Mishnah
Megillah
by Jonathan Wolf
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Chapter 1 Mishnah Megillah deals with the laws governing the reading of the Megillah (the Scroll of Esther) on the Festival of Purim. This occurs on the fourteenth of Adar as currently reckoned using the fixed calendar (instituted by Hillel II circa 360 CE). During a leap year, when there are two Adars, Purim is celebrated during the second (Adar Sheni). Using the fixed calendar, the fourteenth of Adar will never coincide with the Shabbat. Purim commemorates the triumph of faith. The Jews of Persia were fated to be destroyed by the wicked Haman (reported to be a descendant of Amalek). Through their faith in G-d and their people, Mordechai and Esther risk their lives to save the Jewish people. Purim is a celebrated with joy and gladness. The Sages ordained that one should consume enough wine until he is unable to distinguish between the phrase "Blessed is Mordechai and Cursed is Haman". Children dress up in costumes and it is customary to distribute gifts and money to the poor. Although the Tanach , composed of the Torah (T), the books of the Prophets or the Neviim (N), and the Writings or Ketuvim (CH), was considered a "closed canon", before the events in Persia thousands of years ago, the Sages included the Megillah or Scroll of Esther as an everlasting testament to faith. The Rambam writes in his Mishnah Torah, Hilchot Megillah: "All Prophetic Books and Sacred Writings will cease to be recited in public during the messianic era except the Book of Esther. It will continue to exist just as the Five Books of the Torah and the laws of the Oral Torah will never cease. Although ancient troubles will be remembered no longer it is written: ‘The troubles of the past are forgotten and hidden from my eyes (Isaiah 65:16)’, the days of Purim will not be abolished, as it is written:’These days of Purim shall never be repealed among the Jews, and the memory shall never cease from their descendants (Esther 9:28)’." Of further interest is the fact the Name of G-d is never mentioned in the Megillah. This is to remind us of the hidden presence of G-d in our daily lives. Unlike the Festival of Chanukah, in which the miracle of the oil was a dramatic event for all to see, Purim testifies that what may seem to be a victory due to the hands of Man, are in fact accomplished with the blessing of "Hashem Yisborach". Like the Maccabees, the Jews of Persia defended themselves against an aggressor and won a great military victory. However, it was through the faith of Esther, as she fasted and prayed, and mordechai, who remained steadfast in his faith against the wicked Haman, that the Jews merited a second redemption. The word purim means "lots". This is because Haman cast lots to see which day he and his army would strike at the Jews. The Festival of Yom Kippur is associated with Purim because both involve the power of teshuvah (prayer and repentance) to annul an evil decree. It is a connection worth pursuing in more detail on your own! This first chapter deals with the laws concerning the proper time to read the Megillah. I have included a commentary which is culled from the classic commentaries of Rashi, Rambam, Rabbi Ovadiah Bertonoro, the gemara from this tractate , as well as some of my own thoughts. Mishnah 1: The Megillah is read on the eleventh, on the twelfth, on the thirteenth, on the fourteenth, on the fifteenth, neither earlier nor later. Cities encircled by a wall from the days of Joshua the son of Nun read on the fifteenth; villages and large towns read it on the fourteenth except that villages read earlier on the day of assembly. Commentary: The Fast of Esther (Taanit Esther) is observed on the thirteenth of Adar. If that day is Shabbat, then the fast is observed on the eleventh. In modern times, the Megillah is read on the evening and morning of the fourteenth. The fifteenth is observed as "Shushan Purim". The source for these celebrations comes from Esther chapter 9 verses 14-22: "So the king commanded that it be done so, and a law was issued in Shushan; and the ten sons of Haman they hanged. And the Jews gathered, those who were in Shushan, also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they slew in Shushan three hundred men; but on the spoil, they did not lay their hands. And the rest of the Jews who were in the provinces of the king gathered, standing up for their lives, and gaining relief from their enemies, and slaying their foes, seventy five thousand, but on the spoil, they did not lay their hands. That occurred on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and they had relief on the fourteenth day thereof, making it a day of feasting and joy. But the Jews who were in Shushan gathered on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth day thereof, and they had relief on the fifteenth day thereof, making it a day of feasting and joy." "Therefore, the Jewish townsmen who dwell in unwalled cities make the fourteenth day of the month of Adar a day of joy and feasting and a holiday; and the sending of portions one to another. And Mordechai wrote these events and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus, both near and far, to enjoin them that they keep the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and the fifteenth day thereof, every year, as the days on which the Jews gained relief from their enemies, and the month which had been turned about for them from sorrow to joy and from mourning to a holiday; to make them days of feasting and joy, and sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor." In the mishnah, the "day of assembly" referred to corresponds to the market days when the courts were in session. On those days, usually a Monday or Thursday, one of the learned men would be asked to read the Megillah. Mishnah 2: How was this? If the fourteenth day fell on the second weekday, in villages and large towns they read on that day, and in walled cities on the following day. If it fell on the third or on the fourth weekday, in villages they read earlier on the day of assembly, but in large towns they read on the day itself and in walled cities on the morrow. If it fell on the fifth weekday, in villages and big towns they read on that day and in walled cities on the next day. If it fell on the eve of the Sabbath, in villages they read earlier on the day of assembly, but in big towns and walled cities on the day itself. If it fell on the Sabbath, in villages and big towns they read earlier on the day of assembly, but in walled cities on the following day. If it fell on the day after the Sabbath, in villages they read earlier on the day of assembly, but in large towns they read on that day and in walled cities on the next day.
Commentary: The Rambam’s commentary elucidates this mishnah for us: "On what date should they read? The sages prescribed several dates for it because it is written (Esther 9:31):’At their appointed times’. These are the dates of reading the Megillah: Every town in Eretz Yisrael or abroad that was surrounded by a wall since the time of Joshua the son of Nun should read it on the fifteenth of Adar, even if it has no wall at present. Such a town is referred to as a walled city. Every town that was not surrounded by a wall in the days of Joshua, even if it has a wall now, should read the Megillah on the fourteenth of Adar. Such a town is referred to as an open city." ""Although the castle city of Shushan was not surrounded by a wall in the days of Joshua the son of Nun, the Megillah is read there on the fifteenth of Adar, because it was there that the miracle occurred, as it is written (Esther, 9:18): "They rested on the fifteenth". This was made to depend on the days of Joshua in deference to Eretz Yisrael which was in ruins at the time. The inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael were to be considered residents of walled cities so as to read the Megillah at the same time as the residents of Shushan. Although Eretz Yisrael is still desolate, its residents are to read the Megillah on the fifteenth of Adar in localities that used to be surrounded by defense walls during the period of Joshua. Eretz Yisrael is thus remembered in connection with the miracle of Purim." "The Megillah must not be read on the Sabbath. This is a precautionary measure, lest someone might take the Megillah to a skilled reader, transporting it four cubits or more through a public domain; for, though everyone is required to read the Megillah, not everyone is a skilled reader. For this reason, if the date for the reading of the Megillah falls on the Sabbath, it should be read prior to the Sabbath, while on the Sabbath itself the rules concerning Purim should be thoroughly discussed as a reminder that the day is Purim." "If, for example, the fourteenth falls on a Sabbath, the inhabitants of open towns should read the Megillah on the preceding Friday, while the inhabitants of walled cities should read it on Sunday, their normal time. If the fifteenth occurs on a Sabbath, the inhabitants of fortified cities should read it earlier, on Friday, which is the fourteenth, while inhabitants of open towns should read it on the same day, which is the normal time for them. In such a case, all will be reading the Megillah on the fourteenth." Mishnah 3: What is meant by a large town? One in which there are ten men of leisure; fewer than this, it is a village. Of these they said, They may anticipate but not postpone; whereas the time of the priests’ wood offering, the ninth of Av, the festival offering, and the Assembly are postponed but not made earlier. Although they said, They may anticipate but not postpone, yet the holding of a funeral oration, the observance of a fast and gifts to the poor are permitted (on the day of the reading). Rabbi Yehudah said, When is this so? In a place where they assemble on the second and fifth weekday, but in a place where they do not assemble on the second and fifth weekdays, they may not read it save at its appointed time.
Commentary: This mishnah needs elucidation. The first phrase "what is meant by a large town?" concerns the statements in the first mishnah in which large towns read the Megillah at a specified time. The definition is somewhat "operative" in the sense that a "large town" is not defined according to geographical area, but on it ability to support ten "men of leisure" who are available for communal activities and to maintain the daily minyan! What does the mishnah mean when it says "They may anticipate but not postpone"? This concerns what happens when the fourteenth or fifteenth of Adar falls on Shabbat. In this circumstance, the Megillah can be read earlier, but not later. However, the following list of rituals cannot be performed earlier and must be postponed until after Shabbat. Let us spend a moment on some of these activities.
" There were nine occasions on which the Priests and the people brought wood offerings: on the first of Nisan, by the family of Arach of the tribe of Judah; on the twentieth of Tammuz, by the family of David of the tribe of Judah; on the fifth of Av, by the family of Parosh, from the tribe of Judah; on the seventh of the same month, by the family of Jonadab son of Rachab; on the tenth thereof, by the family of Senaah from the tribe of Benjamin; on the fifteenth thereof, by the family of Zattu of the tribe of Judah and with them priests and Levites, and all who were uncertain of their tribal descent and the family of the Pestle-Deceivers and the family of the Dry-Fig Pressers; on the twentieth thereof, by the family of Pahath-Moab from the tribe of Judah; on the twentieth of Elul by the family of Parosh for the second time. On the first of Tevet there was no lay division service at all, since on that day Hallel was read and an additional offering and a wood offering were brought" . "Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which He shall choose: on the feast of the unleavened bread, and on the feast of weeks, and on the feast of tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty; every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which He has given thee." The Chagigah (from the root word Chag, meaning "festival") was to be brought in an amount proportional to the bounty the Lord blessed each individual with. Mishnah 4: If they read the Megillah in the first Adar and the year was intercalated, they must read it again in the second Adar. The first Adar differs from the second Adar only in the reading of the Megillah and in the giving of gifts to the poor. Commentary: In modern times, with the use of the fixed calendar, Purim is observed on the second Adar if it is a leap year. This mishnah is the first of a series in which comparisons are made between seemingly similar events, actions, and places. While the remaining mishnayot are not connected with the subject of Purim or the reading of the Megillah, we may speculate that the editor of the Mishnah, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, wanted to illustrate and elucidate other examples in this pattern. Mishnah 5: There is no difference between festivals and the Sabbath save only in the matter of preparing food. There is no difference between the Sabbath and the Day of Atonement save only that the deliberate violation of the one is punished by a Human court and the deliberate violation of the other by karet. Commentary: Jewish law forbids the preparing of food on the Sabbath. However, since one is commanded to enjoy a festival, the law allows a person to prepare foods on a festival. The gemara states that the origin of this allowance is attributed to Rabbi Yehudah who cites a verse in the Torah (Shemot 12:16): "And in the first day a holy convocation and on the seventh day a holy convocation shall be for you; all manner of work shall not be done in them, save that which must be eaten by every man, that only may be done by you." This verse refers to food preparation on Pesach and Rabbi Yehudah infers from this that the law applies equally on the other festivals (Sukkot and Shavuot for example) as well. In the second part of the mishnah, the word karet means "punishment by the heavenly court. In Biblical times, deliberate violation of the Sabbath was punishable by death by a Human court. The punishment of karet is usually thought of as "being cut off" or "spiritual excision". Mishnah 6: There is no difference between one who is interdicted by vow to have no benefit from his neighbor and one who is interdicted by vow from his food, save in the matter of setting foot on his property and of utensils which are not used for preparing food. There is no difference between vows and freewill offerings save that vowed offerings have to be replaced but freewill offerings need not be replaced. Commentary: The Torah in Devarim 23:22-24 states: "When thou shalt vow a vow unto the lord thy God, thou shalt not be slack to pay it; for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it will be a sin in thee. But if thou shalt forebear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt observe and do; according as thou hast vowed untot he Lord thy God freely, even that which thou hast promised with thy mouth."
The gemara comments on the mishnah: "We have learnt in another place: What is a vow? Where a man says, I take it upon me the obligation to bring a burnt offering. What is a freewill offering? Where a man says, Behold, this is (to be) a burnt offering. What then is the practical difference between vows and freewill offerings? If vowed animals die or are stolen or lost, the one who offered is under obligation to replace them; if freewill offerings die or are stolen or lost, he is not under obligation to replace them. Whence is this rule derived? As our Rabbi have taught: ‘And it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him’. Rabbi Simeon says: That which is ‘upon him’ he is under obligation to replace. How is it implied that this substitute is ‘upon him’? Rabbi Isaac b. Abdimi replied, Since he has said ‘I take upon me’, it is as if he had taken it upon his shoulder." Mishnah 7: There is no difference between one suffering from an issue who makes two observations and one who makes three, save in the matter of bringing a sacrifice. Commentary: The laws of ritual purity are varied and complex. This is especially true with regard to seminal emissions and discharges in males and vaginal emissions and menstrual discharges from females. Therefore, It is worthwhile spending the time to consider the context of this mishnah from its source in the Torah (Vayikra 15): "And the Lord spoke unto Moses and to Aaron, saying: Speak unto the children of Israel and say to them: Any man, when he hath an issue out of his flesh, because of this he is unclean. And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness. Every bed whereon he that hath the issue lieth shall be unclean; and every thing whereon he sitteth shall be unclean. And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even." "And he that sitteth on anything whereon he that hath the issue sat shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and he be unclean until the even. And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean, then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, an be unclean until the even. And every saddle he that hath the issue rideth upon shall be unclean. And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him shall be unclean until the even; and he that beareth those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And whomsoever he that hath the issue toucheth, without having rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even." "And the earthen vessel, which he that hath the issue toucheth, shall be broken; and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water. And when he that hath the issue is cleansed of his issue, then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes; and he shall bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean. And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtle doves, or two young pigeons, and come before the Lord unto the door of the tent of meeting, and give hten unto the priest. And the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord for his issue." "And if there go out from a man the flow of his seed, then he shall bathe all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even. And every garment, and every skin whereon is the flow of his seed, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even. The woman also with whom a man shall lie carnally, they both shall bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even. And if a woman have an issue, and blood be her issue in her flesh, seven days shall she be in her banishment; and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even." "And everything that she lieth upon in her banishment shall be unclean; every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And whosoever toucheth anything that she sitteth upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And if he be on the bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even. And if any man lie with her, and her banishment be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean." "And a woman if she have an issue of her blood, many days not in the time of her banishment, or if she have an issue beyond the time of her banishment; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness she shall be as in the days of her banishment: she is unclean…. But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. And on the eighth day, she shall take unto her two turtle doves or two young pigeons, and bring them untot he priest, to the door of the tent of meeting. And the priest shall offer one for for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord for the issue of her uncleanness…" A male who suffers from this type of discharge is called a zav. The mishnah concerns one who observes discharges whether both in one day or over two successive days. Likewise, whether the three flows came in one day, or over three successive days, or two in one day and the third in the next. This is similar to the laws regarding the metzora (sometimes translated as a "leper" but the diagnosis as leprosy is controversial). Mishnah 8: There is no difference between a leper who is under observation and one definitely declared as such save in the matter of leaving the hair loose and rending the garments. There is no difference between a leper who has been declared clean after being under observation and one who has been declared clean after having been definitely declared a leper save in the matter of shaving and the offering of the birds. Commentary: The Torah in Tazria-Metzora (in Sefer Vayikra) specifies the manner in the priest was to observe and declare the person suspected of having the disease as definitive and subsequently being declared clean. The laws are deep and complex and the reader is referred to the appropriate chapters for further study. Thus the priest isolated the suspect for seven days and on the eighth day examined him again either to discharge him as clean or certify him as having tza’arat for further treatment. When he recovered, he had to undergo purification under the guidance of the priest and had to bring two turtle doves as a bird offering. One for the sin offering (chatat) and the other as a burnt offering (olah). Mishnah 9: There is no difference between books of the Scripture and tefillin and mezuzahs save that the books may be written in any language whereas tefillin and mezuzahs may be written only in Assyrian. Rabbi Simeon ben Gamliel says that books of the Scripture also were permitted by the sages to be written only in Greek. Commentary: The mishnah is discussing official translations of the Tanach for use in a synagogue. For example, the authorized translation of the Torah into Aramaic by the convert Onkelos as well as a Greek translation supervised by Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua. Assyrian script has distinctive square characters. It was adopted for use after the Jews returned from the Babylonian exile. The Rambam, in Hilchot Tefillin writes: "Tefillin and mezuzot may be written only in Assyrian script. Permission was granted to write Torah scrolls in Greek as well. That Greek language has, however, been forgotten from the world. It has been confused and has sunk into oblivion. Therefore, at present, all three sacred articles may be written using Assyrian script alone." The gemara writes that the leniency was not extended to tefillin and mezuzahs since the Torah states (Devarim 6:6): "And these words shall be totafot…". The sages interpret the words "shall be" to imply that they shall remain unchanged from their Hebrew original. The Rambam also distinguished modern Greek from the ancient Greek language discussed in the Talmud. Mishnah 10: There is no difference between a priest anointed with the oil of anointment and one who only wears the additional garments save in the matter of the bullock which is offered for the unwitting breaking of any of the commandments. There is no difference between a regular high priest and one who has passed through the office save in respect of the bullock of the day of atonement and the tenth of the ephah. Commentary: The Torah states (Vayikra 4:3) in regards to the bullock: " If the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the Lord as a sin offering". Additionally, in Vayikra 6:13, we read: "This is the offering of Aaron na dof his sons, which they shall offer untot he Lord in the day when he is anointed: the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering perpetually, half of it in the morning, and half thereof in the evening." The mishnah is discussing what happens if the anointed (high)priest is disqualified and a substitute priest is installed. The gemara writes: "It has been taught, If something happened to disqualify him and another priest was appointed to take his place, when the first returns to his service the second is still liable to all the obligations of the high priesthood. So says Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Jose said: The first returns to his service whereas the second is qualified to act neither as a high priest nor as an ordinary priest. Rabbi Jose further said: It happened with Rabbi Jose b. Ulam from Sepphoris that a disqualification occurred to the high priest and they appointed him in his place, and the case came before the Sages and they said: The first returns to his service. The second is qualified to act neither as a high priest nor as an ordinary priest: as a high priest, so as not to create enmity, as an ordinary priest, because we can raise to a higher grade of holiness but we never put down to a lower…" Mishnah 11: There is no difference between a great high place and a small one save in the matter of the paschal lamb offering. This is the general principle: any animal which is the object of a vow or a freewill offering may be brought on a small high place, any animal which is not the object of a vow or a freewill offering may not be brought on a small high place. Commentary: The "great high place" refers to those at Nob and Gibeon, where the altar made by Moses was used for public services. A "small high place" refers to an altar erected by any individual for private sacrifices. Mishnah 12: There is no difference between Shiloh and Jerusalem save that in Shiloh sacrifices of lesser sanctity and second tithe could be eaten anywhere within sight of the town, whereas in Jerusalem they had to be consumed within the walls. In both places the most holy sacrifices were eaten within the curtains. After the sanctification of Shiloh the high places could again become permitted, but after the sanctification of Jerusalem there can be no such permission. Commentary: Shiloh was made the religious center of the Jewish people in the
time of Joshua and remained until the time of Samuel the Prophet. "Sacrifices
of lesser sanctity" refer to peace offerings, firstlings, and the tithe
for cattle. The second tithe refers to the tithe set aside during the
first, second, fourth, and fifth years of the seven year Shemittah cycle
after the dues to the priest and Levites have been given. The second tithe
must be consumed in Jerusalem. If the tithe could not be brought, then
it can be redeemed for money , which must be used in Jerusalem to purchase
food to be consumed there. |
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