Megillah 30

from a position of poverty. Rav Pappa said: and they called him 'the slave who was sold for loaves of bread'.

'All of this is not worth anything to me.' This teaches that all of the treasure of the wicked one were engraved on his heart, and in the hour that he saw Mordechai sitting by the king's gate he said, 'all of this is not worth anything to me'.

R. Elazar further said in the name of R. Hanina: God will in the time to come be a crown on the head of every righteous man, as it is said, “In that day the Lord of Hosts will be for a crown of glory and for a diadem of beauty” (Isaiah 28:5) What is meant by a “crown of glory (tzvi)” and a “diadem [zefirat] of beauty”? For them that do his will [tzivyono] and who await [mezapin] his glory. Shall He be so to all? Scripture says, “To the residue of [lish’ar] his people,” that is, to whoever makes of himself a mere residue [shirayim].

"And for a spirit of judgement." This is the one who judges his own [evil] inclination. "And to one who sits in judgement." This is the one who judges a case with truth and fidelity. "And for strength." This is the one who strengthens himself against his [evil] inclination. "Those who return from war." Those who give and take in the battle of Torah. "To the gate." [These are the wise students] who arrive early and leave late from synagogues and houses of study.

The Measure of Justice said before the Holy One, Blessed Be He, 'O Master of the World, what is the difference between these and those?' The Holy One, Blessed Be He, said to him, 'Israel engages in Torah; the nations of the world do not engage in Torah.'

He replied to Him, He replied to Him, “But they also reel through wine, and stagger through strong drink,” they totter in judgement [paku peliliyah]; and “paku” refers only to Gehinnom, as it says, “That this shall be no stumbling-block [pukah] for you” (I Samuel 25:31); and “peliliyah” contains a reference to the judges, as it says, “And he shall pay as the judges determine [bi-felilim]” (Exodus 21:22).

“And she stood in the inner court of the king’s house” (Esther 5:1): R. Levi said: When she reached the chamber of the idols, the Divine Presence left her. he said, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me” (Psalms 22:2)? Maybe you punish the inadvertent sin like the intentional one, or one done under compulsion like one done willingly?

Or is it because I called him “dog” as it says. “Deliver my soul from the sword, mine only one from the power of the dog?” (Psalms 22:21). She straight way retracted and called him lion, as it says, “Save me from the lion’s mouth” (Psalms 22:22).

“And it was that when the king saw Esther the queen” (Esther 5:2): R. Yohanan said: Three ministering angels were appointed to help her at that moment; one to make her head erect, a second to endow her with charm and a third to stretch the sceptre.

How much [was it stretched]? — R. Jeremiah said: It was two cubits long and he made it twelve cubits — Some say, sixteen, and some again twenty-four. In a Baraitha it was stated, sixty. so too you find with the arm of the daughter of Pharaoh, and so you find with the teeth of the wicked, as it is written, You have broken [shibarta] the teeth of the wicked” (Psalms 3:8) and Resh Lakish said: Do not read shibarta but shirbavta. Rabbah b. Ofran said in the name of R. Elazar who heard it from his teacher, who heard it from his teacher, [that the sceptre was stretched] two hundred [cubits].

“And the king said to Queen Esther What is your requests? Even to the half of the kingdom, it shall be given you.” (Esther 5:6) “Half the kingdom” but not the whole kingdom. And not a thing which would divide the kingdom.What could that be? The building of the Temple.

“Let the king and Haman come to a banquet” (Esther 5:4). Our Rabbis taught: What did Esther see that she invited Haman? R. Elazar said: She set a trap for him, as it says. “Let their table before them become a snare” (Psalms 69:23). R. Joshua said:

she learned from the house of her father as is said (Proverbs 25:21) "If your enemy is famished, give him bread to eat, etc." Rabbi Meir says in order that [Haman] would not take counsel and rebel. Rabbi Yehudah says

in order that [Haman] would not recognize her, that she was a Jew. Rabbi Nehemiah says in order that Israel will not say 'we have a sister in the king's house' and they become content and [do not pray] for mercy. Rabbi Yose says in order that he would be present the entire time. Rabbi Shimon ben Menassiah says perhaps The Place will be stirred up and will perform a miracle for us.

R. Joshua b. Korha said: [She said], I will encourage him so that he may be killed, both he and I. Rabban Gamaliel said: [She said; Ashvesosh] is a flip flopping king. R. Gamaliel said: We still require the Modai, as it has been taught: R. Eliezer of Modiin says, She made the king jealous of him and she made the princes jealous of him..

Rabbah said: [She said], “Pride goes before the fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Abaye and Rava both of whom said: [She said], “With their poison I will prepare their feast” (Jeremiah 51:39). Rabbah b. Abbuha found Elijah and said to him: Which of these reasons prompted Esther to act as she did? He replied: [All] the reasons given by all the Tannaim and all the Amoraim.

“And Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches and the multitude of his children” (Esther 5:11). How many were “the multitude of his children”? Rav said: Ten died, ten were hanged, and ten went begging. The Rabbis said:

Those who went begging were seventy, as it says, “They that were full [seve’im] have hired themselves out for bread” (I Samuel 2:5). Read not seve’im, but shiv’im [seventy].

And Rami bar Abba said: there were two hundred eight in all as is said, 'and the large number of his sons'. The numerical value (gematria) of 'and the large number' is two hundred fourteen. Rav Nahman bar Yitzhak said: it is written vav-resh-vet [without the extra vav].

"On that night the king's sleep was disturbed..." Rabbi Tanhum said, the sleep of the King of the Universe was disturbed. And the Rabbis said that the uppermost ones were disturbed and the lowermost ones were disturbed. Rava said that [it means] the sleep of King Ahashverosh himself.

A thought came to [Ahashverosh]. He said, what just came before me, that Esther invited Haman? Perhaps they are considering teaming up against that man (Ahashverosh himself) to slay him? Circling back he said, if so, is there no man here who would have mercy on me and let me know? Circling back he said, then perhaps there is a person who did me good service and I did not repay him? Because of this people have refrained and have not revealed [anything] to me? Immediately "he said to bring the book of records, the daily chronicles..."

“And they were read.” This teaches that they were read of themselves. And it was found [being] written. It should say, a writing [ketav] was found? This shows that