Kids Megillah

The Shulchan Aruch in (689:1) says that one should be mechanach children to hear the megillah.  In sief 6 he says that it is a proper custom that kids should come and hear the megillah.  Why does the Shulchan Aruch repeat himself and why in sief 6 does he call it merely a proper custom?  The Mishna berura (based upon Magen Avrohom) understands that in sief 6 there is the regular obligation of chinuch; the novelty is that one shouldn’t just read for the kids in the house, one should bring them to the synagogue. The source of the Shulchan Aruch would seem to be the Tur that brings the Yerushalmi that Rebbe Levi gathered the children of his family and read for them.  Based upon that the Mishna Berura s very difficult for the whole source of the law is that Rebbe Levi read for them in his house, not in the synagogue?

The Yerushalmi says that the reason that kids must hear the megillah is because they were included in the miracle.  Why doesn’t it just say the regular rule of chinuch?  The Raviah Megillah #569 says that based upon the Yerushalmi even kids that are under the age of chinuch are obligated as long as they can understand a little just like woman and amey ha’aretz.  Why does he need to add like woman and amaey ha’aretz?  He is explaining what is the point of bringing the little kids if they don’t understand what’s being read?  He explains even though they don’t understand all the words, as long as they understand the basic theme, there is פרסומי ניסא just as woman and amey ha’aretz (see Gemorah 18a.)  The Leket Yosher also brings the practice of even bringing very small children to hear the megillah.  Based upon this, we can understand that the Shulchan Aruch in sief 6 is telling us that that it is proper (not chinuch,) to read the megillah even for kids that are under the age of chinuch because they were part of the miracle.

The opinion of the Behag (cited in Tosfos Arachin 3a) is that woman and kids are obligated in the megillah because they were part of the miracle.  However, he distinguishes between the obligation on the man which is to read the megillah and the obligation on woman and kids which is merely to hear the megillah.  The Briskor Rav (4a) asks how can there be an obligation on a kid?  He explains that the woman’s obligation and the kids are different.  There is an obligation on the woman herself to hear the megillah, but the obligation on the kids is on the parent to make the kid hear the megillah.

One could entertain the possibility that the Behag holds that there can be an obligation incumbent upon the minor just like the obligation of chinuch is placed upon him.  However, that itself needs an explanation how can there be an obligation on a minor?  Rav Reuvan Sukkah #2 says that there is an obligation upon him because it is the will of G-d to listen to the rabbis.  However, it is still difficult because if he has no brains and therefore isn’t obligated, how does he have brains to know to listen to the rabbis?

The Tanna Kamma (Megillah 19b) holds a minor can’t read the megillah for someone that is obligated.  The Rishonim ask why not, if he is also obligated because of chinuch?  The Ramban explains that the obligation of chinuch is on the father, the kid himself isn’t obligated.  What then is the opinion of Rebbe Yehuda that a minor can read for a gadol?  Explains the Ramban, he holds that since they were part of the miracle, they are obligated.  The Ran asks if the Ramban assumes there can’t be an obligation of chinuch on the kid, how can there be an obligation because they were part of the miracle?  Possibly even the Ramban concedes that when there is a סברא of אף הן היו באותו הנס that a kid can be obligated.  Normally, one can’t command a kid, he lacks the capability to internalize the meaning of the obligation.  However, אף הן  is something that even the kid understands.  The gratitude that one must have for being personally saved is something even a child can internalize and even the Ramban will agree that in that case it is possible for a minor to be obligated.

The Gra on Shulchan Aruch brings the Yerushalmi and spells out the obligation is the regular rule of chinuch.  And he learns both laws of the Shulchan Aruch are coming from the Yerushalmi.  How can he say it is an obligation of chinuch if the Yerushalmi says its because they were part of the nes?  The simple interpretation of what the Shulchan Aruch says  מחנחין את הקטן would be that it is the regular din of chinuch and the Yerushalmi is לרווחא דמילתא as the Mierey (4a) says.  However, the Gra indicates that he is explaining the Yerushalmi, וצ"ע.  See Birchas Mordechai (Ezrachi) #15, Kuntres Chanukah U’Megillah #13 that give explanations for the Gra, but is still is unsatisfactory.

See what my father shlita wrote about this here and here.