‫ַוְיִהי ִּביֵמ י ֲא ַחְׁש ֵורֹוׁש‬

‫ד‬.‫מגילה י‬
‫ ָּד ָבר ֶזה‬:‫ ָאַמר ַר ִּבי ֵלִוי ְוִא יֵּת יָמא ַר ִּבי יֹוָנָת ן‬,‫ § ״ַוְיִהי ִּביֵמי ֲא ַחְׁש ֵורֹוׁש״‬The Gemara returns to the primary topic of this
‫ ׇּכ ל ָמקֹום ֶׁשֶּנֱא ַמר ״ַוְיִהי״ ֵא ינֹו‬,‫ ָמסֹוֶר ת ְּבָיֵד ינּו ֵמַאְנֵׁש י ְּכֶנֶסת ַהְּגדֹוָלה‬chapter, the book of Esther. The Gemara cites various
‫ֶאָּלא ְלׁשֹון ַצַער‬. aggadic interpretations of the verses of the Megilla.
The opening verse of the Megilla states: “And it came
to pass [vayhi] in the days of Ahasuerus” (Esther
1:1). Rabbi Levi said, and some say that it was Rabbi
Yonatan who said: This matter is a tradition that we
received from the members of the Great Assembly.
Anywhere that the word vayhi is stated, it is an
ominous term indicating nothing other than
impending grief, as if the word were a contraction of
the words vai and hi, meaning woe and mourning.

‫ַוְיִהי ִּביֵמ י ֲא ַחְׁש ֵורֹוׁש‬

‫ ה‬.‫מגילה י‬
— ‫ ״ַוְיִהי ִּביֵמי ְׁש פֹוט ַהּׁשֹוְפִטים״‬.‫ ״ַוְיִהי ִּביֵמי ֲא ַחְׁש ֵורֹוׁש״ — ֲהָוה ָהָמן‬The Gemara cites several proofs corroborating this
‫ ״ַוְיִהי ִּכי ֵהֵחל ָהָאָד ם ָלרֹוב״ — ״ַו ַּיְר א ה׳ ִּכי ַר ָּבה ָר ַעת‬.‫ ֲהָוה ָר ָעב‬interpretation. “And it came to pass [vayhi] in the
‫ָהָאָד ם״‬. days of Ahasuerus” led to grief, as there was Haman.
“And it came to pass [vayhi] in the days when the
judges ruled” (Ruth 1:1) introduces a period when
there was famine. “And it came to pass [vayhi],
when men began to multiply” (Genesis 6:1) is
immediately followed by the verse: “And the Lord
saw that the wickedness of man was great in the
earth” (Genesis 6:5).

‫ַוְיִהי ִּביֵמ י ֲא ַחְׁש ֵורֹוׁש‬

‫י‬.‫מגילה יא‬
‫ ״ְוִהְת ַמַּכְר ֶּת ם‬:‫ ָהָד א ִּד ְכִת יב‬,‫ ַויי ְוֵהי‬:‫ ָאַמר ַר ב‬,‫“ ״ַוְיִהי ִּביֵמי ֲא ַחְׁש ֵורֹוׁש״‬And it came to pass [vayhi] in the days of
‫ָׁש ם ְלאֹוְיֶביָך ַלֲעָבִד ים ְוִלְׁשָפחֹות ְוגֹו׳״‬ Ahasuerus” (Esther 1:1). Rav said: The word vayhi
may be understood as if it said vai and hi, meaning
woe and mourning. This is as it is written: “And
there you shall sell yourselves to your enemies for
bondsmen and bondswomen, and no man shall buy
you” (Deuteronomy 28:68). The repetitive nature of the
verse indicates that no one will be willing to buy you
for servitude, but they will purchase you to murder
you, indicates a doubly horrific situation, which is
symbolized by the dual term vayhi, meaning woe and
mourning.
‫י‬.‫רש״י על מגילה יא‬
‫ מה שכתב בתורה ואין קונה גזר המן שלא יהא‬- ]'‫ הדא דכתיב כו‬This is as it is written, etc.: That which is written in
‫ אדם רשאי לקנות מהן לעבד‬the Torah (Deuteronomy 28:68), "and no one will buy
[you]" - Haman decreed that no person be allowed to
purchase them as a slave.
 ‫ֲא ַחְׁש ֵורֹוׁש‬
‫טו‬.‫מגילה יא‬
‫ ָאִחיו ֶׁשל‬.‫ ּוֶבן ִּגילֹו ֶׁש ל ֹראׁש‬,‫ ָאִחיו ֶׁש ל ֹראׁש‬:‫ ָאַמר ַר ב‬,‫“ ״ֲא ַחְׁש ֵורֹוׁש״‬Ahasuerus.” Rav said: The name should be viewed
‫ ״ַאְנְּת הּוא‬:‫ ֶׁשֶּנֱא ַמר‬,‫ ָאִחיו ֶׁשל ְנבּוַכְד ֶנַּצר ָהָר ָׁשע ֶׁשִּנְק ָר א ״ֹראׁש״‬,‫ ֹראׁש‬as a contraction: The brother of the head [aḥiv shel
,‫ הּוא ָהַר ג — הּוא ִּביֵּקׁש ַלֲהרֹוג‬,‫ ֶּבן ִּגילֹו ֶׁש ל ֹראׁש‬.‫ ֵר יָׁשא ִּד י ַד ֲהָבא״‬rosh] and of the same character as the head [ben
‫ ״ּוְבַמְלכּות ֲא ַחְׁש ֵורֹוׁש‬:‫ ֶׁשֶּנֱא ַמר‬,‫ הּוא ֶהְחִר יב — הּוא ִּביֵּק ׁש ְלַהְחִר יב‬gilo shel rosh]. Rav explains: The brother of the
‫ ִּבְת ִחַּלת ַמְלכּותֹו ָּכְת בּו ִׂש ְטָנה ַעל יֹוְׁש ֵבי ְיהּוָד ה ִוירּוָׁשִָלם״‬head, i.e., the brother of the wicked
Nebuchadnezzar, who is called “head,” as it is
stated: “You are the head of gold” (Daniel 2:38). Of
the same character as the head, for he,
Nebuchadnezzar, killed the Jews, and he, Ahasuerus,
sought to kill them. He destroyed the Temple, and he
sought to destroy the foundations for the Temple laid
by Zerubbabel, as it is stated: “And in the reign of
Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote
to him an accusation against the inhabitants of
Judah and Jerusalem” (Ezra 4:6), and he ordered that
the construction of the Temple cease.

‫טו‬.‫ר״שי על מגילה יא‬

‫ כלומר דומה לו‬- ‫ אחיו של ראש‬Brother of the head: Meaning, similar to him.

‫ בן מזלו שניהן דעת אחת היה להן‬- ‫בן גילו‬ His contemporary (of the same character): Born
under the same constellation (sign). They were both of
‫ יסוד שיסד זרובבל בבית המקדש בימי כורש לפני‬- ‫בקש להחריב‬ the same mind.
)'‫אחשורוש כמו שאמור בספר עזרא (סימן ד‬
He sought to destroy the foundation that Zerubavel
had established for the Temple in the days of Cyrus
before Ahasuerus - like it is stated in the book of Ezra
(3-6), “Zerubavel…and the chiefs of the clans of Israel
answered, ‘It is not for you and us to build…we alone
will build [a house] to the God of Israel, in accord with
the charge that the king, King Cyrus of Persia, laid
upon us…and in the reign of Ahasuerus, at the start of
his reign, they drew up an accusation against the
inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem…and made them
afraid to build…they drew up an accusation [not to
build the Beit Hamikdash] against the inhabitants of
Judah and Jerusalem.”

‫ֲאַחְׁש ֵו ֑ר ֹוׁש ֣ה ּוא ֲאַחְׁש ֵו֗ר ֹוׁש‬

‫טז‬.‫מגילה יא‬
.‫ ֶׁשהּוְׁש ֲחרּו ְּפֵניֶהם ֶׁשל ִיְׂש ָר ֵאל ְּבָיָמיו ְּכׁשּוֵלי ְק ֵד ָר ה‬:‫ ּוְׁש מּוֵאל ָאַמר‬And Shmuel said: The name Ahasuerus should be
:‫ ְוַר ִּבי ֲחִניָנא ָאַמר‬.‫ ֹּכל ֶׁש ּזֹוְכרֹו ֹאֵמר ״ָאח ְלֹראׁשֹו״‬:‫ ְוַר ִּבי יֹוָחָנן ָאַמר‬understood in the sense of black [shaḥor], as the face
‫ ״ַוָּיֶׂשם ַהֶּמֶלְך ֲא ַחְׁש ֵורֹוׁש ַמס״‬:‫ ֶׁשֶּנֱא ַמר‬,‫ ֶׁשַהֹּכל ַנֲעׂשּו ָר ִׁש ין ְּבָיָמיו‬of the Jewish people was blackened in his days like
the bottom of a pot. And Rabbi Yoḥanan gave a
different explanation: Everyone who recalled him
said: “Woe upon his head” [aḥ lerosho]. And Rabbi
Ḥanina said: The name alludes to the fact that
everyone became poor [rash] in his days, as it is
stated: “And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon
the land” (Esther 10:1).
 ‫הּוא ֲא ַחְׁש ֵורֹוׁש‬
‫יז‬.‫מגילה יא‬
— ‫ ״הּוא ֵעָׂש ו״‬.‫ הּוא ֲא ַחְׁש ֵורֹוׁש״ — הּוא ְּבִר ְׁשעֹו ִמְּת ִחיָּלתֹו ְוַעד סֹופֹו‬The Gemara continues: “This is [hu] Ahasuerus”
‫ ״הּוא ָּד ָת ן ַוֲא ִביָר ם״ — ֵהן ְּבִר ְׁשָען‬.‫( הּוא ְּבִר ְׁשעֹו ִמְּת ִחיָּלתֹו ְוַעד סֹופֹו‬Esther 1:1); the term hu, this is, comes to teach that he
‫ ״הּוא ַהֶּמֶלְך ָאָחז״ — הּוא ְּבִר ְׁשעֹו ִמְּת ִחיָּלתֹו ְוַעד‬.‫ ִמְּת ִחיָּלָת ן ְוַעד סֹוָפן‬remained as he was in his wickedness from beginning
‫ סֹופֹו‬to end. Similarly, wherever the words “this is” appear
in this manner, the verse indicates that the individual
under discussion remained the same from beginning to
end, for example: “This is [hu] Esau” (Genesis
36:43); he remained in his wickedness from
beginning to end. “This is [hu] Dathan and
Abiram” (Numbers 26:9); they remained in their
wickedness from beginning to end. “This is [hu] the
king Ahaz” (II Chronicles 28:22); he remained in his
wickedness from beginning to end.

‫ַהּמֹוֵלְך‬
‫יט‬.‫מגילה יא‬
‫ ָאְמִר י ַלּה ְלֶׁש ַבח ְוָאְמִר י ַלּה‬.‫ ֶׁש ָּמַלְך ֵמַעְצמֹו‬:‫ ָאַמר ַר ב‬,‫ ״״ַהּמֹוֵלְך״‬The next term in the opening verse: “Who reigned”
,‫ ָאְמִר י ַלּה ְלֶׁש ַבח — ְּד ָלא ֲהָוה ִא יִניׁש ַּד ֲחִׁש יב ְלַמְלָּכא ְּכוֹוֵת יּה‬.‫( ִלְגַנאי‬Esther 1:1), is now interpreted. Rav said: This comes
‫ ּוָמ מֹוָנא ַיִּת יָר א הּוא‬,‫ ְוָאְמִר י ַלּה ִלְגַנאי — ְּד ָלא ֲהָוה ֲחֵזי ְלַמְלכּוָת א‬to teach that he reigned on his own, without having
‫ ִּד יַהב ְוָק ם‬inherited the throne. Some say this to his credit, and
some say it to his disgrace. The Gemara explains:
Some say this to his credit, that there was no other
man as fit as him to be king. And some say it to his
disgrace, that he was not fit to be king, but he
distributed large amounts of money, and in that way
rose to the throne.

‫יט‬.‫רש״י על מגילה יא‬

‫ שלא היה מזרע המלוכה‬- ‫ שמלך מעצמו‬That he reigned on his own: That he was not from the
offspring of the royal blood.