Siman - Megillah Daf 2
- The source that the Megillah is read on numerous days
The opening Mishnah of the Masechta begins: מגילה נקראת בי''א בי''ב בי''ג בי''ד בט''ו לא פחות ולא יותר – The Megillah is read on the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar, not before the eleventh and not after the fifteenth. The Gemara asks for the source that the Megillah is read on all these dates, and not just on the fourteenth and fifteenth which are written explicitly in the Megillah. Rav Shemen bar Abba said in the name of Rebbe Yochanan: The passuk states: "לקים את ימי הפרים האלה בזמניהם" – To establish these days of Purim in their times. The superfluous word, בזמניהם – in their times, implies, זמנים הרבה תקנו להם – that the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah established many dates for them. Rav Shmuel bar Nachmani brought an alternative passuk, that states: "כימים אשר נחו בהם היהודים" – Like on the days that the Jews rested, referring to the fourteenth and fifteenth, when the Jews rested from their enemies. ימים כימים – By writing, like the days, the passuk is teaching that there are other days like the days mentioned in the passuk. The Gemara will explain why each Amora did not hold of the other Amora’s passuk.
- The celebrations of the fourteenth and fifteenth
The Mishnah stated: כרכין המוקפין חומה מימות יהושע בן נון קורין בט''ו – The people in cities that were surrounded by walls that were there from the time of Yehoshua bin Nun, read the Megillah on the fifteenth of Adar. The Gemara asks from where this is known, and Rava said: The passuk states: "על כן היהודים הפרזים הישבים בערי הפרזות" – Therefore, the Jews of the unwalled places who dwell in unwalled cities make the fourteenth day of the month of Adar a day of gladness. Since the passuk teaches that those in unwalled cities celebrate Purim on the fourteenth, it implies that those in walled cities celebrate Purim on the fifteenth. After successfully refuting several challenges to this pshat, the Gemara asks אשכחן עשייה - that while the passuk that mentions the fourteenth and fifteenth discusses the “doing” of Purim, referring to the simchah, eating, Yom Tov and sending gifts to one another, זכירה מנלן – but from where do we know that the recalling of the miracle by reading the Megillah is done on those days? The Gemara answers that the passuk states: "והימים האלה נזכרים ונעשים" – These days shall be remembered and celebrated. איתקיש זכירה לעשייה – The passuk makes a hekesh between remembering and celebrating.
- מנצפ''ך צופים תקנום
Rebbe Yirmiyah said, and others say that it was Rebbe Chiya bar Abba, מנצפ''ך צופים אמרום – The forms of the letters mem, nun, tzadi, pay and kaf, were established by the neviim. The Gemara brings two challenges to this statement. Firstly, is it sensible that these forms were established by the neviim, for the passuk states: "אלה המצות" – These are the mitzvos, which teaches, שאין נביא רשאי לחדש דבר מעתה –that a navi may not anymore innovate something new, and secondly, Rav Chisda said: the mem and samech in the luchos בנס היו עומדין – stood in place miraculously, which proves that these final forms existed at the time of the giving of the Torah. The Gemara answers, that in fact these forms did exist at the time of Sinai, but it was forgotten which form comes in the middle of a word and which one comes at the end. The neviim reestablished where to write each form.
