Purim Points

 A few points on Purim.

1. The Gemarah (4b) gives two reasons why Megillah can not be read on Shabbos.  Rav Yosef says since the poor people wait for the day the Megillah is read to be able to collect money which they won't be able to do on Shabbos.  Rabbah says we are worried someone will carry a Megillah in a public domain to read it and therefore it should not be read on Shabbos.  The Turay Even (5a) points out hat the reason of Rabbah which is a גזירה may have been a later decree but the reason of Rav Yosef which is not a גזירה must have been around from the time of the original takkanah to read Megillah otherwise a later Beis Din would not have the power to change which day the Megillah should be read.  In other words, according to Rav Yosef in a year like this year when the 14 of Adar is Friday and those that read on the 15th read on Friday as well, according to Rav Yosef it is the correct day for them to be reading for the takkanah was for them to read on the 14th if the 15th is Shabbos but according to Rabbah it is a push forward of when they should have read.  The question is discussed in poskim if someone for some reason could not read on the 14th or a katan that becomes bar mtizvah on the 15th should they read on the 15th?  According to Rav Yosef it would seem no, for the halacha is to read on the 14th but according to Rabbah maybe yes, for the גזירה is only on the tzibbur but if there is a particular case where one has to read maybe they should just like the Ran writes Chazal did not make a gezerah not to do milah on Shabbos because it is only for a specific person?  See about this is (Tzits Hakodesh siman 55, Cheshek sholom Megiilah 5a.  (Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank (Teshuvot volume 2 siman 127) seems to understand the opposite, that according to Rabbah the takkanah was uprooted from the 15th,I didn't understand what he was saying.) 

2. The Tur (siman 692) cites the Baal Haetur holds that one may talk between the end of the Megillah and the beracha of הרב את ריבנו.  The Beis Yosef explains that is since it is not a beracha on them mitzvah, it is just a separate beracha of thanks for the miracle there is no issue of interruption.  The Tur disagrees.  The Shaar Hatzion (692:12) is unsure if one does talk, if the Tur holds even bidieved that one can no longer say the beracha or he only argues לכתחילה.  In other words ,does the Tur hold it is a birchas hamitzvah and one cant interrupt or does he hold even though it is a birchas hashevach for the miracle it still should be connected to the Megillah and one should not interrupt.  See more about the geder of the beracha in Ratz Katzvi. 

3. The Smag lists the mitzvah of mikrah Megillah but does not list the other mitzvot of the day.  (As noted last year, this is also the case in the Rambam.)  The Mizrachi in his commentary asks why?  He answers that the yesod of all the mitzvot is the same, פרסומי ניסא and therefore, the Smag lists only the mitzvah which is the best pirsum which is Megillah.  I assume he means that since the yesod of all them itzvot is the same, it is the same theme, that it counted as one mitzvah.  The Pri Migadim (cited in Beur Halacha 694) has a doubt if ne can fulfill the mitzvah of מתנות לאביונים with a מתנה על מנת להחזיר.  What is the doubt?  Rav Zvi Reyzman suggests his debate is if the nature of them mitzvah is the mitzvah of charity to be done on Purim or a mitzvah to make people happy on Purim (which there are sources for both approaches.)  If the mitzvah is charity a מתנה על מנת להחזיר doesn't suffice but if the mitzvah is merely to increase happiness then maybe it suffices.  It is hard for me to hear that a מתנה על מנת להחזיר increases one's simcha.  However, in light of the Mizrachi, maybe he holds it suffices for a מתנה על מנת להחזיר has a שם מתנה and will effect פירסום הנס.   

4. The Rambam (Megillah Ch. 2 Law 16-17) says כיצד חובת סעודה זו שיאכל בשר ויתקן סעודה נאה כפי אשר תמצא ידו ושותה יין עד שישתכר וירדם בשכרות, וכן חייב אדם לשלוח שתי מנות של בשר או שני מיני תבשיל או שני מיני אוכלין לחברו ... מוטב לאדם להרבות במתנות אביונים מלהרבות בסעודתו ובשילוח מנות לרעיו, שאין שם שמחה גדולה ומפוארה אלא לשמח לב עניים ויתומים ואלמנות וגרים, שהמשמח לב האומללים האלו דומה לשכינה.  From the fact that the Rambam compares all of these three mitzvot, mishteh, mishloach manos, matanos lievyonim and emphasizes the importance of matanos lievyonim due to its simcha, it would seem that the Rambam holds the nature of all of these mitzvot is to increase simcha on Purim.  This is indeed how Rav Solevetchik (Harraray Kedem 232) and The Reebe (Likutay Sichos volume 16) both understand the Rambam.  The Rebbe asks how does the Rambam know that this is the nature of all of these mitzvot?  He explains since the possuk says  לעשות אותם ימי משתה ושמחה ומשלוח מנות איש לרעהו ומתנות לאביונים it means the establishment of the day is a day of joy and the laws that follow, mishteh, mishloach manos, matanos lievyonim are ways of expressing this joy.  Rav Asher Weiss goes a step further and says as opposed to a a yom tov where the mitzvah of simcha is limited to the activities one typically does to enhance a yom tov, on Purim any activity that increases one's happiness would be a fulfillment of experiencing the happiness of the day.  Or, in other words, as expressed here, the mitzvah's are to turn the day into a happy day.  This would be not like the aforementioned Mizrachi. 

5. The Manos Helevi writes the point of the mitzvah of mishloach manos is to increase friendship between people.  The Bach says this idea in order to explain the opinion of Rashi (Megillah 7b) that one can fulfill mishloach manos by eating the Purim seudah at someone else's house even without sending anything because there was an act of bonding together.  In other words, this reason of the Manos Helevi is no just a reason for the mitzvah but defines the geder of the fulfillment.  Rav Refael Shmulevitz asks why is there a specific focus on increasing friendship on Purim?  He explains that on Purim there was a new act of the acceptance of the Torah.  When it comes to Matan Torah there was a prerequisite of כאיש אחד בלב אחד as the Or Hachaim says (Yisro 19:2.)  Why is this so?  Rav Chayim Shmulevitz explains since the Torah was given to the totality of Klal Yisrael as an entity not to a cluster of individuals and hence unity is a necessity to join Klal Yisrael together.  So too, for קיימו מה שקבלו כבר, there is a need for friendship and togetherness.        

6. The Gemarah Megillah (12b) says תנא כולן על שמו נקראו בן יאיר בן שהאיר עיניהם של ישראל בתפלתו בן שמעי בן ששמע אל תפלתו בן קיש שהקיש על שערי רחמים ונפתחו לו.  The Shem MiShmuel (5671) asks the order should be the opposite for first hi prayed and only after that was he answered and lightened the eyes of Yisrael?  The Baal Shem Tov explains the double הסתר אסתר פני refers to the fact that the greatest concealment is when one doesn't feel that they are in a state of הסתר.  The Shem MiShmuel says a similar idea.  The first step to cause the salvation was to see the light, to recognize the lowly state that one is in.  It is only after Mordechai showed Klal Yisrael what they were lacking, he shined a light on their darkness, that they were then able to open their hearts to pray.