Megillah, Daf Lammed, Part 3

 

Introduction

Today’s section deals with the reading for the second special Shabbat, Shabbat Zakhor.

 

בשניה זכור וכו‘. איתמר, פורים שחל להיות בערב שבת. רב אמר: מקדימין פרשת זכור, ושמואל אמר: מאחרין. רב אמר: מקדימין, כי היכי דלא תיקדום עשיה לזכירה. ושמואל אמר: מאחרין, אמר לך: כיון דאיכא מוקפין דעבדי בחמיסר – עשיה וזכירה בהדי הדדי קא אתיין.

 

On the second, Zakhor etc.

It was stated: If Purim falls on Friday, Rav says that the portion of Zakhor is read on the Shabbbat before, while Shmuel says it is read on the Shabbat after.

Rav says it is read on the Shabbat before, so that the celebration [of Purim] should not precede the remembrance [of Amalek].

Shmuel says on the Shabbat after. He could say to you that since there are the walled cities which celebrate on the fifteenth, celebration and remembrance come together.

 

Parshat Zakhor where we read of the mitzvah to remember what Amalek did to us when leaving Egypt is usually read the Shabbat before Purim. If Purim falls on Friday, Rav says we still read Parshat Zakhor the Shabbat before. This way remembering Amalek comes before celebrating Purim, which is the correct order remembering the enemy, then celebrating his defeat. Shmuel says that it can be pushed off till the Shabbat after, since this is the same day as Purim for walled cities which read on the fifteenth of Adar.

 

תנן: בשניה זכור. והא כי מיקלע ריש ירחא בשבת מיקלע פורים בערב שבת, וקתני: בשניה זכור.

אמר רב פפא: מאי שניה – שניה להפסקה.

 

We learned: On the second, Zakhor. Now when Rosh Hodesh [of Adar] is on Shabbat, Purim falls on Friday, and it teaches "On the second, Zakhor"?

R. Papa said: What is meant by "second"? The second to the interruption.

 

If Rosh Hodesh Adar falls on Shabbat, Purim will fall on Friday. The mishnah seems to say that in this case Zakhor will fall on the second Shabbat of the month, the week before Purim, as Rav said. But this is a difficulty on Shmuel.

R. Papa resolves this by saying that the mishnah doesn’t refer to a case where Rosh Hodesh was on Shabbat. Rather, Rosh Hodesh fell during the week. There will then be a week off with no special reading on Shabbat, and then the "second to the interruption" will be Zakhor. But this did not refer to a case where Purim fell on Shabbat.

תא שמע: איזו שבת שניה – כל שחל פורים להיות בתוכה, ואפילו בערב שבת. מאי לאו ערב שבת דומיא דתוכה, מה תוכה – מקדימין, אף ערב שבת מקדימין.

אמר שמואל: בה, וכן תנא דבי שמואל: בה.

 

Come and hear: Which is the second week? The one in which Purim falls in it, even if on Friday.

Now is not Friday is the same as the middle of the week, so that just as when it falls in the middle of the week we read before, so when it falls on Friday we read before?

Shmuel said: [The proper reading is] "on it"; and so a Tanna of the school of Shmuel taught, "On it."

 

The baraita seems to teach that if Purim falls anytime in the week, even on Friday, Parshat Zakhor is read during the preceding Shabbat. This is again a difficulty on Shmuel.

Shmuel emends the baraita to read "on it." If Purim falls on Shabbat itself, or even if Purim falls on Friday, we read Zakhor on that Shabbat. In both of these cases the remembrance and the observance of Purim will come on the same day.

חל להיות בשבת עצמה, אמר רב הונא: לדברי הכל אין מקדימין. ורב נחמן אמר: עדיין היא מחלוקת. איתמר נמי, אמר רבי חייא בר אבא אמר רבי אבא אמר רב: פורים שחל להיות בשבת – מקדים וקורא בשבת שעברה זכור.

 

If it falls on Shabbat itself: R. Huna said: All agree that Parshat Zakhor is not read on the Shabbat before. But R. Nahman said: There is still a dispute.

It was also stated: R. Hiyya b. Abba said in the name of R. Abba, who had it from Rav: If Purim falls on Sabbath, Zakor is read on the Shabbat.

 

According to R. Huna, if Purim falls on Shabbat, both Shmuel and Rav would agree that Zakhor is read on Shabbat itself, the fourteenth of Adar. We should note that in this case, we would really observe Purim the next day, on the fifteenth, because we do not observe Purim on Shabbat.

But R. Nahman says that the same dispute continues Rav would still hold that we read Zakhor the week before. This is borne out by the statement of R. Hiyya b. Abba.