Megillah 11a

מגילה י״א ע״א

Learn Megillah 11a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Openings to the מגילה and a word-by-word reading of its first פסוק

Overview

This amud first lists many 'openings' (פתיחתות) to the מגילה. In each one, a חכם takes a verse from elsewhere in תנ״ך and shows that it hints to the פורים story: fire, water and abundance; a roaring lion and a hungry bear; laziness in Torah; 'a man and not a king'; and the joy of שושן. Then the גמרא starts explaining the first פסוק of the מגילה word by word. רב reads ויהי as a cry of woe, and שמואל and a ברייתא bring a verse showing that God never abandons ישראל in exile, sending מרדכי and אסתר in the days of המן. Four חכמים find hidden meanings in the name אחשורוש, and the word 'הוא' teaches that wicked people stayed wicked and righteous people stayed righteous, with דוד staying humble even as king. The גמרא then discusses 'המולך', 'מהודו ועד כוש' (with a parallel argument about שלמה), and the 127 provinces, which רב חסדא says came in three stages. The amud ends with a ברייתא naming three kings who ruled the whole world: אחאב, אחשורוש and נבוכדנצר.

Opening lines

The steps (37)

1. StatementA verse from עזרא points to the time of המן
2. StatementFire, water, and abundance: three periods of danger and rescue
3. StatementThe whole world saw God's salvation in the days of מרדכי and אסתר
4. Statementריש לקיש's verse: the roaring lion is נבוכדנצר
5. StatementThe hungry bear is אחשורוש
6. Proofרב יוסף: why the Persians are compared to a bear
7. StatementThe wicked ruler is Haman and the poor people is Israel
8. Statementרבי אלעזר's opening: laziness in Torah weakened Israel's protection
9. ProofProof that מך means poor and מקרה refers to God
10. Statementרב נחמן בר יצחק's opening: a man rose against us, not a king
11. Statementרבא's opening: joy with the righteous, sighing under the wicked
12. Statementרב מתנה opens with a verse about God being close to His nation
13. Statementרב אשי opens with a verse about God taking a nation out of another nation
14. Statementרב reads 'ויהי' as a cry of woe
15. Statementשמואל's hopeful verse matched to different exiles
16. StatementA ברייתא matches the same verse to exiles and the leaders God sent
17. Statementרבי לוי's opening verse: driving out the people of the land
18. Statementרבי חייא's opening verse: what I planned for them I will do to you
19. Statementרב: אחשורוש is the brother and match of נבוכדנצר
20. Statementשמואל: Israel's faces were blackened in his days
21. Statementרבי יוחנן: whoever remembers him says 'woe to his head'
22. Statementרבי חנינא: everyone became poor in his days
23. StatementThe word 'This is' shows the wicked stayed wicked
24. StatementThe same word shows the righteous stayed righteous
25. Statementדוד stayed humble even as king
26. Statementרב: 'Who reigned' means he made himself king
27. StatementWhy it could be praise and why it could be criticism
28. StatementFirst view: הודו and כוש are at opposite ends of the world
29. StatementSecond view: הודו and כוש are next to each other
30. StatementThe same argument about שלמה's kingdom: one end of the world to the other
31. StatementThe other opinion: תפסח and עזה are neighbors
32. Statementרב חסדא: the 127 provinces came in three stages
33. ChallengeChallenge from עמרם's age, written the same way
34. ResolutionAnswer: in the מגילה the number is extra
35. Statementברייתא: three kings ruled the whole world
36. ProofProof that אחאב ruled the world: he made every nation swear
37. ProofProof for נבוכדנצר, and אחשורוש from what we already learned