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1)

(a) What did Rebbi Shimon ben Pazi mean when he said (regarding Seifer Divrei ha'Yamim) that all its words are one?

(b) Why does the Pasuk refer to Bisyah as 'Yehudiyah'?

(c) How can the Pasuk ascribe the birth of Moshe to Bisyah, when she only reared him?

(a) Moshe was called 'Yered', because (through his merits) he brought down the Man (or the Torah) for Yisrael; 'Gedor', because he repaired the breaches of Yisrael. Chever, because he joined Yisrael with their Father in Heaven.
Why was he called ...

1. ... 'Sochoh'?
2. ... 'Yekusiel'?
3. ... 'Zano'ach'?

(b) The Pasuk actually calls him 'Avi Sochoh', 'Avi Yekusiel' and 'Avi Zano'ach'.
What do we learn from the three times 'Avi'?

(c) Why is Kaleiv called Mered?

(d) Why did that make him the ideal match for Bisyah?

(a) What does Rava learn from the Pasuk "Asher Haglah mi'Yerushalayim"?

(b) If her real name was ...

1. ... Esther, why does the Pasuk also call her Hadasah?
2. ... Hadasah, why does the Pasuk also call her Esther?

(c) According to Nechemyah, the Nochrim called her 'Esther' because she was pretty like the moon. ben Azai explains that her real name was Esther, and the Pasuk calls her Hadasah, because she was like a Hadas (a myrtle).
In what way was she like a Hadas?

(d) What radical explanation does Rebbi Yehoshua ben Korchah give to explain Esther's beauty? What has this to do with her name Hadasah?

(a) The Pasuk has already said that Esther had no father or mother.
Then why does the Pasuk find it necessary to add "u've'Mos Avihah ve'Imah"?

(b) And how do we explain the Pasuk "Lekachah Lo Mordechai le'Vas"?

(c) Where else in T'nach does the Pasuk refer to a wife as "Bas"?

(d) Why did Esther need seven servant-girls?

(a) Hegai the valet looked after Esther and gave her only the best. According to Rav, he served her Kasher food.
What does Shmuel say?

(b) According to Rebbi Yochanan, he served her the same food as Daniel ate in the royal court (many years earlier).
What was that? What was so good about it?

(c) For six months, the girls used 'Shemen ha'Mor'. Rebbi Chiya bar Aba says that it is a certain oil called Sateches. According to Rav Huna, it is synonymous with Shemen Anpiknun.
What is Shemen Anpiknun?

(d) What are the virtues of this oil?

(a) "ba'Erev Hi Ba'ah, u'va'Boker Hi Shavah". Rebbi Yochanan said that from Achashverosh's disgusting behavior we can learn something good (about him). What he was referring to?

(b) How does Rebbi Elazar explain the Pasuk which states that Esther found favor in the eyes of all those who beheld her?

(c) What is the significance of the fact that Esther was taken to the palace in the month of Teives?

(d) Why does the Pasuk, when describing the King's love of Esther, first say that it was "more than all the women" and then switch to "more than all the virgins"?

(a) What is the connection between the fact that the King made a party, freed all his subjects from paying the head-tax and sent gifts to all the princes in Esther's name?

(b) He then gathered the girls for a second time.
Why did he do that? Who gave him that idea?

8)

(a) Esther was a descendent of Rachel and of Shaul.
What did they all have in common?

(b) Ya'akov informed Rachel that he was Lavan's equal in cunning.
Since when is cheating permitted?

(c) How did Ya'akov anticipate Lavan's switching of Le'ah for Rachel (after Rachel warned him that he would do just that)?

(a) Then what went wrong with Ya'akov's plans? It seems that Lavan outwitted him, after all?

(b) What reward (quoted in our Sugya) did Rachel receive for her 'Tzeni'us'?

(c) How do we see Rachel's Midah of 'Tzeni'us' recur in Shaul?

(d) What similar reward did Shaul receive for *his* Tzeni'us?

(a) What does Rebbi Elazar say about someone whom G-d grants greatness?

(b) How might one lose it?

(c) Even after Esther was married to Achashverosh, she continued to do what Mordechai had taught her.
What does this mean?

(d) And how do we explain the Pasuk "Ka'asher Haysah be'Amnah Ito"?

(a) What does Rebbi Yochanan mean when he says that Hashem made ...

1. ... a master angry with his servants in order to do the will of a Tzadik?
2. ... servants angry with their master in order to perform a miracle with a Tzadik?

(b) What grudge did Bigson and Teresh have against Achashverosh?

(c) How did they plan to remain undetected seing as they did not guard at the same time (see Agados Maharsha)?

(d) How come that they spoke freely in front of Mordechai? How come that he understood what they were saying?

(a) Why does the Pasuk write after the episode with Bigson and Teresh "Achar ha'Devarim he'Eileh Gidal ... es Haman", as if the two episodes were connected?

(b) Is this the way that Hashem deals with the international community?

(c) Haman formulated his plan to kill the Jews in three stages.
What were they?

(d) Why was Haman delighted when the lots that he drew to kill the Jews fell out in Adar? What was his mistake?

(a) Rava branded Haman as a master in Lashon ha'Ra. Achashverosh was initially reluctant to practice genocide agaist the Jews, because he was afraid that he would suffer the same fate as various kings before him.
What did Haman ...

1. ... answer him?
2. ... answer him when he said that there were Rabbanan (who had not fallen asleep from performing Mitzvos)?

(b) And what did he argue in anticipation of Achashverosh's question ...

1. ... that their destruction would leave a large empty patch in the kingdom?
2. ... that their productivity will be a great loss?

(c) He complained that they did not eat their food or intermarry with them. What did he mean when he said "ve'es Dasei ha'Melech Einam Osim"? What were they always saying?

(a) Haman offered Achashverosh 10,000 Kikar (30,000,000 Shekel) of silver. How did Hashem preempt Haman's plans? What are the Halachic ramifications of Hashem's foresight?

(b) Why did Achashverosh refuse Haman's generous offer?

(c) What Mashal do Chazal give to demonstrate that he hated the Jews no less than Haman?

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