| { | |
| "title": "Mishnah Megillah", | |
| "language": "en", | |
| "versionTitle": "merged", | |
| "versionSource": "https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Megillah", | |
| "text": [ | |
| [ | |
| "<b>The Megilla is read on the eleventh, on the twelfth, on the thirteenth, on the fourteenth,</b> or <b>on the fifteenth</b> of the month of Adar, <b>not earlier and not later.</b> The mishna explains the circumstances when the Megilla is read on each of these days. <b>Cities [<i>kerakin</i>] that have been surrounded by a wall since the days of Joshua, son of Nun, read</b> the Megilla <b>on the fifteenth</b> of Adar, whereas <b>villages and large towns</b> that have not been walled since the days of Joshua, son of Nun, <b>read</b> it <b>on the fourteenth. However,</b> the Sages instituted <b>that the villages may advance</b> their reading <b>to the day of assembly,</b> i.e., Monday or Thursday, when the rabbinical courts are in session and the Torah is read publicly, and the villagers therefore come to the larger towns.", | |
| "<b>How so?</b> If <b>the fourteenth</b> of Adar <b>occurs on Monday, the villages and large towns read</b> it <b>on that day, and the walled cities</b> read it <b>on the next day,</b> the fifteenth. If the fourteenth <b>occurs on Tuesday or Wednesday, the villages advance</b> their reading <b>to the day of assembly,</b> i.e., Monday, the twelfth or thirteenth of Adar; <b>the large towns read</b> it <b>on that day,</b> i.e., the fourteenth of Adar, <b>and the walled cities</b> read it <b>on the next day,</b> the fifteenth. If the fourteenth <b>occurs on Thursday, the villages and large towns read</b> it <b>on that day,</b> the fourteenth, <b>and the walled cities</b> read it <b>on the next day,</b> the fifteenth. If the fourteenth <b>occurs on Shabbat eve, the villages advance</b> their reading <b>to the day of assembly,</b> i.e., Thursday, the thirteenth of Adar; <b>and the large towns and the walled cities read</b> it <b>on that day,</b> i.e., the fourteenth of Adar. Even the walled cities read the Megilla on the fourteenth rather than on the fifteenth, as they do not read it on Shabbat. If the fourteenth <b>occurs on Shabbat,</b> both <b>the villages and large towns advance</b> their reading <b>to the day of assembly,</b> i.e., Thursday, the twelfth of Adar; <b>and the walled cities</b> read it <b>on the day after</b> Purim, the fifteenth. If the fourteenth <b>occurs on Sunday, the villages advance</b> their reading <b>to the day of assembly,</b> i.e., Thursday, the eleventh of Adar; <b>and the large towns read</b> it <b>on that day,</b> i.e., the fourteenth of Adar; <b>and the walled cities</b> read it <b>on the next day,</b> the fifteenth.", | |
| "<b>What is</b> considered <b>a large city,</b> where the Megilla is read on the fourteenth of Adar? <b>Any</b> city <b>in which there are ten idlers.</b> However, if there are <b>fewer than that, it is</b> considered <b>a village,</b> even if it has many inhabitants. <b>It was with regard to these</b> times for reading the Megilla that the Sages <b>said</b> that <b>one advances</b> the reading of the Megilla before the fourteenth of Adar <b>and one does not postpone</b> the reading to after its proper time. <b>However,</b> with regard to <b>the time</b> when families of <b>priests</b> donate <b>wood</b> for the fire on the altar, which were times those families would treat as Festivals; as well as the fast of the <b>Ninth of Av;</b> the <b>Festival</b> peace-offering that was brought on the Festivals; <b>and the</b> commandment of <b>assembly</b> [<b><i>hakhel</i></b>] of the entire Jewish people in the Temple courtyard on <i>Sukkot</i> in the year following the Sabbatical year to hear the king read the book of Deuteronomy; <b>one postpones</b> their observance until after Shabbat <b>and does not advance</b> their observance to before Shabbat. The mishna continues: <b>Even though</b> the Sages <b>said</b> that <b>one advances</b> the time for reading the Megilla <b>and one does not postpone</b> the reading, one is <b>permitted</b> to <b>eulogize and fast</b> on these days, as they are not actually Purim; nevertheless, <b>gifts for the poor</b> are distributed on this day. <b>Rabbi Yehuda said: When</b> is the Megilla read on the day of assembly, before the fourteenth of Adar? In <b>a place where</b> the villagers generally <b>enter</b> town <b>on Monday and Thursday. However,</b> in <b>a place where they do not</b> generally <b>enter</b> town <b>on Monday and Thursday, one may read</b> the Megilla <b>only in its</b> designated <b>time,</b> the fourteenth of Adar.", | |
| "If the people <b>read the Megilla during the first Adar and</b> subsequently <b>the year was</b> then <b>intercalated</b> by the court and now the following month will be the second Adar, <b>one reads</b> the Megilla again <b>during the second Adar.</b> The Sages formulated a principle: <b>The difference between the first Adar and the second Adar</b> with regard to the mitzvot that are performed during those months <b>is only</b> that <b>the reading of the Megilla and</b> distributing <b>gifts to the poor</b> are performed in the second Adar and not in the first Adar.", | |
| "The previous mishna concluded with the formula: The difference between…is only, thereby distinguishing between the <i>halakhot</i> in two different cases. The following <i>mishnayot</i> employ the same formula and distinguish between the <i>halakhot</i> in cases unrelated to Purim and the Megilla. The first is: <b>The difference between Festivals and Shabbat</b> with regard to the labor prohibited on those days <b>is only</b> in <b>preparing food alone.</b> It is permitted to cook and bake in order to prepare food on Festivals; however, on Shabbat it is prohibited. <b>The difference between Shabbat and Yom Kippur</b> with regard to the labor prohibited on those days <b>is only that</b> in <b>this</b> case, i.e., Shabbat, <b>its intentional</b> desecration is punishable <b>at the hand of Man,</b> as he is stoned by a court based on the testimony of witnesses who forewarned the transgressor; <b>and</b> in <b>that</b> case, i.e., Yom Kippur, <b>its intentional</b> desecration is punishable at the hand of God, <b>with <i>karet</i>.</b>", | |
| "<b>The difference between one for whom benefit from another is forbidden by vow and one for whom benefit from</b> another’s <b>food is forbidden by vow is only</b> with regard to <b>stepping foot</b> on his property, <b>and</b> with regard to borrowing <b>utensils</b> from him <b>that one does not use</b> in the <b>preparation of food,</b> but for other purposes; as those two benefits are prohibited to the former, but permitted to the latter. <b>The difference between</b> animals consecrated to the Temple as <b>vow</b> offerings <b>and</b> animals consecrated as <b>gift</b> offerings <b>is only that</b> in the case of <b>vow</b> offerings, if they died or were lost before being sacrificed on the altar, one <b>is obligated in</b> the <b>responsibility</b> to replace <b>them, and</b> in the case of <b>gift</b> offerings, if they died or were lost, one <b>is not obligated in</b> the <b>responsibility</b> to replace <b>them.</b>", | |
| "<b>The difference between a <i>zav</i> who experiences two emissions</b> of a pus-like discharge from his penis <b>and one who experiences three</b> emissions <b>is only</b> that the <i>zav</i> who experienced three emissions is obligated to bring <b>an offering</b> after he recovers, in order to complete his purification process. <b>The difference between a quarantined leper,</b> i.e., one examined by a priest who found his symptoms to be inconclusive, and who must therefore remain in isolation for a period of up to two weeks waiting to see if conclusive symptoms develop; <b>and a confirmed leper,</b> i.e., one whose symptoms were conclusive and the priest declared him an absolute leper, <b>is only</b> with regard to <b>letting</b> the hair on one’s head grow <b>wild and rending</b> one’s garments. A confirmed leper is obligated to let the hair on his head grow wild and rend his garments; a quarantined leper is not. <b>The difference between</b> a leper <b>purified from quarantine,</b> whose symptoms never became conclusive, <b>and</b> a leper <b>purified from</b> a state of <b>confirmed</b> leprosy <b>is only</b> with regard to <b>shaving</b> the hair on all his body <b>and</b> bringing <b>birds</b> as a purification offering, which are obligations incumbent only upon the confirmed leper.", | |
| "<b>The difference between</b> Torah <b>scrolls, and phylacteries and <i>mezuzot</i>,</b> in terms of the manner in which they are written, <b>is only that</b> Torah <b>scrolls are written in any language, whereas phylacteries and <i>mezuzot</i> are written only in <i>Ashurit</i>,</b> i.e., in Hebrew and using the Hebrew script. <b>Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: Even with regard to</b> Torah <b>scrolls,</b> the Sages <b>permitted them to be written only</b> in <b>Greek.</b> Torah scrolls written in any other language do not have the sanctity of a Torah scroll.", | |
| "<b>The difference between a</b> High <b>Priest anointed with the oil of anointing,</b> which was the method through which High Priests were consecrated until the oil was sequestered toward the end of the First Temple period, <b>and</b> one consecrated by donning <b>multiple garments</b> unique to the High Priest, which was the practice during the Second Temple period, <b>is only</b> that the latter does not bring the <b>bull that comes for</b> transgression of <b>any of the mitzvot.</b> An anointed High Priest who unwittingly issued an erroneous halakhic ruling and acted upon that ruling, and transgressed a mitzva whose unwitting violation renders one liable to bring a sin-offering, is obligated to bring a sin-offering unique to one in his position. <b>The difference between a</b> High <b>Priest</b> currently <b>serving</b> in that capacity <b>and a former</b> High <b>Priest,</b> who temporarily filled that position when the High Priest was unfit for service, <b>is only</b> with regard to <b>the bull</b> brought by the High Priest on <b>Yom Kippur, and the tenth of an ephah</b> meal-offering brought daily by the High Priest. Each of these offerings is brought only by the current High Priest, and not by a former High Priest.", | |
| "<b>The difference between a great,</b> public <b>altar,</b> such as the altars established at Nob and Gibeon, which served as religious centers following the destruction of the Tabernacle in Shiloh, <b>and a small,</b> personal <b>altar</b> on which individuals would sacrifice their offerings, <b>is only</b> with regard to <b>Paschal lambs,</b> which may not be sacrificed on a small altar. <b>This is the principle: Any</b> offering <b>that is vowed or contributed</b> voluntarily <b>is sacrificed on a</b> small <b>altar, and any</b> offering <b>that is neither vowed nor contributed</b> voluntarily, but rather is compulsory, e.g., a sin-offering, <b>is not sacrificed on a</b> small <b>altar.</b>", | |
| "<b>The difference between</b> the Tabernacle in <b>Shilo and</b> the Temple in <b>Jerusalem is only that in Shiloh one eats offerings of lesser sanctity,</b> e.g., individual peace-offerings, thanks-offerings, and the Paschal lamb, <b>and</b> also <b>the second tithe, in any place that overlooks</b> Shiloh, as Shiloh was not a walled city and any place within its Shabbat boundary was regarded as part of the city. <b>And in Jerusalem</b> one eats those consecrated items only <b>within the walls.</b> <b>And here,</b> in Shiloh, <b>and there,</b> in Jerusalem, <b>offerings of the most sacred order are eaten</b> only <b>within the hangings.</b> The Tabernacle courtyard in Shiloh was surrounded by hangings and the Temple courtyard in Jerusalem was surrounded by a wall. There is another difference: With regard to <b>the sanctity of Shiloh,</b> <b>after</b> the Tabernacle was destroyed, <b>there is permission</b> to sacrifice offerings on improvised altars. <b>But</b> with regard to <b>the sanctity of Jerusalem, after</b> the Temple was destroyed, <b>there is no permission</b> to sacrifice offerings on improvised altars, as the prohibition remains intact." | |
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| "With regard to <b>one who reads the Megilla out of order,</b> reading a later section first, and then going back to the earlier section, <b>he has not fulfilled</b> his obligation. If <b>he read it by heart,</b> or <b>if he read it in</b> Aramaic <b>translation</b> or <b>in any</b> other <b>language</b> that he does not understand, <b>he has not fulfilled</b> his obligation. <b>However, for those who speak a foreign language, one may read</b> the Megilla <b>in</b> that <b>foreign language. And one who speaks a foreign language who heard</b> the Megilla read in <b><i>Ashurit</i>,</b> i.e., in Hebrew, <b>has fulfilled</b> his obligation.", | |
| "<b>If one read</b> the Megilla <b>at intervals,</b> pausing and resuming, <b>or</b> while <b>he is dozing off, he has fulfilled his obligation. If one was writing</b> a Megilla, <b>or expounding upon it, or correcting it,</b> and he read all its words as he was doing so, the following distinction applies: <b>If he had intent</b> to fulfill his obligation with that reading <b>he has fulfilled his obligation, but if not, he has not fulfilled</b> his obligation. <b>If</b> one reads from a Megilla that <b>was written</b> not with ink but <b>with <i>sam</i> or with <i>sikra</i> or with <i>komos</i> or with <i>kankantom</i>,</b> or from a Megilla that was written not on parchment but <b>on <i>neyar</i> or on <i>diftera</i>,</b> a kind of unprocessed leather, <b>he has not fulfilled</b> his obligation. He does not fulfill his obligation <b>unless</b> he reads from a Megilla that <b>is written in <i>Ashurit</i>,</b> i.e., in the Hebrew language and using the Hebrew script, <b>upon parchment and with ink.</b>", | |
| "With regard to <b>a resident of an</b> unwalled <b>town who went to a walled city,</b> where the Megilla is read on the fifteenth of Adar, and conversely, <b>a resident of a walled city who went to an</b> unwalled <b>town</b> where it is read on the fourteenth, the following distinction applies: <b>If he is destined to return to his</b> original <b>place, he reads</b> it <b>according to</b> the <i>halakha</i> governing <b>his</b> own <b>place, and if not,</b> i.e., if he is not destined to return to his place, <b>he reads with them,</b> the residents of his current location. Beginning <b>from where must a person read the Megilla in order to fulfill his obligation? Rabbi Meir says:</b> He must read <b>all of it. Rabbi Yehuda says:</b> He need read only <b>from</b> “There was <b>a certain Jew”</b> (Esther 2:5). <b>Rabbi Yosei says: From “After these things”</b> (Esther 3:1).", | |
| "<b>Everyone is fit to read the Megilla, except for a deaf person, an imbecile, and a minor. Rabbi Yehuda</b> disagrees and <b>says that a minor is fit</b> to read the Megilla. <b>One may not read the Megilla, nor perform a circumcision, nor immerse</b> himself in a ritual bath, <b>nor sprinkle</b> water of purification to purify people and objects that had contracted ritual impurity through contact with a corpse until after sunrise. <b>And also a woman who observes a</b> clean <b>day for</b> each <b>day</b> she experiences a discharge, i.e., a woman who experienced one or two days of non-menstrual bleeding, and must now wait until a day has passed without any discharge of blood before regaining ritual purity, she too <b>may not immerse herself until the sun has risen. And</b> with regard to <b>all these</b> activities that are supposed to be performed during the day, <b>if one did them after daybreak,</b> i.e., after the appearance of the first light of the sun, even before sunrise, <b>they are valid,</b> as at this point it is already considered daytime.", | |
| "Although it is preferable to fulfill a particular day’s mitzva at the earliest possible hour, <b>the entire day is a valid</b> time <b>for reading the Megilla; for reciting <i>hallel</i>; for sounding the <i>shofar</i></b> on Rosh HaShana; <b>for taking the <i>lulav</i></b> and the other species on Sukkot; <b>for the additional prayer</b> recited on Shabbat and other occasions; <b>and for the additional offerings</b> sacrificed in the Temple on these occasions. <b>And</b> the entire day is also a valid time <b>for the confession over the bulls</b> brought by the Sanhedrin or by the High Priest to atone for mistakes they had made in their instruction to the people; <b>for the declaration</b> made on the last day of Passover in the fourth and seventh year of the Sabbatical cycle, stating that one’s obligations <b>with regard to tithes</b> have been properly fulfilled (see Deuteronomy 26:12–15); <b>and for the confession</b> of sins made by the High Priest <b>on Yom Kippur</b> over the special offerings brought on that day. The entire day is also a valid time <b>for placing hands</b> on the head of an offering; <b>for slaughtering</b> an offering; <b>for waving</b> those offerings that require waving in the Temple; <b>for bringing</b> meal-offerings <b>near</b> to the altar; <b>for scooping out a fistful</b> of flour from a meal-offering in order to burn it on the altar; <b>and for burning</b> the fistful of flour on the altar; <b>for pinching</b> the necks of the turtledoves and young pigeons sacrificed as offerings in the Temple; <b>and for receiving</b> the blood of an offering in a vessel; <b>and for sprinkling</b> blood on the altar and on the curtain separating between the Holy and the Holy of Holies. <b>And</b> the entire day is also a valid time <b>for giving a woman suspected by her husband of having been unfaithful [<i>sota</i>] to drink</b> from the bitter waters (see Numbers 5:11–31); <b>for breaking the neck</b> of the heifer as part of the procedure followed when a corpse is found outside a town and it is not known who caused his death (see Deuteronomy 21:1–9); <b>and for</b> all the steps in the <b>purification process of the leper</b> (see Leviticus 14:1–20).", | |
| "Correspondingly, all the mitzvot that must be performed at night may be performed anytime during the night: <b>The entire night is</b> a valid time for <b>reaping the <i>omer</i></b> of barley on the night following the first day of Passover, <b>for burning the fats</b> of offerings that had been brought during the preceding day, <b>and</b> for burning <b>the limbs</b> of burnt-offerings. <b>This is the principle: Something that it is a mitzva</b> to perform <b>during the day is valid</b> if performed anytime during <b>the entire day; something that it is a mitzva</b> to perform <b>at night is valid</b> if performed anytime during <b>the entire night.</b>" | |
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| "<b>Residents of a town who sold the town square,</b> which was at times used for public prayer and therefore attained a certain degree of sanctity, may use the proceeds of the sale only to purchase something of a greater degree of sanctity. They may therefore <b>purchase a synagogue with the proceeds</b> of the sale. If they sold <b>a synagogue, they may purchase an ark</b> in which to house sacred scrolls. If they sold <b>an ark, they may purchase wrapping cloths</b> for the sacred scrolls. If they sold <b>wrapping cloths,</b> <b>they may purchase scrolls</b> of the Prophets and the Writings. If they sold <b>scrolls</b> of the Prophets and Writings, <b>they may purchase a Torah</b> scroll. <b>However,</b> the proceeds of a sale of a sacred item may not be used to purchase an item of a lesser degree of sanctity. Therefore, <b>if they sold a Torah</b> scroll, <b>they may not</b> use the proceeds to <b>purchase scrolls</b> of the Prophets and the Writings. If they sold <b>scrolls</b> of the Prophets and Writings, <b>they may not purchase wrapping cloths.</b> If they sold <b>wrapping cloths, they may not purchase an ark.</b> If they sold <b>an ark, they may not purchase a synagogue.</b> If they sold <b>a synagogue, they may not purchase a town square. And similarly,</b> the same limitation applies <b>to</b> any <b>surplus funds</b> from the sale of sacred items, i.e., if after selling an item and purchasing something of a greater degree of sanctity there remain additional, unused funds, the leftover funds are subject to the same principle and may be used to purchase only something of a degree of sanctity greater than that of the original item. <b>They may not sell</b> a sacred object <b>belonging to the community to an individual,</b> even if the object will still be used for the same purpose, <b>due to</b> the fact <b>that</b> by doing so <b>they downgrade its</b> degree of <b>sanctity,</b> as an item used by fewer people is considered to have a lower degree of sanctity than one used by many; this is <b>the statement of Rabbi Yehuda.</b> The Rabbis <b>said to him: If so,</b> by your logic, it should <b>also not</b> be permitted to sell a sacred object <b>from a large town to a small town.</b> However, such a sale is certainly permitted, and therefore it must also be permitted to sell such an object to an individual. ", | |
| "<b>They may sell a synagogue only with a stipulation that if</b> the sellers so <b>desire it,</b> the buyers <b>will return it</b> to them; this is <b>the statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say: They may sell a synagogue with a permanent sale</b> for any usage, <b>except</b> the following <b>four things,</b> which would be an affront to the synagogue’s previous sanctity: <b>For a bathhouse,</b> where people stand undressed; <b>or for a tannery [<i>burseki</i>],</b> due to the foul smell; <b>for immersion,</b> i.e., to be used as a ritual bath, where people also stand undressed; <b>or for a lavatory. Rabbi Yehuda says: They may sell</b> a synagogue <b>for</b> the generic purpose of <b>serving as a courtyard, and</b> then <b>the buyer may</b> then <b>do</b> with it <b>as he wishes,</b> even if that is one of the above four purposes.", | |
| "<b>And Rabbi Yehuda said further: A synagogue that fell into ruin</b> still may not be used for a mundane purpose. Therefore, <b>one may not eulogize in it. And nor may one stretch out</b> and repair <b>ropes in it.</b> The wide expanse of the synagogue would have been particularly suitable for this. <b>And nor may one spread</b> animal <b>traps within it. And nor may one spread out produce upon its roof</b> to dry. <b>And nor may one make it</b> into <b>a shortcut.</b> The <i>halakha</i> that a synagogue in disrepair still may not be used for mundane purposes is derived from a verse, <b>as it is stated: “And I will bring desolation to your sanctuaries”</b> (Leviticus 26:31). The fact that the word “sanctuaries” appears after the word “desolation” indicates that <b>their sanctity</b> remains upon them <b>even when they are desolate.</b> However, if <b>grass sprang up</b> of its own accord <b>in</b> the ruined synagogue, although it is not befitting its sanctity, <b>one should not pick</b> it, <b>due to</b> the <b>anguish</b> that it will bring to those who see it. It will remind them of the disrepair of the synagogue and the need to rebuild it. ", | |
| "On four <i>Shabbatot</i> during and surround-ing the month of Adar, a Torah portion of seasonal significance is read. When <b>the New Moon of Adar occurs on Shabbat,</b> the congregation <b>reads the portion of <i>Shekalim</i></b> on that Shabbat. If the New Moon <b>occurs during</b> the middle of <b>the week, they advance</b> the reading of that portion <b>to the previous</b> Shabbat, <b>and,</b> in such a case, <b>they interrupt</b> the reading of the four portions <b>on the following Shabbat,</b> which would be the first Shabbat of the month of Adar, and no additional portion is read on it. <b>On the second</b> Shabbat, the Shabbat prior to Purim, they read the portion: <b>“Remember</b> what Amalek did” (Deuteronomy 25:17–19), which details the mitzva to remember and destroy the nation of Amalek. <b>On the third</b> Shabbat, they read the portion of <b>the Red Heifer [<i>Para</i>]</b> (Numbers 19:1–22), which details the purification process for one who became ritually impure through contact with a corpse. <b>On the fourth</b> Shabbat, they read the portion: <b>“This month [<i>haḥodesh</i>] shall be for you”</b> (Exodus 12:1–20), which describes the offering of the Paschal lamb. <b>On the fifth</b> Shabbat, <b>they resume the</b> regular weekly <b>order</b> of readings and no special portion is read. <b>For all</b> special days, the congregation <b>interrupts</b> the regular weekly order of readings, and a special portion relating to the character of the day is read. This applies <b>on the New Moons, on Hanukkah, and on Purim, on fast days, and on the</b> non-priestly <b>watches, and on Yom Kippur.</b>", | |
| "<b>On</b> the first day of <b>Passover,</b> the congregation <b>reads from the portion of the Festivals of Leviticus</b> (Leviticus 22:26–23:44). <b>On <i>Shavuot</i></b> they read the portion of <b>“Seven weeks”</b> (Deuteronomy 16:9–12). <b>On Rosh HaShana</b> they read the portion of “And <b>on the seventh month on the first of the month”</b> (Leviticus 23:23–25). <b>On Yom Kippur</b> they read the portion of <b>“After the death”</b> (Leviticus 16). <b>On the first Festival day of <i>Sukkot</i> they read from the portion of the Festivals of Leviticus</b> (Leviticus 22:26–23:44), <b>and on the other days of <i>Sukkot</i></b> they read selections <b>from</b> the portion of <b>the offerings of <i>Sukkot</i></b> (Numbers 29:12–39). ", | |
| "<b>On</b> each day of <b>Hanukkah</b> they read selections <b>from</b> the portion of the dedication of the altar by <b>the</b> tribal <b>princes</b> (Numbers 7). <b>On Purim</b> they read the portion of <b>“And Amalek came”</b> (Exodus 17:8–16). <b>On the New Moon</b> they read the portion of <b>“And in the beginnings of your months”</b> (Numbers 28:11–15). <b>And in the</b> non-priestly <b>watches</b> they read <b>the act of Creation</b> (Genesis 1:1–2:3). The Jewish people were divided into twenty-four watches. Each week, it would be the turn of a different watch to send representatives to Jerusalem to be present in the Temple to witness the sacrificial service. Those remaining behind would fast during the week, from Monday to Thursday, offer special prayers, and read the account of Creation from the Torah. <b>On fast days,</b> they read the portion of <b>blessings and curses</b> (Leviticus, chapter 26). <b>One should not interrupt</b> the reading of the <b>curses</b> by having two different people read them. <b>Rather, one person reads all of them.</b> <b>On Mondays, and on Thursdays,</b> and <b>on Shabbat during the afternoon</b> service, <b>they read in accordance</b> with the regular weekly <b>order,</b> i.e., they proceed to read the first section of the Torah portion that follows the portion that was read on the previous Shabbat morning. <b>However,</b> these readings <b>are not counted</b> as a progression <b>in the reckoning</b> of reading the Torah portions, i.e., they do not proceed on Monday to read the section that immediately follows the section read on Shabbat during the afternoon, and then the following section on Thursday. Rather, until the reading on the following Shabbat morning, they return to and read the same first section of the Torah portion that follows the portion that was read on the previous Shabbat morning. On Festivals and holidays, they read a portion relating to the character of the day, <b>as</b> it <b>is stated: “And Moses declared to the children of Israel the appointed seasons of the Lord”</b> (Leviticus 23:44), which indicates that part of <b>the mitzva</b> of the Festivals is <b>that</b> the people <b>should read</b> the portion relating to them, <b>each one in its</b> appointed <b>time.</b>" | |
| ], | |
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| "<b>One who reads the Megilla</b> may position himself as he wishes, either <b>standing or sitting.</b> Whether <b>one</b> person <b>reads</b> the Megilla or <b>two</b> people <b>read it</b> together, <b>they have fulfilled</b> their obligation. In <b>a place where</b> the people <b>are accustomed to recite a blessing</b> over the reading, <b>one should recite a blessing. And</b> in a place where it is customary <b>not to recite a blessing, one should not recite a blessing.</b> The mishna records several laws governing public Torah readings. <b>On Mondays and Thursdays</b> during the morning service <b>and on Shabbat during the afternoon service, three</b> people <b>read</b> from the Torah; <b>one may neither decrease</b> the number of readers <b>nor add to them. And one does not conclude with</b> a reading from the <b>Prophets</b> [<i>haftara</i>] on these occasions. Both <b>the one who begins</b> the reading <b>and the one who concludes the</b> reading from <b>the Torah recite a blessing;</b> one recites <b>before</b> the beginning of the reading <b>and</b> one recites <b>after its</b> conclusion, but the middle reader does not recite a blessing.", | |
| "<b>On</b> the days of the <b>New Moon and on the intermediate days of a Festival, four</b> people <b>read</b> from the Torah; <b>one may neither decrease</b> the number of readers <b>nor add to them. And one does not conclude with</b> a reading from the <b>Prophets.</b> Both <b>the one who begins</b> the reading <b>and the one who concludes</b> the reading from <b>the Torah recite a blessing.</b> The first reader recites a blessing <b>before</b> the beginning of the reading, <b>and</b> the last reader recites a blessing <b>after its</b> conclusion, but the middle readers do not recite a blessing. The mishna formulates a general principle with regard to the number of people who read from the Torah on different occasions. <b>This is the principle: Any</b> day <b>on which there is an additional offering</b> sacrificed in the Temple <b>and that is not a Festival,</b> i.e., the New Moon and the intermediate days of a Festival, <b>four</b> people <b>read</b> from the Torah; <b>on a Festival, five</b> people read; <b>on Yom Kippur, six</b> people read; and <b>on Shabbat, seven</b> people read. <b>One may not decrease</b> the number of readers, <b>but one may add to them. And</b> on these days <b>one concludes with</b> a reading from the <b>Prophets.</b> Both <b>the one who begins</b> the reading <b>and the one who concludes the</b> reading from <b>the Torah recite a blessing;</b> one recites <b>before</b> the beginning of the reading <b>and</b> one recites <b>after its</b> conclusion, but the middle readers do not recite a blessing.", | |
| "<b>One does not recite the</b> introductory prayers and <b>blessing [<i>poresin</i>]</b> before <b><i>Shema</i>; nor does one pass before the ark</b> to repeat the <i>Amida</i> prayer; <b>nor do the</b> priests <b>lift their hands</b> to recite the Priestly Benediction; <b>nor is the Torah read</b> in public; <b>nor does one conclude with</b> a reading from <b>the Prophets</b> [<i>haftara</i>] in the presence of fewer than ten men. <b>And one does not observe</b> the practice of <b>standing up and sitting down</b> for the delivery of eulogies at a funeral service; <b>nor does one recite the mourners’ blessing or comfort mourners</b> in two lines after the funeral; <b>or</b> recite the <b>bridegrooms’ blessing; and one does not invite</b> others to recite Grace after Meals, i.e., conduct a <i>zimmun</i>, <b>with the name</b> of God, <b>with fewer than ten</b> men present. If one consecrated <b>land</b> and now wishes to redeem it, the land must be assessed by <b>nine</b> men <b>and one priest,</b> for a total of ten. <b>And similarly,</b> assessing the value of <b>a person</b> who has pledged his own value to the Temple must be undertaken by ten people, one of whom must be a priest.", | |
| "<b>One who reads from the Torah</b> in the synagogue <b>should not read fewer than three verses. And</b> when it is being translated, <b>he should not read to the translator more than one verse</b> at a time, so that the translator will not become confused. <b>And with regard to the Prophets,</b> one may read to the translator <b>three</b> verses at a time. With respect to the Torah, an incorrect translation might lead to an error in practice, but this concern does not apply to the Prophets. <b>If the three</b> verses <b>constitute three</b> separate <b>paragraphs,</b> that is to say, if each verse is a paragraph in itself, <b>one must read</b> them to the translator <b>one by one.</b> <b>One may skip</b> from one place to another while reading <b>the Prophets, but one may not skip</b> from one place to another while reading <b>the Torah. How far may he skip? As far as</b> he can, provided that <b>the translator will not conclude</b> his translation while the reader is still rolling the scroll to the new location. The reader may not cause the congregation to wait for him after the translator has finished, as that would be disrespectful to the congregation. ", | |
| "<b>The one who concludes with</b> a reading from <b>the Prophets</b> [<i>haftara</i>] <b>is</b> also <b>the one</b> who is honored to <b>recite the</b> introductory prayers and <b>blessing</b> before <b><i>Shema</i>, and he passes before the ark</b> to repeat the <i>Amida</i> prayer, <b>and</b> if he is a priest <b>he lifts his hands</b> to recite the Priestly Benediction. <b>And if</b> the one who reads the <i>haftara</i> <b>is a minor,</b> who may read the <i>haftara</i> but is not qualified to lead the congregation in prayer, <b>his father or teacher</b> is honored to <b>pass</b> before the ark <b>in his place.</b>", | |
| "<b>A minor may read the Torah</b> in public <b>and</b> also <b>translate</b> the text for the congregation into Aramaic, <b>but he may not recite the</b> introductory prayers and <b>blessing</b> before <b><i>Shema</i>, and he may not pass before the ark</b> to lead the congregation in prayer, <b>and he may not lift his hands</b> to recite the Priestly Benediction. <b>One whose limbs are exposed [<i>poḥe’aḥ</i>] may recite the</b> introductory prayers and <b>blessing</b> before <b><i>Shema</i> and translate</b> the Torah reading into Aramaic, <b>but he may not read from the Torah</b> out of respect for the Torah; <b>he may not pass before the ark</b> to lead the congregation in prayer; <b>and he may not lift his hands</b> to recite the Priestly Benediction out of respect for the congregation. One who is <b>blind may recite the</b> introductory prayers and <b>blessing</b> before <b><i>Shema</i>, and he may</b> also <b>translate</b> the Torah reading into Aramaic. <b>Rabbi Yehuda says: Anyone who has not seen the luminaries,</b> the sun, moon, and stars, <b>in his life,</b> i.e., he was blind from birth, <b>may not recite the</b> introductory prayers and <b>blessing</b> before <b><i>Shema</i>.</b> The first of the blessings before <i>Shema</i> is the blessing over the luminaries, and one who has never seen them cannot recite the blessing at all.", | |
| "<b>A priest who has blemishes on his hands may not lift his hands</b> to recite the Priestly Benediction. Because of his blemish, people will look at his hands, and it is prohibited to look at the hands of the priests during the Priestly Benediction. <b>Rabbi Yehuda says: Even one whose hands were colored with <i>satis</i>,</b> a blue dye, <b>may not lift his hands</b> to recite the Priestly Benediction <b>because the congregation will look at him.</b> ", | |
| "<b>One who says: I will not pass before the ark</b> to lead the prayer service <b>in colored</b> garments, <b>may not pass</b> before the ark to lead the prayer service <b>even in white</b> garments. There is concern that one who insists on wearing clothing of a specific color during his prayers is a heretic and therefore unfit to lead the service. Similarly, if one says: <b>I will not pass</b> before the ark <b>wearing sandals, he may not pass</b> before it <b>even barefoot,</b> as he is not acting in accordance with the teachings of the Sages. <b>One who constructs his phylacteries</b> in <b>a round</b> shape exposes himself to <b>danger</b> during times of persecution, when foreign governments impose a ban on the mitzva of phylacteries, <b>and</b> yet he does <b>not</b> fulfill the <b>mitzva</b> to don phylacteries, as phylacteries must be square. <b>If one placed</b> the phylacteries worn on the head <b>on his forehead,</b> and not in its proper place above his hairline, <b>or</b> if he placed the phylacteries worn on the arm <b>on his palm,</b> and not on his bicep, <b>this is the way of the heretics,</b> i.e., those who reject the tradition of the Sages with regard to the proper placement of the phylacteries. If <b>one plated</b> his phylacteries <b>with gold or placed</b> the phylacteries worn on the arm <b>on</b> the outside of <b>his sleeve [<i>unkeli</i>], this is the way of the outsiders,</b> i.e., those who do not take part in the traditions of the Jewish people. ", | |
| "If <b>one says</b> in his prayers: <b>May the good bless You, this is a path of heresy,</b> as heretics divide the world into two domains, good and evil. If one says the following in his prayers: Just as <b>Your mercy is extended to a bird’s nest,</b> as You have commanded us to send away the mother before taking her chicks or eggs (see Deuteronomy 22:6–7), so too extend Your mercy to us; <b>or: May Your name be mentioned with the good;</b> or: <b>We give thanks, we give thanks,</b> twice, he is suspected of heretical beliefs and they <b>silence him.</b> If <b>one modifies</b> the text while reading the laws of <b>forbidden sexual relations,</b> i.e., he introduces euphemisms out of a sense of propriety, <b>they silence him.</b> Similarly, if <b>one says</b> while translating the verse: <b>“And you shall not give any of your seed to set them apart to Molekh”</b> (Leviticus 18:21): And <b>you shall not give</b> any of your seed <b>to impregnate an Aramean woman, he is silenced with rebuke.</b> ", | |
| "<b>The incident of Reuben,</b> about which it says: “And Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine” (Genesis 35:22), <b>is read</b> from the Torah in public <b>but not translated,</b> so that the uneducated not come to denigrate Reuben. <b>The incident of Tamar</b> (Genesis, chapter 38) <b>is read</b> in public <b>and</b> also <b>translated. The first</b> report of the <b>incident of the</b> Golden <b>Calf,</b> i.e., the Torah’s account of the incident itself (Exodus 32:1–20), <b>is read and translated, but the second</b> narrative, i.e., Aaron’s report to Moses of what had taken place (Exodus 32:21–24) <b>is read but not translated.</b> The verses constituting <b>the Priestly Benediction</b> (Numbers 6:24–26) <b>and the incident of David and Amnon</b> (II Samuel, chapter 13) are <b>neither read nor translated.</b> <b>One may not conclude</b> the Torah reading <b>with</b> by reading from the Prophets <b>the</b> account of the Divine <b>Chariot</b> (Ezekiel, chapter 1), so as not to publicize that which was meant to remain hidden. <b>And Rabbi Yehuda permits</b> it. <b>Rabbi Eliezer says: One may not conclude with</b> section from the Prophets beginning with: <b>“Make known to Jerusalem</b> her abominations” (Ezekiel 16:2), because it speaks derogatively of the Jewish people." | |
| ] | |
| ], | |
| "versions": [ | |
| [ | |
| "William Davidson Edition - English", | |
| "https://korenpub.com/collections/the-noe-edition-koren-talmud-bavli-1" | |
| ] | |
| ], | |
| "heTitle": "משנה מגילה", | |
| "categories": [ | |
| "Mishnah", | |
| "Seder Moed" | |
| ], | |
| "sectionNames": [ | |
| "Chapter", | |
| "Mishnah" | |
| ] | |
| } |