Megillah, Daf Kaf Heh, Part 3
Introduction
Today s section consists of a mishnah, the last in the chapter. It teaches that some portions of the Torah are not translated at all because of the nature of their content.
משנה.
מעשה ראובן נקרא ולא מתרגם,
מעשה תמר נקרא ומתרגם,
מעשה עגל הראשון נקרא ומתרגם, והשני נקרא ולא מתרגם.
ברכת כהנים, מעשה דוד ואמנון נקראין ולא מתרגמין.
אין מפטירין במרכבה, ורבי יהודה מתיר.
רבי אליעזר אומר: אין מפטירין +יחזקאל ט"ז+ בהודע את ירושלים.
Mishnah Ten
1) The incident of Reuven is read but not translated.
2) The story of Tamar is read and translated.
3) The first part of the incident of the golden calf is both read and translated, but the second is read but not translated.
4) The blessing of the priests, the stories of David and Amnon are not read or translated.
5) They do not conclude with the portion of the chariot as a haftarah.
a) But Rabbi Judah permits this.
6) R. Eliezer says: They do not conclude with Proclaim Jerusalem s [abominations] (Ezekiel 16) as a haftarah.
Section one: Reuven sleeps with Bilhah, his father s concubine (Genesis 35:22). This story is not translated in order not to shame Reuven.
Section two: Tamar tricks Judah into sleeping with her (see Genesis 38). This story is read and translated because it is actually to Judah s credit. When he discovers that he has committed a wrong (vs. 26), he doesn t try to hide his crime, as embarrassing as it might be. Note that Judah serves as a foil for Reuven. Reuven intentionally commits a crime, so we must hide it from the public. Judah accidentally commits a crime and then confesses, so we make public the entire story.
Section three: The first part of the golden calf story is from Exodus 32:1-20. This part is translated either because Israel does receive atonement, or in order so that the congregation will learn from their mistakes. In verse 21 Moses questions and accuses Aaron. In order not to embarrass Aaron, this section is not translated.
Section four: The version of this mishnah in good manuscripts says that these sections are neither read nor translated. The priestly blessing is not read, perhaps because it is a regular part of the prayer service. According to the version of the mishan in the Talmud, these verses are read but not translated. The Talmud explains that they are not translated because one of the verses says, May God show favor to you and people might think that God shows favor in judgment and doesn t judge justly.
The story of David and Bathsheva (II Samuel 11) is not read as a haftarah because it is embarrassing to David.
In the story of Amnon (II Samuel 13), Amnon rapes Tamar and then wants to abandon her. He eventually is killed by Absolom, David s other son. This is also quite embarrassing to David and to his house.
Section five: We don t read the description of the chariot contained in Ezekiel, chapter one, as a haftarah because ordinary people are not supposed to study this mystical chapter. However, Rabbi Judah allows this.
Section six: Rabbi Eliezer prohibits reading Ezekiel 16 as a haftarah because its content is simply too graphic. Read the chapter for yourself to get an idea of its disturbing content.