom it is written “he was”:

“Abram was Abraham”—

he was righteous from beginning to end.

“He was Aaron and Moses”—

they were righteous from beginning to end.

“And David was the youngest”—

he was humble from beginning to end.

Just as in his youth,

before he became king,

he humbled himself before one greater than he in Torah, so too, when he became king, he humbled himself before one greater than he in wisdom.

“Who reigned.” Rav said: He reigned on his own,

even though he was not of royal descent.

Therefore, they made him king even though he was not descended from the royal family.

[under the entire vault of the sky].