Megillah 6b (ו:) — the Talmud in English

“Muzzle it”

[A muzzle is a kind of ring placed in the nostrils of a wild camel] , and it is led by means of that ring. Since the wild camel is so strong, it can be controlled only with it]

“Do not release it”

from its nostrils—

this

is Germania

[the name of a kingdom]

of Edom. For had they

[i.e., had they]

gone forth—

they would destroy the entire world.

And Rabbi Hama bar Hanina said: There are three hundred crown-bearers

[those who wear the crowns of royalty]

in Germania

of Edom. And there are three hundred and sixty-five

dukes

[dukes]

in Rome.

And every day these go out toward those

[every day these go out against one another to wage war],

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

and this is the “muzzle” mentioned in the verse: because they cannot appoint a king over themselves, they do not go out to destroy the world.

And

further

Rabbi Yitzhak said: If a person says to you, “I have labored”

in Torah

“but have not found,”

[i.e., “I did not succeed”],

do not believe

him!

And likewise, if he says to you:

“I did not labor, and

nevertheless—

I found, do not believe him!”

But if he says to you:

“I labored and found, believe him

and

this applies

specifically to words of Torah

only.

But with regard to business dealings,

assistance comes 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 said

that everyone who labors will certainly find

only with regard to sharpening,

understanding and sharpening one’s learning.

But with regard to establishing one’s version of the text,

so that it will not be forgotten by him,

assistance comes from Heaven ,

and one may labor and not find.

And

further,

Rabbi Yitzhak said: If you see a wicked person whose hour is favorable to him, do not provoke him

at that time .

As it is stated: “Do not compete with evildoers.”

Moreover, not only this, but his ways prosper. As it is stated: “His ways prosper

[succeed]

at all times.”

That is, at the time when his fortune is favorable to him.

Moreover, not only this, but he prevails in judgment

at that time.

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

[for the judgments are raised up and removed from him].

Moreover, not only this, but he sees the downfall of his enemies. As it is stated: “All his adversaries he puffs at,”

for they fall merely through his blowing.

And we raise an objection:

Is that so?

Is it prohibited 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 keep Torah contend with them!”

And

so

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

And if someone whispers to you

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

“Do not compete with evildoers, and do not envy those who practice injustice,”

say to him:

Only one whose heart troubles him

because of sins in his possession

says this!

For in truth, the verse does not intend to say that it is prohibited to provoke the wicked;

rather,

this is the meaning of the verse:

“Do not compete with evildoers”—

to become like evildoers

[the term “compete” is an expression of competition; that is, do not adopt his deeds].

“And do not envy those who practice injustice”—

to become like those who practice injustice.

And proof of this—

from the latter part of the verse: “Do not let your heart envy sinners,”

for here, one must necessarily say that the intention is not that you should not provoke them, since the latter part of the verse states, “Rather, [let your heart be] in the fear of the Lord all day.” Rather, the verse certainly intends to say that you should not be like the sinners; instead, be one who fears Heaven.

We see that it is permitted to provoke the wicked, which presents a difficulty against Rabbi Yitzhak, who said, “Do not provoke him”?!

And we resolve it:

This

that Rabbi Yitzhak said, “Do not provoke him,” is

with regard to matters that concern him personally,

in matters that concern the person himself . Whereas

this

that we said, that it is permitted to provoke him, refers

to matters concerning Heaven.

And if you wish, say instead: Both

refer to matters that concern him personally. The statement

that it is permitted to provoke him applies

to

this

statement that it is prohibited to provoke him applies

to 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 the meaning of

that which is written

in Habakkuk:

“Why do You look upon the treacherous, remain silent when the wicked swallows one more righteous than he?”

We infer the following from the verse:

“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. But

a completely righteous person

he does not swallow!

And even so, the prophet Habakkuk wondered: “Why do You look on … when the wicked 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 final analysis, that incompletely righteous person

is more righteous than the wicked person!?

And if you wish, say instead:

In general, it is indeed permitted to provoke him. But where

his hour is favorable to him

for the wicked person,

it is different.

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

Ulla said: “Italy of Greece”—

this is the great city of Rome. It was three hundred parasangs by three hundred parasangs.

And it contained 365 marketplaces, corresponding to the number of days in the solar year.

And the

smallest of all of them

was

the marketplace of sellers of

birds, and its

size was

sixteen mil—

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

[in one of those marketplaces].

And one who dwells there,

in Italy,

even if he was not born there, receives a portion

[food]

from the royal palace.

And

so

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

And it contained three thousand bathhouses

[bathhouses]

within it.

And it contained five hundred windows through which smoke was vented beyond the wall,

for the windows were higher than the wall and therefore did not blacken it; this was a sign of its importance.

One side

of Italy of Greece

was the sea, one side

was mountains and hills, one side

was an iron partition, and one side

was a gravel bank

[a place of small stones]

and a deep place

[the riverbed] .

Mishna:

If they read the Megilla in the first Adar, and

afterward

the year was declared a leap year ,

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 reading the Megilla and gifts to the poor .

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 the latter clause of the Mishna teaches that the only differences between them are reading the Megilla and gifts to the poor, it follows that

with regard to the order

of the

sections

that are read during the month of Adar [Shekalim, Zakhor, Para, and HaHodesh] ,

both

—the first Adar and the second Adar— -

are equal.

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

And we raise an objection:

Who is

the

tanna of the Mishna? Not the first tanna,

nor Rabbi Eliezer bar Rabbi Yosei, nor Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel!

For it is taught in a beraita:

If

they read the Megilla in the first Adar, and

afterward

the year was declared a leap year, 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 they performed them in the first Adar, they need not perform them again in the second.

Except for reading the Megilla—

which applies specifically in the second.

Rabbi Eliezer bar Rabbi Yosei

disagrees with the first tanna,

saying: They do not read it

again

in the second Adar.

Because

all mitzvot that apply in the second

apply in the first,

including reading the Megilla.

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

do not apply in the first,

and they must perform them again in the second.

And they agree

—all these tannaim who disagreed above—

with regard to eulogizing and fasting, which are prohibited

on the fourteenth and fifteenth of

both

of them,

in the first Adar and in the second Adar.

And we wonder about the beraita:

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel—

that is identical to 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 are read—

is the difference between them.

And this is how they disagree:

The first tanna maintains:

All the mitzvot of the month of Adar

ideally

are performed

in the

Adar

second. But if they performed them in the first

[and if they performed them in the first Adar]—

they have performed them,

and fulfilled their obligation.

Except

[apart]

for reading the Megilla, for although they read

it

in the

Adar

first, they must read it

[they must read it again]

in the second.

And Rabbi Eliezer bar Rabbi Yosei maintains: Even reading the Megilla, ideally

they read it

in the first,

and they need not read it again in the second.

And Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel maintains: Even the order of the sections—if they read them in the first—

they have read them

[they must read them]

in the second.

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

And now we return to our earlier question.

The Mishna—

who is it?

If it is the first tanna, there is a difficulty concerning gifts

to the poor! For the Mishna 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 reading the Megilla must be performed specifically in the second. This implies that if one gave the gifts to the poor in the first Adar, he fulfilled his obligation?!

If it is Rabbi Eliezer bar Rabbi Yosei, there is also a difficulty concerning

the

reading of the Megilla!

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

If it is Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel, the order of the passages is difficult!

The Mishna implies that if one read them in the first Adar, he need not read them again in the second Adar, whereas Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says that he must read them in the second Adar!?

And we answer:

Actually,

the Mishna is in accordance with

the first tanna. And the tanna

in the

reading of the Megilla

beraita holds that it is practiced only in the second Adar,

and the same is true

of

gifts to the poor:

they must be given specifically in the second Adar,

for

it depends on this,

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

the opinion of Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel. And the Mishna is incomplete, 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 the reading of the Megilla and gifts.”

And the Mishna comes to exclude eulogy and fasting, for this is what it indicates:

with regard to eulogy and fasting—

these two are the same,

as they are prohibited on both of them.”

Whereas

with regard to the

order of the passages—

the Mishna does not discuss it,

and one cannot infer from it what their law is. In fact, it may be said that the order of the passages, too, must be carried out specifically in the second Adar.

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

that all mitzvot that are practiced in the second Adar

are not practiced in the first.

Rabbi Yohanan said: And both of them,

Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei and Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel,

expounded a single verse.

For it is written in the Scroll of Esther: “To establish among them that they should observe, etc.,

every year and every year.”

And they disagree about the following:

Rabbi

Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei holds

that this is how we expound the verse: To observe them

every year and every year. What

do we do in

every year and every year?

We perform the mitzvot of Purim in

the Adar adjacent to Shevat; so too here,

when the year is made a leap year, we must perform them in

the Adar adjacent to Shevat,

that is, the first Adar.

And Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel holds

that this is how we expound it: We must perform them

every year and every year. What

do we do in

every year and every year?

We perform them in

the Adar adjacent to Nisan; so too here,

when the year is made a leap year, we must perform them in

the Adar adjacent to Nisan,

that is, the second Adar.

And we raise a difficulty:

Granted, the reasoning of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei is understandable,

for

there is

indeed

no passing over

mitzvot ,

and therefore we must perform them in the Adar adjacent to Shevat .

But according to Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel, what is his reason

for expounding the verse as requiring that it be performed in the Adar adjacent to Nisan?

Rabbi Tavi said: The reason of Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel

is that

juxtaposing [

to juxtapose ]

the redemption

of Purim

with the redemption

of Passover

is preferable.

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

from here: For it is written, “To establish this second Purim letter.”

And since it is written, “the second,”

it implies that we must perform the mitzvot of Purim in the second Adar.