Megillah, Daf Lammed, Part 1
Introduction
Today’s section deals with the issue of Shabbat Shekalim falling on a Shabbat in which the regular portion of the week is either before or after the reading for Shekalim itself.
איתמר, חל להיות בואתה תצוה, אמר רבי יצחק נפחא: קרו שיתא מואתה תצוה עד כי תשא, וחד מכי תשא עד ועשית.
It was stated: If it [Shabbat Shekalim] falls when the portion "And you shall command" is read: R. Yitzchak Nafha said: Six persons read from "And you shall command" up until "When you count", and one from "When you count" to "You shall make."
The portion read for Shekalim is Exodus 30:11-16 ("When you count"). This falls right after parshat hashavua Tetzaveh ("And you shall command"). According to R. Yitzchak Nafha, he reads the first six aliyot from Tetzaveh (starts at Exodus 27:20) and then the seventh Aliyah is from Shekalim, the next seven verses.
אמר אביי: אמרי: אוקומי הוא דקא מוקמי התם. אלא אמר אביי: קרו שיתא מואתה תצוה עד ועשית, וחד תני וקרי מכי תשא עד ועשית.
Abaye said: People will say that that is where they stop.
Rather Abaye said: Six read from "And you shall command" to "And you shall make", and one repeats and reads from "When you count" to "And you shall make."
The problem with reading the seventh Aliyah from the Shekalim reading is that it looks just like the continuation of Tetzaveh. In other words people will not know that he is reading a special portion for Shekalim. They will think he is just continuing on with Tetzaveh.
Therefore to let people know what is going on, what he should do is read six aliyot from the beginning of Tetzaveh through the end of the special section for Shekalim (30:16). Then he should go back and read the Shekalim Aliyah over again. This will make it noticeable that he is reading a special Aliyah.
מיתיבי: חל להיות בפרשה הסמוכה לה, בין מלפניה בין מלאחריה – קורין אותה וכופלין אותה. בשלמא לאביי – ניחא, אלא לרבי יצחק נפחא קשיא! –
They objected: If it [Shabbat Shekalim] falls on the Shabbat of the portion next to it, whether just before or just after, it is read and repeated.
This works for Abaye, but it is a difficulty for R. Yitzchak Nafha.
This baraita accords with Abaye who said that if Shabbat Shekalim falls on an adjacent parshat hashavua they read the regular portion and then repeat it. This is exactly what Abaye said we do. But the baraita does not accord with R. Yitzchak Nafha who said we just read Tetzaveh and then as the seventh Aliyah we read Shekalim. There is no repeating here.
אמר לך רבי יצחק נפחא: ולאביי מי ניחא? תינח לפניה, לאחריה היכי משכחת לה? – אלא מאי אית לך למימר – כופלה בשבתות, הכא נמי – כופלה בשבתות.
R. Yitzchak Nafha could say to you: And does it go so well with Abaye? It makes sense with the Shabbat before it, but does it make sense with the Shabbat after it? Rather what can you say [according to Abaye] this portion [of Shekalim] is read on two successive Shabbatot; so l too can answer that it is read on two consecutive Shabbatot.
R. Yitzchak Nafha could respond that the baraita does not work so well for Abaye either. Doubling the reading for Shabbat Shekalim makes sense if it occurs with the portion that comes before it, Tetzaveh, as Abaye said. But the portion for Shekalim occurs at the beginning of parshat Ki Tisa. If Shabbat Shekalim falls on the portion of Vayakhel, the week after Ki Tisa, there is no repeating of the portion, so what could the baraita mean.
Therefore, the baraita does not mean that the portion for Shekalim is read twice on the same Shabbat. It means that it is read two weeks in a row. This could happen if Shekalim falls on Tetzaveh or on Vayakhel. In either case that portion would be read twice in a row.
I should add that according to the custom we now observe, there is no problem distinguishing the maftir Aliyah from the other seven aliyot for we say the kaddish after the first seven aliyot. Therefore, whatever the special portion for that day is can be read as maftir and everyone would understand what is going on.
חל להיות בכי תשא עצמה, אמר רבי יצחק נפחא: קרו שיתא מן ועשית עד ויקהל וחד קרי מכי תשא עד ועשית. מתקיף לה אביי: השתא אמרי: למפרע הוא דקרי! – אלא אמר אביי: קרו שיתא עד ויקהל וחד תני וקרי מכי תשא עד ועשית.
תניא כוותיה דאביי: חל להיות בכי תשא עצמה – קורין אותה וכופלין אותה.
If it falls on the portion of "When you count" itself: R. Isaac Nappaha said: Six read from "You shall make" to "And Moses assembled" and one from "When you count" to "And you shall make."
Abaye objected: Now people will say that he can read backwards!
Rather Abaye said: Six read to "And Moses assembled", and one repeats from "When you count" to "And you shall make."
It has been taught in agreement with Abaye: If it falls on [the Shabbat of] "When you take" itself, it is read and repeated.
The issue here is if Shabbat Shekalim falls on parshat Ki Tisa, which begins with the very portion read for Shekalim. According to R. Yitzchak Nafha he would skip the beginning of Ki Tisa and only begin with 30:17, right after the reading for Shekalim is over. The rest of Ki Tisa would be divided into six aliyot and then he would go back and read the seven verses of Shekalim as the seventh Aliyah.
The problem with that is that he is reading backwards. People might think that one can read the Torah in any order. In other words, someone hearing wouldn’t notice that this was Shabbat Shekalim. Rather he would just think that the reader for some reason read the aliyot out of order.
Therefore, what he should do is read from the beginning of Ki Tisa. And then when he has completed the parsha, he should go back and read the special section for Shekalim.
A baraita is taught that accords with Abaye.