Daf Yomi - Megillah 3 - Highlights

Rabbi Yirmiyah said, and others say that it was Rabbi Chiya bar Abba who said: The final letters in the Hebrew alphabet - mem, nun, tzadi, pey, kaf; were established by the prophets. The Gemora questions this statement. Could the prophets have introduced such an original enactment? Is it not written: "These are the commandments"; from which we infer that these are the commandments, and no prophet has the right to institute new ones from that time? And furthermore, the Gemora asks, didn’t Rav Chisda state that the mem (when it is the last letter of the word) and the samech (which is round) of the Tablets were stayed in place only by a miracle? (The letters in the Tablets were engraved from one side to the other and the middle sections of these two letters were completely unattached. They remained in place only through a miracle.)Evidently, these final letters were in existence prior to the prophets. The Gemora answers that these letters did exist beforehand, but it was not known which form of the letter should be in the middle of the word and which at the end; the prophets ordained that the open form should be in the middle of a word and the closed form should be at the end of the word. The Gemora questions if the prophets had a right even to establish where each form should be placed. The Gemora answers that this information was forgotten through the passage of time and the prophets only restored them. (2b – 3a)

Rabbi Yirmiyah said, and others say that it was Rabbi Chiya bar Abba who said: The Targum [translation] of the Torah was composed by Onkelus HaGer, who learned it from Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua. The Targum of the Prophets was composed by Yonasan ben Uziel, who learned it from Chaggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. At the time that the Targum of the Prophets was composed, the ground of Eretz Yisroel trembled over an area of four hundred parsah by four hundred parsah. A Heavenly voice called out, saying, “Who is this that has revealed My secrets to human beings?” Yonasan ben Uziel rose to his feet and said, “I am the one who revealed Your secrets to human beings. It is revealed and known to You that I did not act for my own glory or for the glory of my father’s house, but rather for Your glory, that disagreement should not spread in Israel.” Yonasan ben Uziel also wished to reveal the Targum of Writings. A Heavenly voice called out and said to him, “Enough!” The Gemora explains that the reason he was not granted permission to compose the Targum of Writings was because it contains the date of the arrival of Moshiach. The Gemora asks: Why at the translation of the Torah did the ground not tremble, and at the translation of the Prophets, it did tremble? The Gemora answers because regarding the Torah; no secrets were revealed; but regarding the Prophets; there are parts that are clear but some parts that were intended to remain hidden became revealed. (3a)

It is written [Daniel 10:7]: "And I, Daniel, alone saw this appearance, but the men that were with me did not see the appearance; nevertheless a great terror fell upon them, and they fled into hiding." Who were these men? Rabbi Yirmiyah said, and others say that it was Rabbi Chiya bar Abba who said: They were Chaggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. They were considered superior to him because they were prophets, and he, Daniel, was not a prophet. He was superior to them because he saw the vision and they did not. The Gemora asks: If they did not see, why did they tremble? The Gemora answers that although they literally did not see, their angel saw. Ravina states that we can learn from here that one who becomes terrified, although he himself does not see, his angel sees.

If a person becomes terrified and he doesn’t know why, the remedy is to recite Krias Shema. If he is standing in a dirty place where Krias Shema cannot be recited, he should jump four amos away from his original place. If he is not able to jump, he should say the following: The goat by the slaughterhouse is fatter than me.”(3a)

Rabbi Yosi bar Chanina states that the kohanim and levi’im must abandon their service in the Beis Hamikdosh to come hear the Megillah. A braisa is cited stating the following: The kohanim while they were engaged in the service of the Beis Hamikdosh, the levi’im from the balcony (while they were singing and playing musical instruments) and the people who were standing by the korbanos representing all of Klal Yisroel (ma’amados), all must forsake their service and go hear the Megillah.

The Gemora learns from here that one must cease from learning Torah in order to go and hear the Megillah. If the service in the Beis Hamikdosh, which is generally a stringent matter, must be suspended on the account of the reading of the Megillah; certainly the mitzva of reading the Megillah overrides Torah studying (which is usually not so strict).

The Gemora relates a conversation between Yehoshua bin Nun and an angel, proving that Torah study is regarded as being stricter than the service in the Beis Hamikdosh. Yehoshua bin Nun, during the night between two days of battle, had a vision of the Heavenly Warrior Angel. The angel was standing facing Yehoshua, his sword drawn (indicating that Yehoshua deserved to die). The angel confronted him, “Yesterday, you neglected to bring the korban tamid of the afternoon, and this evening, you have been lax regarding the studying of Torah!” Yehoshua replied, “For which one of these transgressions have you come?” The angel answered, “I have come now.” This indicated that the angel’s appearance was due to the neglect of Torah learning which was being committed now and not because of the sacrificial service.

The Gemora answers that there is a distinction between the Torah study of an individual and that of many people. Sacrificial service is superior to the learning of an individual, but the studying of Torah of all the Jewish people (like by Yehoshua) is greater than the sacrificial service. (3a – 3b)

Rava ruled that if there is a conflict between the mitzva of offering a korban and the mitzva of reading the Megillah, the latter takes precedence.

If there is a conflict between Torah study and the mitzva of reading the Megillah, the latter takes precedence.

If there is a conflict between Torah study and the burying of an unattended corpse, the latter takes precedence.

If there is a conflict between the sacrificial service and the burying of an unattended corpse, the latter takes precedence.

Rava inquires: If there is a conflict between the mitzva of reading the Megillah and burying of an unattended corpse; which takes precedence? Shall we assume that the reading of the Megillah takes precedence because it publicizes the miracle or does the burying of the unattended corpse take precedence because we are concerned on account of the human dignity factor? After he inquired, he himself decided that the burying takes precedence, as we have learned elsewhere (Shabbos 81b) that human dignity is so great that it even supersedes a negative commandment of the Torah; certainly it will take precedence over the mitzva of reading the Megillah, which is only Rabbinical. (3b)

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi had stated previously 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. The Gemora elaborates on this halacha and states from a braisa: If the open town is near the walled city even if it cannot be seen from a distance together with the city (if the town is located on top of a mountain); it would celebrate Purim on the fifteenth. If an open town can be seen with the city, although it is not near the city (if the town is located in a valley); it would celebrate Purim on the fifteenth. (3b)

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi rules: A city where the inhabitants had settled into and later it was surrounded with a wall; it is regarded as a village and will read the Megillah on the fourteenth. (3b)

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi rules: A city where there are not ten unoccupied men who dedicate all their time to Torah study; it is regarded as a village and may advance their Megillah reading to an earlier date. (3b)