Megilla Reading קריאת מגילה

And these days are remembered and done in every generation, every family, every state, and every city, and these days of Purim will not pass from among the Jews and their memory will not be ended from their progeny. And Queen Esther, daughter of Avichayil, and Mordechai Ha-Yehudi wrote with all force to uphold this second Purim epistle.

Rava said: It is derived from “Remembering”-“Remembering.” Here it is written “and these days are remembered,” and there it is written “write this as a remembrance in the book” (Shemot 17:14). Just as there it is in a book, so, too, here it is in a book. And whence [do we know] that this remembering is reading aloud? Perhaps it is simply looking it over? It wouldn’t arise in your thoughts, for it is taught “remember.” Could that be by heart? When it says “don’t forget” behold, forgetting of the heart is already spoken for. Thus what do I establish [from] “remember”? Verbally.

It is a mitzva of reading and of publicizing the miracle.

Both the reader and the one who hears from the reader discharge their obligation, and that is when he hears from someone who is obligated in reading it [the megilla].

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi sad: A person must read the megilla at night and repeat it during the day, for it says “My God, I call by day and You don’t respond, and night and there is no silence for me” (Tehillim 22:3)…Rabbi Chelbo said Ulla Bira’a said: A person must read the megilla at night and repeat it in the day, for it is said “In order to sing honor to You and not be silent, God my Lord forever I will thank you” (Tehillim 30:13).

Rav Nachman said: Reading it [megilla] is Hallel.

Before it [megilla reading] it is a mitzva to recite berachot…Before it what does one recite? Rav Sheshet from Katarziya happened to come before Rav Ashi and recited the berachot mem-nun-chet.

Mem-nun-chet: Al mikra megilla [on megilla reading], and she-asa n issim [Who performed miracles], and she-hechiyyanu.

[Mishna] In a place where it is customary: to recite the beracha—he should recite it, and [where it is customary] not to recite the beracha—he shouldn’t recite it. [Gemara] Abbaye said we only learned this after it [the reading]…And after it what blessing does one recite: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the world, Who fights our fight and judges our judgement and avenges our vengeance and punishes our attackers and repays all the enemies of our soul. Blessed are you who extracts punishment for Israel from all its oppressors. Rava said: The God who saves. Rav Papa said: Therefore, we should say both of them: Blessed are You who exacts punishment for Israel from all its attackers, the God who saves.

All are obligated in reading the megilla…women and bondsmen and minors are exempt…

“All are obligated in megilla reading,” “All are fit to read the megilla” (Mishna Megilla 2:4). To include what? To include women, as Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, for Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Women are obligated in megilla reading because they indeed were included in that miracle.

For they also were included in that miracle – For also upon women did Haman decree to destroy and kill and cause to perish, from youth to elderly, children and women.

For they indeed were included in that miracle – Rashbam explained that the essence of the miracle was [accomplished] through them: on Purim through Esther…

Bar Kappara said he must read it before women and before minors for they too were at risk. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi did thus, he would gather the female and male members of his household and read it [megilla] before them.

Reading the megilla in its time is a positive rabbinic mitzva, and the matters are known that it is a decree of the prophets, and all are obligated in reading it, men and women…

(Tosefta 2:7) “All are obligated in reading the megilla…women and bondsmen and minors are exempt from reading the megilla” but they are obligated in hearing, why? For all were at risk of being destroyed and killed and made to perish, and since all were at risk, all are obligated to hear [megilla]. (Yerushalmi 2) “Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi would gather all members of his household and read Megillat Esther before them”…

To include women: For they are obligated in reading megilla and fit to read…the language of Rashi, but Behag did not rule thus…Therefore one must explain here that women [reading] only discharge the obligation of women, but not men…

…For they [women] indeed were included in that miracle, and if not for this reason, they would not be obligated because they are exempt from positive time-bound commandments…Since they [women] are obligated [in megilla] based on the general rationale that they, too, were part of that miracle, and men are obligated based on the prohibition of straying from the sages’ directives, which is akin to a Torah law, if so, for this reason women do not discharge men’s obligation.

Gloss: And there are those who say that if a woman reads for herself she recites the beracha “li-shmo’a megilla” (to hear the megilla), for she is not obligated in reading…

If a man recites a beracha for women [when reading megilla for them] he should recite the beracha to hear the megilla.

And she recites the beracha “Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to hear the megilla reading.”

One who already discharged the obligation of megilla reading and reads to discharge the obligation of another, if the one who needs to discharge the obligation knows how to recite the berachot himself, he should recite the berachot for himself. And if it is a woman, it is better that the reader recite the beracha and say “Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to hear the megilla [li-shmo’a megilla].”

It is written in Terumat Ha-deshen that one who already discharged the obligation of [hearing] shofar blowing, and will blow in order to discharge his fellow’s obligation, that according to the fundamental law the blower should not recite the beracha but rather the hearer should recite the beracha. But custom is not that way.

Rav said: Megilla at its time, we read it even as an individual.

Halacha was decided like Rav [Megilla 5a] that megilla reading in its time we read it even as an individual…From Rif and Rambam and Rosh and Ramban, it becomes clear that certainly for glorifying the mitzva and publicizing the miracle, Rav also concedes that ten is preferable…And thus is the custom and the bigger the congregation, the more glorification, for “in the multitude of people is the glory of the king” (Mishlei 14:28), but if in the synagogue it is impossible to hear well because of the tumult of banging for Haman and the like, it is better to read it in a group of ten at home.

A man must read it in his home before the maidens and the [female] servants, and in a few places they have the practice to go to the synagogue to the women’s section to hear the reading. Indeed, this requires study how the women there discharge their obligations, for it is impossible to hear there in accordance with the law.

It is not fitting to complete the [quorum of] ten [for megilla reading] with them [women], for in every place in which they [the sages] required ten, we need men.

Since we follow the halachic position of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi that they [women] are obligated [in megilla]…It follows that they [women] combine [for a quorum]. [And the fact that they don’t combine] for zimmun, that case is different because there is a major combining, for there is a change in birkat ha-mazon on their account, to add birkat ha-zimmun on their account, and one should be concerned for immodesty. But here there is no difference in megilla reading or in its berachot, whether [recited] individually or with ten, and it is not considered to be such a combination that we should be concerned for immodesty…

Megilla on 14 and 15 [Adar] one must strive for ten, and if it is impossible [to find] ten, we read them as individuals. Rema: And it is doubtful whether women combine [with men] for the ten.

After it [megilla reading] the custom is to recite the beracha of ha-rav et riveinu etc…Rema: And one should only recite a beracha after it be-tzibbur.

It seems that it is not worthwhile to recite a beracha after it [megilla reading for an individual] for without this factor [lack of a tzibbur], this beracha even in a tzibbur is not obligatory, and depends on custom, as appears in the Talmud. And who will say that the custom has spread today to recite a beracha [after reading] for an individual. And so wrote Peri Megadim, that in doubtful situations with berachot we are lenient [and omit them].

Our Rav, Rema, wrote that the beracha after it is only in a tzibbur. And one can say that the reason is that—since it doesn’t apply to the megilla but rather is a beracha of gratitude in order to publicize the miracle—it was only enacted in the tzibbur where there is publicizing, and not for an individual. And know that they brought this in the name of the Yerushalmi, but I didn’t find this in this Yerushalmi, and not a single one of the early authorities mentioned this. And in Shibbolei ha-Leket he brings a custom of [the] two yeshivot to recite the beracha afterwards, even for an individual [reading], and it seems that this is the general practice.

For you should not say that even women discharge their obligation only with an important reading by men.

Gloss: And there are those who say that if a woman reads for herself she recites the beracha “to hear the megilla” …

If a woman reads [for herself] – But in Midrash Rut Ha-ne’elam it is written that she should not read for herself, rather that she should hear from men.

So women even though they are obligated, in any case they do not have the obligation of reading, but the obligation of hearing, that she is obligated to hear from a man, and she should not read even for herself but rather a man should read before her. (This language that Magen Avraham wrote is not found in the Zohar on Rut…and it is not dispositive whether [instead] it intended to say that she does not read for others, but reads for herself and it requires study). In any case, it seems to me that if she doesn’t have someone to read before her, she should read for herself from a kosher megilla…

To bring in women – For they [women] are obligated in megilla reading and are fit to read it and to discharge mens’ obligation.

Reading the megilla in its time is a positive mitzva…and all are obligated in reading it, men and women…both the reader and the one who hears from the reader discharge their obligation, if he hears it from someone who is obligated in reading it…

All are obligated in reading it [megilla], men and women…both the reader and the one who hears from the reader discharge their obligation, and that is if he hears from one obligated in reading it…and there are those who say that women do not discharge men’s obligation.

…Behag wrote even though they [women] are obligated in megilla reading, they do not discharge men’s obligation…

…There are those who say that since they [women] are obligated, they discharge males’ obligations, for whoever is obligated in a matter discharges the obligation of the public…but in the name of Behag they wrote that the [women] are obligated to hear the megilla but are not obligated in reading it and therefore they don’t discharge the obligation of the public…And this is unclear, but it is fitting to be concerned for his [Behag’s] words, to be stringent.

In the Tosefta it teaches regarding birkat ha-mazon that “a woman, a bondsman, and a minor do not discharge the obligation of the masses”…Women do not discharge … because it is rabbim [lit. many], the matter is undignified for them. For regarding megilla, in which women are obligated, Behag explained that women do not discharge the obligation of the rabbim in megilla.

…Therefore one must explain here that women [reading] only discharge the obligation of women, but not men…

That which he said in Arachinthat all are fit to read to include women – not that they should discharge men’s obligation with their reading, but specifically women…this comes to teach that a woman discharges the obligation of her fellow woman.

What that Tosafot wrote in Sukka 38…perforce is that a woman does not discharge the obligation of many women because the matter is disgraceful…