“He said to Mehuman, Bizzeta, Ḥarvona” – Rabbi Yoḥanan said: At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He called the angel who is appointed over fury16A reference to the verse: “Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's word by means of the officials, and the king was very angry, and his fury burned within him” (Esther 1:12). and said to him: “Bizzeta” – plunder his house [boz beitei];17“House,” in this context, can mean his wife. “Ḥarvona” – destroy his house [aḥriv beitei]; “Bigta and Avagta” – Plunder [buz] and despoil [bizbuz].18Replace the gimmel with a zayin. Bigta and Avagta thus becomes Bizta and Avazta, which sounds like a form of the verb buz meaning to despoil or plunder. Rabbi Shimon son of Rabbi Yannai said: The Holy One blessed be He said: I will make sport of them; I will bring the weaving women19Who gossip and mock. Buz can also mean mock. from behind the loom. “Zetar” – Rabbi Yaakov bar Avina explained before Rabbi Yitzḥak: See the licentiousness [zenut re’e] of that wicked one. “veKharkas” – Karkesa is written.20That is not how in appears in the Masoretic text of the book of Esther. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: It is in the Greek language; that is what you say: Proclaim their doom [karkason]. “The seven officials who attended King Ahashverosh” – as the kingdom does not allow there to be less than seven officials before the king.
“He said to Mehuman, Bizzeta, Ḥarvona” – Rabbi Yoḥanan
Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team
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