15
I gave a Shiur on this last year. Here is my summary of the reasons to be lenient. Much of this is based on a piece in קובץ פרי תמרים אדר תשמ"ז by Rav Ezriel Kahn. (Its also worth looking up the תשובה מאהבה חלק א' סי' ר"י.)
1) Rav Chaim Kanievsky - Because of the changing of the tides and shorelines and the like we don’t really know whether it was ...
15
The Mahara"l of Prauge, in his commentary to Megilas Esther called Ohr Chadash, (after offering the more basic suggestion that this denotes something Mordechai would do on a constant basis), explains that even when Mordechai had an option to use an alternate route, he would make a point of going in front of Haman and not bowing down.
The Ohr Hachayim ...
15
R Eliezer Melamed, author of Peninei Halakha, (here, note 10) writes
The Aĥaronim debate whether a woman may write a Megilla.
Birkei Yosef,
Mateh Yehuda, and Pri Megadim posit that since a woman must read the
Megilla, she may write one.
R. Akiva Eger, Avnei Nezer, and others
maintain that she is invalidated from writing a megilla, just as she
is invalidated ...
13
R. Mordechai Sasson, in his sefer דבר בעתו in the section called "רמזי מגלה", explains that Haman symbolizes the Yetzer Harah (evil inclination), and his ten sons allude to its ten bad character traits. Their death, brought about by Mordechai and Esther, represents the nullification of such evil traits by being overpowered by the Yetzer Tov (good inclination)...
13
The Mishna in Megillah (2:1) states:
והלועז ששמע אשורית יצא
A foreigner who heard [it] in Hebrew fulfills his obligation.
The Talmud (18a) elaborates:
והלועז ששמע אשורית יצא וכו', - והא לא ידע מאי קאמרי? - מידי דהוה אנשים ועמי הארץ. - מתקיף לה רבינא: אטו אנן האחשתרנים בני הרמכים, מי ידעינן? אלא מצות קריאה ופרסומי ניסא - הכא נמי מצות קריאה ...
12
I've been a Torah reader for about 45 years, and have read Megilla for about 20 years. This is tough to give you an exact assessment, here, because there are several factors here. So, take what I write as my own "best professional" opinion.
I'm going to assume throughout that you can both read and pronounce Hebrew well. (I've been listening to numerous Bar ...
12
In the case of Achashveirosh, Rashi writes:
(from sefaria)
לְהָבִיא אֶת סֵפֶר הַזִּכְרֹנוֹת. דֶּרֶךְ הַמְּלָכִים, כְּשֶׁשְּׁנָתָן נוֹדֶדֶת, אוֹמְרִים לִפְנֵיהֶם מְשָׁלִים וְשִׂיחוֹת עַד שֶׁשְּׁנָתָם חוֹזֶרֶת עֲלֵיהֶם.
To bring the book of archives. It is the custom of kings that when their sleep is disturbed, parables and tales are recounted before them ...
11
Ohr Chadash - Maharal M'Prag asks this question and answers that Mordechai intentionally made sure to be in the areas where Haman was going to show he was not going to bow down.
לא יכרע, זהו אף שהיה יכול מרדכי ללכת בדרך אחרת שלא יהיה פוגע בו ולא
יכעס המן
11
Medrash Esther Raba 3 says Charvona was called Charvona as he was responsible for the Churban Bais Hamikdash.
חרבונא מופיע פעמיים במגילה - בתחילת המגילה הוא מופיע כאחד משבעת
הסריסים המשרתים את פני המלך אחשרוש, ובסוף המגילה הוא מגלה לאחשורוש על
העץ שהכין המן. חרבונא זהו שם פרסי (א' בסופו). אומר המדרש [אסתר רבה, ג]
שמשמעות שמו - "אחריב ביתיה", לשון ...
11
The Talmud (Megillah 16a) states:
וסריסי המלך הגיעו ויבהילו מלמד שהביאוהו בבהלה.
"The king’s chamberlains came, and they hastened" - This teaches that they brought him in disarray.
On which Rashi (ibid.) comments:
מלמד שהביאוהו בבהלה - ולא רחץ יפה מטינופו
This teaches that they brought him in disarray - And he did not wash properly from his ...
10
R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach1 discusses the entire issue of recreated sounds in Shu"t Minchas Shlomo siman 9. His basic synopsis is that since the sound is being converted from sound waves to electrical signals and then converted back into sound waves, the sound one hears is not the original sound in any form.
Therefore, he concludes that one may not fulfill ...
10
In general, גאולה (redemption) seems to mean restoring something to its proper place, as in: returning an enslaved person to his family/home, or likewise, returning an ancestral property to its original owner. Chazal are perhaps noting that this is even the case with something as seemingly trivial as ascribing proper authorship where due. As such, one could ...
10
The Maharal in Or Chadash on Megilas Esther explains that Hashem performs miracles in order to create a Kiddush Hashem. However, if the person involved in the rescue will take the credit then there is no Kiddush Hashem generated from this salvation, and it is therefore aborted. But, one who gives credit to whom it is due will surely make it known that it was ...
10
The requirement of the megillah reading is to hear every word (Shulchan Aruch O"C 690:3), including Haman's name.
There is a minhag to make noise "as if" you're drowning out Haman's name (Ram"a O"C 690:17), but this is always done after saying Haman (Mishnah Berurah 690:60). Sometimes, when people get too into it and start making noise early, the person ...
9
The gemara in Megillah 6b-7a explains why when it investigates the Mishnaic statement that in a leap year, one is required to read the megillah in the second Adar to be yotzei the requirement.
(as per dafyomi.co.il)
R. Eliezer says, every year we celebrate in the month next to Shevat.
R. Shimon says, every year we celebrate in the month adjacent to Nisan.
...
9
Tosefos on Megillah 4a (s.v. "חייב אדם") writes that the primary pirsumei nisa is in the daytime reading.
דעיקר פרסומי ניסא הוי בקריאה דיממא וקרא נמי משמע כן
The Turei Even to Megillah 7b, s.v. סעודת פורים writes that the primary enactment, from the Megillah, of reading Megillah is only during the day, and the enactment to read at night is a secondary ...
9
If Mordechai never discovered the Bigsan and Seresh plot, then he would have (presumably) been executed by Haman.
When Haman came to ask the king permission to hang Mordechai, the king interrupted him (before Haman could reveal he wanted Mordechai dead) and proceeded to reward Mordechai. Haman from that moment on (it wasn't the parade that mattered) would ...
9
When משתה is in construct state it has a tzere instead of a segol and would mean "drinking-party of" instead of just "drinking-party".
9
The Talmud in Megillah 4a lays out the requirement for reading the Megillah both at night and during the day:
ואריב"ל חייב אדם לקרות את המגילה בלילה ולשנותה ביום שנאמר אלהי אקרא יומם ולא תענה ולילה ולא דומיה לי סבור מינה למקרייה בליליא ולמיתנא מתניתין דידה ביממא אמר להו רבי ירמיה לדידי מיפרשא לי מיניה דרבי חייא בר אבא כגון דאמרי אינשי אעבור פרשתא דא ...
8
Rabbi Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz (author of Lecha Dodi) wrote a commentary of the Megilla called "Manos Halevi". (It is said that he sent the book to his fiance in lieu of "Shalach Manos", since he was poor and could not afford to send her food). He addresses this question, and suggests that perhaps Moshe's death was considered a bad indication for the Jews ...
8
According to Pirkei De'Rebbi Eliezer (Chapter 50), he got his wealth by looting all the treasure houses of the kings of Yehuda and the Kodshei Kedoshim (Holy of Holies):
רבי פנחס אומר שני עשירים היו לפנים בעולם, קרח בישראל והמן בשושן . . שלקח כל אוצרות מלכי יהודה ואת כל אוצרות קדשי הקדשים
8
There are several places in the Talmud which assume she was taken by force, e.g. Megillah 15a:
לך כנוס את כל היהודים וגו' עד אשר לא כדת אמר רבי אבא שלא כדת היה שבכל יום ויום עד עכשיו באונס ועכשיו ברצון וכאשר אבדתי אבדתי כשם שאבדתי מבית אבא כך אובד ממך
Rashi there:
עד עכשיו. נבעלתי באונס: ועכשיו. מכאן ואילך מדעתי: אבדתי ממך. ואסורה אני לך דאשת ישראל ...
8
Rabbi Yonason Eibushutz answered humorously that disposing of two evil doers ( Bigsan and Teresh) is better than one ( Ahashverosh)
The midrash (footnote 73) and Sefarim Chitzonum writes that Bigsan and Teresh were in cohoots with Haman. If Ahasverish was killed Haman would have taken his place. In that case it is clear that Ahasverosh is better than Haman. ...
8
They have the same numerical value.
ה = 5
מ = 40
ן = 50
5 + 40 + 50 = 95
ד = 4
נ = 50
י = 10
א = 1
ל = 30
4 + 50 + 10 + 1 + 30 = 95
This equivalency is noted by R. Solomon Alkabetz in Manos Halevi
8
There are grammatical rules in general, but for your case:
It's always שושַן הבירה, otherwise שושָן.
It's always מרדכַי except on an esnachta, sof pasuk, or in exactly one case a zakeif katon ויגידו למרדכָי את דברי אסתר.
The general rule is any of the letters בגדכפת have a dageish (dot) at the beginning of a word, except when they come after a word that (a) ...
8
Talmud Bavli, Megillah 14a lists the seven prophetesses as:
Sarah
Miriam
Deborah
Hannah
Abigail
Huldah
Esther
(Interestingly enough, Eve is not listed as one of the prophetesses.)
The Talmud proceeds to derive the prophetic status of each of these women from a biblical verse or verses.
When it comes to Esther, you are correct that the derivation is ...
8
Jewish Encyclopedia writes a heavy talent was 60 kilograms, a light talent 30 kilograms, and there's an opinion (very bottom) it is 20 kilograms. 10,000 talents would then be between 200-600 tons of silver.
At today's price of 500 USD/kilo of silver this would be between 100 and 300 million dollars.
The first three sources I found on this topic all concur ...
8
Yes, the Manos Halevi brings what the actual Shtar said:
אני המן בן המדתא מזרע אגג, שלח אותי מלך אחשורוש במלחמה על עיר הינדקא, ומנה אותי המלך על ששה רבוא אנשי הצבא, ונתן לי המלך צידה לפרנס אותם, וכן עשה למרדכי בן שמעי בן קיש משבט בנימין, ואני בזבזתי נכסי המלך ויצאו מתחת ידי, ולא היה בידי ממון לפרנס חיילי צבא המלך, הלכתי ללוות מן מרדכי בריבית, ואמר דאסור ...
8
This question is asked by the Gemara Megillah 16a. The gist of it is that since at that point Haman's advisors said words of wisdom, the Megillah calls them 'Wise Men', to teach us that anyone who says words of wisdom, even if they are not Jewish, deserve to be called 'Wise Men'.
ויספר המן לזרש אשתו ולכל אוהביו וגו' קרי להו אוהביו וקרי להו חכמיו אמר
רבי ...
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