nehemiah

R. Nehemiah says: Hadassah was her name. Why then was she called Esther? All peoples called her so after Istahar. Ben Azzai said: Esther was neither too tall nor too short, but of medium size, like a myrtle. Joshua b. Korha said: Esther was green, and there was an aura of kindness (hesed) about her.

So that they should not discover that she was a Jew. R. Nehemiah said: So that Israel should not say, We have a sister in the palace, and so should neglect [to pray for] mercy. R. Yose said: So that he should always be at hand for her. R. Shimon b. Menassiah said: [She said], Perhaps God will notice and perform a miracle for us

R. Joseph said: The study of the Torah is superior to the saving of life. For at first Mordecai was counted next after four, but afterwards next after five. At first it is written, “Who came with Zerubabel: Yeshua, Nehemiah, Serahyah, Re’elayah, Mordecai, Bilshan” (Ezra 2:2) and subsequently it is written, Who came with Zerubabel, Yeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan” (Nehemiah 7:3).

R. Joseph said: The study of the Torah is superior to the saving of life. For at first Mordecai was counted next after four, but afterwards next after five. At first it is written, “Who came with Zerubabel: Yeshua, Nehemiah, Serahyah, Re’elayah, Mordecai, Bilshan” (Ezra 2:2) and subsequently it is written, Who came with Zerubabel, Yeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan” (Nehemiah 7:3).

R. Joseph said: The study of the Torah is superior to the saving of life. For at first Mordecai was counted next after four, but afterwards next after five. At first it is written, “Who came with Zerubabel: Yeshua, Nehemiah, Serahyah, Re’elayah, Mordecai, Bilshan” (Ezra 2:2) and subsequently it is written, Who came with Zerubabel, Yeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan” (Nehemiah 7:3).

Rather R. Zera said: We derive it from here: “And so we worked on; and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared” and it says, “That in the night they may be a guard for us, and that we may work in the day” (Nehemiah 4:15-16).

Jacob the Min asked R. Judah: What do the six of Yom Kippur represent? He replied: The six who stood at the right of Ezra and the six who stood at his left, as it says, "And Ezra the scribe stood on a stand of wood which they had made for the purpose, and beside him stood Matatyah, Shema and Aniaah and Uriah and Hilkiah and Maasiyah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael and Malchiyah and Hashum and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, Meshullam" (Nehemiah 8:14).

What do we do? Abaye said: From the morning to midday we examine the affairs of the town; from midday to evening, for a quarter of the day we read the Torah portion and the haftarah, and for a quarter we ask for mercy as it says, “And they read in the scroll of the Torah of their Lord a fourth part of the day, and another part they confessed and prostrated themselves before the Lord their God” (Nehemiah 9:3).