Daf Yomi - Megillah 2 - Highlights

The Tractate deals with the detailed laws of the reading of the Book of Esther on Purim.

The Megillah is read on the eleventh, on the twelfth, on thirteenth, on the fourteenth and on fifteenth of Adar, not earlier than the eleventh and not later than the fifteenth.

Cities surrounded by a wall from the time of Yehoshua bin Nun (even though they do not have a wall at the present time), read on the fifteenth.

Villages and large towns read on the fourteenth, but the villages may advance to the day of the gathering. (Rashi explains that this refers to the Monday or Thursday preceding the fourteenth, when the villagers gathered in the large towns to settle disputes before the Courts, which convene every Monday and Thursday (as was enacted by Ezra). Since the villagers did not possess the expertise necessary to read themselves, the Sages were lenient and permitted one of the townspeople to read for them on the day of the gathering, instead of troubling them to return to the town on the fourteenth).

The Mishna provides details on the case. If the fourteenth of Adar falls on a Monday, villages and large towns read on that day, and those surrounded by a wall on the following day. If it falls on a Tuesday or on a Wednesday, villages advance to the day of gathering, and the large towns read on that day, and those surrounded by a wall on the following day. If it falls on a Thursday, villages and large towns read on that day, and those surrounded by a wall on the following day. If it falls on a Friday, villages advance to the day of gathering, and the large towns and those surrounded by a wall read on that day. If it falls on Shabbos, villages and large towns advance and read on the day of gathering, and those surrounded by a wall on the following day. If it falls on Sunday, villages advance to the day of gathering, and large towns read on that day, and those surrounded by a wall on the following day. (2a)

The Mishna had stated that the Megillah was read on the eleventh day of Adar. The Gemora seeks the Scriptural source for this. The Gemora explains that reading the Megillah on the eleventh is not a mandatory decree but rather a leniency established by the Rabbis in order that they should be available on the fourteenth to provide their brethren of the towns with water and with food.

The Gemora clarifies its original question. It is obvious that all the dates listed in the Mishna as proper times to read the Megillah, have been ordained by the Men of the Great Assembly; for if the Men of the Great Assembly only ordained the fourteenth and the fifteenth, how could the sages of a later generation have the power to abolish the ordinances of the Great Assembly? Have we not learned in a Mishna (Eduyos 1:5) that a Beis Din is not able to abolish the ordinances of its colleagues unless they are greater than the first Beis Din in wisdom and in numbers? It emerges that all the mentioned dates were ordained by the Great Assembly. Where are there hints for these dates in the Megillah?

Rav Shemen bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: It is written [Esther 9:31]: "To establish these days of Purim in their times." “In their times” is seemingly unnecessary and signifies that there are more times possible to read the Megillah (not just the fourteenth and the fifteenth). The Gemora explains that we can derive from this verse that there is another two days to read the Megillah. The two days cannot be the sixteenth and the seventeenth for it is written [Esther 9:27]: "and it shall not pass." This teaches us that it must never be after the appointed time. The thirteenth of Adar does not require a special source (enabling us to read the Megillah then) since that was the day that the Jews gathered for battle and the main miracle occurred that day. The Gemora concludes that the two days derives from the words “”in their times” is the eleventh and the twelfth.

Rav Shmuel bar Nachman cites a different source: It is written [Esther 9:22]: "like those days on which the Jews had rested from their enemies." It can be derived from the words “like those days,” that there are other days that the Megillah can be read. (2a)

Rabbah bar bar Chanah said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan that the ruling of our Mishna is only according to Rabbi Akiva, the anonymous one (it is common for an anonymous Mishna to be according to Rabbi Akiva); but the Chachamim maintain that the Megillah can only be read on the fourteenth and the fifteenth.

The Gemora cites a braisa challenging Rabbi Yochanan’s viewpoint. Rabbi Yehuda states that the Megillah can be read earlier than the fourteenth only during the period when the years were set by the Beis Din and the Jews lived in Eretz Yisroel (the messengers would be sent out to inform them when Pesach will be); but nowadays (when the Jewish people were exiled to distant lands and the messengers will not reach them in proper time), people look at the date at which the Megillah was read and calculate when Pesach will be (by counting thirty days from that date), it must be read only on the fourteenth or the fifteenth.

The Gemora proceeds to analyze who Rabbi Yehuda is going according to. He cannot be following Rabbi Akiva’s viewpoint since according to Rabbi Akiva, the villagers can read the Megillah earlier even nowadays. He must be in accordance with the Chachamim and yet there would be times that the villagers can read earlier. This is inconsistent with Rabbi Yochanan’s opinion that the Chachamim never allow the Megillah to be read earlier than the fourteenth.

The Gemora presents an alternative version of Rabbi Yochanan’s statement. Rabbah bar bar Chanah said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan that the ruling of our Mishna is only according to Rabbi Akiva, the anonymous one (it is common for an anonymous Mishna to be according to Rabbi Akiva); but the Chachamim maintain that nowadays, (when the Jewish people were exiled to distant lands and the messengers will not reach them in proper time), people look at the date at which the Megillah was read and calculate when Pesach will be (by counting thirty days from that date), it must be read only on the fourteenth or the fifteenth.

The Gemora cites the braisa mentioned above supporting Rabbi Yochanan’s opinion. (2a)

Rav Ashi asks a contradiction regarding Rabbi Yehuda’s opinion.

In the braisa cited above, Rabbi Yehuda maintained that nowadays, people look at the date at which the Megillah was read and calculate when Pesach will be (by counting thirty days from that date), it must be read only on the fourteenth or the fifteenth.

Rabbi Yehuda states in a Mishna (5a) that the ordinance (of reading the Megillah early) was only in those places where the people from the villages came to the towns on Mondays and Thursdays; but in the places where they do not enter the towns, the Megillah is only read in its main time.

We can infer from here that where the villagers come, even nowadays, the Megillah can be read earlier, and this contradicts his teaching above. Rav Ashi answers that the braisa is not according to Rabbi Yehuda but rather according to Rabbi Yosi, his son.

The Gemora explains that Rav Ashi heard two different versions of the braisa. Some attributed the braisa to Rabbi Yehuda and others attributed it to Rabbi Yosi, the son of Rabbi Yehuda. Since he saw a contradiction if the braisa was according to Rabbi Yehuda, he concluded that the accurate version was that the braisa was Rabbi Yosi, the son of Rabbi Yehuda. (2a – 2b)

The Mishna had stated that cities surrounded by a wall from the time of Yehoshua bin Nun, read on the fifteenth. The Gemora seeks to find the source for this halacha. Rava said that it is written [Esther 9:19]: "Therefore, the Jews of the villages that dwell in the unwalled cities make the fourteenth day of the month of Adar a day of gladness etc.” Since it is explicitly mentioned that the unwalled cities celebrate Purim on the fourteenth, it implies that the walled cities celebrate on the fifteenth. The Gemora asks that perhaps the walled cities should celebrate Purim on the thirteenth. The Gemora answers that we can assume that it should be on the same day that the residents of Shushan celebrated after they defeated their enemies, which was on the fifteenth. The Gemora asks that the verse where we are deriving the date for the walled cities is referring to the festivities of Purim; how do we know that this also applies to the reading of the Megillah? The Gemora answers that it is written [Esther 9:28]: "And these days are remembered and celebrated." We compare the celebration to the remembering; the remembering of the miracle (through reading the Megillah) takes place on the same day as the celebration. (2b)

The Mishna had stated that cities surrounded by a wall from the time of Yehoshua bin Nun, read on the fifteenth. The Gemora cites a dissenting opinion. We learned in a braisa: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha said: The inhabitants of cities surrounded with walls from the times of Achashverosh should read on the fifteenth. He derives this from the city of Shushan. Just as Shushan was surrounded by a wall at the time of Achashverosh and the Megillah was read there on the fifteenth; so too all cities surrounded with a wall from the time of Achashverosh shall have the Megillah read on the fifteenth.

The Gemora asks regarding the inhabitants of Shushan themselves; who were they acting according to? How could they read on the fifteenth if Shushan was not surrounded with a wall from the time of Yehoshua bin Nun? Rabbah answered and others say that it was Kadi who said: Shushan is different, for the miracle was there. (2b)

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said that a walled city, and its neighborhood, and all the places around that can be seen with it, must be considered like the walled city itself and they too would celebrate Purim on the fifteenth. (2b)