16
votes
Can a woman write a megillah?
There is a long list of decisors who permit a woman to write a Megillah
R Eliezer Melamed, author of Peninei Halakha, (here, note 10) writes
The Aĥaronim debate whether a woman may write a Megilla.
...
- 44.5k
15
votes
Did Haman kill Daniel?
The Talmud (Megillah 15a) states that Daniel was Hatach who appears in Megillat Esther:
ותקרא אסתר להתך אמר רב התך זה דניאל ולמה נקרא שמו התך שחתכוהו מגדולתו ושמואל אמר שכל דברי מלכות נחתכין על פיו ...
- 48.4k
11
votes
Accepted
Charbonah related to destruction?
Medrash Esther Raba 3 says Charvona was called Charvona as he was responsible for the Churban Bais Hamikdash.
חרבונא מופיע פעמיים במגילה - בתחילת המגילה הוא מופיע כאחד משבעת
הסריסים המשרתים את ...
- 138k
11
votes
Did both King Ahasuerus and Haman practise Zoroastrianism?
Short answer:
"Jewish sources" do not come right out and specifically state which exact religion Ahasuerus and Haman followed. However, we can read the Jewish sources, and secular historical ...
- 10.6k
11
votes
Accepted
Haman going to the second feast dirty
The Talmud (Megillah 16a) states:
וסריסי המלך הגיעו ויבהילו מלמד שהביאוהו בבהלה.
"The king’s chamberlains came, and they hastened" - This teaches that they brought him in disarray.
On ...
- 5,558
10
votes
Microphone for Meggilah
R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach1 discusses the entire issue of recreated sounds in Shu"t Minchas Shlomo siman 9. His basic synopsis is that since the sound is being converted from sound waves to electrical ...
- 57.8k
10
votes
Connection Between Purim and Yom Kippur
The Medrash records a machloket Tannaim about whether in the future all the moadim are batel except for Yom Kippur and Purim or all the moadim except for Purim. The Maharal writes in his hakdama to ...
- 17.4k
10
votes
Accepted
Online Megilla Reading and the name of Haman
The requirement of the megillah reading is to hear every word (Shulchan Aruch O"C 690:3), including Haman's name.
There is a minhag to make noise "as if" you're drowning out Haman's name (Ram"a O"C ...
- 9,019
9
votes
Accepted
When is the "main" mitzvah of hearing the Megillah?
Tosefos on Megillah 4a (s.v. "חייב אדם") writes that the primary pirsumei nisa is in the daytime reading.
דעיקר פרסומי ניסא הוי בקריאה דיממא וקרא נמי משמע כן
The Turei Even to Megillah 7b, s.v. ...
- 57.8k
9
votes
is there some significance in their relationship between Haman and Daniel?
They have the same numerical value.
ה = 5
מ = 40
ן = 50
5 + 40 + 50 = 95
ד = 4
נ = 50
י = 10
א = 1
ל = 30
4 + 50 + 10 + 1 + 30 = 95
This equivalency is noted by R. Solomon Alkabetz in ...
- 48.4k
9
votes
Accepted
Why do we read the Megillah by night and by day?
The Talmud in Megillah 4a lays out the requirement for reading the Megillah both at night and during the day:
ואריב"ל חייב אדם לקרות את המגילה בלילה ולשנותה ביום שנאמר אלהי אקרא יומם ולא תענה ...
- 48.4k
8
votes
Accepted
Is it really kosher to "apply" to become a gentile king's wife?
There are several places in the Talmud which assume she was taken by force, e.g. Megillah 15a:
לך כנוס את כל היהודים וגו' עד אשר לא כדת אמר רבי אבא שלא כדת היה שבכל יום ויום עד עכשיו באונס ועכשיו ...
- 31.6k
8
votes
Accepted
Purim and Pesach in the same month
In 1999, the day of Purim fell out on the 2nd of March. This means that first few hours of pesach fell out on the 31st of March. Same happened in 1980, 1961....
The last time that Purim fell out on ...
- 3,829
8
votes
Accepted
Why mention possessions in Al Hanisim
Well, it's quoting the verse (Esther 3:13), so it makes sense to quote the whole thing, which ends with וּשְׁלָלָם לָבוז.
- 488
8
votes
Accepted
Talents during the time of Achasverous
Jewish Encyclopedia writes a heavy talent was 60 kilograms, a light talent 30 kilograms, and there's an opinion (very bottom) it is 20 kilograms. 10,000 talents would then be between 200-600 tons of ...
- 44.5k
8
votes
Mishloach Manot - why the word Mishloach is used specifically
There is a teshuva of the Binyan Tzion which is often quoted about this issue, in Siman #44.
He explains that the language of שליחות is to indicate that the sending itself is enough, even if the ...
- 57.8k
8
votes
Are there any specific minhagim to celebrate Purim as a family?
Nit'ei Gavri'el does indeed record the attestation of feasting together with one's family in a number of sources (in Purim 71:4). They are not necessarily attesting the purpose of perpetuation Rashi ...
- 23.4k
7
votes
Microphone for Meggilah
Rav Moshe in IG"M O.C.(2) siman 108 and O.C.(4) siman 126 notes that "some experts" say that the sound produced by a microphone is not the actual person's voice magnified, rather it's a new sound. ...
- 402
7
votes
Accepted
How can a person who can't read Hebrew be yotzeh the megillah?
A person fulfills his obligation by hearing the megillah read in the original Hebrew even if he does not understand the meaning of the words (Shulchan Aruch OC 690:8).
In fact, even the rabbis of ...
- 16.8k
7
votes
Accepted
Is Hanukkah a holiday or a festival? Is there a difference?
I don't think there's a formal English terminology what people would call "festival" vs. "holiday", but there certainly are distinctions.
The Jewish holidays such as Passover, Sukkot [booths], Rosh ...
- 128k
7
votes
Can we offer Mishloah manot the night of Purim
The Rema quotes the Rosh as saying to do it during the day. The Mishnah Berurah also says this, as does Rav Ovadia.
- 6,888
7
votes
What does Mishneh Torah mean when it says all books of Prophets and Writings will be anuled in the times of the Messiah?
The source for this is Resh Lakish, quoted in yerushalmi megilah 1:5.
R. Qafih explains that Rambam understands that passage to mean that the suffering and troubles recounted in the prophets will ...
- 35.1k
7
votes
How did Haman know Moshe Rabeinu's Yahrzeit but not his Birthday?
The מהרש"א on that Gemara explains that Moshe having died on the 7th of Adar is something which could be worked out from Scriptures, as the Gemara works it out on Kiddushin 38a (it says they wept for ...
- 57.8k
6
votes
Accepted
Parshas Zachor before Purim?
The Gemara derives via drasha an obligation to read zachor. Accordingly they must have said it even before Purim. They specifically started saying it before Purim sometime before the time of the ...
- 35.1k
6
votes
How to make Purim more female friendly?
As a man, I can only tell you what my wife tells me she enjoys about Purim.
My wife enjoys dressing our kids up in costumes that sometimes match a theme with our Shaloch Manos and sometimes are just ...
- 57.8k
6
votes
Is it really kosher to "apply" to become a gentile king's wife?
Esther 2:8 uses the term "Vatilakach" - she was taken. While it doesn't clearly imply "forcibly", there are several hints that this was mandatory.
One is 2:3 that says that the king should gather ...
- 69.5k
6
votes
Accepted
Did Aleppo Jews observe Purim on the 14th (regular) or 15th (Shushan Purim)?
According to Derech Eress, a book on the customs of Aleppo,the Jews used to celebrate 2 days of Purim out of Safek.
ולכן נהגו לעשות פורים
שני ימים, אלא שקוראים את המגילה בלי ברכה: וכן היה מנהג ...
- 1,107
6
votes
Two days, one day, and zero days of Purim?
The Mishna Brurah (688:12) says:
בן עיר שהלך לכרך אם היה דעתו בעת נסיעתו לחזור למקומו בזמן קריאה ר"ל בזמן קריתה של ט"ו דהיינו משהאיר היום לא יהיה שם כי יחזור משם קודם אור היום אף שלבסוף רואה שהוא ...
- 31.6k
6
votes
Accepted
Why did Haman change his mind and decide to immediately hang Mordechai?
Sefer Ginzei Margoliyos in his Ginzei Nistaros on Megilas Esther ponders this and explains as follows. Haman could not control himself until the time of killing all the Jews as he was incensed by ...
- 138k
6
votes
Can we offer Mishloah manot the night of Purim
The time for the mitzvah is tied to the se'udah which is held during the day.
The Ran (Megilla 3b in the pages of the Rif) addresses the issue. Despite the fact that megilla reading varies, the se’...
- 37.1k
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