Megillah 1:3-4

Megillah 1:3

The definition of a big city is one that has ten “idle” men (i.e., they don’t work so they can learn full-time). Fewer than that is considered a village. Regarding the Megillah, the Sages said that we may act earlier but not later; regarding the time of the wood for the kohanim, Tisha b’Av, holiday offerings and Hakhel (the reading of the Torah by the king), we may act later but not earlier. Even though they said that the Megillah may be read in advance, it is still permitted to eulogize, fast and give gifts to the poor (matanos l’evyonim) on those days (i.e., they are only quasi-Purim). Rabbi Yehuda said we may only read earlier in places where the people actually assemble on Monday and Thursday. In a place where such is not the case, the Megillah may only be read at its designated time.

Megillah 1:4

If the Megillah was read in the first Adar and a second Adar was subsequently added, we read it again in the second Adar. The only difference between first Adar and second Adar is reading the Megillah and giving gifts to the poor.