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1)

(a) When the servants informed the king that Mordechai had not yet been rewarded for saving the king's life, was it because they were particularly fond of Mordechai?

(b) What does the Beraisa comment on the Pasuk "al ha'Eitz Asher Heichin *Lo*"?

(c) When instructing Haman to reward Mordechai, why did Achashverosh need to describe him as ...

1. ... "ha'Yehudi"?
2. ... "Asher be'Sha'ar ha'Melech"?

(d) Why did Achashverosh need to add "Al Tapeil Davar mi'Kol Asher Dibarta"?

(a) When Haman came to do the king's bidding, he found Mordechai learning with the Rabbanan.
What was he currently teaching them?

(b) What was Mordechai's reaction when he saw Haman coming towards him leading a horse?

(c) What did Haman comment when he discovered what they had been learning?

(d) What did Mordechai retort?

(a) On what grounds did Mordechai initially decline to wear the royal robes and to ride the king's horse?

(b) How did Esther (who presumably knew what was going on through Ru'ach ha'Kodesh) effectively force Haman to bathe Mordechai and cut his hair (like a slave to a master)?

(c) What did Mordechai remind Haman, when he compained how undignified it was for a prime-minister to act as a barber and a bath-attendant?

(d) What happened when Mordechai declared himself incapable of mounting the horse as a result of the weakness caused by his three day fast?

(a) On what grounds did Haman complain when Mordechai kicked him?

(b) What was Mordechai's response?

(a) What mistake did Haman's daughter make?

(b) What is the meaning of the Pasuk ...

1. ... "va'Yashav Mordechai el Sha'ar ha'Melech"?
2. ... "ve'Haman Nidchaf el Beiso *Aveil ve'Chafuy Rosh*"?

(c) How do we reconcile the Pasuk which first refers to his family as "Ohavav", and then as "Chachamav"?

(d) What did they mean, when they told Haman ...

1. ... "Im mi'Zera ha'Yehudim ..."?
2. ... "Ki Nafol Tipol Lefanav"?

(a) What is the meaning of ...

1. ... "ve'Sarisei ha'Melech Higi'u *va'Yavhilu le'Havi es Haman*"?
2. ... "Ki Ein ha'Tzar Shoveh be'Nezek ha'Melech"?
3. ... the double expression "va'Yomer ha'Melech Achashverosh, va'Yomer le'Esther ha'Malkah"?

The author of most of the Sugyos for close to an Amud is Rebbi Elazar, many of them quoted by Rebbi Binyamin bar Yefes.

(b) What did Esther have in mind when she said "*Ish Tzar ve'Oyev* Haman ha'Ra ha'Zeh"?

(c) What do we learn from ...

1. ... the two Pesukim "*ve'ha'Melech* Kam ba'Chamaso", and "*ve'ha'Melech* Shav mi'Ginas ha'Bisan"?
2. ... "ve'Haman Nofeil" (when it should really have written "ve'Haman Nafal")? What was the king's response to this?

(d) Who was Charvonah? What role did he play in the Megilah?

(a) Some explain that the Pasuk writes "va'Chamas ha'Melech Shachachah" (with two Chafs), to inform us that both the anger of Hashem and that of Achashverosh died down.
How do others explain it?

(b) What problem do we have with the fact that Yosef gave Binyamin five sets of clothing, and the other brothers only one?

(c) How do we resolve it?

8)

(a) Yosef and Binyamin fell around each other's neck and wept.
Why did they weep?

(b) What was Yosef telling his brothers when he said to them "ve'Hinei Einechem Ro'os *ve'Einei Achi Binyamin* Ki Fi ha'Medaber Aleichem"? Why did he specifically mention Binyamin here?

(c) Yosef sent his father "Asarah Chamorim Nos'im mi'Tuv Mitzrayim".
What is meant by "mi'Tuv Mitzrayim"?

(a) "Va'Yeilchu Gam Echav va'Yiplu Lefanav" (Vayechi).
Why can we not learn from here that one bows down even to a fox, when his day arrives?

(b) Then from which episode do we learn it?

(c) When Yosef spoke to his brothers, the Torah writes "va'Yanchem Osam va'Yedaber al Libam".
How did he convince them that he was not bent on revenge?

(a) The Pasuk says "la'Yehudim Haysah Orah, ve'Simchah, ve'Sason vi'Yekar". In this context, what is the meaning of ...

1. ... "Orah"?
2. ... "Simchah"?
3. ... "Sason"?
4. ... "Yekar"?

(b) What is their significance here?

(c) Why does the Ba'al Korei read the ten sons of Haman and the word "Aseres" in one breath?

(d) Why is the 'Vav' of Vayezasa written long 'like a barge-pole'?

(a) What is the difference between the way most Shiros are written on the one hand, and the way the ten sons of Haman and the kings of Cana'an, on the other?

(b) What is the reason for this?

(a) What does the Pasuk write that causes Rebbi Avahu to say that an angel came and slapped Achashverosh on the mouth?

(b) "u've'Vo'ah Lifnei ha'Melech Amar im ha'Seifer".
Why does the Pasuk say Amar (masculine), when it is Esther who was talking?

(c) What important Halachah do we learn from the fact that the Pasuk writes (with regard to the Megilah) "Divrei Shalom *ve'Emes*"?

(d) How does Rebbi Yochanan explain the Pasuk "u'Ma'amar Esther Kiyam Divrei ha'Purim ha'Eileh"? Was it only Esther's words that caused Purim to come into being (as we learned above on 7a.), to the exclusion of the fasts (mentioned in the previous Pasuk)?

(a) Why was Mordechai not accepted by a minority of the Sanhedrin?

(b) How does the Pasuk itself seemingly corroborate their opinion, by two different placings of Mordechai in order of importance?

(c) From whom do we learn that learning Torah takes precedence over ...

1. ... the building of the Beis Hamikdash?
2. ... Kibud Av va'Eim?

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