Megillah 12b — the Talmud in English

As people say: He with large pumpkins -

large pumpkins,

and his wife ![](pamud.bmp "

exact page location")

with small pumpkins -

small pumpkins. That is, they were both referring to the very same matter, since both intended the same thing. He wanted to display her beauty, and she too intended the same thing. .

It is written:

“On the seventh day, when the king’s heart was merry with wine

he said, and so on, to bring Queen Vashti before the king, and so on.”

And we ask:

Was it so that until now,

until the seventh day—

his heart had not been merry with wine?!

Rava said: The seventh day

of the feast

was Shabbat .

For when the Jewish people

when

eat and drink,

they begin with words of Torah and words of praise.

But the nations of the world,

when

they eat and drink,

begin only with words of foolishness.

And so

it was

at the feast of that wicked man,

for they were speaking words of foolishness:

Some said, “The Median women are beautiful!” and others said, “The Persian women are beautiful!”

Ahasuerus said to them: “The vessel that I use is neither Median nor Persian—

but Chaldean. Do you wish to see her?”

They said to him: “Yes—but only if she is naked” .

By the measure with which a person measures,

he is measured with that same measure. This teaches that the wicked Vashti used to bring Jewish girls

and strip them naked ,

and make them perform labor on Shabbat.

She was measured by that same measure, as Ahasuerus decreed that she should come before him naked on Shabbat .

And

this is what is written: “After these events, when the anger of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.”

For

just as she had done,

so it was decreed against her .

It is written:

“But Queen Vashti refused.”

Since

Vashti

was immoral, as the Master said

earlier:

“Both of them intended to commit a transgression,”

if so,

why did she not come

to him?

Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: This teaches that leprosy broke out on her .

In a tannaitic teaching it was taught: Gabriel came—

and made her a tail .

It is written:

“And the king became very angry.”

And we ask:

Why did he burn with anger against her to such an extent ?

Rava said:

For

she sent him

Vashti:

“Son of my father’s stableman [

the keeper of the horses ]

of my father!”

“My father”

[Belshazzar, who was Vashti’s father],

could drink wine corresponding to a thousand men —

and was not drunk

he did not become intoxicated ],

[he did not become intoxicated] , whereas that man,

Ahasuerus,

became insane from his wine

became insane through his wine ]!

[became insane through his wine]! Immediately—

“And his anger burned within him.”

“And the king said to the sages,

who knew the times .”

Who were the sages?

They were the Sages.

For

“those who knew the times”

means

those who knew how to intercalate years and establish months.

He said to them

Ahasuerus said to the Sages:

“Judge her for me!”

The Sages said:

The Sages said:

“What should we do?”

If

we say to him, “Kill her!”

then

tomorrow, when his wine runs out, he will demand her from us

his wine will wear off, and he will demand her from us ].

[his wine will run out, and he will demand her from us]. And if

we say to him, “Leave her”

let her be ], then

[leave her alone], then she is showing contempt for the monarchy,

and she must be punished!

The Sages said to him

the Sages said to Ahasuerus:

“From the day the Temple was destroyed and we were exiled from our land, sound counsel has been taken from us, and we do not know how to judge capital cases.”

“Go to Ammon and Moab, who sit in their places like wine settled on its sediment

who remain settled in their place, like wine resting on its lees ].

[which remains in its place, like wine resting on its sediment]. And

the reason for the

sound advice they gave him

is that this is indeed so: when a person is tranquil, his mind is settled.

For it is written: “Moab has been tranquil from his youth and settled on his sediment; he has not been poured from vessel to vessel, and he has not gone into exile,”

and it is written afterward:

“Therefore his taste has remained in him, and his fragrance has not changed.”

Immediately—

“And those nearest

to him: Carshena, Shetar, Admatha, Tarshish.”

Rabbi Levi said: This entire verse was stated with reference to offerings.

The word “nearest” refers to bringing an offering, and the angels mentioned the offerings that Israel brought before the Holy One, blessed be He. Through this, vengeance would be taken against Vashti, and Esther would come and reign in her place.

And this is how he expounds the verse:

“Carshena”—

the ministering angels said before the Holy One, blessed be He: “Master of the universe! Did the nations of the world ever bring

the nations of the world

before You yearling rams ,

as Israel brought before You?!”

“Shetar”—

did they ever bring before You two turtledoves?!

“Admatha”—

did they ever build an altar of earth before You?!

“Tarshish”—

did they ever serve before You wearing the garments of the kohanim, the Temple priests, concerning which it is written, “tarshish, shoham, and yashfeh”?!

“Mars”—

did they ever stir the blood before You

as Israel stirred the blood of offerings so that it would not congeal?!

“Marsena”—

did they ever stir

memares—an expression of stirring ]

[from the expression “stirring”] the meal offerings before You?!

“Memukhan”—

did they ever prepare a table before You?!

“And Memukhan said” .

A tannaitic teaching states: “Memukhan”—

this is Haman .

And why was he called Memukhan? Because he was prepared

to be

for calamity ,

for he was destined to be hanged.

Rav Kahana said: From here,

as this verse proves,

we learn that a commoner jumps to the front .

Memukhan was listed last among the officials, which shows that he was the least important of them, yet he spoke first

It is written: “And letters were sent, etc.

so that every man would rule in his house

and speak in the language of his people.”

Rava said: Had it not been for the first letters,

in which this matter was written, and through which Ahasuerus was established as a fool in the eyes of the nations,

not a remnant or survivor would have remained of the enemies of Israel .

For the nations would have hastened to kill them, and would not have waited for the appointed day that was written in the intermediate letters .

They

said

the nations that received the letters:

What is this that Ahasuerus has sent us,

Ahasuerus:

“so that every man

would rule in his house”? It is obvious! Even a bald-headed man [

a comb-maker] ,

in his house, let him be the pardeshka

[in his house he is the official and ruler]!

It is written:

“And the king appointed officials.”

Rav said: What is

this

that is written: “Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool spreads folly”?

“Every prudent man acts with knowledge” —

this is David. For it is written

concerning him:

“And his servants said to him: Let them seek for my lord the king a young virgin,”

for he requested that they bring to him only one maiden. Therefore,

whoever had a daughter

brought her to him,

showing her to David’s emissaries, perhaps she would find favor in their eyes.

“But a fool spreads folly” —

this is Ahasuerus. For it is written

concerning him:

“And the king appointed officials,”

for he commanded them to gather all the virgins to him, and they knew that he would have relations with all of them, yet would take only one. Therefore,

whoever had a daughter

hid her

[concealed her]

from him .

It is written:

“There was a Jewish man in Shushan the capital, etc.

son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish

a Benjaminite.”

And we raise an objection:

What does

the verse

say? If it comes to establish his lineage, let it establish his lineage and continue

[that the verse should continue tracing his lineage]

until Benjamin!?

Rather, what is different about these?

A tanna taught: All of them

were called by his name.

“Son of Jair”

— a son who illuminated the eyes of Israel through his prayer.

“Son of Shimei”

— a son to whom God listened to his prayer.

“Son of Kish”

— for he knocked on the gates of mercy, and they were opened for him.

And we raise an objection:

He calls him

“a

Jew”

— apparently he came from Judah .

And he also calls him

“son of

Benjamin”

— apparently he came from Benjamin!?

Rav Nahman said: Mordecai was crowned with his names

[with fine names. For “nimos” is a name in the Greek language ]

he was.

Rabba bar bar Hana said in the name of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi: His father was from Benjamin

was,

and his mother

was from Judah.

And the Rabbis say: The families

of Judah and Benjamin

were contending with one another. The family of Judah said: I am the cause that Mordecai was born,

through me!

for David did not kill

[who was from the kings of Judah]

Shimei son of Gera,

from whom Mordecai emerged.