Julian Ungar-Sargon

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Daf Ditty

A wide-ranging commentary on the daily page of Talmud.

Rembrandt - Haman Begging the Mercy of Esther

Yoma 29: Ayelet Hashachar

jyungar May 10, 2021

For the source text click/tap here: Yoma 29

To download, click/tap here: PDF

The priests mistook the light of the moon for the light of the sun and slaughtered the morning sacrifice before its time.

But how was it possible? The light of the moon shows in a column, and the light of the sun is spread out!? - It was a cloudy day.

This teaches us an additional lessons: the sun behind the clouds diffuses its heat.

The rising of the sun spread behind the clouds is compared to antlers of a morning hind . On that subject, why was Esther compared to hind? - Just as a hind has a narrow womb and is desirable to her mate every time as first one, so was Ester desirable to the king Ahasuerus constantly.

Our daf explains the verse in Psalm (22:1), לַמְנַצֵּחַ, עַל-אַיֶּלֶת הַשַּׁחַר as referring to David ha'Melech reciting this psalm as a prayer for Esther.

Rebbi Asi asks why David ha'Melech compares Esther to the "Shachar," the break of dawn. He answers thatj ust as daybreak marks the end of the night, so, too, Esther marked the end ofmiracles.

The Zohar (Beshalach 46a) reveals that immediately before dawn, the pitch-black night’s sky becomes especially overwhelming and the sun’s light must penetrate that thick darkness.

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Julian Ungar-Sargon

This is Julian Ungar-Sargon's personal website. It contains poems, essays, and podcasts for the spiritual seeker and interdisciplinary aficionado.​