01
Source and decoding
מפני שנהנו מסעודתו של אותו רשע. אם כן שבשושן יהרגו, שבכל העולם כולו אל יהרגו!
The students proposed that they enjoyed the wicked king’s banquet. Their teacher objected: then only those in Shushan should perish, not Jews throughout the world.
- 1Check the seventy-year calculation
- 2Distinguish Shushan from the whole world
- 3Identify the first explanation’s limit
The readings describe a king who miscalculates redemption and uses Temple vessels. The discussion of Israel’s responsibility distinguishes banquet participants from the whole community.
Kushya
If the sin was Shushan’s banquet, why did danger extend to all Israel?
Terutz
Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai points to bowing to the image; the discussion then distinguishes outward action from inward intent.