Megillah מגילה

Tractate Megilla primarily focuses on explaining all of the halakhot that apply to the holiday of Purim. Additionally, it devotes considerable space to the general halakhot of synagogues and Torah readings.

The holiday of Purim and its laws are mentioned in the Scroll of Esther but not in the Torah itself, as the events that the holiday commemorates occurred hundreds of years after the giving of the Torah. Although there is a biblical basis for this commemorative holiday, based upon the mitzvot of remembering and defeating Amalek, Purim has a halakhic status in between those of Torah law and rabbinic law, and some of its mitzvot are treated as purely rabbinic enactments.

The Purim story took place during the period of exile between the two Temples and is typical of a time of exile: There was a threat to the very existence of the Jewish people due to the arbitrary decision of a foreign ruler. Even the salvation merely removed the threat, but did not substantially change the living conditions of the Jews at that time. Furthermore, both the threat and the salvation came at a time when the Divine Presence was concealed. This is expressed by the Gemara's statement: From where in the Torah is the name Esther derived? As it is stated: “And I will hide [haster astir] My face on that day” (Deuteronomy 31:18).

The fact that the Divine Presence was concealed does not mean that God did not direct the course of events, but that He did so in a way that was not apparent to all, through events that can be seen as random or natural. This makes the miracle of the Purim story different from other miracles described in the Bible, in which the general rules of nature were overridden and the miracle was therefore evident to everyone. Corresponding to the nature of the miracle, the Megilla does not explicitly mention God at all; it simply records the actions and motives of individuals and explains how the events developed as they did. Consequently, one of the basic goals of celebrating Purim is to reveal that which is hidden by publicizing the miracle. There is a greater command to publicize this miracle than to publicize other, more obvious miracles, and Purim is celebrated in a more joyous manner than other holidays. A further result of the Purim story's taking place during a time of exile relates to the timing of the celebration. Whereas most locations experienced relief on the fourteenth of Adar, the Jews of the capital city of Shushan experienced relief on the fifteenth. In commemoration of this, the Sages declared that Purim must be celebrated on the fifteenth of Adar in Shushan, as well as in any city that was surrounded by a wall in the time of Joshua. The reason that the status of a city is determined by its state at the time of Joshua is in order to emphasize the importance of Eretz Yisrael.

The primary manner in which the miracle of Purim is publicized is through the reading of the Megilla, and this tractate devotes considerable attention to the details of this mitzva. The Sages required that one read the Megilla twice, once at night and once by day. They also established additional days when the Megilla may be read, aside from the days mentioned in the Megilla itself. Similarly, the Gemara delineates how the Megilla must be read in public or by a single individual, the languages in which it may be read, who is obligated to hear the reading of the Megilla, and who may read the Megilla for the entire congregation. The other mitzvot of Purim were established in order to make the holiday a particularly joyous occasion, based upon the verse: “That they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor” (Esther 9:22). The feasting is fulfilled through partaking of a festive meal on Purim. Because it is a day of gladness, it is therefore prohibited to eulogize or to fast on Purim. The phrase “sending portions one to another” is the basis of the requirement for each individual to give gifts of food items to another individual. Furthermore, there is a mitzva to give gifts to the poor so that they too can rejoice fully on Purim. One participates in all of these activities to a greater degree than on other holidays and with a particularly high level of joy.

Since tractate Megilla devotes significant attention to issues regarding the reading of the Scroll of Esther, it is the only tractate that addresses the subject of a public reading of the Bible in the synagogue. Furthermore, there are four special Torah portions read on Shabbat over the course of the month of Adar, and therefore the Sages saw fit to expand on these themes and to designate this tractate as the primary source of discussion of the laws of Torah readings, as well as the sanctity of the synagogue and the sacred items therein. This includes a discussion of the days when the Torah is read publicly, a ceremony of ancient origin but one that is not mandated by Torah law. The days on which the Torah is read publically are Shabbat, Festivals and commemorative holidays, the New Moon, public fast days, and every Monday and Thursday. There is also a discussion of how many verses must be read, how many individuals are called to read from the Torah, and how the verses are divided among the different readers. There is a further discussion of the haftara, the additional reading from the Prophets upon concluding the Torah reading on certain days.

Additionally, this tractate addresses a synagogue's status and level of sanctity. Because it is a place designated for public prayer gatherings, it is considered like a mini-Temple. Consequently, comparable to the Temple, one must treat a synagogue with reverence while it is functional and even after it has been destroyed. Nonetheless, there are ways to remove the sanctity of a synagogue, either by transferring that sanctity to another item of equal or greater status, or by selling the synagogue with the agreement of the community and its representatives.

Tractate Megilla contains four chapters:

Chapter One addresses the days when one may read the Scroll of Esther and contains a section of aggadic exposition of the Megilla. It also discusses a number of unrelated topics, which are cited due to the structural similarity between their presentation in the Mishna and the presentation of one of the laws of the Megilla.

Chapter Two addresses the halakhot of how to read the Megilla and who may do so for the public. As an extension of this discussion, this chapter also enumerates mitzvot that must be fulfilled specifically during the day or during the night.

Chapter Three addresses the halakhot of reading the Megilla but is primarily devoted to the halakhot of public Torah readings, public prayer, the haftara, and the Aramaic translation of the Torah reading.

Chapter Four addresses the sanctity of the synagogue and the Torah scroll, and the reading of special Torah portions in honor of particular days during the year.