Megilla 21 On Public Readings

Before beginning Perek II, the rabbis complete their explanations of why certain practices are done any time during the day and others are performed any time during the night.  Part of this conversation includes why we eat the afikomen before midnight at the Pesach seder.  The afikomen represents the paschal lamb, which was to be sacrificed during the night.  The rabbis have us eat the afikomen before midnight to ensure that it is eaten before sunrise.  Talk about a creating a fence!

Perek II begins with a Mishna about public readings.  First, we learn that the Megilla may be read from a standing or sitting position.  Next, we learn about public Torah readings. 

On Mondays and Thursdays during the morning service:

• and on Shabbat in the afternoon service
• three people read from Torah
• no more or fewer
• do not conclude with a reading from Prophets

On Rosh Choesh and intermediate days of Festivals,

• four people read from Torah
• no more and no fewer
• do not conclude with a reading from Prophets
• the person beginning (at the start) and the person ending (at the conclusion) the readings should recite blessings
• the middle person should not recite blessings

A principle:

• On any day where there is an additional offering AND is not a Festival,
• ie. chol hamo'ed days and Rosh Chodesh,
• four people read from Torah
• on Festival days five people read from Torah
• on Yom Kippur six people read from Torah
• on Shabbat, seven people read from Torah
• no fewer people can read but additional readers are permitted
• conclude with a reading from Prophets
• the person beginning and the person ending the readings give blessings, but the middle people do not give additional blessings

A note reminds us that we read from one scroll on Shabbat unless there is an additional portion read, in which case we use two Torah scrolls.

The Gemara begins with a discussion of standing versus sitting where reading Torah.  Standing is a sign of honour, but it can be difficult to do.  The rabbis turn to examples from our ancestors.  It is noted that Moses stood while studying easy material and sat when studying more difficult material.

Regarding how many people can recite the Megilla or the Torah aloud, the rabbis share different ideas. It seems that they want to ensure that we hear the Torah being read by one individual voice.  The Megilla, however, is more 'popular', and the rabbis are not concerned that people will not hear it even if they listen to ten voices at the same time.  

The rabbis wonder about how and what we hear, too. We learn that the Torah reading can be translated to other languages so that congregants can understand. But the reading should be in Hebrew as well, and the translator(s) should be quieter than the Torah reader.

The Gemara explains which blessings we should recite before and after reading the Megilla.  Following these blessings, our rabbis justify why sometimes we have three readers and sometimes more.  They also wonder why and how we should be dividing the verses (at least ten) that will be read.  They look to the roles of Jewish people (Kohanim, Leviim, Yisraelim) and to the sections of the Torah (Pentateuch, Prophets, Writings).  They look to the Ten Commandments and to the ten utterances with which the world was created. 

Among their continued deliberations is a change to the Mishna's direction regarding blessings before and after readings.  In case a person enters the service without having heard a blessing, it is necessary that the blessings be repeated between readers/portions.  

Today's daf has been particularly illuminating for me because it answers questions that I have wondered about for years.  In fact, I even asked my rabbi about these questions, but I did not know enough to know how to ask. My question: why do we have this tradition of seven readers on Shabbat?  Why do we say the blessings that we say - when we say them? Why does this change, depending on the holiday or day of the week?  The answer, "it is written in the Talmud", had not left me satisfied.  What I wanted to know was exactly what I read today: when was it suggested, why was it said, who debated these decisions and on what grounds, and how can I find the source?  How thrilling to find so many answers in one daf!

This is why I wanted to study Talmud.  Not to find the answers to a few questions, but to find the deeper sources and the development of my traditions.