This will probably be my last Heoroh/question that is Purim related
Tosfos in D.H. Berum famously goes through how did the stringing up of the sons of Homon in the Megila work compared to the standard measurements of a human being and how did it fit in with the 50 Amos of the string they were on.
My question is based on Tosfos's Mekor of the Targum Sheni on the Megila and in a word could you possibly make some sort of chart using both Mekoros of a)how exactly the 10 sons were spaced out on the string b)was Homon included and in fact there were 11 bodies c)was he decapitated or was it just the 10 sons d)dont forget Homon was killed 11 months before ie in Nisan before the sons were killed in Adar so was he together with them on the string so basically how exactly do you see the Cheshbon working out I would really be interested to know since I get a few amos discrepancy
Boruch Kahan, LONDON
Sholom Rav
I'm sorry that I was unable to reply earlier. Please accept my apologies. Here is the explanation of both Targum Rishon and Targum Sheini, who both give exactly the same account of the gallows and how Haman and his ten sons were hanged on it - Yes Haman remained up there for the entire eleven months waiting for his sons to join him.
There is indeed a discrepancy, and even if we assume that the three Amos that the gallows was sunk into the ground was included in the fifty Amos, we will still be a few Amos short, as we shall now see.
They hanged Parshandasa 4 1\2 Amos from the ground. Between each of the hanged men they left 1\2 an Amah, and each one took up three Amos (the point that Tosfos queries).
Here is the order of the eleven men starting from the bottom. Parshandasa
Dalfon
Aspasa
Porasa
Adalya
Aridasa
Parmashta
Arisai
Ariday
Vayesassa
Haman
On top of Haman, says the Targum they left three Amos, to prevent the birds from eating his flesh - it is unclear how. We now have 13 times 3 Amos + 4 1\2 + 10 X 1\2 an Amah. 39 + 4 1\2 + 5 = 48 1\2 Amos, 1 1\2 Amos short of fifty. I'm afraid I don't know how to make up the discrepancy.
Wishing you Kol Tuv and a Chag Kasher ve'Same'ach..
Rabbi Chrysler