Chapter Overview
The Rambam begins Hilchot Megillah by explaining the rabbinic mitzvah of reading Megillat Esther on Purim. Although it is a rabbinic commandment, it was instituted by prophets and carries exceptional importance. This chapter discusses:
- Who is obligated
- The blessings
- The dates of Purim
- Walled and unwalled cities
- Villages and towns
- Travelers
- Leap years
- Reading on Shabbat
Halachah 1 – The Mitzvah of Megillah
Reading the Megillah at its proper time is a rabbinic positive commandment.
The Rambam stresses that it was established by prophets.
The obligation applies to:
- Men
- Women
- Converts
- Freed slaves
Children are educated to participate as part of chinuch.
Halachah 2 – The Great Importance of Megillah Reading
The duty of hearing the Megillah is so important that:
- Kohanim interrupt Temple service.
- Torah study is suspended.
- Other mitzvot are postponed.
Only one obligation takes precedence:
Met Mitzvah
An unattended corpse requiring burial.
Such a person must first arrange the burial and only afterward read the Megillah.
Halachah 3 – Listening Is Like Reading
One fulfills the obligation either by:
- Reading the Megillah personally, or
- Hearing it from another obligated reader.
However, the reader must himself be obligated.
Therefore, one does not fulfill the obligation by hearing it from:
- A minor
- A mentally incompetent person
Halachah 4 – Night and Day Readings
The Megillah must be read:
- Once at night
- Once during the day
Both readings are separate obligations.
Time Limits
Night Reading
- Any time during the night
Day Reading
- Any time during the day
Halachah 5 – The Blessings
Before the nighttime reading three blessings are recited:
- Al Mikra Megillah
- SheAsah Nissim
- Shehecheyanu
According to the Rambam:
- Shehecheyanu is recited only at night.
- It is not repeated during the daytime reading.
Halachah 6 – Blessing After Reading
Communities that customarily recite a concluding blessing do so.
The blessing praises God for:
- Defending Israel
- Judging its cause
- Taking vengeance on its enemies
- Bringing salvation
This corresponds to the blessing commonly known as Harav et Riveinu.
Halachah 7 – Cities and Their Reading Dates
The verse says:
“In their appointed times.”
Therefore multiple valid dates exist.
Walled Cities
Cities surrounded by walls in the days of Yehoshua bin Nun read on:
15 Adar
Such cities are called k’rakhim.
Unwalled Cities
Cities not walled during Yehoshua’s era read on:
14 Adar
These are ordinary towns and cities.
Halachah 8 – Why Yehoshua’s Time Matters
The law could have been based on whether a city was walled during the Purim story.
Instead, the Sages used the era of Yehoshua.
Why?
To honor Eretz Yisrael.
Even cities that were destroyed by the time of Mordechai and Esther retained their earlier distinction if they had been walled in Yehoshua’s days.
Thus the miracle would preserve the memory and honor of the Land of Israel.
Halachah 9 – Shushan
Shushan is unique.
Although it was not walled in Yehoshua’s time, it reads on:
15 Adar
because the original Purim miracle occurred there.
Halachah 10 – Villages Reading Early
In ancient times villagers only gathered regularly on:
- Monday
- Thursday
Therefore the Sages allowed villagers to advance their reading to the nearest market day.
Examples:
| Purim Falls On | Village Reads |
| Monday | Monday |
| Thursday | Thursday |
| Sunday | Previous Thursday |
| Tuesday | Previous Monday |
| Wednesday | Previous Monday |
A reading before the 14th required a quorum of ten.
Halachah 11 – This Practice No Longer Applies
The early-reading system applied only when Israel possessed an organized communal structure and governmental authority.
Today:
- Villages read on the 14th.
- Walled cities read on the 15th.
The special earlier dates are no longer observed.
Halachah 12 – Travelers
If a resident of a city visits a walled city, or vice versa:
The determining factor is where he intends to be at the time of reading.
If he plans to return before Purim but becomes delayed, he follows his original home status.
If he intends to remain through Purim, he follows the place where he currently is.
Halachah 13 – Areas Near a Walled City
A location is considered part of a walled city if it is:
- Adjacent to it
- Visible from it
and within approximately 2,000 cubits.
Such places also read on the 15th.
Halachah 14 – Cities of Doubt
If it is uncertain whether a city was walled during Yehoshua’s era:
The Megillah is read:
- On the 14th
- On the 15th
However, the blessing is recited only on the 14th because that is the reading date observed by most of the Jewish world.
Halachah 15 – Purim in a Leap Year
If the Megillah was read in Adar and afterward the year was declared leap:
The Megillah must be read again in:
Adar II
on the proper Purim date.
Halachah 16 – Why Megillah Is Not Read on Shabbat
The Rabbis prohibited Megillah reading on Shabbat.
The concern:
Someone unfamiliar with the reading might carry the Megillah to an expert and thereby violate Shabbat by carrying it in the public domain.
Halachah 17 – If Purim Falls on Shabbat
When the 14th Falls on Shabbat
Residents of ordinary cities:
- Read on Friday.
Residents of walled cities:
- Read on Sunday (their actual date remains the 15th).
When the 15th Falls on Shabbat
Walled-city residents:
- Read on Friday.
Residents of ordinary cities:
- Read normally on the 14th.
Thus everyone ends up reading on the 14th.
On the Shabbat itself, the laws of Purim are taught publicly so the day is not forgotten.
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