Megillah 7a — the Talmud in English

And it was necessary to write ![](pamud.bmp "

exact location of the folio") the verse of

“the second,” and it was necessary to write

the verse of

“every year and year,”

for from it we also derive above that we are required to perform it in the second Adar.

For had it said only “every year and year,” it might have entered your mind that there was a difficulty

[as in our difficulty], for, on the contrary, it is preferable to perform it in the first Adar, since one does not pass over mitzvot;

it teaches us the verse of

the verse of

“the second,”

that we perform it in the second.

And had it taught us

only the verse of

“the second,” it might have entered your mind

that we are required to perform it

initially

[as the preferred course] also

in

Adar

the first and

also

in

Adar

the second; it teaches us

the verse of

“every year and year”

that specifically in the second we perform it—and not in the first.

And Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yose,

who says that we perform it in the first Adar,

this

verse of

“the second”—what does he do with it?

He requires it to

derive

in accordance with Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda.

For Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda said: At first they established it,

to read the Purim letter

in Shushan, and in the end—

throughout the entire world .

And this is what is written: “to establish this second Purim letter,” for they established it a second time throughout the entire world.

Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda said: Esther sent to the Sages

in the second year:

Establish me

from now on as an obligation

for generations,

to make a festival day and to read the Megillah, so that I may have a name through me!

They sent to her

the Sages: If we do so, behold,

you will arouse jealousy against us among the nations!

They will say that we rejoice in mentioning their downfall .

She sent to them:

Is it not so that

I am already written in the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia!

And if so, there they already see their downfall, and there is no longer concern about establishing rejoicing and the reading of the Megillah for generations .

Rav and Rav Hanina and Rabbi Yohanan and Rav Haviva taught

the following matter.

And we interrupt the matter and say that

throughout the entire Order of Moed, wherever

he teaches

this group—

the four Sages mentioned above—

we need to

replace Rabbi Yohanan,

who was mentioned there erroneously,

and insert

in his place

Rabbi Yonatan.

And this is how they taught it: After the Sages accepted Esther’s words and established the reading of the Megillah for generations,

Esther sent to the Sages

again:

Write me for generations

in the books of the Writings!

They sent to her

the Sages: Solomon already said: “Incline your ear and hear the words of the Sages.” And this refers to Hanukkah and Purim, which are not included among the mitzvot written down and spoken through divine inspiration, but are the words of the Sages. And the verse concludes:

“Have I not written for you threefold

and not fourfold?” And this is its meaning:

“Threefold”

specifically—for in three places we have to mention the war of Amalek: in the Book of Exodus, in the Book of Deuteronomy, and in the Book of Samuel.

And not “fourfold,”

for we are not permitted to add another [place] .

Until the Sages found for it

a support for writing it among the Writings, from

a verse

of

written in the Torah.

For it is written concerning the war of Amalek:

“Write this as a remembrance in the book.”

And we derive the verse as follows:

“Write this”—

what is written here

[in the Book of Exodus]

and in Deuteronomy,

for everything written in the Torah, the verse calls one Scripture.

“Remembrance”—

that is,

what is written in the Prophets

[in the Book of Samuel].

“In the book”—

what is written in the Megillah .

And therefore they established it among the Writings, for we count the Megillah as part of the “threefold.”

And this matter—whether we establish the Megillah as part of the Writings—

is a dispute between tannaim

.

For it was taught in a beraita:

“Write this”—

what is written here,

in the Book of Exodus.

“Remembrance”—

what is written in Deuteronomy.

“In the book”—

what is written in the Prophets. The words of Rabbi Yehoshua.

We see that Rabbi Yehoshua holds that it should not be established among the Writings.

Rabbi Elazar Ha-Moda‘i says: “Write this”—

what is written here and in Deuteronomy.

“Remembrance”—

what is written in the Prophets.

“In the book”—

what is written in the Megillah.

If so, he holds that it has a support from the Torah.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel:

The Megillah of

Esther does not render the hands impure.

And it is not like the other sacred Writings, concerning which the School of Shammai decreed that if they were touched, they render the hands impure with regard to eating teruma.

And the reason for the decree: because they used to store teruma food beside the sacred Writings. They would say: This is sacred, and this too is sacred.

Once the books came to the danger of damage, for the mice that are always found near food would eat the books, they decreed impurity upon them, so that people would not store teruma food beside them.

And we challenge this:

Does this mean that Shmuel holds

that the Megillah of

Esther was not spoken through divine inspiration,

and therefore it is not considered like the other sacred Writings?

But Shmuel said:

The Megillah of

Esther—

was spoken through divine inspiration!?

And we answer:

It was spoken

indeed through divine inspiration

to be read

orally, but

it was not spoken to be written

in a book , and therefore it does not render the hands impure.

He challenged

Shmuel:

Rabbi Meir says: The book of

Ecclesiastes

does not render the hands impure. And the dispute

between the School of Hillel and the School of Shammai is

concerning the

book of

Song of Songs,

whether it renders them impure or not.

Rabbi Yose says: Song of Songs—

according to everyone

renders the hands impure. And the dispute—

concerning the

book of

Ecclesiastes.

Rabbi Shimon says: Ecclesiastes—

is among the leniencies of the School of Shammai and the stringencies of the School of Hillel,

for they disputed whether it renders the hands impure or not.

But Ruth and Song of Songs and Esther—

render the hands impure.

We see that the Megillah of Esther renders the hands impure?!

And we answer:

It is he—

Shmuel—who

follows Rabbi Yehoshua,

who said above that there is no support for writing the Megillah from the Torah, but that it was given only to be read orally. We see that Rabbi Yehoshua disagrees with these tannaim and holds that it does not render the hands impure, since it is not among the sacred Writings.

It was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya says: Ecclesiastes does not render the hands impure, because it is Solomon’s wisdom,

and it is not through divine inspiration. It is considered like matters transmitted orally, which were not given to be written.

They said to him: Was this—

the matters written in the book of Ecclesiastes—

alone said

by

Solomon?

Concerning Solomon, has it not already been said:

“And he spoke three thousand proverbs”!

Rather, since all those proverbs were not written in the book of Ecclesiastes, it necessarily follows that what was written was spoken through divine inspiration! And if so, it should render the hands impure?!

And he says

in the Book of Proverbs:

“Do not add to his words.”

And since Solomon prohibited adding to his words, infer from this that they were spoken through divine inspiration.

And we wonder:

What is the purpose of “and he says”?

For what was this verse necessary, since they challenged him well from the first verse?!

And we explain:

If you would say

that in truth he

said—

many

things,

as it is written: “And he spoke three thousand proverbs,” but

if he wished,

they would have been written

in a book,

and if he wished,

they would not have been written.

And these also that are written in the book of Ecclesiastes are merely proverbs that Solomon wished to write, and not words of the Holy One, blessed is He?

Come and hear: “Do not add to his words,”

for since he prohibited adding to his words, it necessarily follows that those in the book of Ecclesiastes were spoken through divine inspiration!

It was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Eliezer says: The Megillah of

Esther—

Esther—

was spoken through divine inspiration. As it is stated: “And Haman said in his heart.”

And how did the writers of the Megillah know what was in his heart? Rather, certainly it was spoken through divine inspiration.

Rabbi Akiva says: From here it is proven that

From here it is proven that

Esther

was spoken through divine inspiration, as it is stated: “And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her.”

For how do we know that she found favor in everyone’s eyes? Necessarily, we know it through divine inspiration!

Rabbi Meir says: Esther was spoken through divine inspiration. As it is stated

concerning Bigthan and Teresh:

“And the matter became known to Mordecai.”

And how was their plot made known to him? Rather, certainly divine inspiration rested upon him .

Rabbi Yose ben Durmaskit says: Esther was spoken through divine inspiration. As it is stated: “And they did not lay their hands on the spoil.”

And how do we know that even in the distant places they did not lay their hands on the spoil? Necessarily, it was spoken through divine inspiration .

Shmuel said: Had I been there

when they discussed this matter,

I would have said something better than all of them,

for from here it is proven that it was spoken through divine inspiration:

As it is stated: “They established and accepted,”

and we derive:

“They established above,

in Heaven—

what they accepted

Israel

below.”

And to know that they accepted it in Heaven, divine inspiration is certainly required!

Rava said: For all of them

the proofs that the amoraim brought above to prove that Esther was spoken through divine inspiration—

there is a refutation against them, except for

this one

of Shmuel—

against which there is no refutation .

And this is how one can refute them:

This

of Rabbi Eliezer,

who derives it from “And Haman said in his heart”—it can be refuted as follows: Perhaps in truth it was not spoken through divine inspiration, but

it is a logical inference

that Haman said this in his heart,

for

there

was no person as important to the king as he was. And this, when he elaborated greatly and said: “Let them bring the royal garment,”

for he greatly magnified the honor of the man whom the king desired to honor, certainly

he said it with regard to himself,

intending to bring this honor upon himself.

And the proof

of Rabbi Akiva—

it can be refuted as follows:

Perhaps

this that is written: “And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her”—

is in accordance with Rabbi Elazar,

who

said: It teaches that each and every one—

she appeared to him

Esther

like a member of his own nation,

and they all said with their mouths: “She is one of us!” We see from here that she found favor in the eyes of all who saw her, and divine inspiration is not needed for this.

And that which

Rabbi

Rabbi Meir

brought as proof, from the fact that Mordecai knew the plot of Bigthan and Teresh, can likewise be refuted,

perhaps in accordance with Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba

below,

who said: Bigthan and Teresh were two Tarseans,

and they spoke in the Tarsean language, and therefore thought that no person understood their words. And Mordecai, who was head of the Sanhedrin, knew seventy languages, and therefore understood their language.

And that which

Rabbi

Rabbi Yose ben Durmaskit

brought from what is written in the Megillah, that they did not lay their hands on the spoil in the distant places, is likewise not a proof,

perhaps messengers

[emissaries]

they sent

[the inhabitants of the distant places sent] to Mordecai and Esther, telling them that they had not touched the spoil, so that this would not be displeasing in the king’s eyes.

But this one

of Shmuel—

certainly has no refutation.

For in order to know the conduct of Heaven, divine inspiration is certainly required.

Ravina said: This is what people say: One sharp peppercorn—

is better than baskets full of pumpkins

[one grain of pepper is better than baskets full of gourds].

Rav Yosef said: From here

we derive that it was spoken through divine inspiration, for it is written:

“And these days of Purim shall not pass from among the Jews.”

And how do we know that they will not pass in the future? Rather, certainly it was spoken through divine inspiration.

Rav Nahman bar Yitzhak says: From here

we derive it, for it is written:

“And their remembrance

[of the days of Purim]

shall not cease from their descendants.”

[For from the verse “And these days of Purim shall not pass from among the Jews,” it is proven only concerning the Jews of that generation, Tosafot .]

We learned in our Mishna:

and gifts to the poor.

Rav Yosef taught:

what is the meaning of that which is written:

“And sending

portions of a man

to his fellow,”

it indicates that one must give

two portions —

to one person .

And what is the meaning of that which is written:

“And gifts to the poor,”

it indicates that one must give

two gifts —

to two people.

To each poor person—one gift .

Rabbi Yehuda Nesia sent to Rabbi Oshaya

on Purim

the thigh of a third-born calf

the thigh of a calf third from the womb ,

and a skin of wine

a wineskin.