Megillah 6b — the Talmud in English

“Muzzle it” [

A zamam is a kind of ring that they place in the nostrils of a wild camel, and it is led by means of that ring. For because of the strength of the wild camel, it is restrained only by it]

“Do not let it loose”

from its nostrils—

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exact page location")

Germania [

the name of a kingdom]

of Edom. For had they [

if they]

gone forth—

they would destroy the entire world.

And Rabbi Hama bar Hanina said: There are three hundred royal crown-knots [

knots of the royal crown]

in Germania

of Edom. And three hundred and sixty-five

dukes [

dukes]

are in Rome.

And every day these go out toward those [

every day these go out toward one another for war],

and one of them is killed, and they are preoccupied with appointing a king,

and this is the “muzzling” that is stated in the verse: because they are unable to establish a king over themselves, they do not go out to destroy the world.

And

further

Rabbi Isaac said: If a person says to you: I labored

in Torah

but I did not find [

that is, I did not succeed],

do not believe

him!

And likewise, if he says to you:

I did not labor, and

even so—

I found, do not believe him!

But if he says to you:

I labored and found, believe him .

And

these words—

with words of Torah

specifically.

But in business dealings—

assistance is from Heaven,

and it does not depend specifically on labor, for one may labor and not find.

And with regard to words of Torah

also,

we did not say

that everyone who labors will certainly find—

except for sharpening,

understanding and sharpening his learning.

But for establishing the version,

so that it will not be forgotten by him—

assistance is from Heaven ,

and one may labor and not find.

And

further

Rabbi Isaac said: If you see a wicked person whose hour is favoring him, do not provoke him

at that time .

As it is stated: “Do not be envious of evildoers.”

And not only that, but his ways prosper. As it is stated: “His ways prosper [

succeed]

at all times.”

That is, at the time when his fortune is favoring him.

And not only that, but he is acquitted in judgment

at that time.

As it is stated: “Your judgments are far above him” [

that the judgments are raised and removed from him].

And not only that, but he prevails over his enemies. As it is stated: “All his enemies he blows upon,”

for they fall by a mere blowing.

And we raise a difficulty:

Is that so?

Is it forbidden to provoke the wicked?

But Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai: It is permitted to provoke the wicked in this world. As it is stated: “Those who forsake Torah praise the wicked, but those who guard Torah provoke them”!

And

likewise

it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Dostai bar Matun said: It is permitted to provoke the wicked in this world!

And if a person whispers to you

that it is forbidden to provoke them, and brings proof from this verse:

“Do not be envious of evildoers, and do not covet those who commit injustice,”

say to him:

One whose heart troubles him

because of sins in his possession

says this!

For in truth the intention of the verse is not that it is forbidden to provoke the wicked,

but

this is the meaning of the verse:

“Do not be envious of evildoers”—

to be like evildoers [“

be envious” is in the sense of competition; that is, do not adopt his deeds].

“And do not covet those who commit injustice”—

to be like those who commit injustice.

And proof of the matter—

from the end of the verse: And it says, “Let your heart not covet sinners,” and so on,

for here, necessarily, the intention is not to say that you should not provoke them, since it is written at the end of the verse: “But in the fear of the Lord all day long.” Rather, certainly the intention of the verse is to say that you should not be like the sinners; rather, be one who fears Heaven.

We see that it is permitted to provoke the wicked, and this is difficult against Rabbi Isaac, who said: “Do not provoke him”?!

And we answer:

It is not difficult. This

that Rabbi Isaac said, “Do not provoke him”—

in matters concerning him,

in what concerns the person himself . Whereas

this

that we said, that it is permitted to provoke him—this is

in matters of Heaven.

And if you wish, say:

both are in matters concerning him. And it is not difficult:

this

that it is permitted to provoke him—

this

that we said it is forbidden to provoke him—

concerns an incompletely righteous person .

.

And we bring proof for this, that an incompletely righteous person can be harmed by a wicked person:

For Rav Huna said: What

is this

that is written

in Habakkuk:

“Why do You look upon traitors, remain silent when a wicked person swallows one more righteous than he”?

We analyze the verse as follows:

“One more righteous than he,”

that is, a person who is more righteous than the wicked person, but is not completely righteous—

the wicked person swallows

him. But

a completely righteous person—

he does not swallow!

And even over this the prophet Habakkuk wondered: “Why do You look upon … when a wicked person swallows one more righteous than he,” that is, although he is not completely righteous, nevertheless, why should this wicked person swallow him, since in the end that incompletely righteous person

is more righteous than the wicked person!?

And if you wish, say:

in truth, in general it is permitted to provoke him. But where

his hour is favoring him

the wicked person—

it is different.

For at that time even a completely righteous person may be harmed .

Ulla said: Italia of Greece—

this is the great district of Rome. And it was three hundred parasangs by three hundred parasangs.

And there were in it 365 markets, corresponding to the number of days of the solar year.

And the market

smallest of them all—

it

belonged to sellers of

birds, and its

size was

sixteen mil—

by sixteen mil. And the king dined every day in one of them [

of those markets].

And one who dwells there,

in Italia,

even though he was not born there, receives a portion [

food]

from the royal palace.

And

likewise

one born there, even though he does not dwell there, receives a portion from the royal palace.

And there were in it three thousand bathhouses [

bathhouses]

.

And it had five hundred windows that let smoke out beyond the wall

that were in it, for the windows were higher than the wall, and therefore they did not blacken it, and this is a mark of importance.

One side

of Italia of Greece—

was sea, and one side—

mountains and hills, one side—

an iron partition, and one side—

a place of small stones [

a place of fine stones]

and deep water [

the riverbed] .

Mishna:

They read the Megilla in the first Adar, and

afterward

the year was intercalated —

they read it

again

in the second Adar.

There is no difference between

the laws of

the first Adar and

the laws of

the second Adar—

except for the reading of the Megilla and gifts to the poor . If one performed them in the first Adar, he has not fulfilled his obligation. And he must perform them again in the second Adar [Meiri].

For if one performed them in the first Adar, he has not fulfilled his obligation, and must perform them again in the second Adar [Meiri].

Gemara:

Since it teaches at the end of the Mishna that there is no difference between them except for the reading of the Megilla and gifts to the poor, it follows:

with regard to the order

of the

sections

that are read in the month of Adar [Shekalim, Zakhor, Para, and Haḥodesh ],

this and this

the first Adar and the second Adar —

равны.

are equal.

If they read them in the first Adar, they need not read them again in the second Adar .

And we raise a difficulty:

Who is

the tanna of

the Mishna? Not the first tanna,

nor Rabbi Eliezer ben Rabbi Yose, nor Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel!

For it was taught in a beraita:

if

they read the Megilla in the first Adar, and

afterward

the year was intercalated, they read it

again

in the second Adar. For all

the other

mitzvot

of Purim

that apply in

the

second

apply

also

in the first. That is, if he performed them in the first Adar, he need not perform them again in the second.

That is, if they performed them in the first Adar, they need not perform them again in the second.

Except for the reading of the Megilla—

which applies specifically in the second.

Rabbi Eliezer ben Rabbi Yose

disagrees with the first tanna, and

says: They do not read it

again

in the second Adar.

Because

all mitzvot that apply in the second—

apply in the first,

even the reading of the Megilla.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says in the name of Rabbi Yose: They also read it in the second Adar. All mitzvot that apply in the second—

do not apply in the first,

and one must perform them again in the second.

And they agree

all these tannaim who disagreed above—

with regard to eulogizing and fasting, which are forbidden

on the fourteenth and fifteenth

in this—

and in this,

in the first Adar and in the second Adar.

And we raise a difficulty against the beraita:

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel—

is he not the first tanna,

since the first tanna also maintains that they read the Megilla again in the second Adar!?

Rav Pappa said: The order of the sections—

when they read them—

is the difference between them.

And this is how they disagree:

The first tanna holds:

all the mitzvot of the month of Adar

ideally

are performed

in

Adar

the second. And if they performed them in the first [

and if they performed them in the first Adar]—

they performed them,

and fulfilled their obligation.

Except

for

the reading of the Megilla, for even though they read

it

in

Adar

the first, they read [

they must read it again]

in the second.

And Rabbi Eliezer ben Rabbi Yose holds: Even the reading of the Megilla, ideally

they read

in the first,

and they need not read it again in the second.

And Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel holds: Even with regard to the order of the sections, if they read them in the first—

they read [

they must read them]

in the second.

For he said: “All mitzvot that apply in the second do not apply in the first,” which indicates that this includes even the order of the sections.

And now we return to our earlier difficulty.

The Mishna—

who is it?

If it is the first tanna, the gifts

to the poor are difficult! For in the Mishna it teaches that the mitzva of gifts to the poor applies specifically in the second Adar, whereas the first tanna of the beraita says that only the reading of the Megilla must be performed specifically in the second. It follows that if he gave the gifts in the first, he fulfilled his obligation!?

If it is Rabbi Eliezer ben Rabbi Yose, it is also difficult

from

the reading of the Megilla! For he maintains that even the reading of the Megilla is ideally performed in the first Adar!?

For he maintains that even reading the Megilla is ideally performed in the first Adar?!

If [you say that it is] Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, the order of the passages is difficult!

For from the Mishna it is implied that if he read them in the first [Adar], he does not need to read them again in the second Adar, whereas Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said that he needs to read them in the second [Adar]!?

And we answer:

Actually,

the Mishna is like

the First Tanna. And the Tanna

in the beraita

[said that] reading the Megilla

applies only in the second [Adar];

and the same law

applies to

gifts to the poor—

for we need to perform [this mitzva] specifically in the second [Adar],

for indeed

on this it depends,

since the eyes of the poor are directed toward the reading of the Megilla, as we said above.

And if you wish, say: Actually,

the Mishna

is Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel’s. And the Mishna is textually deficient, and this is what it teaches: “There is no difference between the fourteenth of the first Adar and the fourteenth of the second Adar, except for reading the Megilla and gifts.

And the Mishna came to exclude eulogy and fasting, for this is what you may infer from it:

but with regard to eulogy and fasting—

this one and that one are equal,

for they are forbidden on this one and on that one.”

Whereas

with regard to

the order of the passages—

the Mishna did not speak

about it, and you cannot infer from it what their law is. And in truth, it may be said that also the order of the passages—we need to perform [it] specifically in the second [Adar].

Rabbi Hiyya bar Avin said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: The halakha is in accordance with Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, who said in the name of Rabbi Yosei,

that all mitzvot that apply in the second [Adar] \-

do not apply in the first [Adar].

Rabbi Yohanan said: And both of them,

Rabbi Eliezer ben Rabbi Yosei and Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel—

expounded one verse.

For it is written in the Scroll of Esther: “to establish among them that they should perform, and so on,

in every year and year.”

And they disagreed in this:

For

Rabbi Eliezer ben Rabbi Yosei holds

that this is how we expound the verse: “that they should perform” as

“in every year and year.” What

in

every year and year—

we perform the mitzvot of Purim in

Adar adjacent to Shevat, so too here—

when the year is intercalated, we need to perform [them] in

Adar adjacent to Shevat,

which is the first Adar.

And Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel holds

that this is how we expound [the verse]: that we need to perform [them] as

“in every year and year.” What

in

every year and year—

we perform [them] in

Adar adjacent to Nisan, so too here—

when the year is intercalated, we need to perform [them] in

Adar adjacent to Nisan,

which is the second Adar.

And we inquire about it:

Granted, regarding Rabbi Eliezer ben Rabbi Yosei, his reason is understandable

—

for

this

one does not pass over

the mitzvot ,

and therefore we need to perform [them] in Adar adjacent to Shevat .

But Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel—for what reason

is his [view], that he expounds the verse to perform [the mitzvot] in Adar adjacent to Nisan?

Rabbi Tavi said: The reason of Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel

is because

juxtaposing

to juxtapose

the redemption

of Purim

to the redemption

of Passover—

is preferable.

Rabbi Elazar said: The reason of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel—

is from here: for it is written, “to establish this second letter of Purim.”

And since it is written, “the second” \-

it is implied that we need to perform the mitzvot of Purim in the second Adar .