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ויהי בימי ה' דסמיכי. הכא ואידך ויהי בימי שפוט השופטים. ויהי בימי אחשורוש. כו' כראיתא במדרש שכולם היתה בימיהם ווי: "And it came to pass in the days of" - this is the connecting phrase. Here and elsewhere it is used to introduce different periods of time. "And it came to pass in the days of the judges." "And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus," etc. This expression is used in the Midrash to indicate that all of these periods were times of distress.