Megillah 5a — the Talmud in English

And this that we say that we advance [it] to the day of the reading applies specifically with regard to gifts to the poor.

But ![](pamud.bmp "

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rejoicing,

that is, the Purim feast,

is practiced only at its time,

on the fourteenth of Adar, and even for the villagers who advance [the reading] to the day of gathering.

Rav said: The Scroll,

when it is read

at its time,

that is, on the fourteenth of Adar—

it may be read even by an individual,

since everyone reads on that day, and there is publicizing of the miracle even if he reads it individually.

But if they read it

not at its time ,

such as the villagers who advance [the reading] to the day of gathering , they read it

in a quorum of ten

specifically, because publicizing of the miracle is required.

Rav Asi said: Whether at its time

or

whether not at its time,

it is a mitzva to read it

in a quorum of ten,

because of publicizing of the miracle .

There was an incident, and Rav was concerned for this [statement] of Rav Asi,

and he sought ten [men] in order to read it .

And we raise an objection:

Did Rav indeed say this,

that when it is not at its time ten are required?

But Rav Yehuda, son of Rav Shmuel bar Shilat, said in the name of Rav: When Purim falls on Shabbat,

when the Scroll is not read on it—

Friday is their time!

And since Rav Yehuda did not say, “They advance [it] to Friday,” it follows that this is what he said: Friday is the time that the members of the Great Assembly established for them. Therefore we raise the objection: Is Friday their time? But

Shabbat,

which is the fourteenth of Adar—

that is their time!?

Rather, is it not that this is what he said:

After the Sages enacted for them that they should advance [the reading] and not read on Shabbat, then

not at their time is

like their time

that is established for every matter.

What

at

their time—

we read

even individually; although not

at their time,

when it was advanced by the Sages—we read

even individually.

If so, Rav contradicts Rav, for he said above that when it is not at its time, ten are required!?

And we reject [this]:

No,

Rav did not state his matter

with regard to reading the Scroll in a quorum of ten,

to say that when it is not at its time it is like its time and ten are not required.

Rather, what

is this that he said:

“Friday is their time”?

To exclude Rabbi’s [view], who said

above, concerning Purim that falls on Shabbat, that

since the towns were displaced from their place—

they should be displaced to the day of gathering,

and they should not read on Friday.

Rav teaches us this

Rav:

that Friday is their time

for the residents of towns

—

and they read on it, and do not advance [the reading] to the day of gathering.

Mishna:

Which is a large city,

in which they read on the fourteenth?

Any

one that has ten idlers [

it will be explained in the Gemara]. But if it has

fewer than this,

than ten idlers—

it is

considered like a

village .

With regard to these—

at the times of reading the Scroll—

the Sages said that if it falls on Shabbat,

that if it falls on Shabbat,

they advance

to read before the time,

and they do not delay

to read after Shabbat.

But the time of the wood of the priests,

for there were families in Israel who had fixed days during the year to bring wood to the Temple for the arrangement, and they would bring with them a wood-offering. If their time fell on Shabbat, they delay it until the next day.

And

so

the Ninth of Av [

and likewise the other fasts, Rashi ], if it falls on Shabbat, they delay it until the next day.

And likewise the peace-offerings of

the festival

that come on a festival: if the festival falls on Shabbat, they delay bringing them until the next day, for they have compensation throughout all seven [days] [as will be explained in the Gemara].

And

likewise the mitzva of

Hakhel,

which is in the first year of the Sabbatical [cycle], at the conclusion of the first festival day of Sukkot, when the king would read the book of Deuteronomy, and all the people were obligated to come and bring their wives and children. And on Shabbat it is impossible to bring the children, because of the prohibition of carrying .

And in the Jerusalem Talmud it explains that we do not perform the mitzva of Hakhel on Shabbat because they needed to make a wooden platform upon which the king would sit and read [ and it was impossible to make it the day before—because the Temple courtyard was cramped ].

In all these cases, if their time falls on Shabbat,

they delay and do not advance.

Even though they said

concerning reading the Scroll that

they advance and do not delay, they are permitted

on that day on which they advance the reading of the Scroll

to engage in eulogy and fasting, and

on that day they give

gifts to the poor .

Rabbi Judah said: When

the villagers advance [the reading] to the day of gathering, in

a place where they enter

the towns

on Mondays and Thursdays,

for then it is beneficial for them to read on these days.

But in

in

a place where they do not enter either on Mondays or on Thursdays—

they read it only at its time,

for there is no benefit in advancing it.

Gemara:

The tanna:

This that we learned in the Mishna, “that has ten idlers,” refers to

ten idlers

who are idle from their work and are sustained from communal funds, in order to be present

in the synagogue

at the time of prayer, as it says in tractate Berakhot: since the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to the synagogue and does not find ten there, He immediately becomes angry .

We learned in our Mishna:

With regard to these they said: They advance and do not delay.

What is the reason

that they do not delay the reading of the Scroll?

Rabbi Abba said in the name of Shmuel: The verse says

concerning the reading of the Scroll

“and it shall not pass.”

And we derive from this verse that they do not delay beyond the times that the Sages established.

And

further

Rabbi Abba said in the name of Shmuel: From where [do we know] that days are not counted for years—

such as a person who said on the first of Nisan, “Wine is konam to me; I shall drink it for a year,” for the law is that it is forbidden until the first of Nisan of the following year, even though there are another eleven days in which the solar year exceeds the lunar year, and, furthermore, sometimes they make deficient months. From where do we know this law?

For it is stated: “For the months of the year.”

And we expound:

Months you count for years, but you do not count days for years.

And the scholars of Caesarea in the name of Rabbi Abba

added and

said: From where [do we know] that hours are not calculated for months,

such as one who says, “This is your bill of divorce if I do not come from now until a certain month,” and that month was deficient, and he came on the night after the twenty-ninth day of the month: the law is that this is a bill of divorce, and we do not say that he is still within the month, for a lunar month is twenty-nine and a half days . From where do we know this law?

For it is stated: “Until a month of days.”

And we expound:

Days you calculate for months, but you do not calculate hours for months .

We learned in our Mishna:

But the time of the wood of the priests, the Ninth of Av, the festival offering, and Hakhel—they delay and do not advance.

And we explain the reason for all of them:

The Ninth of Av

we do not advance, because

the advancing of calamity—

we do not advance.

The festival offering and Hakhel

we do not advance—

because

before the festival,

the time of their obligation has not yet arrived.

And if they advance [them], they have not fulfilled their obligation.

And likewise the wood of the priests: a fixed time was established for them. And if they advance [it], they have not fulfilled their obligation, for the time of their obligation has not yet arrived .

The tanna

in a beraita:

The festival offering, and the entire time of the festival offering—

they delay.

And we inquire:

Granted,

this that it teaches that the offering of

the festival offering

is delayed, this is

if it happens that

the festival day is

on Shabbat,

and it is possible to offer the offering during the intermediate days of the festival; then

we delay it

the festival offering

until after Shabbat.

But

this that it teaches that

the time of the festival offering

is delayed,

what is it?

Rav Oshaya said, this is what it means: The festival offering—

that is, the festival offering itself. And the tanna says that if the festival day falls

on Shabbat—

they delay bringing it until after Shabbat.

And

likewise “the time of the festival offering,” that is,

the burnt-offering of appearance [

which is an obligation of the pilgrimage festival, as it is written, “and they shall not appear before Me empty-handed,” that is, they must bring burnt-offerings and sacrifices],

even on a festival day

that falls on a weekday,

for the time

of the offering

of the festival offering

has arrived, even so

they delay

bringing it during the intermediate days of the festival.

Whose is this beraita?

эта барайта?

It is the opinion of Beit Shammai.

As we learned: Beit Shammai say: One brings peace-offerings on Yom Tov,

for they may be eaten, and labor performed for the sake of eating is permitted on Yom Tov, as it is written: “However, that which may be eaten by every person—that alone may be performed for you”.

But one may not place his hands upon them

on Yom Tov, since the mitzva of placing one’s hands requires him to lean upon the animal with all his strength, and he thereby uses the animal, which is a form of shevut. Rather, one places his hands upon them on the previous day.

But one may not

bring

burnt-offerings

as ראיה-offerings on Yom Tov, since a burnt-offering is not eaten by its owners; rather, it is entirely for the Most High. And we derive: “for you”—specifically, and not for the Most High. Rather, one delays bringing them until the intermediate days of the festival.

And Beit Hillel say: One brings peace-offerings and burnt-offerings

on Yom Tov [and concerning that which is written, “for you,” we derive: “for you”—and not for gentiles],

and

also

places his hands upon them,

as they hold that “immediately after placing one’s hands comes slaughter,” and therefore one is required to place his hands upon them on Yom Tov [But Beit Shammai do not hold by this law].

Rava said:

There is another explanation of the beraita: This is what the tanna is saying: The

festival-offering, throughout the time of the festival-offering—

that is, throughout the entire festival, until the final Yom Tov of the festival—

may be delayed,

but

any further

may not

be delayed .

The source of this law is in a Mishna from Tractate Hagiga.

As we learned

there:

One who did not celebrate

[that is, he did not bring the festival peace-offering and the ראיה burnt-offering]

on the first Yom Tov of the festival

of Sukkot,

continues celebrating throughout the entire festival, and

also on

the final Yom Tov of the festival.

But if

the festival passed

and he did not celebrate—

he is not liable for it,

since he has no further opportunity for compensation . We see that one may delay and bring the festival-offering throughout the time that it can still be brought during that festival.

Rav Ashi said:

There is another explanation of the beraita: This is what the tanna is saying:

The festival-offering and throughout the time of the festival-offering,

if it falls on Shabbat—

may be delayed, and even Shavuot, which

is only

one day

—

may be delayed,

since it has an opportunity for compensation throughout all seven days.

There is proof of this matter,

for

Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disputed the matter with regard to Shavuot that occurs on Friday.

Beit Shammai say that the day of slaughter [the day on which the burnt-offerings and peace-offerings are offered] of Shavuot is after Shabbat, because they hold that burnt-offerings may not be offered on Yom Tov.

And Beit Hillel say that there is no need to wait, since peace-offerings and burnt-offerings may indeed be offered on Yom Tov.

And

we learned

there that

Beit Hillel concede

that

if Shavuot occurs on Shabbat—

the day of slaughter is after Shabbat,

since peace-offerings and burnt-offerings may not be offered on Shabbat.

In any event, we see that Shavuot has an opportunity for compensation. For according to everyone, if Shavuot occurs on Shabbat, the offerings are offered on the following day.

Rabbi Elazar said that Rabbi Hanina said: Rabbi planted a sapling on

the fifth of

Purim.