D.A.F.'s Moadim section

1) Founding -

How did Koresh conquer Babylon, and unearth its hidden treasures? Where is this foretold in the Navi?

1. Rabbi Landy's Lecture for Purim 5769 from 6:35 til 10:15

2) Duration -

What are the difficulties in determining the chronology of the Persian period? How long did the Persian Empire last according to the secular historians? How can that number be resolved?

1. Rabbi Landy's Lecture for Purim 5764 from 31:40

2. Rabbi Landy's Lecture for Purim 5769 from 15:25 til 22:15

3) Shushan the Capital -

What role did the city of Shushan serve in the Persian Empire? Which city should be identified as Shushan, and what has been unearthed there?

1. Rabbi Landy's Lecture for Purim 5769 from 22:10 til 25:30

2. Rabbi Landy's Lecture for Purim 5769 from 36:55, also look for Rabbi Landy's book "Purim and the Persian Empire" (Feldheim, 2010).

4) Timeline -

When did the story of Purim occur, on the timeline of our seventy-year exile in Babylon and Persia/Media?

1. Rabbi Landy's Lecture for Purim 5764

2. Chart for Megilah 11

3. Yosef Da'as to Megilah 11:p5, אות כ.

5) Achashverosh -

Which Persian king should be identified as the Achashverosh of the Purim story? Was he of royal blood, or did he start out a commoner? What was he busy with during the first 7 year of his reign, based on historical sources?

1. Rabbi Landy's Lecture for Purim 5769 from 25:30 til 34:00

6) Daryavesh II -

Soon after the death of Achashverosh, his successor Daryavesh allowed the re-building of the Beis Hamikdash to resume. Was this Daryavesh the son of Esther?

1. Insights to Rosh Hashanah 3:1

Ezra 1:1-1:3
א:א וּבִשְׁנַת אַחַת, לְכוֹרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס, לִכְלוֹת דְּבַר-יקוק, מִפִּי יִרְמְיָה: הֵעִיר יקוק, אֶת-רוּחַ כֹּרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ-פָּרַס, וַיַּעֲבֶר-קוֹל בְּכָל-מַלְכוּתוֹ, וְגַם-בְּמִכְתָּב לֵאמֹר.	1:1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying:
ב כֹּה אָמַר, כֹּרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס--כֹּל מַמְלְכוֹת הָאָרֶץ, נָתַן לִי יקוק א-לקי הַשָּׁמָיִם; וְהוּא-פָקַד עָלַי לִבְנוֹת-לוֹ בַיִת, בִּירוּשָׁלִַם אֲשֶׁר בִּיהוּדָה.	2 'Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD, the God of heaven, given me; and He hath charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
ג מִי-בָכֶם מִכָּל-עַמּוֹ, יְהִי א-לקיו עִמּוֹ, וְיַעַל, לִירוּשָׁלִַם אֲשֶׁר בִּיהוּדָה; וְיִבֶן, אֶת-בֵּית יקוק א-לקי יִשְׂרָאֵל--הוּא הָא-לקים, אֲשֶׁר בִּירוּשָׁלִָם.	3 Whosoever there is among you of all His people--his God be with him--let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel, He is the God who is in Jerusalem.
Ezra 4:1-4:6
ד:א וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ, צָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן: כִּי-בְנֵי הַגּוֹלָה בּוֹנִים הֵיכָל, לַיקוק א-לקי יִשְׂרָאֵל.	4:1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple unto the LORD, the God of Israel;
ב וַיִּגְּשׁוּ אֶל-זְרֻבָּבֶל וְאֶל-רָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת, וַיֹּאמְרוּ לָהֶם נִבְנֶה עִמָּכֶם--כִּי כָכֶם, נִדְרוֹשׁ לֵא-לקיכֶם; ולא (וְלוֹ) אֲנַחְנוּ זֹבְחִים, מִימֵי אֵסַר חַדֹּן מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר, הַמַּעֲלֶה אֹתָנוּ, פֹּה.	2 then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers' houses, and said unto them: 'Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither.'
ג וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם זְרֻבָּבֶל וְיֵשׁוּעַ, וּשְׁאָר רָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל--לֹא-לָכֶם וָלָנוּ, לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת לֵא-לקינוּ: כִּי אֲנַחְנוּ יַחַד נִבְנֶה, לַיקוק א-לקי יִשְׂרָאֵל, כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּנוּ, הַמֶּלֶךְ כּוֹרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ-פָּרָס.	3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, said unto them: 'Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.'
ד וַיְהִי, עַם-הָאָרֶץ--מְרַפִּים, יְדֵי עַם-יְהוּדָה; ומבלהים (וּמְבַהֲלִים) אוֹתָם, לִבְנוֹת.	4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and harried them while they were building,
ה וְסֹכְרִים עֲלֵיהֶם יוֹעֲצִים, לְהָפֵר עֲצָתָם--כָּל-יְמֵי, כּוֹרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס, וְעַד-מַלְכוּת, דָּרְיָוֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ-פָּרָס.	5 and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
ו וּבְמַלְכוּת, אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ, בִּתְחִלַּת, מַלְכוּתוֹ--כָּתְבוּ שִׂטְנָה, עַל-יֹשְׁבֵי יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלִָם.	6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

תלמוד בבלי מסכת עבודה זרה ח:	Avodah Zarah 8b
התני רבי יוסי ברבי, מלכות פרס בפני הבית שלשים וארבע שנה, מלכות יון בפני הבית מאה ושמונים שנה, מלכות חשמונאי בפני הבית מאה ושלש, מלכות בית הורדוס מאה ושלש, מכאן ואילך צא וחשוב כמה שנים אחר חורבן הבית.	Does not Rebbi Yosi, descendant of great ones, teach: The Persian Empire reigned during the [Second] Temple era for 34 years; the Greek Empire for 180 years; the Hasmonean Dynasty for 103 years; and the Herodian dynasty for 103 years. For [all dates] thereafter, you must then calculate how many years it is since the Destruction of the Temple.

Ezra 1:1-1:3

Ezra 4:1-4:6

THE PERSIAN EMPIRE

AND THE MEGILAH