Taking Seconds on Purim

Queen Esther, who is Jacob’s rose,
and purple, Mordecai,
are heroes, for they fought our foes:
their names will never die!

Oh hateful Haman, persecutor
of all the Jews in Persia,
the Queen declared you didn’t suit her—
after some inertia.

For saving Hebrews from this killer,
dear Mordecai, you’re blessed.
When Esther wrote up the Megillah
she said you were the best.

Were you his niece, or is it true
he loved you all his life,
although you married a non-Jew
and once had been his wife?

Make sure that we curse all the others,
above all Haman’s Zeresh!
Their wish was, if they’d had their druthers,
for all us Jews to perish,

and, when their stars appeared ascendant,
attacked us, which is why
we hanged ten Haman chiefs dependent
on their own gallows high.

What else is new?  It happened then,
and then so many times….
Again it happened, and again,
there’s no end to the crimes

Amalekites so nearly did
in Persia, and are cursed,
but sad to say, if you’re a yid
you know they weren’t the worst.

Look on the bright side, if you must:
one guy was good, Harvonah,
but if in goyim you would trust,
remember, he’s a loner!

Still, Purim which comes once a year
can soften blows, a cushion
that makes us feel that help is near —
take seconds, as in Shushan,

for Shushan Purim, Purim’s sequel,
implies that it’s no sin
to be as seconds more than equal
in fights we need to win.

The Mishnah in Kelim 17:9 states:

הָאַמָּה שֶׁאָמְרוּ, בָּאַמָּה הַבֵּינוֹנִית. וּשְׁתֵּי אַמּוֹת הָיָה בְשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה, אַחַת עַל קֶרֶן מִזְרָחִית צְפוֹנִית וְאַחַת עַל קֶרֶן מִזְרָחִית דְּרוֹמִית. שֶׁעַל קֶרֶן מִזְרָחִית צְפוֹנִית הָיְתָה יְתֵרָה עַל שֶׁל משֶׁה חֲצִי אֶצְבַּע. שֶׁעַל קֶרֶן מִזְרָחִית דְּרוֹמִית הָיְתָה יְתֵרָה עָלֶיהָ חֲצִי אֶצְבַּע, נִמְצֵאת יְתֵרָה עַל שֶׁל משֶׁה אֶצְבָּע. וְלָמָּה אָמְרוּ אַחַת גְּדוֹלָה וְאַחַת קְטַנָּה, אֶלָּא שֶׁהָאֻמָּנִין נוֹטְלִין בַּקְּטַנָּה וּמַחֲזִירִין בַּגְּדוֹלָה, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יָבֹאוּ לִידֵי מְעִילָה:

The cubit of which they spoke is one of medium size. There were two standard cubits in Shushan Habirah, one in the north-eastern corner and the other in the south-eastern corner. The one in the north-eastern corner exceeded that of Moses by half a fingerbreadth, while the one in the south-eastern corner exceeded the other by half a fingerbreadth, so that the latter exceeded that of Moses by a fingerbreadth. But why were there a larger and a smaller cubit? Only for this reason: so that craftsmen might take their orders according to the smaller cubit and return their finished work according to the larger cubit, so that they might not be guilty of any possible trespassing of Temple property.

The existence of two standard cubits in Shushan Habirah reflects the celebration of a second day of Purim in Shushan. According to Daniel 8:2 and 16, the river Ulai separated the capital city of Shushan, known as Ir Shushan,  from its palace, known as Shushan Habirah  (Dan.  8:2 and 16), and the word Ulai means “perhaps,”  not only reflecting the use of this word by Abraham’s servant regarding the possible unwillingness of Rebekkah to leave her parental home in Mesopotamia  to marry Isaac (Gen.27:39) but, according to a commentary by Joseph ibn Yahya, reflecting Daniel’s doubts about whether the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed.