Megillah 14a — the Talmud in English

Rabbi Abba said: ![](pamud.bmp "

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To what may the parable of Ahasuerus and Haman be compared?

To two people. One—

had a mound within his field, and the other—

had a ditch within his field.

The owner of the ditch said: Who will give me this mound for money

and I will fill my ditch with it!

The owner of the mound said: Who will give me this ditch for money

so that I can place the soil of the mound in it!

After some time, they happened to meet one another. The owner of the ditch said to the owner of the mound: Sell me your mound!

He said to him,

the owner of the mound:

Take it for nothing—and would that it were so!

Here too, Ahasuerus too had intended to destroy them , and therefore he agreed with Haman’s intention even without receiving money .

“And the king removed his ring.” Rabbi Abba bar

Kahana said: Greater is the removal of the ring ,

more than the forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses who prophesied for Israel.

For all of them—

all those prophets—

did not bring them back to proper conduct, whereas the removal of the ring—

brought them back to proper conduct,

for they decreed a fast upon the community in order that they return in repentance, as it is written: “A fast and weeping and mourning, sackcloth and ashes spread for the multitudes.”

The Sages taught: Forty-eight prophets and seven

prophetesses prophesied for Israel. And they neither diminished nor added to what is written in the Torah, except for the reading of the Megilla .

What did they expound

that they instituted this ordinance?

Rabbi Hiyya bar Avin said in the name of Rabbi Joshua ben Korha:

this is what they expounded:

And if, from slavery to freedom—

that is, at the Exodus from Egypt—

we recite song,

for they recited song at the sea ,

from death to life

as here—

all the more so!?

And we challenge this:

If so, the Hallel too—

which is song—

let us recite it

on Purim!?

And we answer:

Because one does not recite the Hallel for a miracle that occurred outside the Land of Israel .

And we wonder: If so,

the Exodus from Egypt, which was a miracle outside the Land

was,

how do we recite song

over it?

And we answer:

As it was taught in a beraita: Before Israel entered the Land—

all lands were fit for the recitation of song,

and therefore they recited song for the miracle of the Exodus from Egypt. But

once Israel entered the Land—

all lands were no longer fit for the recitation of song.

Rav Nahman said: The reading of the

Megilla—

this is the Hallel ,

for through the reading of the Megilla everyone lauds and praises the Holy One, blessed is He .

Rava said: Granted, there—

in the Exodus from Egypt—we say:

“Praise, servants of the Lord” —

and not servants of Pharaoh,

for they went out to freedom and were no longer servants of Pharaoh.

But here,

how can we say

“Praise, servants of the Lord”—

and not servants of Ahasuerus?

But

we are still servants of Ahasuerus ,

for they were redeemed only from death, but remained his servants!

According to Rava,

who says that the reason is that we are still servants of Ahasuerus, and

according to Rav Nahman,

who says that its reading is its Hallel,

there is a difficulty,

for it implies that were it not for these reasons, we would recite Hallel on Purim.

But it was taught in a beraita: Once they entered the Land, all lands were no longer fit for the recitation of song; and if so,

how could we recite Hallel?

And we answer:

Once they were exiled—

they returned to their original fitness,

to recite Hallel for a miracle outside the Land.

And we challenge:

Are there no more

prophets?

For it is written: “And there was one man from Ramathaim-zophim,”

and we expound:

one of two hundred

zophim who prophesied for Israel?!

And we answer: In truth,

from—

there were very many

prophets.

As it was taught in a beraita: Many prophets arose for Israel, twice as many as those who went out of Egypt. But prophecy that was needed for the generations—

was written, and that which was not needed

for the generations—

was not written.

And the prophecies of these forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses were written .

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani said,

this is how we expound the verse “from Ramathaim-zophim”:

A man who came from two heights that watch one another.

Rabbi Hanin said,

this is how we expound this verse:

A man who came from the descendants of people who stand at the height of the world. And who are they?—

the descendants of Korah. For it is written: “And the descendants of Korah did not die.”

And

a tanna taught in the name of our Master: A place was fortified

[a term of height, as in “fortified up to the heavens”]

for them in Gehinnom—

and they stood upon it .

Seven prophetesses—

who are they?

Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah, and Esther.

Sarah

from where do we know that she was a prophetess?

For it is written: “The father of Milcah and the father of Iscah.” And Rabbi Yitzhak said: Iscah—

this is Sarah. And why was her name called Iscah? Because she saw through the holy spirit! As it is stated

that the Holy One, blessed is He, said to Abraham:

“Whatever Sarah says to you—

listen to her voice .”

Another matter: “Iscah”—

because everyone gazed upon her beauty .

Miriam—

for it is written: “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron,

took the drum in her hand, etc.” And one may wonder: Was she only the sister of Aaron

and not the sister of Moses?

Rather,

Rav Nahman said in the name of Rav: For she prophesied when she was

only

the sister of Aaron,

and Moses had not yet been born,

and she said: My mother is destined to give birth to a son who will save Israel.

And when he was born

Moses—

the entire house was filled with light.

Her father arose and kissed her on the head. He said to her: My daughter! Your prophecy has been fulfilled.

But once they cast him into the Nile—

her father arose

and struck her on the head, and said to her: My daughter! Where is your prophecy?!

This is what is written: “And his sister stationed herself from afar, to know” -

to know what would be at the end of her prophecy .

Deborah—

for it is written: “And Deborah, a woman who was a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth.”

What is [the meaning of] “the wife of Lappidoth

”? She used to make wicks for the Temple [the Tabernacle of Shiloh].

[the Tabernacle at Shiloh].

It is written concerning Deborah:

“And she sat beneath a palm tree.” What is different

that she sat specifically

beneath a palm tree?

Rabbi Shimon ben Avshalom said: Because of

so that she would not come to

seclusion,

for the palm tree is tall and has no shade, and therefore there is no concern for seclusion there as there is in a house .

Another matter: Just as this date palm -

has only one heart,

having resin only in its trunk, and not in its branches as in every tree,

so too the Israelites of that generation -

had only one heart toward their Father in Heaven.

Hannah -

how do we know that she was a prophetess?

For it is written: “And Hannah prayed and said: My heart exults in Hashem; my horn is exalted in Hashem.”

And we interpret that she prophesied as follows:

“My horn” -

and not my flask. David and Solomon, who were anointed

for kingship

with

oil that was inside

a horn,

which is something that endures -

their kingship endured.

But

Saul and Jehu, who were anointed with a flask,

which is liable to break -

their kingship did not endure .

It is written in Hannah’s song:

“There is none holy like Hashem, for there is none besides You.”

Rav Yehuda bar Menashya said: Do not read “baltekha” \-

but rather “levalotkha”—to wear you out. Unlike the attribute of the Most High -

the attribute of flesh and blood. The attribute of flesh and blood -

his handiwork wears him out,

for his handiwork remains even after his death.

But the Most High -

wears out His handiwork.

And it is written afterward in the verse:

“And there is no rock like our God.”

And we interpret:

There is no artist like our God.

For

a person forms a figure on a wall, but he cannot place within it spirit and soul, lungs and intestines. But the Most High -

forms a figure

[namely, a fetus]

within a figure

of its mother,

and places within it spirit and soul, lungs and intestines.

Abigail -

how do we know?

For it is written: “And she was riding on the donkey and descending in the hidden place of the mountain.”

And it may be questioned: What is this that is written, “and descending

in the hidden place of the mountain”?

But “and descending

from the mountain” is what it should have said

to say!?

Rabba bar Shmuel said:

for she came to ask

about the matter of blood coming from hidden places.

For she

took blood -

and showed it to him .

He said to her

David:

Do they indeed show blood at night

[for this incident took place at night, as it is written there that David said: “If I leave anyone belonging to Nabal until the light of morning, anyone who urinates against a wall”] ,

when one must distinguish whether it is of the five kinds of impure blood or not?!

She said to him: Do they indeed judge capital cases at night?

And it is written: “Judge a judgment in the morning,” and it is also written: “And impale them for Hashem before the sun,” implying that capital cases must be judged specifically during the day?