Megillah 12a — the Talmud in English

It was taught likewise:

in the years of Nebuchadnezzar and Evil-merodach, a year was swallowed up.

For thus it is stated in Seder Olam: On that very night Belshazzar the king was killed, and Darius the Mede received the kingship—behold, seventy years from the day Nebuchadnezzar became king, while there were seventy years less one from the day Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jehoiakim,

and

we require

another year for Babylon

to complete seventy years from when Nebuchadnezzar ruled over Israel, that is, from the day he conquered Jehoiakim,

and Darius arose and completed it.

And after him, in the following year, Cyrus reigned in Babylon, and Israel were remembered with a partial remembrance. For Cyrus said: “Whoever among you is of all His people—may his God be with him, and let him go up.”

We see from this beraita that when Belshazzar died, there were only seventy years less one from the conquest of Jehoiakim. But we counted above seventy years: forty-five of Nebuchadnezzar, twenty-three of Evil-merodach, and three of Belshazzar!

Rather, it is necessarily the case that the years were incomplete, and the years of one entered into the years of his fellow.

Rava said: Daniel too erred in this calculation.

For it is written: “In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books.”

And “I understood from the books” is an expression of counting and calculation. If so,

from the fact that

Daniel

said “I understood”—

by implication, he erred

in the calculation.

And we raise a difficulty:

In any event,

but

the verses contradict one another!

For in one verse it is

written: “According to the completion of

истечении

seventy years for Babylon

I shall remember you,”

and

in another verse it is

written: “To complete

“to complete”

seventy years for the ruins of Jerusalem”

?

Rava said:

The meaning of that which is written, “According to the completion of seventy years for Babylon,” —

for a mere remembrance

it is, for it is written in that verse: “I shall remember you.”

And so it was: they were remembered in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, which was the seventy-first year from the conquest of Jehoiakim.

And

this remembrance

is what is written: “So said Cyrus, king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord, God of the heavens, has given me, and He has appointed me to build Him a House in Jerusalem.”

Rav Nahman bar Rav Hisda expounded: What is

this

that is written: “So said the Lord to His anointed one, to Cyrus, whom I grasped by his right hand”? Was Cyrus

the king

an anointed one

with anointing oil?

Was he?!

Rather,

thus

the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the anointed one

I have a complaint against you concerning Cyrus,

whom I grasped by his right hand. For

I said: He will build My House and gather My exiles. But he said: “Whoever among you is of all His people, let him go up,”

but he himself did not make efforts in the matter.

It is

written: “The army of Persia and Media, the officials.”

Since “officials” is juxtaposed to Media, it implies that the Medes were officials [rulers, dukes].

And it is written: “To the kings of Media and Persia,”

which implies that the Medes were kings !?

Rava said: Media and Persia made an agreement

with one another

in

this

matter

as follows:

If our people become kings—

your people will be governors,

that is, officials.

And if your people become kings—

our people will be governors .

It is

written: “When he displayed the wealth of the glory of his kingship.” Rabbi Yosei bar Hanina said: It teaches that he wore

Ahasuerus

priestly garments,

for he brought with him the garments of the High Priest from Jerusalem.

For

it is written here: “The splendor of the glory of his greatness,” and it is written there

concerning the priestly garments:

“For glory and for splendor.”

It is

written: “And when these days were completed

the king made for all the people who were in Shushan

etc.

a seven-day feast.” For after he made a feast for all the nations, he made a feast for the inhabitants of Shushan.

They disagree about it,

Rav and Shmuel.

One said:

Ahasuerus

was an intelligent king

in this, that he preceded the feast of the distant ones with the feast of the near ones.

And one said: He was a foolish king .

The one who says that he was an intelligent king—

for

he did well by bringing the distant ones near first. The people of his city

[his townspeople],

whenever he wishes—

he placates them,

for they are close to him.

And the one who says that he was foolish—

because

he should have brought the people of his city near first.

Because

if those distant ones rebelled against him,

the

these

the people of his city

would stand with him

to assist him.

His students asked Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai: Why were the enemies of Israel in that generation

[of Ahasuerus]

deserving of annihilation ?

He said to them: You tell me!

They said to him: Because they benefited

from the feast

of that wicked man .

Rabbi Shimon asked them:

If so,

those Israelites

who were in Shushan—

let them be killed,

but the Israelites

throughout the entire world—

let them not be killed,

for they did not benefit from the feast!?

They said to him:

If so,

you tell us!

He said to them: Because they bowed to the idol

in the days of Nebuchadnezzar .

They said to him:

If so, how did they merit a miracle ,

and is there partiality in the matter?

He said to them: They did it only outwardly ,

that is, out of fear, and not willingly.

The Holy One, blessed be He, likewise acted toward them only outwardly. And this is what is written: “For He has not afflicted from His heart” .

It is

written: “In the courtyard of the garden of the king’s pavilion.”

A courtyard is an open place that is used. A garden is a place of sowing. A pavilion is a place planted with trees.

They disagree about it,

Rav and Shmuel.

One said:

A person

fit

only

for the courtyard—

they brought him

into the courtyard. One fit for the garden—

into the garden. One fit for the pavilion—

into the pavilion.

And one said: They seated them in the courtyard—

but it did not contain them,

for the place was insufficient. They seated them also

in the garden—

but it did not contain them. Until they brought them

also

into the pavilion—

and it contained them.

In the matnita a tanna taught: They seated them in the courtyard, and opened two entrances for them: one to the garden and one to the pavilion.

It is

written: “Hur

carpus and blue.”

What is “hur”?

Rav said: Rows upon rows,

that is, needlework made with perforations, so that they could see one another [Arukh].

And Shmuel said: He spread white wool for them.

For “hur” is an expression of whiteness.

And what is

“carpus”?

Rabbi Yosei bar Hanina said: Cushions of striped cloth .

It is written: “Hur, carpus, and blue, held by cords of linen and purple

upon cylinders of silver and pillars of marble ,

golden and silver couches.”

It was taught: Rabbi Yehuda says:

A person

fit for silver—

for

silver

couches.

And

one fit for gold—

for

gold

couches.

Rabbi Nehemiah said to him: If so, you are introducing jealousy into the feast!

Rather,

this is what the verse says:

They—

the couches themselves—

were of silver,

and

their legs—

of gold .

“Alabaster and marble” -

Rav Asi said:

that he made for them a floor from

stones that trouble their owners,

for their owners needed to search for them and seek them out with toil.

And so it says: “Stones of a crown glittering upon His land.”

We see that Scripture praises precious stones and says that they come through many ordeals. What is

“and dar and socheret”? Rav said: “Dar” -

that is

rows upon rows,

meaning that he seated them in rows upon rows around [the floor]. And likewise “socheret” is an expression of “around and around”.

And Shmuel said: There is a precious stone in the cities of the sea -

and “Derah” is its name. He placed it in the middle of the feast, and

it was

shining for them like midday [the expression “socheret” is the language of the moon, and the moon is what shines].

“Soḥeret”—it is an expression referring to the moon, and the moon shines ].

The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: He proclaimed freedom for all merchants,

for he brought satisfaction to the people of his kingdom and removed from them the tax of merchants.

It is written:

“And the drinking in golden vessels, and vessels from vessels of different kinds” .

And these vessels were the vessels of the Temple, as we said above, that Ahasuerus used them.

And we raise an objection: This “different kinds”

should have been “changed”

for Scripture to say!?

Rava said: A Divine voice went forth and said to them: “The first ones” -

Belshazzar and his company -

were finished because of these vessels,

which they used.

And you are using them again

and using them

!?

It is written:

“And royal wine in abundance

according to the hand of the king ”.

Rav said: This teaches that each and every one was given wine that was greater than he in years ,

for “abundance” means greatness

as it is written concerning Jacob and Esau: “And the greater shall serve the younger”]. “And the drinking according to the rule

“there is no coercion.” What is “according to the rule”?

Rabbi Hanan said in the name of Rabbi Meir: According to the rule of Torah. Just as the rule of Torah is -

eating greater than drinking ,

for the eating of the altar is greater than its drinking, for its eating is a bull and thirteen tenths of fine flour, while its drinking is the libation of half a hin,

so too

in

the feast of that wicked man ,

there was

eating greater than drinking .

“There is no coercion.” Rabbi Elazar said: This teaches that each and every one -

was given wine from his own country,

to which he was accustomed, and it would not make him drunk.

“To do according to the desire of each man and man

.” Rava said: To do according to the desire of Mordecai and Haman ,

for both of them were called “man,” and they were the officers of the drink at the feast .

And where were they called “man”?

Mordecai -

as it is written: “A Jewish man.”

Haman -

as it is written concerning him:

“A man, an adversary and an enemy.”

It is written:

“Also Vashti the queen made a feast for women in the royal house.”

And we raise an objection:

“The women’s house” should have been required!

For she should have made the feast in the women’s house, which is a modest place, and men are not usually there, and not in the royal house, which is a place of a public feast, and men are usually there!?

Rava said: Both of them intended a matter of transgression ,

for she too intended to display her beauty.