Megillah 6 - Shabbat December 18, 14 Tevet

Is the city Reket mentioned in Joshua 19:35 referring to Tiberias or is Chamat? Perhaps Rakat is Tzipori? What about Kineret? Rabbi Yochanan and Rava disagree about the identification of these cities. Zeira said that Kitron is Tzipori. However, since Kitron is in Zevulun’s land and Zevulun complained that they were not given good land, how could this be? Or is it just that the grass is always greener on the other side? Ekron is the city of Caesaria. It was a Roman stronghold. It is not possible for the Romans and the Jews to both be well established at the same time or both be destroyed at the same time – two different verses are brought to prove this. Drashot are brought on verses explaining conversations between Yitzchak and Yaakov with God about Esau, which is the father of Edom, from who the Romans are descended. If one says one is successful without hard work or works hard but is not successful, do not believe them. However, if one says one worked hard and was successful, that is to be believed. Is this only regarding Torah and only some type of Torah learning? Why? Can one provoke evildoers? Or should one stay away? On what does it depend? If there are two months of Adar, when do we read the Megillah – in the first month or the second? If one holds the second month and one reads it in the first and only after that, it was decided to add another month, does one need to read it again? What about other mitzvot like the four parshiot?