Midrash su Megillah 1:14

A response to an inquiry from the Academy.¹³Probably a reference to the Academy at Pumbeditha. R. Ahai, who wrote this in his She’iltot, expected to be appointed head of the Academy but was deprived of the office by the exilarch because of personal animosity. They asked: It was taught that the Scroll of Esther may be read on the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days of Adar, but not before or after those days.¹⁴Mishnah Megillah 1:1.

And God said [further to him], put your hand into your breast (Shemot 4:6). They said to him, just as when the snake badmouthed I struck it with tzara'at, as it says "you shall be more cursed than all the beasts" (Bereishit 3:14), as it is said "a blemish of tzara'at" (Vayikra 13:51) [therefore, when you badmouth, I will strike you similarly]. Rabbi Elazar said, these coins tat are in it are tzara'at, and so you too are worthy of being struck with tzara'at. And why did he put it into his breast? Because it's the way of evil speech to be said in private. And so it says, "he who slanders his friend in secret, I will destroy" (Tehillim 101:5). There is no "I will destroy" [אַצְמִית atzmit]: rather, it is tzara'at [צָרַעַת], as it is said "[the land may not be sold] permanently" [לִצְמִתֻת litzmitut], and we translate it "permanently" [לַחֲלוּטִין lachlutin]. And we teach "there is no difference between a quarantined/doubtful metzora and a confirmed metzora" (Mishna Megilla 1:7). And he put his hand into his breast and brought it out, and behold his hand was afflicted with tzara'at as snow (Shemot 4:6) - he got his, since he badmouthed. Rabbi Yehoshua Dischinan, in the name of Rabbi Levi, said: from here you may learn that everyone who unjustly suspects their fellow of something is struck in their body. And They said, return your hand to your breast (ibid.) - for what sign would this be to Yisrael? Go and tell them, just as a metzora causes impurity, so too the Mitzriyim are making you impure. And just as it is purified, so too will the Holy Blessed One purify Yisrael, as it is written "And behold his hand was afflicted with tzara'at as snow (Shemot 4:6), and of healing it is written "And he brought it out from his breast and behold it had returned [to be] as his flesh" (Shemot 4:7). Our sages said in order not to provoke insult on the flesh of Moshe, thus the hand wasnot struck with tzara'at until he had brought it out from his flesh, but for healing, from within his breast it was healed. An alternative take: from here we learn that punishments wait for the righteous to come, but the attribute of good is swift to come. "And it will be, if they do not believe these two signs" (Shemot 4:9) - why did the Holy Blessed One give him three signs? Corresponding to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov. "And take from the waters of the Y'or" (ibid.) - alludes to the fact that by means of something that was spoke to Yisra'el, the water will be in the future turned to blood, and he will be struck by their hands, as it is written "Listen, you rebels" (Bemidbar 20:10). And he struck the rock and it brought forth, as it says "Then he struck the rock and it oozed [וַיָּזוּבוּ vayazuvu] water" (Tehillim 78:20) - "oozing" always indicates blood, as it is said "And a woman who oozes an oozing [יָזוּב זוֹב, yazuv zov] of her blood" (Vayikra 15:25). And for this reason he struck the rock twice - initially it brought forth blood, and only eventually water. With the first two signs, you find that they returned to their original state, but with the blood it never returned to how it was, since he didn't want to forgive Moshe for the sin of the water. And what sign was this for Yisrael? He said to them, with this sign will the Mitzriyim be struck originally.

Rabbi Zechariah said: They read in the Torah and found written therein, "And ye shall afflict your souls" (Lev. 16:29), and on the Day of Atonement they caused a Shophar to be sounded throughout all the camp and proclaimed a fast for all Israel, old and young. Were it not for the Day of Atonement the world could not stand, because the Day of Atonement is in this world and in the world to come, || as it is said, "It is a sabbath of sabbaths unto you" (Lev. 16:31). "A sabbath" refers to this world, "sabbaths" refers to the world to come. Moreover, if all the festivals pass away, the Day of Atonement will not pass away, for the Day of Atonement effects reconciliation for serious offences as well as for slight offences. Whence do we know that the Day of Atonement effects reconciliation? Because it is said, "For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins shall ye be clean" (Lev. 16:30). "From your sins" is not written here, but "from all your sins shall ye be clean before the Lord" (ibid.).

Rabbi Eliezer said: The five letters of the Torah, which alone of all the letters in the Torah are of double (shape), all appertain to the mystery of the Redemption. With "Khaph" "Khaph" our father Abraham was redeemed from Ur of the Chaldees, as it is said, (Lekh Lekha) "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred… unto the land that I will shew thee" (Gen. 12:1). With "Mem" "Mem" our father Isaac was redeemed from the land of the Philistines, as it is said, "Go from us: for thou art much mightier (Memennu M'ôd) than we" (Gen. 26:16). With "Nun" "Nun" our father Jacob was redeemed from the hand of Esau, as it is said, "Deliver me, I pray thee, (Hazilêne na) from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau" (Gen. 32:11). With "Pê" "Pê" Israel was redeemed from Egypt, as it is said, "I have surely visited you, (Paḳôd Paḳadti) and (seen) that which is done to you in Egypt, and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt" (Ex. 3:16, 17). With "Zaddi" "Zaddi" the Holy One, blessed be He, in the future will redeem Israel from the oppression of the kingdoms, and He will say to them, I have caused a branch to spring forth for you, as it is said, "Behold, the man whose name is (Zemach) the Branch; and he shall grow up (yizmach) || out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord" (Zech. 6:12). These letters were delivered only to our father Abraham. Our father Abraham delivered them to Isaac, and Isaac (delivered them) to Jacob, and Jacob delivered the mystery of the Redemption to Joseph, as it is said, "But God will surely visit (Paḳôd yiphḳôd) you" (Gen. 1. 24). Joseph his son delivered the secret of the Redemption to his brethren. Asher, the son of Jacob, delivered the mystery of the Redemption to Serach his daughter. When Moses and Aaron came to the elders of Israel and performed the signs in their sight, the elders of Israel went to Serach, the daughter of Asher, and they said to her: A certain man has come, and he has performed signs in our sight, thus and thus. She said to them: There is no reality in the signs. They said to her: He said "Paḳôd yiphḳôd"—"God will surely visit you" (ibid.). She said to them: He is the man who will redeem Israel in the future from Egypt, for thus did I hear, ("Paḳôd Paḳadti") "I have surely visited you" (Ex. 3:16). Forthwith the people believed in their God and in His messenger, as it is said, "And the people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel" (Ex. 4:31).

In that hour the pages of Esther came and took Haman to the banquet which she had prepared on the sixteenth of Nisan. When they had eaten and taken (wine) the king said to Esther: "What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee; and what is thy request?" (Esth. 7:2). She said to him: My lord, O king! I ask nought of thee, except my life, and my people. Because one man has come and has bought us to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish. "But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my peace" (Esth. 7:4). The king said to her: Who is this man? She answered him: This one is the wicked Haman, as it is said, "And Esther said, An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman" (Esth. 7:6). "The king arose in his wrath" (Esth. 7:7). What did the angel Michael do? He began to cut down the plants in his presence. || Intense wrath was kindled within him, and the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine. What did the angel Michael do? He lifted up Haman from Esther. The king exclaimed: As for this villain, he is not satisfied with having purchased the people of Esther to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, but he must needs come upon her! "Will he even force the queen before me in the house?" (Esth. 7:8). Haman heard this word and his countenance fell, as it is said, "They covered Haman's face" (ibid.). And the king commanded that he should be hanged on the gallows. What did Elijah, his memory be a blessing, do? He assumed the guise of Harbonah, one of the chamberlains of the king. He said to him: My lord, O king! There is a tree in Haman's house (taken) from the Holy of Holies, fifty cubits high. Whence do we know that it was from the Holy of Holies? Because it is said, "And he built the house of the forest of Lebanon" (1 Kings 7:2). Forthwith the king commanded that he should be hanged thereon, as it is said, "And (the king) said, Hang him thereon" (Esth. 7:9), so as to fulfil that which is said, "Let a beam be pulled out from his house, and let him be lifted up and fastened thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this" (Ezra 6:11). And it says, "So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai" (Esth. 7:10). The king took all that belonged to Haman and gave it to Mordecai and to Esther. He said to them: Write concerning the Jews as seems good in your eyes in the name of the king. They wrote official letters, and they sent throughout all the provinces to destroy, to slay, || and to cause all the enemies of the Jews to perish on the thirteenth of the month of Adar, on the third day in the constellation of Leo. Just as the lion is the king over all the beasts, and he turns his gaze towards any place as he wishes; likewise did he think fit, and he turned his face to destroy and to slay all the enemies of Israel, as it is said, "In the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have rule over them" (Esth. 9:1).