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Background to the Daf - MEGILAH 11

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BACKGROUND TO THE DAILY DAF brought to you by Kollel Iyun Hadaf of Yerushalayim

Rosh Kollel: Rabbi Mordecai [email protected]

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MEGILAH 11

[11a - 50 lines; 11b - 55 lines]

1) [ l i ne 10] "ודו

נוהם

שוקרי

..." "ARI NOHEM V'DOV SHOKEK ..." - "[As] a roaring lion,

and a growling bear, [so is a wicked ruler over a destitute people]" (Mishlei 28:15).

2) [ l i ne 11] "מס כ

עלה ריה

..." "ALAH ARYEH MI'SUBCHO ..." - "The lion has left the

thicket (where he lay in ambush), [the destroyer of nations has traveled, he has left his place, to lay waste yourland to render it desolate without inhabitants]" (Yirmeyahu 4:7). (THE NAVI'S FINAL WARNING TO DO

TESHUVAH) The Navi is issuing Yisrael a warning at this final hour to do Teshuvah now before it is too late, for Nevuchadnetzar (who is compared to a lion) has left the thicket where he waits in ambush, and he is now aboutto destroy all the nations in the region, but particularly he has set his sight against Klal Yisrael, who havearoused HaSh-m's anger.

3) [ l i ne 12] "חרחיורו

,תנינ

,לד

דמיה

..." "VA'ARU CHEIVAH OCHRI,

TINYANA, DAMYA LE'DOV ..." - "And behold another wild beast, second to it (the lion), resembling a bear,

[standing to one side, with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth, and so they said to it, 'You will eat a lot ofmeat'.]" (Daniel 7:5). (PERSIA IN DANIEL'S DREAM) The second beast in Daniel's dream represented Persia, who is compared to a bear (according to Rashi on theverse, "Dov" means "wolf"), as the Gemara explains. It is for the same reason that the verse concludes with themetaphor of eating a lot of meat (since the Gemara remarks that the Persians ate and drank like bears). The bear

stood beside the lion, the Metzudas David explains, to represented the year that it took for Koresh, king ofPersia, to assume the throne, which hitherto had been held by his father-in-law, Daryavesh, king of Medes. Thethree ribs represented the three kings who were destined to rule over Persia — Koresh, Achashverosh, andDaryavesh (under whose auspices the Beis ha'Mikdash was rebuilt). The large quantity of meat that the bearwould eat referred either to the total annihilation of Bavel, as described by Yirmeyahu (Malbim) or to the vasttreasures which the kings of Persia discovered (Metzudas David).

4) [ l i ne 13] מסור לין שר כדו MESURBALIN BASAR K'DOV - cloaked in flesh like a bear

5) [ l i ne 14] "המקר

ימך

עצלתים

"... "BA'ATZALTAYIM YIMACH HA'MEKAREH ..." -

"By slothfulness the ceiling sag,; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks" (Koheles 10:18). The

Gemara interprets this verse as, "Because of the laziness of Bnei Yisrael with regard to Torah-learning, HaSh-m,kiv'Yachol, becomes as if He is poor, unable to protect them."

6) [ l i ne 16] "מערכ

הו

מך

ם

..." "V'IM MACH HU ME'ERKECHA ..." - "But if he is poorer

than your estimation, [then he shall present himself before the Kohen, and the Kohen shall value him; accordingto the ability of him who vowed shall the Kohen value him]" (Vayikra 27:8).

7) [ l i ne 16] "עליותי

מקרה מים

..." "HA'MEKAREH VA'MAYIM ALIYOSAV ..." - "Who

lays the beams of His chambers in the waters; [Who makes the clouds His chariot; Who walks upon the wingsof the wind." (Tehilim 104:3)

8) [ l i ne 17] ישר ,'שהיה לנ'לולי ':יר המעלות לדו" שהיה'לולי '. י מר נ

"...לנו קום עלינו דם "SHIR HA'MA'ALOS L'DAVID: 'LULEI HASH-M SHE'HAYAH LANU,'

YOMAR NA YISRAEL. 'LULEI HASH-M SHE'HAYAH LANU B'KUM ALEINU ADAM ..." - "A song of

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ascent of David: 'Had HaSh-m not been with us,' let Yisrael now say. 'Had HaSh-m not been with us when aman arose against us. [Then they would have swallowed us alive ...]" (Tehilim 124:1-3).

9) [ l i ne 18] ". ו משל רשע י נח ע,ר ות צדיקים ישמח הע" "BI'RVOS TZADIKIM

YISMACH HA'AM, UVI'MSHOL RASHA YE'ANACH AM." - "When a righteous man rule the people are

happy, but when a wicked man rules the people groan" (Mishlei 29:3).

10) [ l i ne 20] לקינו כל קר נו' כ,י מי גוי גדול שר לו לקים קר ים לי"

".לי "KI MI GOY GADOL ASHER LO ELOHIM KEROVIM ELAV KA'HASH-M ELOKEINU B'CHOL

KOR'EINU ELAV" - "For which nation is so great that it has God close to it, as HaSh-m our G-d is wheneverwe call out to Him" (Devarim 4:7). The Maharsha explains that this vere is really in answer to Haman'sargument that HaSh-m has already rejected Yisrael and has distanced Himself from them. It is to counter thatargument that Rav Masna would begin his expounding of the Megilah with this verse.

11) [ l i ne 21] " הנסה

יםו

..." "O HA'NISAH ELOHIM ..." - "Or did God ever perform such

miracles, [to come and extricate one nation from the midst of another with challenges, with signs, and withwonders, and with greatly awesome deeds, such as everything that HaSh-m did in Egypt before your eyes?]"

(Devarim 4:34). (MEASURE FOR MEASURE) The theme of this verse, explains the Torah Temimah, lies in its conclusion. It teaches us that just as HaSh-m

turned the tables on the Egyptians and drowned them in the Yam Suf, causing them to suffer the same fate thatthey had sought for Klal Yisrael, so too did the Persians find the tables turned against them when they werekilled on the very day and in the very way that they had planned to kill Yisrael. That explains why Rav Ashichose to introduce his expounding of the Megilah with this verse.

12) [ l i ne 22] "...והתמכרתם שם ל י יך לע דים ולשפחו..." "... V'HISMAKARTEM

SHAM L'OYEVECHA LA'AVADIM VELI'SHEFACHOS ..." - "[HaSh-m will return you to Egypt in ships, onthe road of which I said to you, 'You shall never again see it,'] and there you will offer yourselves for sale to

your enemies as slaves and maidservants [but there will be no buyer]" (Devarim 28:68). (USELESS AND

WORTHLESS) (a) Rav would begin his expounding of the Megilah with this verse. Nothing can be more degrading for an entirenation than to be deemed totally dispensable, considered useless and worthless, simply because they have been

doomed to die. Rashi explains that Haman had issued a decree that nobody was permitted to purchase a Jewishslave. The verse expresses the feeling of total helplessness and despair by using the expression, "Vayehi," which

denotes, "Vai v'Hai," an articulation of great despair.(b) The Torah Temimah explains the connection between this verse and the events of Purim by quoting anothervese in Esther (7:4). Esther said to Achashverosh, "And if we had been sold as slaves and maidservants, I wouldhave been silent, for the oppressor cares nothing for the damage to the king."

13) [ l i ne 29] ן גילו BEN GILO - of the same character (born at the same hour, under the same cosmic

influences)

14) [ l i ne 32] קדרה

כשולי

SHULEI KEDEIRAH - the [blackened] underside of a pot

15) [ l i ne 42] "...ע

ועד

תפסח

..." "... MI'TIFSACH V'AD AZAH ..." - "[For he had dominion

over all of the region beyond the [Euphrates] River,] from Tifsach to Azah, [over all the kings of the region beyond the [Euphrates] River; and he had peace on all sides around him]" (Melachim I 5:4).

16) [ l i ne 46] מלכו כיפה

MALCHU V'KIPAH - ruled over the whole known world

11b--------------------------------------11b

17) [ l i ne 2] סליק מלכותיה LO SALIK MALCHUSEI - (lit. his kingdom did not finish) he lostל

the throne before the end of his life (see Gitin 68b)

18) [ l i ne 2] והדיוט

מלך

MELECH V'HEDYOT - Shlomo was a king and them became a commoner

19) [ l i ne 6] " כס

על

שלמה

יש

'..." "VA'YESHEV SHLOMO AL KISEI HASH-M ..." -

"And Shlomo sat on the throne of HaSh-m [in place of David his father, and he was successful. And all of

Yisrael listened to him" (Divrei ha'Yamim I 29:23). (SHLOMO HA'MELECH ASCENDS THE "THRONE

OF HASH-M")

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(a) Shlomo's appointment to the throne (despite Adoniyahu's recent rebellion) had the backing of all segments ofKlal Yisrael. David's timely intervention, apparently prompted by Nasan ha'Navi and Bas Sheva, was entirelysuccessful in quelling the rebellion. Thus began one of the most successful reigns in history, as the verse goes onto explain.(b) Commenting on the phrase "the throne of HaSh-m," Rashi cites a Midrash which explains that His throne is

compared to the full moon (which shines brighter at mid-month than on all other nights of the month). He

elaborates by citing the fourteen generations that preceded Shlomo (Avraham, Yitzchak, Yakov, Yehudah,Peretz, Chetzron, Ram, Avinadav, Nachshon, Salmon, Bo'az, Oved, Yishai, David, during which time thekingdom of Yisrael flourished and grew. This is why the verse in Tehilim compares the throne of David to thesun. In contrast, during the reign of the fifteen kings from Shlomo to Tzidkiyahu, the kingdom of Yisraelcontinued to wane until the time of the Churban Beis ha'Mikdash, when Nevuchadnetzar blinded Tzidkiyahu'seyes, symbolic of the disappearance of the moon (to which Malchus Yisrael is compared, as is clearly indicated

in the Kidush Levanah prayer) at the end of the month.(c) The above is all the more remarkable when we consider that Shlomo was only twelve years old when he became king.

20) [ l i ne 7] " ה רצי כל

מידי

הצילו ת רצם

ה לה שר

ת

..." "MI B'CHOL

ELOHEI HA'ARATZOS HA'EILEH ASHER HITZILU ES ARTZAM MI'YADI ..." - "Who from among all the

gods of these lands was able to save their country from my hand, [that HaSh-m will save Yerushalayim from myhand.]" (Yeshayah 36:20) (RAVSHAKEH'S BLASPHEMY)

(a) Having reminded Chizkiyahu's emissaries that Sancheriv had captured all of the cities of the known world(Chamas, Arpad, Sefarvayim, and Shomron), and that their gods were helpless against his vast army, Ravshakeh(Sancheriv's apostate Jewish general) went on to mock Chizkiyahu and his G-d. He assured them that all of His promises were worthless, because their G-d (kiv'Yachol) was no different than the others, and thatYerushalayim would fall just as all the other cities had fallen.(b) In fact, says the Midrash, were it not for Sancheriv's vanity, Yerushalayim might have fallen to him, too. It

was due to his own over-inflated ego that he missed the opportunity to realize his much-coveted dream and jointhe ranks of the few kings who ruled over the entire world. A short while later, nothing of Sancheriv's vast armyremained but corpses, Yerushalayim survived, and Sancheriv returned home in disgrace.

21) [ l i ne 11] SHELAMCHON YISGEI - your peace shall increase (a salutation)שלמכון יסג

22) [ l i ne 13] ל חשדרפני

L'ACHASHDARPENAYA - to the satraps

23) [ l i ne 14] "פר

מלך

כרש

ה מר

,' לי

נתן

ה רץ

ממלכות

כל

'...'" "... KO AMAR

KORESH MELECH PARAS, 'KOL MAMLECHOS HA'ARETZ NASAN LI HASH-M ...'" - "[And it was inthe first year of Koresh... when the time referred to by the word of HaSh-m to Yirmeyahu (i.e. the termination of

the seventy years of exile) came to an end, HaSh-m aroused the spirit of Koresh, king of Persia, who issued a public announcement throughout his kingdom, also in writing, saying:] So says Koresh king of Persia, 'HaSh-m,[G-d of the Heaven,] has given me all the nations of the earth,[ and He commanded me to build Him a house inYerushalayim that was in Yehudah']" (Ezra 1:1). (KORESH KING OF PERSIA AND THE RETURN OF

THE EXILES) (a) This verse describes the beginning of the major return from Galus Bavel, together with Zerubavel, as is

described in Chapter 2. Together with other leaders, including Mordechai, they set out to build the second Beisha'Mikdash.

24) [ l i ne 18] "הה

ימים

,המל

כש ת

...למלכ

שלוש

שנת

..." "BA'YAMIM

HA'HEM, K'SHEVES HA'MELECH ... BI'SHENAS SHALOSH L'MALCHO ..." - "In those days, when KingAchashverosh sat [on the throne of his kingdom which was in Shushan the capital,] in the third year of his reign[he made a feast for all his officials and provinces ... the drinks were served in golden vessels of diverse formand royal wine in abundance in accordance with the king's wealth ...]" (Esther 1:2-3, 7) (THE

MISCALCULATION OF THE PERSIAN KINGS) (a) Achashverosh presumed that the earlier king, Beltshatzar, had erred by using the captured holy vessels of the

Beis ha'Mikdash when he had thought that the seventy years of Galus began when the kingdom of Bavel cameto power (at the beginning of Nevuchadnetzar's reign). He took out the vessels in the second year of his reign,after seventy years had passed since the beginning of the reign of Bavel and the Jewish people were still inGalus. He figured that if they had not been redeemed by then, they would not be redeemed at all since HaSh-m

had clearly lost His power (kiv'Yachol). Yisrael would remain in Galus, and HaSh-m would be unable to punishhim for abusing the holy vessels.

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(b) Achashverosh knew better, supposedly. He "knew" that the seventy years of Galus began not when thekingdom of Bavel came to power, but when Yechonyah was sent into exile eight years later. When thoseadditional eight years had passed, in the third year of his reign, and the Jewish people had not yet beenredeemed, Achashverosh took out the holy vessels and used them, following in the footsteps of Beltshatzar.(c) However, Achashverosh erred, too. The seventy years of Galus began not with the exile of Yechonyah as

Achashverosh assumed, but eleven years later with the Churban of the Beis ha'Mikdash and the exile of

Tzidkiyahu. Hence, it would end only in the second year of Koresh. In any event, both kings erred by a yeareven according to their own reckoning, since some of the above years overlapped, in which case the seventy-year period ended later than they both thought, as the Gemara explains.(d) This is not to say that the prophecy of Yirmeyahu that refers to seventy years from Bavel's conquest ofYisrael did not take effect. As the Metzudas David points out, it was in the first year of the reign of Koresh I thatthey were allowed to return to Eretz Yisrael, and the first stage of the redemption began at that moment. Indeed,

this formed the basis of Daniel's mistake, as the Gemara explains on 12a.(e) See Charts and Graphics: A TIMELINE OF THE YEARS OF GALUS BAVEL.

25) [ l i ne 21] "שנה פקד תכ

ש עים

ל ל

מל ת

לפי

י

" "KI LEFI MELOS L'BAVEL

SHIV'IM SHANAH EFKOD ESCHEM" - "Because when seventy years of Bavel are completed I willremember you [and I will establish for you My good word, to return you to this place.]" (Yirmeyahu 29:10)

See above, entry #24.

26) [ l i ne 22] "שנ

ש עים

ירושלם

לחר ות

למל ות

" "L'MAL'OS L'CHARVOS

YERUSHALAYIM SHIV'IM SHANAH" - "[In the first year of his (Daryavesh's) reign, I, Daniel, studied thescrolls, the number of years that the word of HaSh-m came to Yirmeyahu ha'Navi,] seventy years after thedestruction of Yerushalayim." (Daniel 9:2)See above, entry #24.

27) [ l i ne 30] יהויקים

YEHOYAKIM

The Judean Kings from Chizkiyahu until Tzidkiyahu and the years of their rule:

KING: Year s of r ul e- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

CHIZKIYAHU 29 MENASHE 55 AMON 2YOSHIYAHU 31YEHOACHAZ 3 MONTHS

ben Yoshi yahuYEHOYAKIM ( El yaki m) 11

ben Yoshi yahuYEHOYACHIN ( Yechonyah) 3 MONTHS

ben Yehoyaki mTZIDKIYAHU ( Mat anyah) 11

ben Yoshi yahu

( See al so our comprehensi ve Chart atht t p: / / daf yomi . co. i l / gener al / i nf o/ j ewi shki ngs. pdf )

28) [ l i ne 42] מיפרקי וד י תו ל HASHTA VADAI, TU LO MIFREKEI - now certainlyהשת

they will never be redeemed

29) [ l i ne 44] התרוממ" שמי די יתה היתיו קד,ועל מר ,ו נ,ולמ ני

שתין הו, שגלת,נור ר "... ולחנתך חמר "V'AL MAREI SHEMAYA HISROMAMTA,

UL'MANAYA DI VAISEI HAISIV KADAMACH, V'ANT, V'RAVREVANACH, SHEGELASACH,

U'LCHEINASACH CHAMRA SHASAYIN BEHON ..." - "You exalted yourself against the L-rd of Heaven,and the utensils of His House were brought before you, [and you, your nobles, your consorts, and yourconcubines drank wine from them; you praised gods of silver and gold, copper, metal, wood, and stone that

cannot see, cannot hear, and who know nothing; while the G-d Who holds your soul in His hands and Whocontrols all your ways, you did not honor]" (Daniel 5:23). (THE WRITING ON THE WALL)

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(a) This was Daniel's interpretation of the writing on the wall ("Menei Menei Tekel u'Farsin"). HaSh-m wastelling Belshatzar that He found him lacking. Instead of taking a lesson from his father, Nevuchadnetzar, whosearrogance resulted in his downfall, Belshatzar followed in his footsteps.(b) In keeping with Shlomo ha'Melech's teaching, "Pride precedes a fall," Beltshatzar was killed that very night,and, as Daniel had informed him, Persia and Medes took over the rulership from Bavel.

30) [ l i ne 45] "קטיל לש צ

יה לילי

,כשד

מלכ

" "BEI B'LEILYA KETIL

BELSHATZAR, MALKA CHASDA'I" - "That very night Belshatzar, the Chaldean king, was slain" (Daniel5:30).

31) [ l i ne 50] ועייל חילופייהו CHASHIV V'AYIL CHILUFAIHU - he figured and addedחשי

[eight years] in their place

32) [ l ast l i ne] " ע ידת ית

די ירושלדין טלת

,]שנת

עד

והות טל

דריוש

למלכות

תרתין

,פר

מלך

.[" "BEDAYIN BETEILAS AVIDAS BEIS ELAKA DI

B'YERUSHELEM, [VA'HAVAS BATLA AD SHENAS TARTEIN L'MALCHUS DARYAVESH. MELECHPARAS.]" - "Then the work of the house of HaSh-m that is in Yerushalayim ceased, [and it remained halted

until the second year of the reign of Daryavesh, king of Persia]" (Ezra 4:24). (THE CONSTRUCTION OF

THE BEIS HA'MIKDASH IS POSTPONED FOR EIGHTEEN YEARS) Koresh, king of Persia, had granted Zerubavel permission to rebuild the Beis ha'Mikdash, and it was already

well underway. However, the enemies of Yisrael sent a strong letter of protest to Achashverosh (who succeededKoresh), in which they "reminded" him how, throughout history, Yisrael had subjugated all other kingdoms, andwarned him that if they were allowed to rebuild their Holy Temple and were given autonomy in their land, they

would rebel against him and overthrow his kingdom. At that point, Achashverosh withdrew his permission andthe work remained idle for another eighteen years.

33) [ l ast l i ne] שנים מקוטעות SHANIM MEKUTA'OS - incomplete years

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