On the Sanctity of Ecclesiastes and Esther

b. Shabbat 30b

R. Judah, son of R. Samuel bar Sheilat, said in the name of Rav: The sages sought to suppress the book of Ecclesiastes [and declare it apocryphal] because its statements contradict each other [and it is liable to confuse its readers]. And why did they not suppress it? Because its beginning [consists of] matters of Torah and its end [consists of] matters of Torah. [The ostensibly contradictory details are secondary to the essence of the book, which is Torah. The Gemara elaborates:] Its beginning [consists of] matters of Torah, as it is written: What profit has man of all his labor which he labors under the sun? (Ecclesiastes 1:3), and [the sages of] the school [of] R. Yannai said: [By inference:] Under the sun is where [man] has no [profit from his labor; however,] before the sun, [i.e., when engaged in the study of Torah, which preceded the sun,] he does have [profit]. Its ending [consists of] matters of Torah, as it is written: The end of the matter, all having been heard: Fear God, and keep His mitzvot; for this is the whole man (Ecclesiastes 12:13). What is [the meaning of the phrase]: For this is the whole man? R. Eliezer said: The entire world was only created for this [person]. R. Abba bar Kahana said: This [person] is equivalent to the entire world. Simeon ben Azzai says and some say [that] Simeon ben Zoma says: The entire world was only created as companion to this [man, so that he will not be alone].

b. Megillah 7a

[R. Judah] said [that Samuel] said: [The book of] Esther does not render the hands ritually impure. [Although the sages issued a decree that sacred scrolls render hands ritually impure, the book of Esther was not accorded the sanctity of sacred scrolls.

The Gemara asks:] Is this to say that [Samuel] maintains [that the book of] Esther was not stated with [the inspiration of] the Divine Spirit? But didn’t [Samuel himself] say [elsewhere that the book of] Esther was stated with [the inspiration of] the Divine Spirit? [The Gemara answers:] It was stated [with the Divine Spirit that it is] to be read [in public]; however, it was not stated [that it is] to be written. [Therefore, the text was not accorded the sanctity of sacred scrolls.]