Daf 17

1) If you read a Megila out of order, you're not Yoitza. The same applies to Sh’ma, Hallel and Tefila. [Tosfos says: this seems to be not like Rashi in Brachos that explains “the middle Brachos of Shmona Esrei don't have an order” that, if you forgot to say one Bracha, you may insert it whenever you remember. After all, it says here that Tefila can't be read out of order. Rather, we must explain that it doesn't have an order, i.e., that you only need to return to the Bracha that you forgot and continue from there in order, and you don't need to return to the beginning of the middle Brachos, (i.e., Atah Chonein), the same way that, if you made a mistake in the first, or last, three Brachos, you need to return to the beginning of that set of Brachos. This is also how we explain it by Megila, that if you skip a Pasuk, you return to that Pasuk and read it from there in order.]

2) Rebbi held that you need to say Sh'ma in Hebrew, and the Rabanan say that you can say it in any language. Rebbi says that you need to say Sh'ma only in Lashon Hakodesh, since the Pasuk says V'hayu, which connotes "as it is," the way it was written. Although the Pasuk says Sh'ma, to hear, it's not telling us that you can say it in any language that you can understand, but that you must hear the words that you say (and you can't whisper it lower than what you can hear). The Chachumim say that you can read it in all languages since it says Sh'ma, in any language that you understand, but hold that you don't need to hear what you say. Although it also says Vhayu, the way it is, that's only that you can't read it backwards. Rebbi (who already used the word V'hayu), learns that you can't read it backwards from the extra Hey in Hadivarim. However, the Chachumim don't believe that Hey is extra. [Tosfos says that the Halacha is like the Rabanan since the Halacha is like the majority. Also, according to the Gemara's Drashos, you must say that Rebbi holds you're not Yoitza if you don't hear the words that you say, and the Rabanan hold that you're Yoitza; and we Paskin in Brachos that you're Yoitza if you don't hear yourself.] This argument doesn't depend on if, regularly, the Torah was given to be read in all languages, so that you need a Drasha to say that it's the opposite by Sh'ma. After all, no matter what you hold regarding the rest of the Torah, the Rabanan need a Drasha of Sh'ma so you shouldn't Darshen from Vahyu the opposite. Rebbi needs the Drasha of Vahyu so not to learn from the word Sh'ma the opposite. [Rashi explains "the Torah was given to be read" regarding the Torah reading. Tosfos qualifies it that it's those Parshiyos that the Torah requires you to read, like Parshas Zachor. However, regular Torah reading is only rabbinic. However, Tosfos own explanation for "the Torah was given to be read": it refers to the Parsha you read by Bikkurim, Vidoy Maasar and by Chalitza, if you may read it in all languages. After all, every word spoken by Hashem by Sinai branched out into seventy languages.]

Daf 18

3) If you read the Megila by heart, you're not Yoitza. As we learn a Gezeira Shava from remembering the story of Amaleik that must be read in the Torah, as it says “write this.”

4) If you read the Megila in Targum, you're not Yoitza even if you read it from a scroll that's written in Targum. (After all, if it's written in Ashuros, you're anyhow not Yoitza since it would be reading it by heart, since the words that you're saying are not written.)

5) However, you can read it in a foreign language to people who speak that language, but not to others that don't know that language. Rav and Shmuel say that you can read it in Greek without knowing it, like R' Shimon b. Gamliel says that Greek is the exception. This is even regarding Megila, even though it says “like its writ.”

6) If a foreign speaker who hears Ashuros is Yoitza even if he doesn't understand it. This is similar to women and ignoramuses who don't understand Hebrew. Even learned people don't know what the words Achashtranim Bnei Ramachim mean. Therefore, you only need it read and have a publicizing of the miracle. (I.e., even if you don't understand it, you can ask someone what it's about, and you would be told.)

7) If someone reads out of order, he's not Yoitza, but if he reads with pauses, he's Yoitza. The Tanna Kama says: even if you waited for more time than it takes to finish the whole reading. R' Yehuda says you're not Yoitza if the gaps have more time that he can finish from beginning to end, (but it can't be from where you're up to until the end, since that would give different Shiurim for different gaps). There's an argument between Rav and Shmuel if the Halacha is like the Rabanan or like R' Yehuda, and there's an argument about who held which way.

8) R' Bibi says that Rav Paskins like the Rabanan and Shmuel like R' Yehuda, since we see that Shmuel is the one who's usually worried for a single opinion. As we see that he holds like R' Yehuda b. Bava that if someone makes Kiddushin to a woman who's sister fell to him for Yibum, he needs to wait until his brother does Yibum or Chlitza, and then he can make Nesuin to his wife. (However, the Rabanan say that his wife is permitted immediately, since he doesn't hold that a Yavama has any connection to him to be considered even somewhat like his wife.) [Tosfos says: it's only if he made Kiddushin after the sister fell to him, but if he did it before, she was never connected to him in the first place. Also, it's only if he made Kiddushin, since he will be seen as making Nesuin to the sister of who he's connected to. However, if he already did Nesuin, he doesn't need to wait anymore since her sister doesn't look at all connected to him.]

9) [Tosfos says: it seems that the Halacha is like Rav who holds like the Rabanan, and we also see that R' Yochanan also held this way. Therefore, the Ri relied on this to wait by Emes V'yatziv to respond Barichu, Kedusha and Amein Yehei Shmei Rabbah.]

10) If the Sofar missed a Pasuk, you can read that Pasuk by heart. You may read part of the Megila by heart, but not all of it. It's considered as reading by heart if the letters are rubbed out or ripped when the rubbed out letters aren't still recognizable.

11) If the reader misses one Pasuk, you can't say that you'll finish listening to the Megila and say that Pasuk. Rather, you say the Pasuk immediately and then continue from there to the end. The same if you go to Shul after they read half the Megila, you can't say that you should read the second half with them and then read the first half afterwards. Rather, he needs to read himself from beginning to end.

12) If he reads it half sleeping, (i.e., if you call him, he'll answer, but he can't come up with a logical thought, but if you remind him of a logical thought, he'll remember), he's Yoitza.

13) If he's writing, editing or Darshening the Megila, if he had in mind to be Yoitza when he reads the words, he's Yoitza. If not, he's not Yoitza. However, when he writes, he's only Yoitza if he has a Kosher Megila before him, which he's using to copy from. However, if he doesn't, he's not Yoitza saying it by heart. Even if he writes a Pasuk and then reads it, he's not Yoitza. After all, even according to the opinion that you don't need to read the whole Megila, you need to have the whole Megila written before you. (We Paskin that you need to read the whole Megila.)

14) A Sofar is not allowed to write a letter if it's not copying out of another Sefer. This is even if he's a total expert, unless it's a difficult situation, like there is no other Megila in a city, and you need to write a Megila and there's no Megila to copy from.

15) However, you may write Tefilin and Mezuzos without looking into other ones since it rolls off the lips of everyone. Tefilin don't need to have scratched out lines, and Mezuzos do.

Daf 19

16) You're not Yoitza the Megila unless you write the Megila in Ashuros, (as the Pasuk says “in its writ,”) on a Sefer (i.e., parchment treated with a gall-nut solution) and ink. [Tosfos says: our Klaf are Kosher, even though they're not treated with gall-nuts since the lime treatment works like gall-nuts. After all, we see that the Gemara says that Klaf not treated with gall-nuts can be forged, and our Klafs can't be forged. R' Tam says: the ink made with gall-nut juice is not Halachically ink and the Megila written with it is Pasul.]

17) If someone who lives in a walled city is found on the night of the fourteen in a regular city, if he's planning to be back in the wall city that night, his reading day is the fifteenth. However, if he won't return until the next day, he reads on the fourteenth since “a resident of a regular city for one day” is considered a resident of a regular city. The same thing applies by the opposite case since “a resident of a walled city for one day” is considered a resident of a walled city.

18) If a villager is in the city, he reads on the fourteenth [Tosfos says: this applies even if he was only there on the night of the fourteenth even if he will return that night. This is even if he read it on the earlier “day of gathering.” After all, that early reading is only Moitzie those who are not there the night of the fourteenth, but only those that come in the middle of the next day.]

19) R' Meir holds that you need to read the whole Megila. R' Yehuda says that you read from “there was a Jewish man.” R' Yossi says from “after these things.” R' Shimon says from “at that night.” Rav Paskins to read the whole thing and, even according to the opinion that you don't need to read the whole Megila, you need to have the whole Megila written before you.

20) The Megila is called a 'Sefer' and a 'letter.' It's a Sefer regarding Pasling it if it was sewn with flax threads. It's a letter that it's Kosher even if there are only three stitches, as long as you have it in thirds (i.e., that you have from the top of the page to the first stitch, as from there to the second stitch etc.) [Tosfos says: and not like those who want to say that you have one stitch on top, one in the middle and one on the bottom.]

21) If you read a Megila in public that's written among other Sefarim in Tanach, you're not Yoitza (since it's not publicizing the miracle, since it looks as if you're just reading scripture). However, you're Yoitza if the Megila is recognizable as its own entity, like it's larger, or smaller, than the other Sefarim.

22) You need to leave a little bit of stitching at the ends of the pages of a Sefer Torah to ensure that it doesn't rip. [Tosfos says: this seems to apply to a Megila and other Sefarim too since the reason applies to them too.]

23) If the Megila is read by a deaf person, [Tosfos: who can speak, so he's considered sane in every aspect], R' Meir holds they're Yoitza L'chatchila. R' Yehuda says that he's Yoitza B'dieved. R' Yossi held that they're not Yoitza at all. They're all saying their opinion regarding someone reading when he's not hearing what he says.

Daf 20

24) The Tanna Kama says that a minor who reads the Megila is not Moitzie adults, and R' Yehuda says that he's Moitzie them. [Tosfos explains: we refer to a minor who reached the age to be trained, and is rabbinically obligated to keep Mitzvos. The Tanna Kama says that he can't be Moitzie adults, although they're only obligated in Megila rabbinically, since the minor has two rabbinically decrees to obligate him, so he's not Moitzie an adult who's obligated only from one rabbinical decree. This is not similar to what we say that a minor can Moitzie his father in Bentching. There, it refers to a case where the father didn't eat to satiation, and the minor ate to satiation. Therefore, each one is rabbinically obligated with only one decree. Although we see that the opinion that a blind is exempt from Hagada from the Torah can be Moitzie others that are rabbinically obligated in Hagadah if, nowadays, the whole obligation is rabbinical, even though the blind needs two rabbinical decrees to obligate him; a blind person is different since he was once obligated completely (before he became blind).]

25) Someone can only read the Megila after sunrise. The same applies to Mila, Teiveila, the Parah Adumah water sprinkling and Teveila of a woman who emitted blood once in her Ziva days. However, they're all B'dived Kosher if done after dawn.

26) [Tosfos says: even though the Mishna in Parah says that you can't dip the hyssop in the Parah Aduma waters until day, but he may Toivel at night; that refers to the Teveila before the sprinkling (to make him fit to receive the sprinkling); but there's a Teveila after the sprinkling. However, Tosfos concludes that it can't refer to that Teveila since that's simple it's after sunrise since it needs to be done after the sprinkling that needs to be after sunrise. Also, from that time one, he may Toivel anytime, even at night. Rather, we must explain 'Teveila' like Riva that it's the dipping of the hyssop.]

27) [Although we find that someone can be Toivel on Yom Kippur from Tumah of a corpse if you hold that there's a special Mitzvah to Toivel on the first day you can, and although it's a rabbinical prohibition to sprinkle the Parah waters on Yom Kippur, (and you can't say that it was sprinkled the day before, or else, it wouldn't be the first day that he can be Toiveled); we must say that it refers to a case he was sprinkled on by a child, or forgetfully, or even if they did it on purpose.]

28) [Tosfos says: the reason that the Torah needed to exclude a woman from being obligated to give a Milah to her son, although it's anyhow a time based Mitzvah (since you can't do it at night); since we might have thought that Milah is more obligated since there was thirteen treaties that Hashem made with us over it, and there's a punishment of Kareis for not having a Mila. Alternatively, I might say it's not time based according to the opinion that, after the eighth day, it's obligated even at night.]

29) You don't consider a woman who emitted blood once in her Ziva days as counting a clean day by not emitting blood at night, but only by day. [Tosfos says: in Pesachim it says, R' Yossi holds the only way a woman can be the "great Zava" (for emitting three days in a row, if you can't connect the days, since we view that she's Tahor right away at the beginning of the next day, so her emittings are separated); we must say when she saw two Bein Hashmasheses in a row.

Although nighttime is not given to be counted, we don't say the case is when you emitted three times at night since we consider part of a day like the full day at the end of the day, so if she didn't emit at the end of the day too, it would be considered as a clean day. This is not similar to the Kusims' opinion who counted the day the "Zava Gedola" stops seeing as the first clean day, since there, they're counting part of the day as the first day of the count, while R' Yossi only allows it as the last day of the count.]

30) We hold that Tzeis Hakochavim is night. [Tosfos explains: although we have an argument between R' Yossi and R' Yehuda what's the Shiur of Tzeis, since we're in doubt what is considered Tzeis since there are some stars that are seen during the day.]

31) The whole day is Kosher for reading the Megila, Hallel, Shofar blowing, and taking the Lulav, Tefilas Musaf, Korban Musaf, saying Vidoy on the bulls (brought when Beis Din make a wrong P'sak), Vidoy Maasar, Vidoy Yom Kippur, Smicha, Shechita, waiving Korbaons, bringing the Mincha to the Mizbeach, Kemitza, burning the Kemitza, Melika, catching the blood, sprinkling the Parah Aduma water, giving the Sotah to drink, chopping off the neck of the Eglah Arufa and to perform the Taharah of the Metzorah.

32) You may cut the Omar all night. [Tosfos says: this argues with the Sugya in Menachos that says it's Kosher if you cut it during the day too. However, our Sugya is the main one since it's counted with all the other Halachos that are permitted the whole night. Therefore, if you didn't count at night, you can't count during the day with a Bracha. This would be true even to the Sugya in Menachos since it says by counting the Omer “complete ones,” it's like saying it a second time to say that you can't do it otherwise. If you don't count at all at night or day, you can't count with a Bracha afterwards since it says it needs to be 'complete.' After counting, you say “it should be Your will to rebuild the Mikdash,” since we only count these days as a remembrance to the Mikdash. (This is not compared to Shofar and taking the Luluv when you're also doing an action.)] You also have all night to burn the limbs of the day before. [Tosfos brings R' Yochanan in Yuma that says that it's only if it's already started to be pretty burnt, or else you can't burn it after midnight.]

Daf 21

33) R' Yossi holds that setting up the Lechem Hapanim and the spoons full of incense (on the Shulchon) and removing them can be throughout the day. Although the Pasuk says it needs to be there constantly, but he learns that as long as it doesn’t pass a night without it, it's included in constantly.

34) R' Elazar b. Azarya held that eating the Pesach is only until midnight, and R' Akiva says that you have the whole night to eat it. [Tosfos says: the Halacha seems to be like R' Elazar b. Azarya despite that our unnamed Mishna like R' Akiva. After all, there are other unnamed Mishnayos in Brachos and Peschim like R' Elazar b. Azarya. Therefore, you should eat the Matza, and even the Afikomen, before midnight, since the Mitzvah of Matza even these days is from the Torah. However, since Hallel is only a rabbinical Mitzvah, you don't need to be so stringent to finish it before midnight.]