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Week 44 - Shabbat - 30 September 2000

GLOSSARY
KEHATI MISHNAH TRACTATE MEGILLAH

Amidah (lit. 'standing'); the prayer of eighteen (seven on Sabbaths and Festivals) benedictions which is recited in a standing posture.

Asham guilt-offering to be brought for certain transgressions.

Aliyah la-Torah lit. ascending to the Torah; being called up for the reading of the Torah in the Synagogue.

Bedi'avad after the fact.

Gezerah shavah the application to one subject of a rule already known to apply to another, on the strength of a common expression used in connection with both in the Scriptures.

Haftarah a section from the Prophets, read by the person called up for Maftir (q.v.), after the reading of the Torah on Sabbaths, Holy Days and Fast Days.

Halakhah Biblical and Rabbinic law.

Hatat sin-offering.

Helev the portion of the fat of a permitted domestic animal which may not be eaten; in sacrifices that fat was burnt upon the altar.

Heresh when used without qualification it means deaf-mute. However, in Chapter 2, mishnah 4 of this tractate it refers to a person who can speak but cannot hear.

Kaddish sanctification, i.e., a liturgical formula of praise to G-d recited at the close of each section of a public service. One of the several versions is the "mourners' Kaddish."

Kal va-Homer (Lit. 'light and heavy') - an argument or proof of a contention, a minori or a fortiori.

Karet 'cutting off'; Divine punishment for a number of sins for which no human penalty is specified. Sudden death is described as 'karet of days', premature death before sixty as 'karet of years'.

Kedushah a public prayer of sanctification of G-d, which may not be recited in the presence of fewer than ten men of over thirteen years of age.

Kohen priestly descendent of Aaron.

Kohen Gadol High Priest.

Lehem Hapanim shewbread - twelve loaves which lay on the special table in the Sanctuary, and which were exchanged every Friday.

Ma'amadot (lit. stations, posts); a group of lay Israelites who participated in the Temple Service with prayers and Torah readings as representatives of the public.

Ma'aser Sheni a tithe separated and taken up and eaten in Jerusalem. Alternatively the produce could be redeemed with money and the money consumed in Jerusalem.

Maftir the last section of the weekly portion of the Torah reading.

Olah (pl. olot) burnt-offering, burnt in its entirety on the altar (olah lit. 'ascending', i.e., going up in and consumed by fire).

Pesah in the Bible it refers always to the Passover sacrifice. Popularly it refers to the Passover Festival.

Posek (pl. 'poskim') - a person with authority to decide halakhic (v. 'halakhah') questions.

Rosh Hodesh New Moon, the beginning of the month. (pl. Rashei Hodashim)

Shelamim peace offering

Shemoneh Esreh (li.t 'eighteen') - see Amidah.

Todah thank-offering.

Torat Kohanim Rabbinic designation for the Book of Leviticus, since most of its laws refer to the priests (kohanim).

INTRODUCTION

Regarding what was taught in Tractate Ta'anit, "When Av enters they reduce rejoicing" (Taan. 4:6), the Gemara states, "Just as they reduce rejoicing when Av enters, so do they increase rejoicing when Adar enters," for the obligation to rejoice on Purim prevails over the entire month of Adar.

According to one opinion in the Jer. Talmud, the entire month of Adar is appropriate for the reading of the Book (megillah) of Esther. It is related in Tractate Soferim that in Rabbi Meir's generation it was the practice to read the megillah until "On that night" (Es. 6:1) on the first Saturday night of the month of Adar, and on the second Saturday night to read from "On that night" to "and speaking peace to all his seed" (Es. 10:3, the conclusion of the megillah).

The obligation to read the Book of Esther is understood from the verse, "And that these days should be remembered and kept…nor the memorial of them perish from their seed" (Es. 9:28), whereby the act of remembering is fulfilled by the reading (Bab. Talmud, Meg. 2b; Jer. Talmud, Meg. 1:1). The Gemara states, "The earthly Court instituted three things, to which the Heavenly Court consented; one of these is the reading of the megillah, as it is written, 'They ordained, and took upon themselves the Jews…' (Es. 9:27) - they ordained above what they took upon themselves below" (Mak. 23b).

Rambam writes: "The reading of the megillah at its proper time is a positive obligation of Rabbinic origin. It is known that it was an enactment of the Prophets. All are obligated to read it, men, women, converts, and freed servants. And they teach the minors to read it. And even priests who are engaged in the Temple cease their service and come to hear the reading of the megillah. And similarly, they stop the study of the Torah to hear the reading of the megillah. We learn by a kal ve-homer [a minor ad majus inference] that all the other obligations of the Torah are interrupted for the reading of the megillah. The obligation is to read it entirely, both at night and during the day" (Hil. Megillah 1:1, 3).

The Tractate deals with the detailed laws of the reading of the Book of Esther on Purim. It also discusses the reading of the Torah and the haftarah on Shabbatot, Festivals, and the other days on which the Torah is read.

The Jer. Talmud states: "Moses enacted for Israel that they read the Torah on Shabbatot and Festivals and New Moon and Festivals' intermediate days, as it is written, 'And Moses declared to the Children of Israel the appointed seasons of the Lord' (Lev. 23:44). Ezra enacted for Israel that they read the Torah on Mondays and Thursdays, and on the Shabbat during Minhah" (Jer. Tal. Meg. 4:1).

The Bab. Talmud quotes a baraita: " 'And they went three days in the wilderness, and they found no water' (Ex. 15:22) - the dorshei reshumot [those who interpret symbolically] said, 'Water' means Torah…. Since they went three days without Torah they were exhausted. The prophets among them thereupon enacted that they read on Shabbat, not on Sunday, and they read again on Monday, not on Tuesday and Wednesday, and they read again on Thursday, and not on Friday, so that three days will not pass without Torah" (B. K. 82a).

From this we learn that the enactment of reading in the Torah is ancient. The division of the Torah (the Pentateuch) into 54 portions occurred at a later date. The Gemara states that it was the practice in Eretz Yisrael to complete the reading of the Torah once every three years (Meg. 29b). The practice now adopted by all Israel, however, is that of Babylonian Jewry, that the reading of the Torah is completed once every year.

During mishnaic times, one who was called up to the Torah (who "received an aliyah," in common terminology) would read from the Torah. Two blessings were recited for the entire reading: the first to be called up would recite the blessing "Who has chosen us" prior to the reading, and the last to be called up would recite the blessing "Who has given us the Torah of truth" after the reading ("The person who begins blesses before it, and the person who concludes blesses after it" - Meg. 21b). Later, the Sages enacted that each person called to the Torah would recite one blessing before the reading and a second blessing after the reading, as explained in the Gemara: "Because of those who enter and those who go out" (i.e., so that those who enter or go out in the middle of the reading would not conclude that a blessing is not recited before or after the reading). In time, as the number of people able to read from a Torah scroll diminished, the Sages enacted that a permanent reader, erudite in the reading and in the notes, would read for all, and he who is called to the Torah would say after the reader in a low voice (this is the current practice).

It was also the practice during Talmudic times for an interpreter to stand next to the reader and translate each verse into Aramaic, which was spoken by the Jews at the time.

There are various opinion regarding the origin of, and reason for, the practice of the reading of the haftarah (the section of the Prophets read after the Torah reading, relating to the Torah portion or to a current topic). The accepted opinion is that the reading of the haftarah was enacted during a period of anti-Jewish persecution: since the Jews were prohibited from reading the Torah, they substituted a chapter from the Prophets relating to the Torah portion. It was similarly enacted (1) that the haftarah is to contain twenty-one verses, corresponding to the seven who are called to the Torah - three verses for each one called up, and (2) to recite blessings before and after the reading of the haftarah. When the anti-Jewish decrees were no longer in effect, this enactment was not voided (Avudraham, Sefer HaTishbi), rather it was amended stating that he who reads the haftarah shall first read from the Torah, because of the respect due the Torah (so that the honor given the Prophets should not parallel the honor given the Torah), and recites the blessings before and after the reading in the Torah, as the others called up to the Torah before him. And in order to emphasize this concept, it was enacted that he repeats the section of the Torah read previously to his being called up to the Torah.

There are various opinions regarding the term "haftarah." According to one, during the period of the decree, one would be exempted (niftarim) by it from reading the Torah. According to another, the reading of the haftarah, meaning dismissal and conclusion, completes the reading of the Torah.

There are also other opinions.

Chapters 3 and 4 discuss the laws of the Torah reading and the haftarah; they are introduced by laws regarding the sanctity of the synagogue and sacred implements.

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