Sunday, March 11, 2007

Daf Yomi - Megillah 30 - WALLED CITIES ON SHABBOS

If Purim falls out on Friday, Rav maintains that Parshas Zochor should be read on the Shabbos preceding Purim since the remembering of Amalek should be accomplished before the mitzvos of Purim (based on the verse in the Megillah ‘nizkarim v’na’asim.’ Shmuel holds that Parshas Zochor should be read on the Shabbos following Purim since there are some walled cities that will mention Amalek and fulfill the mitzvos on the same day.

Why does the Gemora say that there are some walled cities that read on the fifteenth; all walled cities read the Megillah on the fifteenth?

In sefer Shoel Umeishiv (Tlisa’ah 3:29), he answers: The halacha is that the Megillah is not read on Shabbos because we are concerned that one might carry the Megillah in a public domain. This halacha is not applicable to a walled city since the city has an enclosure; it is therefore not regarded as a public domain and will therefore be permitted to carry inside of it. In such a city, there is no injunction against reading the Megillah on Shabbos. However, regarding a city that had a wall from the time of Yehoshua and presently does not; the Megillah cannot be read on Shabbos since it is regarded as a public domain.

This is what the Gemora means that there were some walled cities that read on the fifteenth; if the fifteenth of Adar falls out on Shabbos and it is still surrounded by a wall, they will read the Megillah on the fifteenth.

Dayan Weiss, in his sefer Minchas Yitzchak (6:67) answers: There is a dispute in the Gemora (14a) as to why Hallel is not recited on Purim. Rav Nachman states that the reading of the Megillah replaces the obligation to recite Hallel. Rava explains that there is no obligation to recite Hallel on the miracle of Purim because we are still servants of Achashverosh.

The Meiri writes that according to Rav Nachman, one who does not have an accessible Megillah has an obligation to recite Hallel.

If Purim would fall out on Shabbos and a Megillah would not be accessible, what would be done?

This would depend on the two reasons provided in the Gemora above (4b) as to why the Megillah is not recited on Shabbos. Rabbah explains: Since everyone is obligated to read the Megillah, but not all are able to read it; the Rabbis issued a decree not to read the Megillah on Shabbos as a precautionary measure, lest one take the Megillah in his hand and go with it to an expert to learn to read it, and at the same time he will carry four amos in a public domain. Rabbi Yosi offered another reason: It is because the poor anxiously wait for the day when the Megillah is read to receive gifts which are usually allocated when the Megillah is read. Since the money cannot be distributed to the poor on Shabbos, they moved the reading of the Megillah to a different day.

According to the first reason, there is no concern regarding Hallel and it can be recited on Shabbos. According to the second reason, we would not recite Hallel on Shabbos as a replacement for the Megillah.

This is what the Gemora means that there were some walled cities that read on the fifteenth; if the fifteenth of Adar falls out on Shabbos and a Megillah is not accessible, they will recite Hallel on the fifteenth.

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