001 - הִלְכוֹת מְגִלָּה פֵּרֶק א

Laws of Megillah

1. Reading the Megillah at its proper time is a positive commandment instituted by the Sages, and it is well known that it was established by the Prophets. Everyone is obligated to read it—men, women, converts, and freed slaves. We also train children to read it. Even Kohanim engaged in their service interrupt their service and come to hear the reading of the Megillah. Likewise, the study of Torah is set aside for the reading of the Megillah; all the more so, all other mitzvos of the Torah are set aside for the reading of the Megillah. There is nothing that takes precedence over the reading of the Megillah except for a corpse that has no one to bury him: whoever encounters such a case should bury him first, and then read the Megillah.

2. Whether one reads or one hears from someone reading, he has fulfilled his obligation—provided that he hears it from someone who is obligated to read it. Therefore, if the reader is a minor or someone who is mentally incompetent, one who hears from him has not fulfilled his obligation.

3. It is a mitzvah to read the entire Megillah. It is a mitzvah to read it at night and during the day; the entire night is valid for the nighttime reading, and the entire day is valid for the daytime reading. Before reading it at night, three blessings are recited: "Blessed are You, Hashem, our G‑d, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us regarding the reading of the Megillah"; "Blessed are You, Hashem, our G‑d, King of the universe, Who performed miracles for our fathers in those days at this time"; and "Blessed are You, Hashem, our G‑d, King of the universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this time." During the day, the blessing of "Shehecheyanu" is not repeated. In places where it is customary to recite a blessing after the reading, the following is recited: "Blessed are You, Hashem, our G‑d, King of the universe, the G‑d Who fights our battles, judges our claims, takes vengeance for us, exacts retribution for us from our oppressors, and repays all the enemies of our souls; blessed are You, Hashem, the G‑d Who exacts retribution for His people Israel from all their oppressors, the G‑d Who brings salvation."

4. What is the time for its reading? Many times were established for it, as it is said, "in their times" (Esther 9:31). These are the times for its reading: Any city that was surrounded by a wall in the days of Yehoshua bin Nun, whether in Eretz Yisroel or outside of Eretz Yisroel—even if it does not have a wall now—reads on the fifteenth of Adar; such a city is called a "walled city." Any city that was not surrounded by a wall in the days of Yehoshua, even if it is surrounded by a wall now, reads on the fourteenth; such a city is called a "town."

5. Shushan the capital—even though it was not surrounded by a wall in the days of Yehoshua bin Nun—reads on the fifteenth, because that is where the miracle occurred, as it is said, "and they rested on the fifteenth" (Esther 9:18). Why was the matter made dependent on the days of Yehoshua? In order to honor Eretz Yisroel, which was in ruins at that time, so that its cities would read like the people of Shushan and be considered as if they were walled cities, even though they are now in ruins, since they were walled in the days of Yehoshua; and thus there will be a remembrance for Eretz Yisroel in this miracle.

6. The villagers, who do not gather in the synagogues except on Mondays and Thursdays, were given the enactment that they may read earlier, on the day of assembly. How so? If the fourteenth falls on a Monday or Thursday, they read on that day; but if it falls on another day, they read earlier, on the Monday or Thursday closest to the fourteenth.

7. How so? If the fourteenth falls on Sunday, they read on the preceding Thursday, which is the eleventh. If it falls on Tuesday, they read on Monday, which is the thirteenth. If it falls on Wednesday, they read on Monday, which is the twelfth. In all these cases, when they read earlier than the fourteenth, they do not read with fewer than ten people present.

8. A village where people do not gather there on Mondays and Thursdays reads the Megillah only on the fourteenth. And a city that does not have ten men who are regularly available in the synagogue for communal needs is considered like a village, and they read earlier on the day of gathering. But if the city does not have ten people at all, its arrangement is its downfall, and they are like the people of a large city, and read only on the fourteenth.

9. In what case is it said that they read earlier on the day of gathering? When the Jewish people have sovereignty. But at this time, the Megillah is read only at its proper time—which is the fourteenth and the fifteenth: the people of villages and towns read on the fourteenth; and the people of walled cities read on the fifteenth.

10. A resident of a town who went to a walled city, or a resident of a walled city who went to a town—if he intended to return to his place at the time of reading but was delayed and did not return, he reads according to his place. But if he did not intend to return until after the time of reading, he reads with the people of the place where he is. And a walled city, and all that is near it, and all that is visible with it—if there is not more than two thousand cubits between them—are considered like the walled city, and read on the fifteenth.

11. A city that is in doubt, and it is not known whether it was surrounded by a wall in the days of Yehoshua bin Nun or was surrounded afterward—they read on both days, the fourteenth and the fifteenth, and their nights; but the blessing on its reading is recited only on the fourteenth, since that is the time of reading for most of the world.

12. If they read the Megillah in Adar, and afterward Beis Din made the year a leap year, they return and read it in the second Adar, at its proper time.

13. The Megillah is not read on Shabbos, as a decree lest one carry it in his hand and go to someone who is expert in reading it, and carry it four cubits in the public domain; for everyone is obligated in its reading, but not everyone is expert in reading it. Therefore, if the time for its reading falls on Shabbos, they read it earlier, before Shabbos; but they ask and expound on the laws of Purim on that Shabbos, in order to remind people that it is Purim.

14. How is this? If the fourteenth falls on Shabbos—the people of towns read earlier, on Friday; and the people of walled cities read at their proper time, on Sunday. If the fifteenth falls on Shabbos—the people of walled cities read earlier, on Friday, which is the fourteenth; and the people of towns read on that day, which is their proper time. Thus, everyone ends up reading on the fourteenth.