Megillah, Daf Bet, Part 3

Introduction

In today’s section an amora posits that the opinion in the Mishnah belongs to one sage, but that other sages disagree.

אמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר רבי יוחנן: זו דברי רבי עקיבא סתימתאה דדריש זמן זמנם זמניהם, אבל חכמים אומרים: אין קורין אותה אלא בזמנה.

Rabbah b. Bar Hanah said in the name of R. Yohanan: This [rule stated in the Mishnah] is the ruling of R. Akiva the anonymous sage who draws the distinction between "time", "their time" and "their times", but according to the Sages the Megillah is to be read only on the proper day.

According to R. Yohanan, the opinion in the Mishnah that the Megillah may be read on the 11^th, 12^th or 13^th belongs to R. Akiva. There are other sages who rule that it may only be recited only on the 14^th or 15^th. They don’t make a midrash out of the fact that the Megillah reads "at their times," a midrash that served as the basis for the Mishnah (see yesterday’s section).

מיתיבי: אמר רבי יהודה אימתי – בזמן שהשנים כתיקנן, וישראל שרויין על אדמתן. אבל בזמן הזה, הואיל ומסתכלין בה – אין קורין אותה אלא בזמנה.

They objected: "R. Judah said: When [does this rule apply]? When the years are reckon from it, the Megillah is to be read only on the proper day".

According to R. Judah, the Megillah may be read on the 11^th, 12, or 13^th, only when most of Israel resides in the land of Israel and the years and months are properly fixed by the observation of the new moon. But today (i.e in his time, when the Temple had been destroyed, and many of Israel were living elsewhere) people see when the Megillah is read and they reckon their calendar based on this day. Since people count on it being read on the proper date, it can be read only then.

רבי יהודה אליבא דמאן? אילימא אליבא דרבי עקיבא – אפילו בזמן הזה איתא להאי תקנתא. אלא לאו – אליבא דרבנן, ובזמן שהשנים כתיקנן וישראל שרויין על אדמתן מיהא קרינן! תיובתא דרבי יוחנן, תיובתא.

Now which authority is R. Judah here following? If I say, R. Akiva–even in these days this enactment is valid.

Rather, it must be according to the Rabbis, and [even according to them] we read [on the other days] at any rate when the years are properly fixed and Israel reside on their own soil! This is refutation of R. Yohanan.

The Talmud now notes that R. Judah cannot follow R. Akiva, for R. Akiva lived after the destruction and nevertheless continued to rule that the Megillah may be read on the 11^th, 12^th or 13^th. Rather, he must rule like the other sages. These sages would then agree that when Israel resides on their own soil and the years are properly fixed, the Megillah can be read on other days. This is a refutation of R. Yohanan who said that these sages do not draw the midrashic distinction between "time," "their time" and "their times." These sages allow for the Megillah to be read on other days, at least in earlier times.   

איכא דאמרי: אמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר רבי יוחנן: זו דברי רבי עקיבא סתימתאה. אבל חכמים אמרו: בזמן הזה, הואיל ומסתכלין בה אין קורין אותה אלא בזמנה. תניא נמי הכי: אמר רבי יהודה: אימתי – בזמן שהשנים כתיקנן וישראל שרויין על אדמתן, אבל בזמן הזה הואיל ומסתכלין בה – אין קורין אותה אלא בזמנה.

There are those who say: Rabbah b. Bar Hanah said in the name of R. Yohanan: This rule follows the ruling of R. Akiva the anonymous authority, but the Sages held that in these days, since people reckon from it, we read it only on the proper day.

It has also been taught: "R. Judah said: When does this rule apply? When the years are properly fixed and Israel reside upon their own soil, but in these days, since people reckon from it, it is read only on the proper day."

This is simply another version of the material from above. In this version, R. Yohanan basically says that the sages say the same thing that R. Judah said in a baraita. In today’s time, the Megillah can be read only on the 14^th or 15^th. This remains the practice till this day.