reish lakish uses the verse: "as a roaring lion and a growling bear, so is a wicked ruler over a poor nation." when showing that the "growling bear" is achasverosh, he cites a baraisa. in rav yosef's baraisa, it says "the persians... like a bear, are never at rest."

i was wondering why such a comparison is made, when in fact bears are known for resting. they hybernate in a cave for something like half of each year! it seems like saying that bears are never at rest is the exact opposite of the actual case.

any help with this would be appreciated.

Chaim, Storrs, CT, USA