Megillah 31a — the Talmud in English

On fast days ![](pamud.bmp "

exact page location") —

they read the blessings and curses

of the portion of Bechukotai, to make known that because of the sin the calamity comes upon the world, and they will repent and be saved from the trouble on account of which they are fasting.

One does not interrupt at the curses; rather,

one

reader reads them all,

and the first two read the portion of the blessings that precedes the curses.

On Mondays and Thursdays,

and

on Shabbat at the afternoon service —

they read in their order.

That is, in the order of the portions throughout the entire year.

And they are not counted for them

the reading of Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat at the afternoon service —

in the reckoning

of the reading of the portion on Shabbat; rather, they return and read that same reading again.

And from where do we know that we are required to read on the festival day from its subject matter?

As it is stated: “And Moses declared the appointed times of the Lord to the children of Israel,”

we derive from this that

their mitzva is that they should read

the portion of

each and every one

of the festivals —

at its time.

Gemara:

The Sages taught: On Passover —

they read the portion of the appointed times, and they recite the haftara —

“On Passover, Gilgal”

(the Passover that Israel observed at Gilgal, Joshua 5:10).

And nowadays, when there are two days

of Passover festivals [outside the Land of Israel], on

the first day —

they recite the haftara

“On Passover, Gilgal,” and on the following day,

on the second festival day —

“On Passover, Josiah.”

And

on

the other days of Passover —

one selects and reads from the subject of Passover.

What is it?

Rav Pappa said: “Maf”o” is the mnemonic.

That is, the initial letters of these portions:

“Draw forth and take for yourselves sheep,” “If you lend money to My people,” “Carve for yourself,” and “And the Lord spoke to Moses,” in the portion Behaalotekha; in all these portions the subject of Passover is mentioned.

The last festival day of Passover —

they read

the portion

“And it was when he sent away,”

because on the seventh day of Passover they sang the song at the sea.

And they recite the haftara, “David spoke,”

because it too is a song, and it also speaks about the Exodus from Egypt.

And on the following day —

they read

“Every firstborn,” and they recite the haftara, “Even today

in Nob to stand, and so on,” which speaks of the downfall of Sennacherib, because the downfall of Sennacherib occurred on the night of Passover .

Abaye said: But nowadays the world is accustomed to read

on the days of Passover these portions:

M draws —

that is:

“Draw forth and take for yourselves,”

Bull —

“An ox, or a sheep, or a goat,”

Sanctify —

“Sanctify to Me every firstborn,”

With money —

“If you lend money to My people,”

Carve —

“Carve for yourself,”

In the wilderness —

“And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness,”

Send away —

the song of the portion BeShalach,

Firstborn —

“Sanctify to Me every firstborn.”

On Shavuot —

they read “Seven weeks,” and they recite the haftara from Habakkuk,

which speaks of the Giving of the Torah.

Others say: They read “In the third month

and so on,” which is the passage of the Giving of the Torah,

and they recite the haftara from the Chariot,

because the Holy One, blessed be He, was revealed at Sinai amid myriads upon myriads of thousands of shinan.

And nowadays, when there are two days

of Shavuot,

we act according to both of them —

but in reverse order.

That is, on the first day we read according to Others, who are the later authority — “In the third month” — because the Giving of the Torah was on the sixth of Sivan, that is, the time on which the first festival day falls, and we recite the haftara from the Chariot. And on the second day, we act according to the first tanna.

On Rosh Hashanah

we read

“In the seventh month,” and we recite the haftara, “Is Ephraim a precious son to Me,”

because it is written at the end of the verse: “Surely I remember him; therefore My innermost parts yearn for him.”

And some say

that they read

“And the Lord remembered Sarah,”

to recall the Binding of Isaac, which is written in that portion, so that it may be remembered for us in judgment .

And they recite the haftara from

the account of

Hannah,

because she was remembered on Rosh Hashanah.

And nowadays, when there are two days

of Rosh Hashanah, on

the first day —

we read

according to the view of Some Say —

“And the Lord remembered Sarah.”

On the following day —

we read

“And God tested Abraham,”

so that the Binding may be remembered for us in judgment,

and they recite the haftara —

“Is Ephraim a precious son.” On Yom Kippur —

they read

in the portion

“After the death,” and they recite the haftara: “For thus said the high and exalted One,”

which speaks of the attribute of repentance, as it is written in it: “Is this not the fast that I will choose,” and so on.

And at the afternoon service

of Yom Kippur —

they read from

the portion

of forbidden sexual relationships,

because forbidden sexual relationships are a common transgression, for a person’s soul desires them and his inclination overpowers him; they mention that one who has transgressions in his possession should withdraw from them .

And they recite the haftara —

from

the Book of

Jonah,

because it contains the repentance of the people of Nineveh, and that the Holy One, blessed be He, accepted their repentance and relented concerning the evil that He had spoken of doing to them.

Rabbi Yohanan said:

in

every place

where you find

that there is mention of

His might

of the Holy One, blessed be He —

there

you find

also

His humility .

This matter is written in the Torah, and repeated

(written a second time) —

in the Prophets, and tripled —

in the Writings.

It is written in the Torah: “For the Lord your God, He is God of gods and Lord of lords,”

this is His might.

And it is written after it: “Who executes the judgment of the orphan and the widow” —

this is His humility.

It is repeated in the Prophets: “Thus said the high and exalted One, who dwells forever and whose name is holy,” and it is written after it: “And with the crushed and humble of spirit

to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the crushed.”

It is tripled in the Writings, for it is written: “Make a highway

(praise)

for Him who rides in the deserts; His name is Yah,” and it is written after it: “Father of orphans and judge of widows.”

The first festival day of the Feast —

they read the portion of the appointed times in the Torah of the priests, and they recite the haftara: “Behold, a day is coming for the Lord,”

because it is written in it: “To celebrate the Feast of Sukkot.”

And nowadays, when there are two days, on the following day —

the reading likewise is read

as on the first day.

As for the haftara, what do they recite

on the following day?

“And all the elders of Israel gathered themselves to King Solomon.”

The passage speaks of the dedication of the Temple, when all Israel celebrated the Feast of Sukkot in Jerusalem.

And on all the other days of the Feast —

they read the offerings of the Feast.

On

the last festival day —

they read “Every firstborn,”

but they begin with “You shall surely tithe,” because that portion contains many

mitzvot and statutes

that apply during the time when the Feast of Sukkot occurs, which is the time of gathering, and the time when the poor need to gather food into their homes; for there are written there the mitzvot of the tithe of the poor, “You shall surely give,” “You shall surely open,” and additional mitzvot,

and

the subject of

the firstborn.

And they recite the haftara: “And when Solomon had finished,”

because it is written in it: “On the eighth day he sent the people away,” which concerns the eighth day following the Feast of Sukkot.

On the following day —

they read

the portion

“And this is the blessing,”

and they recite the haftara: “And Solomon stood

and so on, “and spread his hands toward the heavens,” and so on,” which concerns the dedication of the Temple, which took place during the festival of Sukkot.

Rav Huna said in the name of Rav: When Shabbat occurs during the intermediate days of the festival, whether during

the intermediate days of

Passover,

or

during

the intermediate days of

Sukkot, the reading is “Behold, You say to me.”

As for the haftara

what is it?

On Passover

they recite the haftara:

“The dry bones,”

because they emerged from Egypt before the appointed end.

And on Sukkot —

“On the day when Gog comes.”

On Hanukkah —

they read

from

the portion of the

princes, and they recite the haftara —

from the lamps of Zechariah,

because it is written there: “And behold, an entirely gold menorah.”

And if two Shabbatot occur

during Hanukkah, then

on

the

first

Shabbat they recite the haftara

from the lamps of Zechariah,

and on

the latter

Shabbat they recite the haftara

from Solomon’s lamps,

that is: “And Hiram made,” and so on, “and the five menorot on the right,” and so on.

On Purim —

they read

“And Amalek came.”

On the New Moons

they read

“And on your New Moons.”

When a New Moon occurs on Shabbat —

they recite the haftara: “And it shall be from New Moon to New Moon.”

If

a New Moon

occurs on the first day of the week —

on

the preceding Shabbat they recite the haftara: “And Jonathan said to him, Tomorrow is the New Moon.”