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MEGILLAH: CHAPTER 4: MISHNAH 10

The incident of Reuven is read but not translated. The incident of Tamar is read and is translated. The first account of the calf is read and is translated, and the second is read but not translated. The Kohanic blessing, the incident of David and Amnon, are neither read nor translated. They do not read as a haftarah in the Chariot. And Rabbi Yehudah permits. Rabbi Eliezer says, They do not read as a haftarah in "Cause Jerusalem to know."

Kehati

This mishnah teaches which sections in the Torah are not translated in public.

The incident with Reuven – the verse, "And it came to pass…that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah…" (Gen. 35:22), is read – in public, in the synagogue, but not translated – by the interpreter, on account of the honor of Reuven (Rashi). According to Rabbeinu Nissim, this is not interpreted on account of the honor of Jacob.

The incident of Tamar – and Judah (Gen. 38), is read and is translated – because this constitutes praise for Yehudah, because he admitted the truth, and saved Tamar (Gemara and Rashi; Rabbeinu Nissim, Hameiri); according to another interpretation, this refers to the incident of Amnon and Tamar (Rambam; Bartenura; see also Tosefot Yom Tov).

The first account of the calf – "And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down form the mount…" (Ex. 32:1-20), is read and is translated – for it is satisfactory for the public that there was an atonement for Israel on account of this sin (Gemara). According to another opinion, this is read and translated so that people will be ashamed and repent (Hameiri, Tiferet Yisrael); and the second – the continuation of the incident of the calf, i.e., what Aaron told Moses, from the verse "And Moses said to Aaron…" to "And when Moses saw that the people…" (Ex. 32:21-25), is read and is not translated – on account of the honor of Aaron (see Tosefot Yom Tov).

The Kohanic blessing – (Num. 6:24-26), the incident of David and Amnon – the Gemara explains that this refers to the verse in which Amnon and David are mentioned, within the passage of the incident of Amnon and Tamar (II Sam. 13:1), are neither read nor translated – the version of the mishnah in the Gemara reads: "they are read and they are not translated." This is also the version of R. Yitzhak Alfasi and Rabbeinu Asher. According to another opinion, the Kohanic blessing is read and is not translated, and the incident of David and Amnon is neither read as a haftarah nor translated (Rambam, Bartenura). It is impossible to interpret this to mean that the Kohanic blessing is not read, because it is not logical to state that the Torah will be read in public not in its entirety, which is not the case regarding the haftarah, because in any event the Prophets are not read in their entirety (Tosefot Yom Tov). The reason regarding the Kohanic blessing is because it contains the words "The Lord lift up [yisa] His countenance [panav] to you," and the listener could err and say that the Holy One, blessed be He, exhibits favoritism [maso panim] (Gemara). The reason regarding the incident of David and Amnon is on account of the honor of David. The Jerusalem Talmud, however, states explicitly that the Kohanic blessing is not read, because it was given for a blessing, and not to be read. Tiferet Yisrael writes that the Jerusalem Talmud may be interpreted as follows: it is prohibited to read it by itself, but it is permitted to read it together with the preceding and following verses.

They do not read as a haftarah in the Chariot – Ezek. chap. 1, lest the people will come to speculate regarding the mystic nature of the Divine Chariot.

And Rabbi Yehudah permits – for he does not fear that the people will come to study this. The law is in accordance with Rabbi Yehudah.

Rabbi Eliezer says, They do not read as a haftarah in "Cause Jerusalem to know" – in Ezek. chapter 16, which begins, "Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations." The commentators explain that this is not to be read on account of the honor of Jerusalem and the honor of Israel (Rambam, Bartenura; see also Tosefot Yom Tov, who cites another interpretation). The law is not in accordance with Rabbi Eliezer.

GLOSSARY
KEHATI MISHNAH TRACTATE MOED KATAN

.

Agunah	A woman whose husband has disappeared and cannot give her a get, and she may not therefore remarry.
Albeck R. Hanokh	Israeli Talmudic scholar (b. Poland 1890 – d. Jerusalem 1972). He published a commentary to the Mishnah with critical notes thereto.
Alfasi R. Yitzhak	Rabbi Isaac ben Jacob of Fez North Africa (Al-Fasi = Man of Fez), known from his acronym as the Rif, 1013-1103). His compendious Sefer HaHalakhot, popularly known as Alfas, was a principal forerunner of Rambam.
Asmakhta	Biblical verse supporting Rabbinic law.
Baraita	Teaching of the Tannaim (Sages of the Mishnah period) not embodied in the Mishnah. The main collection of them is called the Tosefta.
Bartenura	Obadiah of Bertinoro in N. Italy where he was born c. 1450. He emigrated to Palestine in 1485. His letters home describing his two and a half year journey are among the classics of Jewish travel-literature. He settled in Jerusalem where he wrote a commentary on the Mishnah, incorporating explanations of Rashi and Rambam, which on account of the lucidity of its exposition, has become the standard commentary printed in almost all editions of the Mishnah.
Bet Din	Court of law, generally composed of three judges.
Clean	Heb. Tahor. The Biblical and Rabbinic laws of cleanness played an important part in the daily life of the Jewish people until a century or more after the destruction of the Temple. See also unclean, below.
First Tanna	Aramaic – Tanna Kamma. The first of the quoted authorities in the particular section of the mishnah under discussion.
Gemara	Name applied to Babylonian Talmud. Some two and a half million words of halakhah and aggadah recorded by the Sages of the Mishnah period (Tannaim) and later Sages (Amoraim) until about the year 500. It is the very foundation of the practice and faith of Judaism.
Geonim	Sing. Gaon. The religious, and often temporal, leaders of Babylonian Jewry in the sixth to eleventh centuries.
Get	Any legal document, but usually used to indicate a bill of divorce.
Hagiggah	Festival Offering. The name of a tractate of the Mishna order of Moed.
Halakhah	(Pl. halakhot). Rule, practice, adopted opinion, the law.
Halitzah	See halutzah.
Halutzah	A woman released from levirate marriage (yibum) by halitzah, (the ceremony of taking off her brother-in-law's shoe by a childless widow (see Deut. 25:9-10).
Hameiri	Rabbi Menahem ben Solomon Meiri of Perpignan, c. 1204-1308. He wrote Bet Habehirah, clear and logical commentaries on the Talmud.
Hananel	Rabbi Hananel ben Hushiel, b. Kairouan, 990-d.c.1055. His commentary to the Gemara, one of the earliest, is clear and brief. It is usually printed in the outer margin of standard editions of the Talmud.
Hasagat Haravad	See Ravad
Hefker	Ownerless or abandoned property.
Hol hamoed	Heb. Weekday of the Festival. The intermediate days of Pesah and Sukkot.
Ibn Ghayyat	Rabbi Isaac ben Judah (1038-1089), halakhic authority and head of the yeshivah of Lucena, his home town.
Impure	See unclean, below.
Jerusalem Talmud	Also known as the Palestinian Talmud, it records discussions, predominantly by Palestinian Amoraim until c. 400 C.E., based on the Mishnah and baraitot.
Kilayim	Heb. Diverse seeds. Fourth tractate of the Mishnah order of Zeraim, which deals with the prohibition of mingling different species of animals, clothing and plants.
Maggid Mishneh	Commentary to Rambam's Mishneh Torah by Vidal Yom Tov of Tolosa, Spanish rabbi of the second half of the fourteenth century.
Mashkin	An alternative name for Moed Katan.
Mishnah	Capitalized, it denotes the collection of legal traditions redacted by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi at the close of the 2nd cent. C.E. Written 'mishnah' (pl. mishnayot) it denotes a single paragraph in the collection.
Moed	Heb. Festival. The term is used alike for Festival days on which creative work is Biblically forbidden, as well as for the intermediate days of Pesah and Sukkot on which some types of work are Rabbinically prohibited. The second order of the Mishnah.
Moed Katan	Heb. Minor Festival. The penultimate tractate of the Mishnah order of Moed. It is also known as mashkin, from the first Hebrew word of the tractate, or simply Moed.
Mordekhai	Important halakhic compilation by Mordecai ben Hillel (1240?-1298), German rabbinical scholar.
Nazirite	One who vowed not to drink wine, not to shave, and to avoid corpse uncleanness. See Num. 6:2ff.
Nimukei Yosef	A classic commentary by Rabbi Joseph Haviva, early 15th cent. Spanish Talmudic scholar, on Alfasi.
Nissim	Rabbeinu Nissim ben Reuben Gerondi, d.c. 1380, Barcelona, known from his acronym as the Ran. His commentary on Alfasi, as well as his responsa, are important both historically and halakhically.
Pesah	Passover.
Pilgrim Festivals	Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles.
Prozbul	A legal document with the effect of annulling the cancellation of debts in the Shemitah year.
Rabbeinu Asher	See Rosh, below.
Rabbeinu Hananel	See above. Hananel
Rabbeinu Nissim	See Nissim, above.
Rabbeinu Yitzhak	See Alfasi, above.
Ramakh	Acronym of Rabbi Moses (Meharshia) Kahana ben Jacob haKohen, gaon of Sura, 825-836.
Rambam	Acronym of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, b. Cordova 1135 buried Tiberias 1204. Possibly the greatest medieval scholar, of fundamental importance as a halakhist and philosopher. His Code, Mishneh Torah, is quoted extensively throughout this edition.
Ramban	Acronym of Rabbi Moses ben Nahman (Nahmanides), b. Spain 1194—d. Acre c. 1270. Best known as a Biblical commentator, he was also a Talmudist, philosopher, and mystic. He defended his people in Christian-Jewish disputations forced upon them in Spain.
Ran	See Nissim, above.
Rashi	Acronym of Rabbi Shelomo Yitzhaki, 1040-1105, French Rabbinical scholar. Known as the Prince of Commentators, his lucid commentaries to Bible and Talmud are today an indispensable aid to students and scholars alike. The Talmud, in particular, would be a closed book without Rashi.
Ravad	Acronym of Rabbi Avraham ben David of Posquieres, 1120-1198. French Talmudist famed for his strictures (Hassagot) on Rambam's Mishneh Torah.
Ribam	There were two tosafists known by this acronym: 1. Rabbi Isaac ben Meir, mid-12th century, brother of Rashbam and Rabbeinu Tam, grandsons of Rashi, and 2. Rabbi Isaac ben Mordecai, head of the bet din of Regensburg.
Rif	See Alfasi, above.
Rivav	Acronym of the Hebrew name of Rabbi Yehudah ben Berekhia of Provence, Talmudic scholar of the late twelfth century. His commentary to Alfasi is now printed in the margin of recent editions.
Rosh	Acronym of Rabbi Asher ben Yehiel, c. 1270-1327, codifier. His decisions (Piskei HaRosh) and teachings (Tosefot HaRosh) are still standard.
Rosh Hodesh	The first day of the month.
Shabbat	The Sabbath.
Shavuot	Pentecost.
Shemini Atzeret	Heb. Eighth day of solemn assembly. Festival day immediately following Sukkot.
Shemitah	Sabbatical year, seventh year or year of release, in which agricultural work in Eretz Yisrael and trading in its produce is forbidden (see Lev. 25:3ff).
Sotah	Wife who gives her husband reason to suspect her of adultery (Num. 5:11-31).
Sukkot	The festival of Tabernacles.
Tanna	Pl. Tannaim. Scholar living in the first two centuries C.E. whose teaching is recorded in the Mishnah.
Tefillin	Phylacteries (Deut. 6:8).
Tiferet Yisrael	Major Mishnah commentary by Rabbi Israel ben Gedaliah Lipshutz, German rabbinic scholar, 1782-1860.
Tosafot	Heb. Addenda. Critical and explanatory notes on the Babylonian Talmud by the French and German scholars of the 12th-14th cents. Initially supplementary to Rashi's commentary, they are now printed on the opposite side of the page to Rashi in most editions of the Talmud.
Tosefot R. Akiva Eiger	Mishnah glosses and commentary by R. Akiva ben Moses Guens Eiger (Eger), 1761-1837, German rabbinic scholar of great acuity, an ardent opponent of Reform Judaism. His Tosefot were published posthumously.
Tosefot Yom Tov	Major Mishnah commentary by Rabbi Yom Tov ben Nathan HaLevi Heller, b. Bavaria 1579-d. Cracow 1654. His commentary expands that of Bartenura and breaks new ground in the development of the halakhah.
Tur	Major code, fore-runner of the Shulchan Arukh, by Rabbi Jacob ben Asher, b. Germany c. 1270-d. Spain c. 1343. The code's full name is Arbaah Turim ('Four Rows', cf. Exod. 39:10) and the author is often called the 'Baal Haturim'. The code is divided into four sections: 1. Orah Hayyim – daily religious conduct; 2. Yoreh Deah – dietary and mourning laws; 3. Even ha-Ezer – family matter; and 4. Hoshen Mishpat – civil and administrative laws.
Tzitzit	Fringes which must be worn in the daytime by Jewish males on all corners of a four-cornered garment (Num. 15:37-41).
Unclean	Heb. Tame. Biblically, there are 12 kinds of uncleanness: 1. a man or 2. a woman who has a flux; 3. a menstruant; 4. a woman after childbirth; 5. a leper; 6. human semen; 7. a corpse; 8. carrion; 9. creeping things; 10. The Red Heifer; 11. The burning of the bullocks and he-goats that must be burnt; 12. the leading away of the Scapegoat. There are three ways in which uncleanness is conveyed: 1. overshadowing; 2. contact; 3. carrying. Not all uncleannesses convey in all three ways. The Rabbis decreed that certain people, lands, and objects convey uncleanness, for various reasons. In Temple times, the laws of uncleanness played a vital role in the daily life of the Jewish people.
Yehudah	Judah.
Yibum	Levirate marriage. See Deut. 25:5.
Yishmael	Ishmael.
Yom Kippur	The Day of Atonement.

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