Megillah, Daf Yod Bet, Part 2

 

 

בחצר גנת ביתן המלך רב ושמואל; חד אמר: הראוי לחצר – לחצר, הראוי לגינה – לגינה, הראוי לביתן – לביתן, וחד אמר: הושיבן בחצר – ולא החזיקתן, בגינה – ולא החזיקתן, עד שהכניסן לביתן והחזיקתן.

במתניתא תנא: הושיבן בחצר, ופתח להם שני פתחים אחד לגינה ואחד לביתן.

 

"In the court of the garden of the king’s palace" (Esther 1:5).

Rav and Shmuel One said that those who were fit for the court were [entertained] in the court, and those who were fit for the garden in the garden, and those who were fit for the palace in the palace.

The other said: He first put them in the court, and it did not hold them Then he took them into the garden and it did not hold them; and finally he had to take them into the palace, and it fit them.

In a baraitha it was taught: He took them into the court and opened two doors for them, one into the garden and one into the palace.

 

The rabbis are troubled by the verse because "court" "garden" and "palace" are three different places. They offer three different interpretations: 1) Each person went where he belonged, based on his societal standing. 2) They first went into the court, but when that couldn’t hold them, Ahashverosh opened up the garden and then eventually the palace itself. 3) He sat them in the court but doors were opened to the garden and palace.

 

חור כרפס ותכלת, מאי חור? רב אמר: חרי חרי, ושמואל אמר: מילת לבנה הציע להם.

כרפס אמר רבי יוסי בר חנינא: כרים של פסים.

 

White [hur], fine cotton [karpas] and blue.

What is hur? Rav said: Fine lace-work (harei harei).

Shmuel said: He spread for them carpets of white silk.

Karpas: R. Yose b. Haninah said: [this means] cushions of velvet (karim shel pasim).

 

The rabbis here interpret two very unusual words in the Tanakh "hur, karpas" by using puns that accord with Hebrew.

 

על גלילי כסף ועמודי שש מטות זהב וכסף.

תניא, רבי יהודה אומר: הראוי לכסף – לכסף, הראוי לזהב – לזהב. אמר לו רבי נחמיה: אם כן אתה מטיל קנאה בסעודה, אלא: הם של כסף ורגליהן של זהב.

 

"On silver rods and pillars of marble; the couches were of gold and silver."

It has been taught: R. Judah said: For those who were worthy of silver, silver, and for those who were worthy of gold, gold. R. Nehemiah said to him: If that were so, he would have caused jealousy at the banquet! No; the couches themselves were of silver and their feet of gold.

 

According to R. Judah’s interpretation, who reclined on what type of couch at the banquet was a reflection of his social standing. R. Nehemiah is shocked at such an interpretation because it would cause envy at the banquet. Rather, the couches were of silver and only the legs were gold. Everyone was equal.

It is interesting to note that the Roman banquet was highly stratified where you sat reflected your social standing. R. Nehemiah’s response may be a veiled critique of the type of banquets that occurred in his day.

 

בהט ושש, אמר רב אסי: אבנים שמתחוטטות על בעליהן, וכן הוא אומר +זכריה ט’+ אבני נזר מתנוססות על אדמתו.

 

Green [bahat] and white marble. R. Assi said: [This means] stones that cause their owners hard labor; And so it says, "As the stones of a crown, which take many trials to dig up from the land" (Zechariah 9:6).

 

R. Assi uses another pun to explain "bahat." The idea that stones can be great work to lift up is echoed in a midrashic interpretation of Zechariah.

 

ודר וסחרת רב אמר: דרי דרי, ושמואל אמר: אבן טובה יש בכרכי הים ודרה שמה, הושיבה באמצע סעודה ומאירה להם כצהרים. דבי רבי ישמעאל תנא: שקרא דרור לכל בעלי סחורה.

 

And shell [dar] and onyx marble [sohareth]. Rab said: This means rows [dari] upon rows.

Samuel says: There is a precious stone in the seaports called darah. He put it in the midst of the guests, and it lit up the place as at midday [Sahara].

In the school of R. Ishmael it was taught: It means that he gave a remission of taxes [deror] to all merchants [sehorah].

 

More puns in the stones used in the palace. All of these connect the odd Persian loan words found in Esther with Hebrew or Aramaic words that sound similar.

 

והשקות בכלי זהב וכלים מכלים שונים – משונים מיבעי ליה! אמר רבא: יצתה בת קול ואמרה להם: ראשונים כלו מפני כלים ואתם שונים בהם?

 

And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, the vessels being diverse [shonim] one from another.

It should have said, in different vessels?

Rava said: A heavenly voice went forth and said to them, Your predecessors met their end (kalu) on account of vessels (kelim), and yet you use them again [shonim]?

 

Rava reads some more puns into these verses. "Kalu" can mean "exterminated" and sounds like the word "keli" which means vessels. The Babylonians were destroyed in the time of Belshazzar for drinking out of the vessels they had stolen from the Temple. And yet Ahasheverosh is again (shonim, from the word for two, which in Esther means "diverse") drinking from them!

 

ויין מלכות רב אמר רב: מלמד שכל אחד ואחד השקהו יין שגדול הימנו בשנים.

 

And royal wine in abundance: Rav said: This teaches that each one was given to drink wine older then himself.

 

Rav reads the word "rav" in Esther not as "abundance" but as "greater in years." Old wine is superior to new wine.

והשתיה כדת (אין אנס).

מאי כדת? אמר רבי חנן משם רבי מאיר: כדת של תורה, מה דת של תורה – אכילה מרובה משתיה, אף סעודתו של אותו רשע – אכילה מרובה משתיה.

 

And the drinking was according to law. What is meant by according to law ? R. Hanan said in the name of R. Meir: According to the law of the Torah. Just as according to the law of the Torah the [quantity of] food exceeds the drink, so in the feast of that wicked one there was more food than drink.

 

Despite the fact that Ahashverosh was considered evil, he still held the proper portion of food to drink more food to drink. This is like the offerings on the altar where there was more food offered than drink.