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(follow up question to scimonster's question)

Shushan Purim was enacted because Jews in walled cities stopped fighting on the 15th and thus that's when they celebrated, opposed to the rest of Klal Yisrael who celebrated on the 14th (see Beis Yosef, Orach Chaim 688:3).

My question is: why don't we follow rov (majority)?

I understand that people in walled cities were still fighting on the 14th, but since the majority of Jews WEREN'T and were instead celebrating, shouldn't that majority be enough to kovea(establish) that Purim be on the 14th for everyone?

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    Is there some doubt here that you need Rov to clarify something?
    – Double AA ♦
    Mar 19, 2019 at 10:52
  • @DoubleAA true- but while rov is usually used to clarify a safeik there is precedence to extend rov to other areas (see Bach YD 18:16 sefaria.org/… and other examples yeshiva.org.il/wiki/…)
    – alicht
    Mar 19, 2019 at 11:46
  • @alicht I don't understand your example. What else is rov being used for?
    – Double AA ♦
    Mar 19, 2019 at 11:49
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    The classic use of Rov to clarify the doubt if he is guilty!
    – Double AA ♦
    Mar 19, 2019 at 12:03
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    In הוריות we require רוב of the people transgressing to need a פר העלם דבר. For a הדס you need רוב of the leaves to be dry for it to be פסול.
    – Nic
    Mar 19, 2019 at 13:07

1 Answer 1

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Firstly, a misconception: rov has no impact on how Chazal choose to commemorate an event. To put is more succinctly: there is no pre-existing sofek when Purim naturally occurs. A second misconception: the walled cities category is due to the fighting in Shushan, not all walled cities. Finally, the main miracle took place in Shushan, as well as the most danger coming from there (hence needing two days to deal with the threat). As such it was likely unthinkable to Chazal not to commemorate this.

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  • thanks for the answer and here's an upvote! Do you happen to have a source/ sources for the shita you're saying?
    – alicht
    Mar 19, 2019 at 20:29
  • "the most danger coming from there (hence needing two days to deal with the threat)" That's not obvious. The simple read is that was the only place where they could issue a proclamation in time for an extra day. They didn't have cell phones back then
    – Double AA ♦
    Mar 19, 2019 at 21:19
  • @DoubleAA indeed, a good point, and the the two days business is based on something I once saw. The ralbag does says this: sefaria.org/Ralbag_Esther.9.13.1?lang=bi but he wasn't my original source- that one also pointed out that the death toll Shushan to rest of empire and iirc said the presence of Homons sons was one of the reasons.
    – user15253
    Mar 19, 2019 at 21:47

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