(א) לפורים:
(ב) בִּימֵי מָרְדְּכַי וְאֶסְתֵּר בְּשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה. כְּשֶׁעָמַד עֲלֵיהֶם הָמָן הָרָשָׁע. בִּקֵּשׁ לְהַשְׁמִיד לַהֲרֹג וּלְאַבֵּד אֶת כָּל הַיְּהוּדִים מִנַּעַר וְעַד זָקֵן טַף וְנָשִׁים בְּיוֹם אֶחָד. בִּשְׁלשָׁה עָשָׂר לְחֹדֶשׁ שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר. הוּא חֹדֶשׁ אֲדָר. וּשְׁלָלָם לָבוֹז:
(ג) וְאַתָּה בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים. הֵפַרְתָּ אֶת עֲצָתוֹ. וְקִלְקַלְתָּ אֶת מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ. וַהֲשֵׁבוֹתָ לּוֹ גְּמוּלוֹ בְרֹאשׁוֹ. וְתָלוּ אוֹתוֹ וְאֶת בָּנָיו עַל הָעֵץ.
מֵהֵיכָן קוֹרֵא אָדָם אֶת הַמְּגִילָּה וְכוּ׳. תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַאי אוֹמֵר: מִ״בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא״. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, וְכוּלָּן מִקְרָא אֶחָד דָּרְשׁוּ: ״וַתִּכְתֹּב אֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה וּמׇרְדֳּכַי הַיְּהוּדִי אֶת כׇּל תּוֹקֶף״, מַאן דְּאָמַר כּוּלָּהּ — תּוֹקְפּוֹ שֶׁל אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ. וּמַאן דְּאָמַר מֵ״אִישׁ יְהוּדִי״ — תּוֹקְפּוֹ שֶׁל מָרְדֳּכַי, וּמַאן דְּאָמַר מֵ״אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה״ — תּוֹקְפּוֹ שֶׁל הָמָן, וּמַאן דְּאָמַר מִ״בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא״ — תּוֹקְפּוֹ שֶׁל נֵס.
The mishna teaches that three Sages disagree about the question: Beginning from where must a person read the Megilla in order to fulfill his obligation? It is taught in a baraita that there is a fourth opinion as well: Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai says: One must start to read from “On that night” (Esther 6:1). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: And all of these tanna’im, in arriving at their respective opinions, were expounding the same verse. As it is stated: “Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote about all the acts of power to confirm this second letter of Purim” (Esther 9:29). The one who said that the Megilla must be read in its entirety interprets “acts of power” as referring to the power of Ahasuerus, and so the Megilla must be read from the beginning, where the power of Ahasuerus is recounted. And the one who said that it needs to be read from “There was a certain Jew” explains that “acts of power” is referring to the power of Mordecai. And the one who said that it needs to be read from “After these things” maintains that “acts of power” is referring to the power of Haman. And the one who said that it needs to be read from “On that night” understands that the expression is referring to the power of the miracle, which began on that night when Ahasuerus could not sleep, and therefore one must begin reading the Megilla from there.