Yesterday the Talmud mentioned the seven prophetesses, and noted that the prophetess Hulda descended from Rahav (or Rahab) the zonah and Joshua.  Rahav famously protected the Jewish spies who came to Jericho and was spared from the destruction of that city (Joshua 2).  Zonah typically means harlot, but some sources point out this can also mean an innkeeper, or can refer to a woman who provided both lodging and intimate relations.

Apropos of discussing Rahav, the Talmud mentions the four exceptionally beautiful women of the ancient world: Sarah, and Avigail, Rahav, and Esther, thought some swap Esther for Vashti, the previous queen of Xerxes.  The Gemara reports that even mentioning the name Rahav brought impure thoughts and saying “Rahav, Rahav” could cause a seminal emission if the man knew her personally.

It is important for a man to be in control of his thoughts, especially about women.  Don’t allow other people to live in your mind without paying rent.

A man can become obsessed with a particular woman, and waste his time and energy indulging in fantasies about her.  If it is reasonable and appropriate for him to pursue her, then he should do so.  If not then there is no reason to keep thinking about her.  Certainly don’t waste time and money giving her your attention without getting what you need in return.

While continuing to explain the Purim story, our sages cite and explain a verse Isaiah 28:6 “And for a spirit of justice to him that sits in judgment and for strength to them that turn back the battle to the gate”.   The Gemara expounds “And for a spirit of justice” as referring to a man who brings his own spirit to trial.  This means to formally examine your emotional inclinations or desires to ensure that your deeds are proper and reasonable.

The Ramhal (Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, 1707-1746) in Path of the Just chapter 3 writes that examining and judging your deeds is necessary both before you act and after.  A man must be rational and use his God given intellect to guide his life, instead of merely having life happen to him and reacting.

Often men fall into a bad life situation by following their emotions or desires without stopping to think about the long term consequences.  A man can end up literally married to a losing prospect because it felt right years ago.  Our sages advise us to become aware of our emotional drives and to be able to halt them while we engage our intellectual powers to judge if they are leading us towards a positive outcome.

Men have an innate ability to be logical, but men in modern times are taught to put emotions first.  Often this is phrased as “men need to express their emotions”.  Emotional inclinations are powerful and useful, but becoming a being driven by emotion is not going to get you anywhere positive.  Jewish wisdom treats emotionality as a tool that can be harnessed by using the intellect to reject desires that are going to get you into trouble and focus your emotional energy on positive goals.

Back the world’s most beautiful women.  If a man is feeling tempted by a certain woman, he should stop and realize that logically she is not even close to the most attractive women who ever lived.  While emotionally he may feel a strong desire, rationally he knows she is just a woman, not the pinnacle of beauty.  Just remembering that there are other fish in the sea may help a may avoid acting out of instinct and lust.

The Talmud cites the exchange between Haman, the Jew hating prime minister, and King Xerxes, who gave him permission to annihilate the Jews.  Our sages quip that Xerxes giving over his signet ring to Haman to seal the royal edict caused more repentance than all 48 prophets and 7 prophetesses.

The Talmud notes that there were actually many more prophets than these, but only these gave over messages that needed to be recorded for all generations.  While echoes of prophecy still exist today, if someone claims to be a prophet they need mental help.

Then the seven prophetesses are listed, citing verses of various women having prophetic powers.  It is interesting to note that many of the prophetesses dealt with family affairs, not what would be considered national issues.  Sarah counseling Abraham that Ishmael was a bad influence on Isaac and needed to be expelled was considered prophecy.

However, even when Jewish women were saying prophecy seemingly about their own family or relationship, these were items of national and eternal importance.  Sarah’s vision about Isaac and Ishmael paved the way for Isaac to become the sole spiritual heir to Abraham’s mission of monotheism.  Miriam’s prophecy encouraging her parents to have another child brought Moses into the world.

Modern people often assume that what goes on inside their home is not as important as their career or political advocacy.  Our ancient prophetesses show that this is not true at all.  When women are perceptive and guide their families with wisdom, this produces personalities that are able to go out and make lasting impacts on the world.

Jewish wisdom states that women have an extra measure of insight into other people.  We often see women picking up subtle nonverbal cues that men miss.  This is akin to prophecy, allowing a woman the discernment to coach her children to become capable people, and help her family avoid pitfalls and dangers.

The Talmud also notes an instance where the king consulted the prophetess Hulda instead of the prophet Jeremiah, because women are more likely to be merciful.  This does not mean that God’s word changes when a woman speaks it.  However, a prophecy given in a gentle way could create a more positive result and inspire change.  A rule in prophecy is that bad omens can be changed through repentance and good deeds, while promises for the benefit of the Jewish people can never be changed.

This reminds us to be aware of how you give bad news, and that women may convey the same information in a quite different way than a man would.

Our sages continue explicating parts of the Book of Esther.  After Esther was selected as queen, and a feast and gifts sent in her honor, Xerxes (Ahashueros) the king again had all the most beautiful girls of his harem gather together (Esther 2:19).  This is odd since this is how he had selected Esther in the first place.

Our sages explain his intent.  Esther hid her own nationality even after being chosen as the new queen, frustrating Xerxes.  He tried a number of tactics to influence her to reveal her secret.  When he asked Mordechai the Jew how to get under Esther’s skin, Mordechai stated a rule of human nature:  a woman is truly jealous only of the thigh of her fellow woman.

The meaning of this is that a woman does not really feel the pressure of rivalry until she sees another woman with something or someone she wants.  Unlike men, women will not feel jealous when a man buys an expensive car.  But they will be upset at the woman who gets to ride in it.

Xerxes tried to invoke jealousy in Esther by sleeping with his harem again, as if testing these girls to find a better queen than her.  This tactic did not work on Esther, because she didn’t really desire Xerxes as a lover or husband.  She had already been married to a Jewish man when she was abducted and forced to join his harem.  Mordechai actually hoped the king would find a new queen so Esther could avoid him.

However, in most cases a woman is acutely aware of the status of the other women around them and feels internal anguish when another woman gets special attention that she feels she deserves instead.  A man who pays attention to this reality can resolve conflicts before they explode, whether they are between himself and his woman, or her and another woman who is competing with her.

Our sages are explaining the backstory to sections of the Megillah and now reach the replacement of the queen. During the gala banquet the men got drunk and argued over which nation had the most beautiful women. Ahashueros (Xerxes) ordered queen Vashti to come into the party wearing her crown – but nothing else (Esther 1:11).

Vashti, who was vain and immoral, would normally have showed herself off, but she was suffering from skin ailments as a Divine punishment for abusing Jewish women. Not only did Vashti refuse, but she sent a nasty reply that her own father Belshazzar could hold his liquor while Xerxes could not. This enraged the king, and he sought counsel about how to punish her.

Haman, who later became prime minister and plotted to murder all the Jews, advised that the king have her executed and that a royal decree should be sent to all the provinces. This decree was that the man must be the ruler in his own house (Esther 1:22). His intent was that wives not challenge the requests of their husbands.

Our sages quip that if not for this first letter, then the enemies of the Jews would have jumped at the chance to murder Jews. The second royal decree drafted by Haman encouraged the people to murder all the Jews (Esther 3:12-14).  However, they hesitated to follow this edict since the first letter was ridiculous to them. Why go to the trouble of sending a royal decree stating what society already accepted as human reality?

2500 years ago it was a given that the man, even if humble and poor, had absolute authority in his own home over his wife and children. This was accepted by every civilization as the natural basis for stable families.  These values are not ancient or barbaric, just a century ago the entire world subscribed to the same assumption.  The classic sitcom Father Knows Best aired from 1954-1960, within living memory.  Values that were taken for granted just decades ago were the same foundation ideas that human beings built families on for millennia.

However, we now live in an era that denigrates male authority.  The media and culture has ridicules and rejected men for the past few generations.  A man in mainstream society is lucky if his wife treats him as an equal in public – as long as she really calls the shots in the family.

This section of Esther is not merely a reminder of how normal human values can rapidly be warped.  We also see that when you restate the obvious, people won’t take you seriously.  Insisting others listen to you then reiterating obvious information is a great way to get ridiculed.

This is why it is important to figure out the context before you open your mouth.  You don’t want to start arguing that others accept something they already do and look like an idiot.  Instead, find what you and your audience agree on and build your reasoning on top of that.

Our sages are beginning to explain the contents of the Megillah, starting with the first verse:  And it was in the days of Ahashueros, he was the Ahashueros who reigned over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces from Hodu to Cush (Esther 1:1).

The extra “he was” implies that this man was consistent throughout his life.  For Ahashueros (the historical Xerxes) this meant he was consistently evil and despotic.  The Talmud cites other times scripture uses an extra “he was”, noting that the phrase is used for people who maintained their personal standards their entire life, whether for good or bad.

This includes King David: “And David, he was the smallest ” (I Samuel 17:14).  The extra he was teaches that he remained in his humility from beginning to end. Just as in his youth, he humbled himself (felt small) before anyone who was greater than him in Torah, so too as king he humbled himself before anyone who was greater than him in wisdom.

Consistency is an important attribute in a man.  You have your standards and you live up to them. However, it also holds a danger.  If you are consistently failing to perform, or stuck in a rut, you are not going to accomplish what you want to in life.

To make progress, it is vital to examine how you live your life.  Identify what you are already doing correctly, continue and strengthen these aspects.  Check out where you are not reliably performing and find out why.  If you are not consistent in areas that contribute to your own mission, come up with a way to fix these tasks into your schedule.  If you need to read more to grow as a man, set a time for reading when no one will interrupt.

If you find that you are consistent in self destructive activities, make the effort to fight against your habits.  We fall into poor habits with little thought, but it takes much more will and action to break out of them.  Don’t let consistency be your downfall.

The Talmud begins discussing the text of the Megillah itself, but digresses to mention that Tamar was an ancestress to both kings and prophets:

Rabbi Yonatan said: Any bride who is modest in the house of her father-in-law merits that kings and prophets will emerge from her. From where do we derive this? From Tamar, as it is written: “When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a prostitute; for she had covered her face” (Genesis 38:15).

Can it be that because Tamar covered her face he thought her to be a prostitute?  Rather, because she covered her face in the house of her father-in-law and he was not familiar with her.

Before anyone gets carried away, this took place prior to the giving of the Bible at Sinai.  Harlotry is now forbidden for both men and women (Deuteronomy 23:18).  We explained that Tamar was a righteous woman trying to continue the legacy of her deceased husbands, and had to marry a man from Judah’s family to do so.

When Judah would not take her as wife to his third son, Tamar took matters into her own hands and dressed as a harlot and went out to where Judah would be.  Judah didn’t recognize Tamar, and hired her.  She became pregnant with twins, and one was the ancestor to King David.

Tamar’s righteous ruse was only possible because she had been extremely modest while in Judah’s household as wife to his first two sons.  If she had not kept herself covered then Judah would have known this was his quasi daughter in law and not an actual harlot.

It is a lot more difficult to be modest at home, where we feel safe and secure.  Often we dress and act more nicely in public where we know we are being watched and judged.  This shift is not merely in outward appearance and manners, but a person’s whole personality can shift when they are behind closed doors.

Modern men need to observe how people act in private, when they feel they are able to let their hair down.  Both men and women can act a part in public, and can maintain this for quite some time.  Before you commit to a person it is wise to find out how they behave in private.

The Talmud discusses why it might be permitted to translate books of the Bible into Greek.  The Gemara notes that this was done already, in the time of Ptolemy, the Greek ruler of Egypt.  When Alexander the great died, his generals divided his vast empire and Egypt was ruled by Ptolemy.  At that time Alexandria was a crowded city with a large Jewish population.

Ptolemy was curious about the Jewish Bible and intended to make the Bible accessible to Greek speakers so they could criticize the Jews and invent support for their polytheistic beliefs by reinterpreting verses in the Torah.  The Greek translation was clouded by this malicious intent.  To ensure accuracy, Ptolemy locked 72 sages in 72 isolation rooms and instructed each to translate the Bible or else.

These sages, aided by Divine assistance, all made the same changes in the literal text.  These include translating “Moses placed his wife and sons on a donkey” to “on a people mover”, since the Greeks of that time felt it was degrading to ride donkeys.  It is of historical interest that the Rambam writes (Tefillin 1:19) that already in his time, 900 years ago, the original ancient Greek language was no longer spoken.

All of the changes were to preclude criticism of Moses and to avoid any implication that there could be more than one divine power.  However, one change was made to account for Ptolemy himself.  Arnevet, female bunny rabbit (Lev 11:6), was translated as “short legged animal” since Ptolemy’s wife was named Arnevet.  This was necessary so he would not assume the sages were mocking him by calling his wife a non kosher animal.

Naturally, the Bible itself was not referring to Ptolemy’s wife, but the rabbis of Alexandria understood that he was a powerful man who was very particular with his honor.  If Ptolemy felt anything they put into the translation might be infringing on his personal glory, he would seize on that excuse to persecute the Jews.  A man’s wife is obviously a source of his pride, so he would take the association of her name with non kosher animals as an insult.

Those willing to attack your beliefs are often the same people obsessed with their own appearance of status.  Men who misinterpret what you say as being an affront to their pride are especially nasty, you cannot argue with them because their assumption is that your very identity undermines their own.  Be aware that all men feel insults of their own honor, so you can retain control and composure when this inevitably occurs to you.

The Talmud has begun a famous section of Megillah, a list of “ain bein” meaning there is no difference.  Our sages compare and contrast various related topics to uncover the similarities and differences.  One of these comparisons is gift offerings versus vowed offerings. 

The critical difference is that if the animal designated as a gift offering is lost, then you are not responsible to replace it with another animal.  But when you make a vow, saying “I will bring a burnt offering” for example, then even if the animal you had in mind is gone, you must bring the offering from a new animal.  After all, you undertook a personal obligation to bring something.

This contrast reflects a reality of modern life.  A wise man carefully evaluates what tasks he is willing to become responsible for.  Other things may be nice and even rewarding to do, but are not essential.  It takes thought and analysis to identify which items are truly under your responsibility.  These are the steps crucial for accomplishing your own chosen life mission.

This issue gets more complex because in modern society men are often taught that they should take more responsibility, even for the problems and issues created by other people.  It may sound appealing to “step up” or “man up” by taking additional responsibility.  However in reality this is often an attempt to use you and your resources to bail out people who made mistakes with their own lives.

A wise man stops and thinks about taking additional responsibility before he does so.  Your time and talents are not endless and you are responsible to yourself, your personal mission, and your own family first.

We discussed this issue by Judah and his brothers, and explained that because Judah was willing to own his mistakes and to die for his brother, he was worthy to be the ancestor to the Jewish kings.  However, he avoided working for Pharaoh since that was outside of his true responsibility.

The Talmud mentions a famous requirement of the Purim celebration:

Rava said: A person is obligated to become intoxicated with wine on Purim until he no longer knows how to distinguish between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai.

Haman was the villain of Purim who bribed the government to kill the Jews, Mordechai was Esther’s uncle who persuaded her to intercede and save the Jews.  There is a popular song with a chorus cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai, so Rava could be referring to that song.

Figures in Jewish law bring various interpretations of these words, and disagree over how just drunk the Gemara requires us to get on Purim.  The Shulchan Aruch cites ten different possibilities, including that of the Rambam, who was also a doctor, and explains that it simply means drinking more than usual during the feast, so you fall asleep, at which point you won’t be able to sing the song.

Before we get carried away, the Gamara immediately brings a story in which Rabbah and Rabbi Zeira got so drunk on Purim that Rabbah nearly killed Rabbi Zeira (or did kill him but brought him back).  It appears the “killing” may have been through intoxication, such as alcohol poisoning.  Perhaps Rabbah pushed him to drink more than he should have, and he nearly died from this.

A man needs to know his own limits and not allow others to push or pull him over his limits.  Jewish culture famously uses a cup of wine as part of many important events, such as weddings, circumcisions, holidays, and our weekly sanctification of the Sabbath.  However, even alcohol used for religious purposes can be abused.  It is vital to exercise self control.

Purim is the only real exception to the normal advice of moderation.  We have a religious obligation to become intoxicated during the feast.  However, it is possible for a man to be pushed by his friends into drinking more than he should, and this has sometimes lead to unfortunate results, staining the celebration with tragedy.  You have to be the one to decide how much you are willing to drink, and not allow peer pressure to change your mind.

This wisdom is not merely for alcohol or food consumption.  If you let other people violate your boundaries, then you begin to look weak, or will be tempted to get angry to enforce your lines.  Either way you lose your reputation, which is a little death.

The Talmud explains an event when men from the tribe of Zevulun (Zebulon) saw the land of the tribe of Naftali and became extremely jealous (Judges 5:18).  This occurred when the prophetess Deborah recruited men from many tribes to defend the Jewish people against invading Canaanites led by Sisera (Judges 4-5).  It is also interesting that after fleeing the battle, Sisera was assassinated by another woman, Yael.

The Gemara recounts an imaginary debate between God and the complaining men of Zevulun, with God pointing out that Zevulun enjoyed a coastline with valuable resources including the sea creature Hilazon which was used to produce a unique dye.  The Gemara also notes that the tribal land of Zevulun contains Tzipori, an area flowing with milk and honey.

This was a literal flow of milk and honey over the ground, as the fruits there were so juicy that their juice would run down, and the goats eating these fruits would get so fat that their milk would drip out and mix with the fruit honey.  Even so, the Zevulunites became jealous when they went to war and saw the bountiful fields of Naftali.

Witnessing their neighbors land made these men forget the amazing riches they had back at home.  This is a common theme of human nature.  You can be happy with what you have right up until you see a man with more.

The solution is what God and the Gemara discuss: look at yourself and your own blessings instead of your neighbors.  This doesn’t mean a man should be complacent, you can want more for yourself without envying others.  Compare yourself right now to what you were before and appreciate how you have improved.  Then examine yourself now and think about the man you want to be.  This can motivate you to grow as a person and improve your fortune.

My own rabbi taught us that the definition of happiness is to appreciate the pleasures you already have.  The definition of misery is to appreciate the pleasures someone else has.

The Gemara today also describes an ongoing internal struggle within Germany, noting that if Germany ever came together they would threaten the entire world.  These words were written almost 2000 years before the World Wars.

The Talmud also describes the glory of ancient Rome, with vast markets and baths, and notes that everyone living in Rome would receive a daily stipend from the government.  This is a stark contrast to the practice in ancient Jewish society, in which men with resources would share what they had directly to the needy through tithes and commandments to leave part of the harvest for the poor.

As students of history know, the Roman system of bribing their poor and idle people with bread and games required the government to collect massive amounts of taxes and tributes.  During the imperial age, Rome became ever more aggressive and expansive to conquer new lands so they could afford to keep paying off their own people.

The Roman policy of paying the poor not to work destroyed the empire.  Eventually the Roman government was unable to pay both their hired mercenaries and the stipends to their own people, and was sacked by the very forces the Romans had hired to defend Rome.  However, this was the final result of centuries of bad policy, it was inevitable that Rome would run our of other people’s money to pay their own.

The Jewish policy was for the people to give directly to those who were needy, in addition to tithes to support the priests and Levites.  Under the Jewish monarchy the king did tax the people, but this was mainly for the common defense.  The Jewish view is that when the government takes money and gives it to the poor, this may feed the needy but does not achieve the goal of charity.  Instead, men should be taught the importance of caring for their brothers personally instead of relying on the state to do so.

However, Jewish wisdom teaches that the highest level of charity is to help a man get back on his own feet and support himself through his own work.  Our sages teach that men enjoy bread they worked for more than bread given to them.  This is a deeper reason why the men from Zevulun, with ample natural resources, was still jealous of Naftali.  The men of Naftali worked their fields and invested their lives into growing food on their land, while Zevulun merely harvested and collected what was already there.

We know that working hard on a mission brings a man both motivation and satisfaction, and builds up his self esteem.  This is a vital concept on both the micro level and the macro level.