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Week 45 - Shabbat - 7 October 2000

MEGILLAH: CHAPTER 2: MISHNAH 4

All are fit to read the megillah, except for a heresh, a mental defective, and a minor. Rabbi Yehudah declares the minor fit. They do not read the megillah, and they do not circumcise, and they do not immerse, and they do not sprinkle; and similarly, the woman who observes a day against a day may not immerse, until the sun shines. And all who performed from when the dawn arose, are fit.

Kehati

All are fit to read the megillah - and to cause others to fulfill their obligation, except for a heresh, a mental defective, and a minor - the term heresh, used without qualification, refers to a deaf-mute (Ter. 1:2). The heresh referred to in this mishnah, however, can speak but cannot hear, for the mishnah refers to one who reads aloud the megillah. Nevertheless, he has the same status as the mental defective and minor, that he does not cause others to fulfill their obligation (this mishnah is according to the opinion of Rabbi Yose, who holds, regarding the reading of the Shema, "If a person read and did not cause his ear to hear, he has not fulfilled" [Ber. 2:3]; since the deaf reader himself does not fulfill his own obligation, he cannot cause others to fulfill theirs (Gemara; Bartenura; see Tosefot Yom Tov regarding another opinion in the Gemara). The halakhah, however, follows Rabbi Yehudah, that bediavad, he has fulfilled his obligation (ibid.).

Rabbi Yehudah declares the minor fit - this refers to a minor who has reached the age when he can be instructed to perform the commandments. Nevertheless, the First Tanna holds that he is unfit to read the megillah (see their reasoning in Tosafot, Meg. 19b, also brought in Tosefot Yom Tov; see also Tosefot Rabbi Akiva Eiger and Tiferet Yisrael). It is taught in Tractate Arakhin (3a), "All are fit to read the megillah" - including women; this is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, who said, Women are obligated to read the megillah, for they, too, were included in this miracle. Rashi asserts that they are fit to read it and to cause males to fulfill their obligation (ibid.). The author of Halakhot Gedolot rules, however, that although women are obligated, they do not cause others to fulfill their obligation (Tosafot, loc. cit.).

They do not read the megillah - during the day, for the obligation is to read it at night and again during the day, and they do not circumcise - on the eighth day, and they - unclean people who require immersion during the day, do not immerse, and they do not sprinkle - the purification water of the red heifer on one who was unclean by contact with the dead (who requires sprinkling on the third and seventh days - see Num. 19:19);

And similarly, the woman who observes a day against a day - if a woman sees blood after the seven days of her niddah (menstruation), within an eleven day period thereafter, she must observe one day in a state of cleanness, corresponding to the day of uncleanness, i.e., she immerses on the day following the unclean day, and if she does not see any blood on this day, then she is clean when night falls (see the detailed explanation in the introduction to Pes. 8:5), may not immerse - on the day following the unclean day, until the sun shines - i.e., in all the cases listed above, the obligation may not be performed until the sun begins to shine over the tops of the hills.

And all who performed - their obligation, from when the dawn arose - (see the commentary cited in the explanation on Ber. 1:1), are fit - bediavad; once dawn has arisen, this is considered to be day. The Sages said "until the sun shines" only in order to be certain that the night has ended, for not all are capable of determining the onset of dawn.

MEGILLAH: CHAPTER 2: MISHNAH 5

The entire day is proper for the reading of the megillah, and the reading of the Hallel, and the blowing of the shofar, and the taking of the lulav, and the Musafin prayer and the Musafin, and the confession of the bullocks, and the confession of the ma'aser, and the confession of Yom Kippur, for the placing of the hands, for the slaughter, for the waving, for the bring near, for the taking up of the handful and for the burning, for severing of the neck, and for the reception, and for the sprinkling, and for the giving to drink to the sotah, and for the beheading of the heifer, and for the cleansing of the leper.

Kehati

The entire day is proper for the reading of the megillah - as it is written,"And that these days should be remembered" (Es. 9:28), and the reading of the Hallel - on the Festivals and on Hanukkah, for it is written regarding it, "This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Ps. 118:24), and also, "From the rising of the sun until the going down thereof the Lord's name is to be praised" (Ps. 113:3), and the blowing of the shofar - on Rosh Hashanah, as it is written, "it is a day of blowing the horn to you" (Num. 29:1), and the taking of the lulav - on the Festival of Sukkot, as it is written, "And you shall take for you on the first day, and the Musafin prayer - recited on the day on which there is a Musaf sacrifice, and for - the offering of - the Musafin - sacrifices, as it is written, "each on its own day" (Lev. 23:37), and the Musafin prayer falls under the same law as the Musafin, and the confession of the bullocks - as it is written, "If the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin…a young bullock" (Lev. 4:3), and it is written, "And if the whole congregation of Israel shall err, the thing being hid from the eyes of the assembly, and do any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done…then the assembly shall offer a young bullock for a hatat" (ibid., vv. 13-14). This is known as "the public bullock of the thing begin hid." Those who bring the bullock confess over it the sin for which they are bring the bullock. The entire day is fit for this; this law is deduced from Yom Kippur, regarding which it is written, "and make atonement for himself, and for his house" (Lev. 16:6) - the passage refers to atonement, and every act of atonement takes place during the day, as it is written, "For on this day shall atonement be made for you" (ibid., v. 30), and the confession of the ma'aser - for they confess over the giving of the ma'aserot in the fourth and seventh years of the shemitah cycle, as it is written, "Then shall you say before the Lord your God: 'I have put away the hallowed things out of my house…,'" and, close to this first passage, "This day the Lord your God commands you" (ibid., v. 16),

And the confession of Yom Kippur - as it is written, "And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the Children of Israel" (Lev. 16:21); as has already been mentioned, atonement is performed during the day, as it is written, "For on this day shall atonement be made for you" (Lev. 16:30), for the placing of the hands - on the head of the sacrifice before slaughter, as it is written, "And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering" (Lev. 3:2), for the slaughter - of cattle sacrifices, as it is written, "the same day you offer it" (Lev. 19:6), and the law of the placing of the hands is learned from that of the slaughtering, as it is written, "And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the olah…and he shall kill the bullock" (Lev. 1:4-5), for the waving - of the sheaves (omer), as it is written, "And on the day when you wave the sheaf" (Lev. 23:12); this is also the law regarding the waving of the emurim and the breast of the shelamim sacrifice (see Lev. 7:30), for the bringing near, for the taking up of the handful and for the burning - of the minhah sacrifice. This sacrifice was first brought to the southwest corner of the Altar, and then a full handful was taken from it and burned, for the severing of the neck - of bird sacrifices (turtledoves or young pigeons), regarding which it is written, "and pinch off its head" (Lev. 1:15), and for the reception - of the blood of the sacrifice in the bowl, in order to dash it on the Altar, and for the sprinkling - the dashing of blood on the Altar, on the curtain, etc. (see Zev. 5:1-2). One is obligated to perform all these tasks during the day, as it is written, "on the day that He commanded the Children of Israel to present their offerings" (Lev. 7:38),

And for the giving to drink to the sotah - who is given to drink of the water of bitterness (see Num. 5:24). She must drink during the daytime, as it is written regarding the sotah, "and the priest shall execute upon her all this law" (Num. 5:30), and it is also written, "According to the law which they shall teach you, and according to the judgement which they shall tell you" (Deut. 17:11). We learn from the analogous use of the word 'law' that just as 'judgement' is performed during the day, so, too, the sotah is given to drink during the day, and for the severing of the neck of the heifer - when a corpse is found in a field, regarding which it is written, "And the blood shall be forgiven them" (Deut. 21:8); it therefore is like the atonement of sacrifices, which is performed only during the day, and for the cleansing of the leper - as it is written, "This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing" (Lev. 14:2). The obligation of those listed in this mishnah is during the day, and they may be performed at any time during the day.

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