Now did we not say that they did not need to be sanctified?! Rather: they found these and listed them. And not only these alone, but with regard to any in which you find a tradition from your ancestors that it was walled from the days of Joshua son of Nun, all these mitzvot are to be observed, because the first holiness was conferred for the time being and for all future time. There is thus a contradiction between the two statements of R. Ishmael! Two Tannaim report R. Ishmael son of R. Jose differently. Or if you like, I can say that the latter is from R. Elazar b. Yose, as it has been taught: R. Eleazar b. Yose says: “That has [no] wall” (Leviticus 25:30) even though it does not have one now, but it had in previous times. And it came to pass in the days of Ahashverosh. R. Levi, or some say R. Yonatan said: The following remark is a tradition handed down to us from the Men of the Great Assembly: Wherever it says vayehi [and it was, and it came to pass], it indicates [the approach of] trouble. Vayehi in the days of Ahashverosh (Esther 1:1) — there was Haman. Vayehi in the days when the judges judged (Ruth 1:1) — there was a famine. Vayehi when man began to multiply (Genesis 6:1) — then God Saw that the wickedness of man was great. Vayehi, as they journeyed east (Genesis 11:20) — then they said, come let us build a city. Vayehi in the days of Amrafel (Genesis 14:1) — then they made war. Vayehi when Joshua was in Jericho (Joshua 5:13) — then his [the angel’s] sword was drawn in his hand. And the Lord was [vayehi] with Joshua (Joshua 6:27) — then the children of Israel trespassed. Vayehi a certain man of Ramataim-Zophim (I Samuel 1:1) — then, for he loved Hannah but the Lord had shut up her womb. Vayehi when Shmuel was old (I Samuel 8:1) — then, his sons walked not in his ways. And David had [vayehi] great success in all his ways (I Samuel 18:14) — then, And Saul had enmity with David. Vayehi when the king dwelt in his house (II Samuel 7:1) — then, Nevertheless you shall not build the house. But is it not written, Vayehi on the eighth day (Leviticus 9:1), and it has been taught: On that day there was joy before the Holy One, blessed be He, as on the day when heaven and earth were created. For it is written, And it came to pass [vayehi] on the eighth day, and it is written there, And there was [vayehi] one day? Nadav and Avihu died on that day. But is it not written, “Vayehi in the four hundred and eightieth year” (I Kings 6:1), “Vayehi when Jacob saw Rachel” (Genesis 29:1), and it is also written, “Vayehi was evening and there was morning one day” (Genesis 1:5), and there is the second day and the third, and there are many other cases? R. Ashi replied: In all cases, vayehi sometimes has this signification and sometimes not, but “vayehi in the days of” always indicates trouble. Five times we find the expression: “Vayehi in the days" “Vayehi in the days of Ahashverosh” (Esther 1:1), “Vayehi in the days when the Judges judged” (Ruth 1:1), “Vayehi in the days of Amrafel” (Genesis 14:1), “Vayehi in the days of Ahaz” (Isaiah 7:1) “And it came to pass in the days of Yehoiakim” (Jeremiah 1:3). R. Levi further said: The following is a tradition that we have from our ancestors, that Amoz and Amaziah were brothers. What does this come to teach us? That which was said by R. Shmuel b. Nahmani in the name of R. Yonathan: Every bride who is modest in the house of her father-in-law is rewarded by having kings and prophets among her descendants. How do we know this? From Tamar, as it is written, “And Judah saw her and thought her to be a harlot; for she had covered her face” (Genesis 38:15). . Just because she covered her face did he think her to be a harlot? Rather, what it means is that because she had covered her face in the house of her father-in-law and he did not know her, she was rewarded by having among her descendants kings and prophets; kings from David, and prophets — as R. Levi said It is a tradition handed down to us from our ancestors that Amoz and Amaziah were brothers’, as it is written, The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz. R. Levi further said: The following is a tradition from our ancestors: the ark took up no room. It was also taught: The ark that Moses made had round it an [empty] space of ten cubits on every side. And it is written, “And in front of the Sanctuary was twenty cubits in length [and twenty cubits in breadth],” (I Kings 6:20) and it is also written, “And the wing of the one cherub was ten cubits and the wing of the other cherub was ten cubits” (based on I Kings 6:24-25). Where then was the ark itself? Rather derive from this that it stood [without occupying any room]. R. Jonathan opened his discourse on this section from here, “And I will rise against them, says the Lord, and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and offshoot and offspring, says the Lord” (Isaiah 54:22), “Name” means script; “remnant” is language; “offshoot” is kingdom, and “offspring” is Vashti. Samuel b. Nahmani opened his discourse on this section from here: “Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle” (Isaiah 55:13): “Instead of the thorn”: instead of the wicked Haman who put himself up as an object of worship, as it is written, “And upon all thorns and upon all brambles” (Isaiah 7:19) “shall come up the cypress”: this is Mordecai who was called the chief of all spices, as it is said, “And you shall take for yourself the chief spices, flowing myrrh (mor)” (Exodus 30:23), which we translate [in Aramaic], "mare deki.” “Instead of the brier”: instead of the wicked Vashti, the daughter of the wicked Nebuchadnezzar who burned the ceiling of the house of the Lord; as it is written, “Its top was gold” (Song of Songs 3:10), “the myrtle shall come up”: this is the virtuous Esther who is called Hadassah, as it is said, “And he brought up Hadassah” (Esther 2:7). “And it shall be to the Lord for a name”: this is the reading of the Megillah; “and for an everlasting sign which shall not be cut off” (Isaiah 54:13: these are the days of Purim. R. Joshua b. Levi opened his discourse on this section from here: “And it shall come to pass that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, so the Lord will rejoice over you to cause you to perish” (Deuteronomy 28:63). Now does the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoice in the downfall of the wicked? Is it not written, “As they went out before the army, and say, Give thanks unto the Lord, for his mercy endures forever” (II Chronicles 20:21), and R. Yohanan said, Why are the words “for he is good” omitted from this thanksgiving? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, does not rejoice in the downfall of the wicked? And R. Yohanan further said, What is the meaning of the verse, “And one came not near the other all the night? (Exodus 14:20) The ministering angels wanted to chant their hymns, but the Holy One, blessed be He, said, The work of my hands is being drowned in the sea, and you chant hymns? R. Elazar replied: He himself does not rejoice, but he makes others rejoice. This is indicated also by the text, which writes yasis and not yasus; learn from this. Abba b. Kahana opened his discourse on this section from here: “For to the man that is good in his sight he gives wisdom, and knowledge and joy” (Ecclesiastes 2:26). This is the righteous Mordecai. “But to the sinner He gives the task, to gather and to heap up”; this is Haman. “That he may leave it to him, that is good in the sight of God”; this refers to Mordecai and Esther, as it is written, “And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman” (Esther 8:20). Rabbah b. Ofran opened his discourse on this section from here: “And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from them king and princes” (Jeremiah 49:38). “King” this is Vashti, and “princes” this is Haman and his ten sons. Dimi b. Isaac opened his discourse on this section from here: