Siman - Megillah Daf 18
- The problem with praising Hashem too much
After the Gemara completes explaining the order of the berachos in the Shemoneh Esrei, it states: מכאן ואילך אסור לספר בשבחו של הקדוש ברוך הוא – From this point onward, it is forbidden to give over the praises of HaKadosh Boruch Hu, for Rebbe Elazar said: What is the meaning of the following passuk, "מי ימלל גבורות ה' ישמיע כל תהלתו" – Who can speak of the mighty acts of Hashem, who can make heard all of His praise? The meaning is, למי נאה למלל גבורות ה' – For who is it fitting to speak of the mighty acts of Hashem? למי שיכול להשמיע כל תהלתו – One who is able to declare all of His praise. Since no one can do so, one cannot add more praises to the Shemoneh Esrei. Rabbah bar bar Chanah said in the name of Rebbe Yochanan, המספר בשבחו של הקדוש ברוך הוא יותר מדאי נעקר מן העולם – One who speaks too much of the praises of Hashem is uprooted from the world. Rav Yehudah, from a certain village, expounded from the passuk, "לך דמיה תהלה" – Silence is Your praise, that סמא דכולה משתוקא – the best medicine of all is silence. When Rav Dimi came to Bavel, he said that in Eretz Yisroel they say, מלא בסלע משתוקא בתרין – If a word is worth one sela, silence is worth two.
- הלועז ששמע אשורית יצא
The Mishnah on Daf 17a stated: והלועז ששמע אשורית יצא – And a foreigner who heard the Megillah read in Ashuris, meaning Hebrew, has fulfilled his chiyuv even though he does not understand Hebrew. The Gemara asks how this can be, since he does not understand what is being read, and it answers, מידי דהוי אנשים ועמי הארץ – that it is just like the case of women and amei ha’aretz, who fulfill their chiyuv even though they do not understand the Megillah. Ravina objected to this proof, asking, do we understand the words in the Megillah, "האחשתרנים בני הרמכים"? No one knows what these words mean, yet we fulfill our chiyuv. אלא מצות קריאה ופרסומי ניסא – Rather, the mitzvah is reading and publicizing the miracle. So too here, even when people do not understand, they fulfill their chiyuv because the mitzvah is the reading and publicizing the miracle. Rashi explains that even though they do not understand what they are hearing, they will ask people who do understand, who will then explain the reading and tell them about the miracle.
- Reading the Megillah in order and not omitting any passuk
The Mishnah on Daf 17a had stated: הקורא את המגילה למפרע לא יצא – One who reads the Megillah out of sequence has not fulfilled his chiyuv. The Gemara here brings a Baraisa that teaches: השמיט בה הקורא פסוק אחד לא יאמר אקרא את כולה ואחר כך אקרא אותו פסוק – If the reader omitted one passuk, he should not say: I will continue on and read the entire Megillah to the end and then I will go back and read that passuk, אלא קורא מאותו פסוק ואילך – rather, he should read from that passuk until the end. The Baraisa continues: נכנס לבית הכנסת ומצא צבור שקראו חציה – If one entered a shul and found that the tzibur had already read half of the Megillah, he should not say: I will read the second half with the tzibur and then I will go back and read the first half, אלא קורא אותה מתחילתה ועד סופה – rather, he must read it from the beginning until the end.
