Parallel
מגילה 20
Soncino English Talmud · Berean Standard Bible
In fact it follows R. Judah, and he holds that the act may be done even in the first instance, and there is no difficulty: in the first quotation he is giving his own opinion, in the second that of his teacher, as it has been taught: ‘R. Judah says in the name of R. Eleazar b. Azariah: One who recites the Shema’ must do so audibly, as it says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is One, which implies. ‘Let thine ear hear what thy mouth utters’. R. Meir says: [It says], which I command thee this day upon thy heart: according to the concentration of the mind, so is the value of the words. Now that you have come so far as this, you may even say that R. Judah was of the same opinion as his teacher, and the statement made by Judah the son of R. Simeon b. Pazzi follows R. Meir. R. JUDAH DECLARES A MINOR QUALIFIED. It has been taught: ‘R. Judah said: When I was a boy, I read it [the Megillah] before R. Tarfon and the elders in Lydda. They said to him: A proof cannot be adduced from a recollection of boyhood’. It has been taught: ‘Rabbi said: When a boy, I read it before R. Judah. They said to him: A proof cannot be adduced from the very authority who allows [the act]’. Why did they not say to him, A proof cannot be adduced from recollections of boyhood? They gave him a double answer. For one thing, they said, you were a boy and besides, even had you been grown up, proof cannot be brought from the very authority who allows. MISHNAH. THE MEGILLAH SHOULD NOT BE READ, NEITHER SHOULD CIRCUMCISION BE PERFORMED, NOR A RITUAL BATH BE TAKEN, NOR SPRINKLING BE PERFORMED, AND SIMILARLY A WOMAN KEEPING DAY FOR DAY SHOULD NOT TAKE A RITUAL BATH UNTIL THE SUN HAS RISEN. BUT IF ANY OF THESE THINGS IS DONE AFTER DAWN HAS APPEARED, IT COUNTS AS DONE. GEMARA. Whence this rule [about the Megillah]? — Because the Scripture says, and these days should be remembered [mentioned] and kept, which implies, that they are to be so by day, but not by night. Shall we say that this is a refutation of R. Joshua b. Levi; for R. Joshua b. Levi said: It is a man's duty to read the Megillah by night and a second time by day? — When the Mishnah makes this statement it is referring to the day reading. NEITHER SHOULD CIRCUMCISION BE PERFORMED. Because it is written, And on the eighth day he shall be circumcised. NEITHER SHOULD A RITUAL BATH BE TAKEN NOR SPRINKLING BE PERFORMED. Because it is written, And the clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean . . . and on the seventh day: and bathing is put on the same footing as sprinkling. AND SIMILARLY A WOMAN WHO IS KEEPING DAY FOR DAY SHOULD NOT TAKE A RITUAL BATH TILL THE SUN HAS RISEN. This is obvious! Why should a woman keeping day for day be different from all others who are under obligation to take ritual baths? — Her case had to be mentioned. For you might suppose that she should be on the same footing as the first observation of one with an issue, and the first observation of one with an issue has been put on the same footing as one with a seminal issue, as it is written, This is the law of him that hath an issue and of him from whom the flow of seed goeth out: just as one with a seminal issue takes his bath by day, so this one also should take his bath on the same day. This woman, however, cannot bathe on the day, because it is written, all the days of the issue of her uncleanness she shall be as in the days of her impurity; so [you might say], by night at least she might keep watch for a short time and then bathe; therefore we are told that [she must not do this], because she requires to count [day for day];22
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and counting must be by day. IF ANY OF THESE THINGS IS DONE AFTER DAWN HAS APPEARED, IT COUNTS AS DONE. Whence is this rule derived? — Raba said: Because the Scripture says, And God called the light day; that which gradually becomes light He called day. But according to this, [when it says] and the darkness He called night, [are we to explain] that which gradually becomes dark He called night? Is it not generally agreed that till the stars come out it is not night? No, said R. Zera; we derive it from here: So we wrought in the work; and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared; and it says further, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labour in the day. What is the point of the second quotation? — You might say that from the time of the first rising of the dawn it is not yet day, though from the time the sun begins to set it is already night and they were early and late. Therefore come and hear: that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labour in the day. MISHNAH. THE WHOLE OF THE DAY IS A PROPER TIME FOR THE READING OF THE MEGILLAH AND FOR THE RECITING OF HALLEL AND FOR THE BLOWING OF THE SHOFAR AND FOR TAKING UP THE LULAB AND FOR THE MUSAF PRAYER AND FOR THE ADDITIONAL SACRIFICES AND FOR CONFESSION OVER THE OXEN AND FOR THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT MADE OVER THE TITHE AND FOR THE CONFESSION OF SINS ON THE DAY OF ATONEMENT, FOR LAYING ON OF HANDS, FOR SLAUGHTERING [THE SACRIFICES], FOR WAVING, FOR BRINGING NEAR [THE VESSEL WITH THE MEAL-OFFERING TO THE ALTAR], FOR TAKING A HANDFUL, AND FOR PLACING IT ON THE FIRE, FOR PINCHING OFF [THE HEAD OF A BIRD-OFFERING] AND FOR RECEIVING THE BLOOD, AND FOR SPRINKLING, AND FOR MAKING THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE DRINK AND FOR BREAKING THE NECK OF THE HEIFER AND FOR PURIFYING THE LEPER. THE WHOLE OF THE NIGHT IS PROPER TIME FOR REAPING THE OMER, AND FOR BURNING FAT AND LIMBS [ON THE ALTAR]. THIS IS THE GENERAL PRINCIPLE: ANY COMMANDMENT WHICH IS TO BE PERFORMED BY DAY MAY BE PERFORMED DURING THE WHOLE OF THE DAY, AND ANY COMMANDMENT WHICH IS TO BE PERFORMED BY NIGHT MAY BE PERFORMED DURING THE WHOLE OF THE NIGHT. GEMARA. Whence this rule [about the Megillah]? — Because the Scripture says, And these days shall be mentioned and kept. FOR READING THE HALLEL: as it is written, From the rising of the sun to its going down. R. Joseph says: Because it is written, this is the day on which the Lord hath wrought. FOR THE TAKING UP OF THE LULAB: as it is written, And ye shall take you on the first day. FOR THE BLOWING OF THE SHOFAR, as it is written, it is a day of blowing the horn unto you. FOR THE ADDITIONAL SACRIFICES, as it is written, each on its own day. AND FOR THE MUSAF PRAYER: because the Rabbis put this on the same footing as the additional sacrifices. AND FOR THE CONFESSION MADE OVER THE OXEN, an analogy being drawn between the ‘atonement’ mentioned in this connection and that mentioned in connection with the Day of Atonement, as it has been taught in reference to the Day of Atonement: ‘And he shall make atonement for himself and for his house: the text speaks of atonement made by words. And atonement is by day, as it is written, For on this day shall atonement be made for you. AND FOR THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT MADE OVER THE TITHE: as it is written, And thou shalt say before the Lord thy God, I have put away the hallowed things out of my house, and in the same context it says, This day the Lord thy God commandeth thee. FOR LAYING ON OF HANDS AND FOR SLAUGHTERING: as it is written, and he shall lay his hand . . . and he shall kill, and it is written in connection with killing, on the same day that ye sacrifice. AND FOR WAVING: as it is written, and in the day when ye wave the sheaf. AND FOR BRINGING NEAR; because this is compared to waving, as it is written, And the priest shall take the meal-offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the meal-offering . . . and bring it near [to the altar]. AND FOR PINCHING AND FOR TAKING A HANDFUL AND FOR BURNING AND FOR SPRINKLING, as it is written, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel [to present their offerings]. AND FOR MAKING THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE DRINK: The word ‘law’ which occurs in this connection is explained by its use in another. It is written here, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law, and it is written elsewhere, According to the law which they shall teach thee and according to the judgement43
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