Megillah, Daf Lammed Aleph, Part 6
Introduction
The final section of this daf discusses reading the curses and blessings on fast days. The Talmudic discussion focuses on the rule in the mishnah that we do not interrupt when reading the curses. They are read continuously.
בתעניות ברכות וקללות ואין מפסיקין בקללות. מנא הני מילי? אמר רב חייא בר גמדא אמר רבי אסי: דאמר קרא +משלי ג‘+ מוסר ה‘ בני אל תמאס. ריש לקיש אמר: לפי שאין אומרים ברכה על הפורענות.
On fast days [the portion of] blessings and curses is read, and they may not break in [the reading of] the curses. How do we know this?
R. Hiyya b. Gamda said in the name of R. Assi: As the verse says, "Do not reject the discipline of the Lord, My son" (Proverbs 3:11).
Resh Lakish said: It is because a blessing should not be said for punishment.
There are two reasons given as to why one should not interrupt reading the curses. The first is that we should not reject discipline from God. One who stops in the middle of reading the curses looks as if he is rejecting his chastisement. [Thank you sir, may I have another].
Resh Lakish brings up another problem. If one stops while reading the curses he will recite a blessing over a curse.
אלא היכי עביד? תנא: כשהוא מתחיל – מתחיל בפסוק שלפניהם, וכשהוא מסיים – מסיים בפסוק שלאחריהן.
What then should he do? A Tanna taught: He begins his reading with a verse before them and concludes it with a verse after them.
To avoid reciting a blessing directly over a verse with a curse in it, he should begin reading before the section with the curses begins and end his reading after the curses have already been completed and another non-curse verse has been recited.
אמר אביי: לא שנו אלא בקללות שבתורת כהנים, אבל קללות שבמשנה תורה – פוסק. מאי טעמא? הללו – בלשון רבים אמורות, ומשה מפי הגבורה אמרן. והללו – בלשון יחיד אמורות, ומשה מפי עצמו אמרן.
לוי בר בוטי הוה קרי וקא מגמגם קמיה דרב הונא בארורי, אמר לו: אכנפשך, לא שנו אלא קללות שבתורת כהנים, אבל שבמשנה תורה – פוסק.
Abaye said: This rule was taught only with regard to the curses in Leviticus, but the curses in Deuteronomy one may interrupt [their reading].
What is the reason? The former are stated in the plural and Moses said them on behalf of the Almighty. The latter are stated in the singular, and Moses said them in his own name.
Levi b. Buti was once reading the curses [in Deuteronomy] in the presence of R. Huna hesitatingly. R. Huna said to him: Do just as you want, This rule was taught only with regard to the curses in Leviticus, but the curses in Deuteronomy one may interrupt [their reading].
Abaye limits the rule against interrupting the reading of the curses to those curses found in Leviticus. These were stated in the plural and Moses said them in the name of God. But the curses in Deuteronomy were in the singular and Moses says them in his own name. This seems to mitigate their violence, allowing us to interrupt their reading.
Today our custom is to read both sets of curses without interruption.
תניא, רבי שמעון בן אלעזר אומר: עזרא תיקן להן לישראל שיהו קורין קללות שבתורת כהנים קודם עצרת, ושבמשנה תורה קודם ראש השנה.
מאי טעמא? אמר אביי ואיתימא ריש לקיש: כדי שתכלה השנה וקללותיה.
בשלמא שבמשנה תורה איכא כדי שתכלה שנה וקללותיה, אלא שבתורת כהנים, אטו עצרת ראש השנה היא? – אין, עצרת נמי ראש השנה היא, דתנן: ובעצרת על פירות האילן.
It has been taught: R. Shimon b. Eleazar says: Ezra established for Israel that they should read the curses in Leviticus before Shavuot and those in Deuteronomy before Rosh Hashanah. What is the reason? Abaye, or you may also say Resh Lakish said: So that the year may end along with its curses.
It makes sense in regard to the curses in Deuteronomy you can say, "so that the year should end along with its curses." But as regards those In Leviticus, is Shavuot a New Year? Yes; Shavuot is also a New Year, as we have learned: On Shavuot is the new year for [fruit of] the tree.
In the Babylonian cycle of reading, we read the curses in Leviticus right before Shavuot and the curses in Deuteronomy right before Rosh Hashanah. This, according to R. Shimon b. Elazar was initiated by Ezra. [I should note that this is chronologically problematic for in the land of Israel they had a three and a half year cycle of Torah reading. This meant that different readings would shift from year to year.]
Abaye says that we do this as if to symbolically state that the curses should end with the new year. At first it seems as if Abaye’s statement makes sense only in connection with Rosh Hashanah. However, the Talmud notes that Shavuot is also called a "new year" for a mishnah in Rosh Hashanah says that this is the new year for the trees. Actually, it’s more of a judgment day for the trees. On Shavuot we bring the first fruits and therefore God judges the world on that day in terms of the next year’s crop of fruits.
תניא, רבי שמעון בן אלעזר אומר: אם יאמרו לך זקנים: סתור! וילדים: בנה! – סתור ואל תבנה, מפני שסתירת זקנים – בנין, ובנין נערים – סתירה, וסימן לדבר: +מלכים א‘ י"ב+ רחבעם בן שלמה.
It has been taught: R. Shimon b. Elazar says: If old men say to you, "tear down", and boys say to you "build up," tear down and do not build up, because destruction by old men is construction, and construction by boys is destruction; and the example is Rehoboam son of Solomon.
When Rehoboam son of Solomon became king the people asked for the burdensome taxes imposed by Solomon to be reduced. At first Rehoboam asked for advice from the elders and they advised him to listen to the people’s request. He then asked for advice from his friends, who told him to increase the taxes. He heeded their advice, causing a rebellion and the splitting of the kingdom into two. [See I Kings 12:1-17]. From here R. Shimon b. Elazar concludes that it is better to listen to the advice of the elders, even when they give advice that seems to be deconstructive don’t collect any more taxes.
This section has nothing to do with the previous one. It is here because it is taught by the same tanna, R. Shimon b. Elazar.