Megillah 21a (כא.) — the Talmud in English

We learned in our Mishna:

“and for the decapitation of the heifer.”

From where do we derive this?

The scholars of the house of Rabbi Yannai said:

Because

“atonement” is written concerning it

“to atone for Your people Israel” —

like sacred offerings;

and as for the offering of sacred offerings, we learned above that it must be performed during the day.

We learned in our Mishna:

“and for the purification of a leper.”

From where do we derive this?

As it is written: “This shall be the law of the leper on the day of his purification.”

We learned in our Mishna:

“The entire night is fit for the harvesting of the omer, and so on.”

From where do we derive this?

As the master said: Harvesting and counting —

at night, while bringing —

during the day

[as is derived in Tractate Menahot 66a from verses].

We learned in our Mishna:

“and for burning the fats and limbs.”

From where do we derive this?

As it is written: “Upon the altar-hearth

all night,

until morning.”

We learned in our Mishna:

“This is the general principle: Anything whose mitzva is performed during the day is fit throughout the entire day.”

And we considered this: This clause that it teaches,

“This is the general principle” —

what does it come to include?

And we explain:

It comes to include the arrangement of the censers and the removal of the censers

[the two spoons full of frankincense] that accompany the showbread, which is made specifically during the day,

and in accordance with Rabbi Yosei.

For it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Yosei says:

If he

removed the

old arrangement

of the

showbread

in the morning

[at daybreak],

and arranged the

new arrangement

in the evening —

there is nothing wrong with this,

even though during the day there was a period when the table was without bread.

And how do I understand the verse, “And you shall place upon the table showbread

before Me

always,”

which implies that there must always be bread upon the table?

We derive from this verse

that the

table

must not remain

overnight

without bread

[but the Rabbis disagree there with Rabbi Yosei and maintain that even during the day it is forbidden for the table to be without bread].

We learned in our Mishna:

“Anything whose mitzva is performed at night” —

is fit throughout the entire night.

And we considered this: This general principle —

what does it come to include?

And we explain:

It comes to include eating the Paschal offering,

whose mitzva applies throughout the entire night,

and not in accordance with Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya.

For it was taught in a beraita:

It is written:

“And they shall eat the flesh on this night.” Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya said: Here it is stated, “on this night,” and elsewhere

concerning the plague of the firstborn

it is stated: “And I shall pass through the land of Egypt on this night.” Just as there —

until midnight,

as it is written there: “At about midnight I shall go out in the midst of Egypt, etc.,”

so here —

until midnight

specifically is it permitted to eat the Paschal offering, and no later .

We have completed the chapter “One Who Reads Retroactively.”

Mishna:

One who reads the Megilla,

may read it either

standing or

sitting .

Whether

one person read it,

or whether

two people read it

together—

they have fulfilled their obligation.

We do not say here: “Two voices are not heard” [the reason will be explained in the Gemara].

Where the custom is to recite a blessing

after reading the Megilla—

one recites the blessing .

But where the custom is

not to recite a blessing—

one does not recite a blessing.

That is, it is not necessary to recite a blessing.

On

the

Mondays and Thursdays,

and

on Shabbat at the afternoon service,

when Ezra instituted that the Torah should be read,

three

readers are called: a kohen, a Levite, and an Israelite.

They may not be fewer,

than three readers,

and they may not be increased.

What is the reason that they may not be increased?

On Mondays and Thursdays—the reason is the interruption of work, since they are workdays.

And on Shabbat—the reason is that throughout the day they were accustomed to expound, and they prayed the afternoon service only close to nightfall; if additional readers were called, the delay would be difficult for the congregation.

And

likewise,

there is no haftara

from the Prophets

on these occasions, for these reasons. On Shabbat, because it burdens the congregation; and on Mondays and Thursdays, because of the interruption of work.

The one who begins and the one who concludes the Torah reading—

recites the blessing before it

and afterward.

That is, the one who begins recites the blessing beforehand, and the one who concludes recites the blessing afterward, while the other readers do not recite any blessing at all [the reason for our custom, that all those called to the Torah recite blessings, will be explained in the Gemara].

On New Moons and on the intermediate days of a Festival, four are called to the Torah. They may not be fewer, and they may not be increased,

because on these occasions there is an interruption of work, since even on the intermediate days of a Festival work involving a loss is permitted.

And there is no haftara from the Prophets

for the very same reason [the interruption of work].

Even on these days, when additional readers are called, only

the one who begins and the one who concludes the Torah reading—

recite the blessing before it and afterward,

and the additional readers do not add a blessing before or after it .

This is the general rule:

Whenever there is a Musaf offering and it is not a Festival—

four are called to the Torah,

namely, on New Moon and on the intermediate days of a Festival . On these days, the number may not be reduced or increased, and there is no haftara—as stated above.

On a Festival—

four

five are called to the Torah.

On Yom Kippur—

six

are called.

On Shabbat—

seven.

On these days,

the number may not be reduced, but it may be increased ,

and a haftara from the Prophets is read.

Even though additional readers are called on these days, only

the one who begins and the one who concludes the Torah reading—

recite the blessing before it and afterward.

Gemara:

The tanna taught: Unlike the

Torah

reading,

which may be read in public only while standing .

From where are these matters derived?

Rabbi Abbahu said: For the verse states,

that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses:

“But you, stand here with Me,” and

as Rabbi Abbahu precisely

said: Were it not written in the verse—

it would be impossible to say it. As it were,—

the Holy One, blessed be He, also stood.

For the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Stand here with Me,” and, as it were, He too stood like a person.

We see that standing is required when one reads and causes others to hear, since the Holy One, blessed be He, stood when He caused Moses to hear .

And

he further precisely

said Rabbi Abbahu

from this verse:

From where do we know that a teacher may not sit on a bed and teach his student

who is sitting

on the ground ,

but either both sit on the bed, or both sit on the ground,

as it is stated: “But you, stand here with Me.”

We see that both of them—the teacher and the student—must be in the same position, whether sitting or standing.

The Sages taught: From the days of Moses until Rabban Gamliel, they would study Torah—

only while standing .

From the time Rabban Gamliel died—

illness descended upon the world, and they studied Torah while sitting

because of weakness.

And this is what we learned in a Mishna: From the time Rabban Gamliel died—

the honor of Torah ceased .

One verse says

regarding Moses:

“And I sat on the mountain.” And another verse says: “And I stood on the mountain.”

The verses contradict one another!?

Rav said: He stood—

and learned

from the mouth of the Divine Presence;

he sat—and

reviewed

alone what he had learned.

Rabbi Ḥanina said: He was not standing

literally,

nor was he sitting

literally,

but

he was

bowing .

Rabbi Yoḥanan said:

He truly was standing, and the verse that states, “And I sat on the mountain,” means that he remained there, for

sitting—

is only an expression of remaining [

remaining ].

As it is stated: “And you remained in Kadesh many days,”

meaning that they remained there many days.

Rava said: Soft matters,

matters that are gentle and easy for a person to hear—Moses heard

while standing; and difficult matters—

he heard

while sitting.

We learned in our Mishna:

“One read it, or two read it, they have fulfilled their obligation,” etc.