Siman - Megillah Daf 10
- קדושת ירושלים אין אחריה היתר
The Mishnah on the bottom of Daf 9b identified differences between Mishkan Shiloh and the Beis Hamikdash. It concludes on this Daf, קדושת שילה אחריה היתר – The kedushah of Shiloh has a heter after it, which Rashi explains means that after its destruction , bamos were permitted again, וקדושת ירושלים אין אחריה היתר – whereas the kedushah of Yerushalayim has no permit after it, meaning, after its destruction, bamos are still prohibited. The Gemara brings Rebbe Yitzchak, who said: שמעתי שמקריבין בבית חוניו בזמן הזה – I heard that one may bring offerings in the Temple of Chonyo nowadays, since the Beis Hamikdash is destroyed. Chonyo was Shimon HaTzadik’s son, who was chosen as his successor, but was forced to flee to Alexandria in Egypt, where he eventually built a Temple and brought offerings. There is a machlokes Tannaim whether Beis Chonyo was used for serving Hashem or for idolatry. Rebbe Yitzchak holds like those that it was not a beis avodah zarah and he also holds קדושה ראשונה קידשה לשעתה ולא קידשה לעתיד לבא – that the initial sanctification of Yerushalayim and the Beis Hamikdash was for as long as the Temple stood, but not a sanctification for all future time. Rebbe Yitzchak eventually retracts his opinion, based in part on our Mishnah that there was no heter bamos after the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, and the Gemara will show that in fact there is a machlokes Tannaim whether the initial kedushah ended with the Temple’s destruction.
- ויהי בימי" אינו אלא לשון צער"
The Gemara brings a principle based on the opening passuk in the Megillah, which states: "ויהי בימי אחשורוש" – And it was in the days of Achashverosh. Rebbe Levi said, and according to others, it was Rebbe Yonasan who said: דבר זה מסורת בידינו מאנשי כנסת הגדולה – The following is a mesorah from the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah, כל מקום שנאמר "ויהי" אינו אלא לשון צער – Any place where the term "ויהי" is mentioned in Tanach, it is nothing but an indicator that what is about to come is painful. The Gemara on Daf 11a explains that ויהי is a combination of ויי, meaning woe, and הי, meaning mourning. The Gemara brings numerous examples of this. "ויהי בימי אחשורוש" – And it was in the days of Achashverosh, הוה המן – there was Haman. "ויהי בימי שפט השפטים" – And it was in the days when the Judges judged, הוה רעב – there was a famine. When the Gemara challenges this rule by bringing instances when ויהי introduces a positive situation, the rule is revised that wherever the phrase "ויהי בימי" – and it was in the days, is used, that a painful episode is being introduced.
- The destruction of Bavel
The Gemara now brings eighteen examples of how various Chochomim opened their shiurim on the Megillah using certain pesukim as an introduction. רבי יונתן פתח לה פיתחה להאי פרשתא מהכא – Rebbe Yonasan opened his shiur with the following passuk, "וקמתי עליהם...והכרתי לבבל שם ושאר ונין ונכד נאם ה'" – For I will rise up against them…and cut them off from Bavel, name, relative, offspring and descendent, says Hashem. “Name”, זה הכתב – this refers to abolishing the Babylonian script. “Relative”, refers to their language disappearing. “Offspring”, refers to their kingdom, "ונכד" and descendent, refers to Vashti, who was a descendent of Nebuchadnezzer.
