Purim Meshulash explanation Rabbanit Debbie Zimmerman

Friday: Megillah reading and matanot l’evyonim

The mishna in Tractate Megillah teaches:

“Megillah is read on the 11^th, 12^th, 13^th, 14^th, 15^th [of Adar]. No more and no less. Walled cities from the days of Yehoshua bin Nun read on the 15^th, towns and large cities read on the 14^th, but outlying villages move it up to the day of assembly.”^[1]

According to the mishna, the time for performing the mitzvah of reading Megillah depends on one’s location. Walled cities, specifically cities with walls from the time of Yehoshua bin Nun, read on the 15^th of Adar. For everyone else, the mitzvah is on the 14^th of Adar. People who lived in villages could fulfill their mitzvah by reading Megillah on the market day immediately preceding Purim.^[2]

The following mishna details the market days when outlying villages read megillah depending on what day of the week Purim falls, proving it can be any day between the 11^th and the 14^th of Adar. For example, when Purim falls on Sunday villagers read Megillah on the 11^th, the Thursday before.

The mishna also teaches what happens when the 14^th or 15^th of Adar falls on Shabbat. Since our fixed calendar means the 14^th of Adar does not fall on Shabbat, we will focus on the latter – Purim is on a Friday and Shushan Purim on Shabbat:

“When it falls on erev Shabbat [the 14^th falls on a Friday]: villages move it up to market day and cities and walled cities read on the day.”^[3]

According to this mishna, we never read Megillah on Shabbat. So, when Shushan Purim falls on Shabbat, those who celebrate it read Megillah on Friday with everyone else. The gemara explains that we do not push Megillah reading to Sunday because the Megillah states that the Jewish people accepted the yearly celebrations of the two days of Purim upon themselves and future Jewish people “v’lo ya’avor,” “and it shall not pass.”^[4] The gemara explains that “it shall not pass” teaches that even though Megillah reading may be moved forward, it may not be pushed past the 15^th.

But why don’t we read Megillah on Shabbat?

The gemara brings two reasons. The first is the more widely known opinion of Rabba, who explains that we are concerned a person will take their Megillah to an expert and may come to transgress the prohibition of carrying in the public domain.^[5]

Considering the feelings of the destitute

The second is Rav Yosef, who taught that Megillah reading is moved for the sake of poor people who “raise their eyes to Megillah reading” in anticipation of matanot l’evyonim (the gifts to the poor that are one of the mitzvot of Purim). Since we do not carry or use money on Shabbat, the needy would not get the gifts they rely on if we read Megillah on Shabbat. The gemara cites a beraita in line with this opinion: when outlying villages read on market day, the time of matanot l’evyonim is also moved up to coincide.

Ritva points out that the beraita only proves the mitzvah of matanot l’evyonim should be moved in consideration of the poor people that receive the gifts. And while it makes sense that a mitzvah that benefits the poor would be adapted to better accommodate them, this does not mean that we would also move the mitzvah of Megillah reading to accommodate the poor. He explains that the beraita is used to prove that considering the expectations and needs of poor people is a valid halakhic consideration, that can be used to justify moving mitzvot in general, not just mitzvot that directly impact the poor.

The beraita continues to explain that matanot l’evyonim moves with Megillah reading, but “rejoicing (simcha) is only in the appropriate time.” Although there is some debate, the mitzvot of simcha seem to include al hanisim, seudah, and mishloach manot (sending portions of food, generally to friends and neighbors).

Shabbat – Al HaNisim and Torah reading

The 15^th of Adar, also known as Shushan Purim, falls on Shabbat. Therefore, that is the appropriate day to add Al HaNisim in Birkat HaMazon and Amida. We read the weekly parsha, and maftir “Vayavo Amalek,” the Torah portion read on Purim morning.^[6] The haftora is from I Shmuel 15, the same that was read on Shabbat Zakhor the previous week.^[7]

Seudah and Mishloach Manot on Sunday

What about seudah and mishloach manot?

The purpose of mishloach manot is generally understood to be for  enhancing the seudah, part of the mitzvah of simcha (rejoicing) on Purim. Although there is an opinion that mishloach manot should be given the same day as matanot l’evyonim, the majority opinion is that they are given the same day as the seudah.^[8]

So what day is seudah?

There is a minority opinion that the mitzvot of seudah and mishloach manot should also be performed on Shabbat.^[9] Based on an explicit discussion in the Talmud Yerushalmi, the majority of halakhic authorities reject this opinion and rule that these mitzvot are moved to Sunday. Nevertheless, some who rule that the main mitzvot of seudah and mishloach manot are on Sunday add that one should also rejoice on Shabbat – add an extra dish to the Shabbat menu and even give mishloach manot if there is an eruv.^[10] If not, the mitzvah of mishloach manot is also fulfilled by inviting people for the Shabbat meal.

The Talmud Yerushalmi brings a beraita that lists which mitzvot are moved up to an earlier time, and are not pushed later, and which mitzvot are pushed later and not moved forward. The beraita teaches Megillah reading is moved forward and the seudah of Purim is moved later. The gemara continues:

“Rabbi Ze’ira asked before Rabbi Abahu: Shouldn’t they have it [seudah] on Shabbat?   He said to him: [The Megillah says] ‘To make them days of drinking/feasting and joy,’ [referring to days] whose joy depends on the [earthly] courts; this excludes those [days] whose joy depends on Heaven [i.e. Shabbat].”^[11]

Rabbi Ze’ira questions why the seudah is moved at all, why can’t it be on Shabbat? Rabbi Abbahu explains that the Megillah states “to make them days of drinking/feasting and joy.”^[12] The Megillah says that we should make these days of celebration, but Shabbat is already a day of feasting and joy, since God made it so when determining the days of the week and declaring Shabbat a day of rest and delight. Korban HaEidah elucidates that Purim is a human-made day – the earthly courts set the calendar and determine the days it is celebrated. If we had Purim seudah on Shabbat it would be hard to distinguish that it was for the rejoicing of Purim and not a regular Shabbat.

This does not explain why the seudah for Shushan Purim is not moved up to Friday, when we’re already reading the Megillah and giving matanot l’evyonim. This question is compounded by Ran who questions: why is “v’lo yaavor” applied to Megillah reading but not seudah?

Ran explains that this only applies to reading; there is a different midrash halakha derived from Megillat Esther that applies to the mitzvah of simcha (seudah and mishloach manot). The gemara teaches that the days of Purim are celebrated “bizmanam,” “in their time – the time of this is not the same as the time of that.” This is used to teach that even when Megillah reading is moved up, such as for outlying villages that read on market days, the simcha of Purim remains at the appropriate time.