Yerushalmi Megillah 1:4 ירושלמי מגילה א׳:ד׳

MISHNAH: What is a large village? Any in which there are ten unoccupied people¹¹⁰Since a day laborer is supposed to work from sunrise to sunset, and the farmer or householder who hires him must supervise and work with him during that time, regular synagogue service during the week is possible only if there are at least 10 adult males available after sunrise and before sunset for public morning and afternoon services. Since the inhabitants of hamlets are supposed to come to the synagogue to hear the reading of the scroll, if the synagogue is not open they cannot come. If the community has people able to read the scroll but cannot support a daily synagogue service, they are reading on the 14th.. Less than that is a hamlet. About these¹¹¹The days preceding Purim. it was said that one precedes and does not trail. But for the times of offering of wood by the priests and the people¹¹²As described in Mishnah Ta`anit 4:6., and the Ninth of Av¹¹³Which is pushed to the 10th if the 9th is a Sabbath., and the festive offering¹¹⁴The festival offering required from every pilgrim at one of the three yearly festivals of pilgrimage cannot be offered prior to the start of the festival, but may be offered anytime in the holiday week (which in case of Pentecost is after the end of the holiday)., and the public assembly¹¹⁵The public Torah reading on Tabernacles of the Sabbatical year; Deut. 31:10–13., one trails but does not precede¹¹⁶If any of these dates falls on a Sabbath, the obligation is transferred to the following Sunday.. Even though they said, one precedes but does not trail, one is permitted to eulogize, and to fast¹¹⁷The prohibition of mourning and fasting refers only to Purim itself, not to the dates of reading the scroll if these precede the 14th of Adar., and gifts to the poor¹¹⁸As stated before (Note 21), these obligations also are independent of the date of reading the scroll.. Rebbi Jehudah said, when has this been said? At places where one assembles Monday and Thursday. But at a place where one assembles neither Monday nor Thursday one reads on its time¹¹⁰Since a day laborer is supposed to work from sunrise to sunset, and the farmer or householder who hires him must supervise and work with him during that time, regular synagogue service during the week is possible only if there are at least 10 adult males available after sunrise and before sunset for public morning and afternoon services. Since the inhabitants of hamlets are supposed to come to the synagogue to hear the reading of the scroll, if the synagogue is not open they cannot come. If the community has people able to read the scroll but cannot support a daily synagogue service, they are reading on the 14th..

HALAKHAH: It was stated: Ten who are free from work for the synagogue¹¹⁹It is not implied that these people do not work at all; only that they are free to go to the synagogue mornings and evenings. Babli 5a.. Rav Jehudah said, like us who do not need time to study¹²⁰He already has passed all his exams and obtained a job as communal rabbi; therefore he is free (probably better: obligated) to come to the synagogue every morning and evening.. It was stated, a place with less than ten inhabitants, its improvement is by its deficiency and is treated like a village¹²¹If there are less than 10 inhabitants it is not worth while for the nearby village to organize a reading for them; since the market day is irrelevant for them automatically they have to read on the 14th..

“About these¹¹¹The days preceding Purim. it was said that one precedes and does not trail.” Reading the Scroll and paying the Sheqel tax one precedes and does not trail; the Meal of the New Moon and the Purim Meal one trails¹²²The meal at which the New Moon is declared by the calendar court by its nature cannot be celebrated before the New Moon has been declared; the Purim meal is scheduled for the afternoon of the 14th (or 15th), probably extending into the next night. but does not precede. Rebbi Ze`ira said before Rebbi Abbahu: then could one make it on the Sabbath¹²³For which one has to go to the expenses of a festive meal anyhow.? He answered him, to make them days of drinking and joy¹²⁴Esth. 9:22.; those whose joy depends on the court¹²⁵The calendar court, before the publication of the computed calendar. After the publication, every date is permanently depending on R. Yose’s court.; this excludes those whose joy depends on Heaven.

“¹²⁶Tosephta 1:5; Babli Bava meṣia` 78b. The Purim collection is for Purim¹²⁷The gifts to the poor demanded by Esth. 9:22 must be used by the poor to buy food for the Purim meal.. Rebbi Eleazar¹²⁸The ms. sources (Note 126) are about evenly split between Eleazar and Eliezer. said, only that the poor should not change it from its destination to {buy from it} laces for his shoes. One does not check eligibility for the money given as Purim charity; one gives to anybody who extends his hand to take.” One may not change Purim monies; does this imply that other {charity} monies one may change¹²⁹Mishnah Qiddušin 1:6 states that a promise to Heaven has the legal consequences of delivery to persons. If monies promised to charity must be delivered, what else may be changed?? But the intended use of any monies may be changed¹³⁰While the fact that the monies must be given to charity cannot be changed, the name and nature of the charity may be changed before the monies are delivered to the administrators of the charity. Tosephta 2:15, Babli Arakhin 6a. before they are given into the hands of the administrators; after they are given into the hands of the administrators they may not be changed.

¹³¹This paragraph also is Ta`aniot 4:6 (Notes 187–194), Šeqalim 4:1 (Notes 10–18); Babli Ta`anit 12a.“But for the times of offering of wood by the priests.” For what reason were the times of wood by the priests and the people to be counted? Only that at the time when Israel returned from the Diaspora and did not find wood in the chamber, those came forward and volunteered wood from their own and donated it to the public. It was used to offer public sacrifices. The prophets among them stipulated for them that even if the chamber was full of wood, if those came and offered and volunteered wood from their own, that the sacrifice should only be brought first from theirs. Rebbi Aḥa said, this is Rebbi Yose’s, since Rebbi Yose said, also he may volunteer as unpaid trustee. Rebbi Yose in the name of Rebbi Ila, it is the opinion of everybody. Where do they disagree? About the body of the offering. But for enablers of the offering everybody agrees that a private offering can be turned into public offering. It was stated, a woman who made a coat for her son has to surrender it to the public. Rebbi Aḥa said, this is Rebbi Yose’s, since Rebbi Yose said, also he may volunteer as unpaid trustee. Rebbi Yose in the name of Rebbi Ila, it is the opinion of everybody. Where do they disagree? About the body of the offering. But for enablers of the offering everybody agrees that a private offering can be turned into public offering.. A baraita disagrees with Rebbi Yose: “Those days are observed at the time of sacrifices and not at the time of sacrifices; Rebbi Yose says, they are observed only at the time of sacrifices.” Also from the following: “Rebbi Eleazar ben Rebbi Sadoq said, we were of the descendants of Senaah ben Benjamin. When the Ninth of Av fell on a Sabbath, we postponed it to the end of the Sabbath and we were fasting but not completing.”

“And the Ninth of Av.” ¹³²This paragraph also is in Ta`aniot 4:9, Notes 370–377. Rebbi Jeremiah in the name of Rebbi Ḥiyya, it should have been logical that one should fast on the Tenth, since on it it was burned. Why on the Ninth? Because the calamity started on it. So it was stated, on the Seventh they entered, on the Eighth they were misbehaving in it, on the Ninth they started the fire, and on the Tenth it was burned. Rebbi Joshua ben Levi fasted Ninth and Tenth. Rebbi Levi fasted on the Ninth and the night of the Tenth. Rebbi Abba bar Zavda in the name of Rebbi Ḥanina: Rebbi wanted to uproot the Ninth of Av but they did not let him. Rebbi Eleazar said to him, I was with you but it was not said so, but Rebbi wanted to uproot the Ninth of Av which fell on a Sabbath but they did not let him. He said, because it was pushed aside, let it be pushed aside. They said to him, let it be pushed to the next day. In a similar case, that which we stated there: “Rebbi Joḥanan ben Beroqa said, for both of them it says, God blessed them and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply¹³³Gen. 1:28., etc.” Rebbi Eleazar in the Name of Rebbi Ḥanina: Practice follows Rebbi Joḥanan ben Beroqa. Rebbi Abba bar Zavda said to him, I was with you and it was only said, if she asks to be married the law is on her side. He said about them, two are better than one¹³⁴Eccl. 4:9..

“And the festive offering.” One verse says, the harvest festival, the first fruits of your work^134*Ex. 23:16.. Another verse says, any productive work you shall not do¹³⁵Lev. 23:21. The first verse seems to require harvesting on Pentecost, the second verse forbids it. Babli Ḥagigah 17b.. Rebbi Ḥanania said, how could both verses be sustained? If it falls on a weekday you bring the festival offering and refrain from work. If it falls on the Sabbath, the following day you bring the festival offering and harvest¹³⁶Since Pentecost is only one day, the next day is a regular work day.. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, only ears for her dough¹³⁷On a day of sacrificing one is forbidden gainful work, as on a holiday. Therefore on the Sunday after Pentecost on Sabbath the only harvesting permitted is collecting for immediate consumption.. As what was stated¹³⁸Pesaḥim 4:1, Notes 6–7; Megillat Ta`anit Chapter 5., “therefore anybody who has an obligation for wood and first fruits. He who says, I am taking upon me {to bring} wood for the altar and logs for the arrangement¹³⁹The arrangement of firewood on the altar. on that day are forbidden funeral orations, and fasting, and working¹⁴⁰Work is not forbidden in a formal sense as on the Sabbath or holiday, only any gainful employment, including harvest for later sale..”

“And the public assembly.” Rebbi Abba, son of Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba, said, because of horn blowing¹⁴¹Tosephta Sotah 7:15 states that Cohanim blow golden trumpets at the public assembly. There is no horn blowing on the Sabbath.. Rebbi Isaac ben Rebbi Ḥiyya said, because of the platform¹⁴²On which the king sits to read from the Torah, Tosephta Sotah 7:13. This argument follows the opinion that the Torah was read inside the Temple enclosure, not on the Temple Mount outside the enclosure following R. Eliezer ben Jacob.. Could they not make it the day before? Not to compress the courtyard¹⁴³The Torah is read on the first of the intermediate days of Tabernacles. The courtyard is rather small and could not accommodate the worshippers on the first day of the holiday if it already had been constructed there. Quoted by Rashi 5a.. Rebbi Mattaniah said, because of you shall not plant any wooden Ashera¹⁴⁴Deut. 16:21. In his opinion, any permanent wooden construction is forbidden in the Temple precinct. R. Eliezer ben Jacob reads the verse as forbidding any wooden structure in the Temple precinct (Sifry Deut. 145); therefore he must hold that the reading was outside on the Mount. This raises the question whether R. Mattaniah quotes the verse in support of R. Isaac ben R. Ḥiyya or in opposition since for R. Eliezer ben Jacob only R. Abba ben R. Ḥiyya’s reason would be valid (Maimonides Ḥagigah 3:7)..

The Mishnah is Rebbi Meïr’s, since Rebbi Meïr said, “not to eulogize” one is forbidden to fast, “not to fast” one is permitted to eulogize. “Not to” unspecified is as “not to fast.” Rebbi Jonah said, “these are the days not to fast on them, and partially not to eulogize on them.” Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel said, why does it say “on them” twice? To teach that the night is permitted but the day forbidden. As it was stated, “therefore a person who takes it on himself has to forbid himself in prayer.” Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, that he must mention it on the preceding evening. This comes following what Rebbi Ze`ira said in the name of Rav Ḥuna: Similar to Friday night and Sabbath day.

The Mishnah either follows Rebbi Yose on the eleventh or Rebbi Meïr on the twelfth. But it is difficult for Rebbi Meïr. Was it not stated, “on the twelfth of it is Tirion Day?” But Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa said, Tirion Day was disestablished; the day when Julianus and Pappos were killed. “On the thirteenth of it is Nikanor Day.” What is Nikanor Day? “A commander of the Greek government was passing by on his way to Alexandria when he saw Jerusalem, and insulted, blasphemed, and vituperated and said, when I shall return in peace I shall destroy this tower One of the Hasmoneans went out against him, killed his soldiers until he came to his car When he came to his car he hacked off his hand and cut off his head, stuck them on a piece of wood and wrote under it, the mouth which spoke in guilt and the hand stretched out in haughtiness, and hang it on a pole outside Jerusalem.” In Rebbi Meïr’s opinion it is understandable, it comes to forbid the previous day. What does it come to forbid for Rebbi Yose? To forbid the day before he does not need since itself it forbidden because of the fourteenth. It comes to inform you that eulogies are forbidden. And also for Rebbi Meïr it is not difficult; was it not stated, “on the twelfth of it is Tirion Day?” But Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa said, Tirion Day was disestablished; the day when Julianus and Pappos were killed. “On the fourteenth and the fifteenth is Purim, not to eulogize. On the sixteenth they started to build the wall of Jerusalem, not to eulogize.” In Rebbi Meïr’s opinion it is understandable, it comes to forbid the previous day. What does it come to forbid for Rebbi Yose? To forbid the day before he does not need since itself is forbidden because of the fifteenth. It comes to inform you that eulogies are forbidden.

“On the seventeenth of it Gentiles attacked the remainder of the Sopherim at the city of Khalkis and Bet-Zabdin and there was relief.” In Rebbi Meïr’s opinion it is understandable, it comes to forbid the {day} itself. What does it come to forbid for Rebbi Yose? Rebbi Yose said, all these matters neither support nor contradict either Rebbi Meïr or Rebbi Yose; they only come to report the days on which miracles were done for Israel. You have to understand that this is so since we have stated: “On the New Moon of Nisan the Daily Offering was settled, one may not eulogize.” Without this is it not already forbidden to him because of the New Moon? “But on Sabbath and holidays one fasts before and after them. What do you understand to be lenient with these and restrictive with those? For these are words of the Torah, and words of the Torah do not need reinforcement. But those are words of the Sopherim, and words of the Sopherim need reinforcement.” That is what you were saying, as long as Megillat Ta`anit was not abolished. But since Megillat Ta`anit was abolished, all these were abolished. Rebbi Ḥanina and Rebbi Joshua ben Levi both said, Megillat Ta`anit was abolished. Rebbi Abba and Rebbi Simon both said, Megillat Ta`anit was abolished. Rebbi Jonathan said, Megillat Ta`anit was abolished. Rebbi Joḥanan said, yesterday I was repeating, “it happened that in Lydda they decided on a fast-day on Ḥanukkah. They said about Rebbi Eliezer that he got a haircut, and about Rebbi Joshua that he took a {thermal} bath. Rebbi Joshua said to them, go and fast because you fasted.” And you are saying, Megillat Ta`anit was abolished? Rebbi Abba said, even if you are saying that Megillat Ta`anit was abolished, Ḥanukkah and Purim were not abolished.

The actions of the rabbis imply that Megillat Ta`anit was abolished. Rebbi Jonathan fasted every New Year’s Day’s eve. Rebbi Abun fasted every Sabbath eve. Rebbi Ze`ira fasted 300 fasts, and some say 900, and disregarded Megillat Ta`anit. Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa commanded the schoolteachers, if a woman comes to ask you, tell her that one may fast any time except Sabbaths, holidays, New Moons, intermediate days of holidays, Ḥanukkah and Purim.

Simeon bar Abba said, there came a case before Rebbi Joḥanan and he instructed following Rebbi Yose. Rebbi Eleazar was sorry about this; he said, does one disregard the anonymous {Mishnah} and follow an isolated opinion? He found that Rebbi Ḥiyya stated this in the name of Rebbi Meïr. When he understood that Rebbi Ḥiyya stated this in the name of Rebbi Meïr, he said, the old man understands his chapters well. Rebbi Mana asked before Rebbi Yudan: Did not Rebbi Ḥizqiah, Rebbi Abbahu say in the name of Rebbi Eleazar, every place where Rebbi taught a disagreement and afterwards taught it anonymously, practice follows the anonymous statement. He said to him, and if not Rebbi, maybe somebody else. How is this? If it is found that Rebbi taught a disagreement and afterwards taught it anonymously, then practice follows the anonymous statement. In a case where Rebbi did not teach a disagreement but others taught it in disagreement and Rebbi taught it anonymously, certainly practice has to follow the anonymous text. There come Rebbi Ḥizqiah, Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa, Rebbi Simeon bar Abba in the name of Rebbi Eleazar, every place where Rebbi taught a disagreement and afterwards taught it anonymously, practice follows the anonymous statement. Why does he instruct here following the isolated opinion? Rebbi Samuel bar Ina in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: That is, if no disagreement is stated together with the anonymous opinion. But if a disagreement is stated together with the anonymous opinion, practice does not follow the anonymous opinion.

¹⁴⁶Babli 7a/b, where however the text in the printed editions is unreliable and originally was a metathesis of the Yerushalmi text; cf. Dikduke Soferim Megillah pp. 24–25, Notes 3-ג. Since this story illustrates the meaning of sending meals one person to the other and gifts to the poor which is mentioned in Mishnah 7, it seems that this paragraph, which has no connection with the subjects of Mishnah 6, really belongs to the next Halakhah. Rebbi Yudan the Patriarch sent the Great Rebbi Hoshaia a roast and a pitcher¹⁴⁷Greek λάγηνος, Latin lagena. of wine. He sent and told him, you fulfilled with us gifts to the needy. Then he sent him a calf and a barrel of wine. He sent and told him, you fulfilled with us, sending meals one person to the other.

It was stated: In a place (where they are in danger) [where they assemble]¹⁵⁰Obviously the text of the (scribe) is the correct one; the [corrector’s] has to be deleted. The scribe’s text is quoted by R. S. Nathanson in Ziun Yerushalaim in the name of Nahmanides in the Wilna edition of the Yerushalmi; the quote is not found in Nahmanides”s Novellae to Megillah edited by M. Goldstein, Jerusalem 1973. one reads it on the Fourteenth. Rebbi Yose asked: If it is a place (where they are in danger) [where they assemble] they should not read it at all¹⁵¹A customary obligation is not to be executed if it leads to danger of life..