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MARCH 10, 2022 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
The Great Light of Megillas Esther BY RABBI DANIEL GLATSTEIN
Because
of the importance of the mitzvah of hearing the reading of the Megillah, the Gemara teaches that even if one were engaged in the greatest of all mitzvos — the study of Torah — one would be required to stop learning and go to listen to the Megillah reading. Likewise, the Gemara states that the mitzvah of reading the Megillah supersedes the Avodah in the Beis HaMikdash. Hence, Megillah has precedence over both talmud Torah and Avodah. The Baal HaTurim writes that these halachos, this hierarchy of mitzvah observance, is alluded to in the pesukim. Regarding the bells that were placed at the hem of the Me’il of the Kohen Gadol, the pasuk says, “Its sound shall be heard when he enters the Sanctuary.” The Baal HaTurim comments that the Masoretic note records three instances in Tanach where the word “v’nishmah, shall be heard” appears. One occurrence is in the above pasuk; the second in the pasuk regarding Kabbalas HaTorah, “Everything that Hashem has said, we will do and we will obey”; and last, in the pasuk in Megillas Esther: “Then the king’s decree shall be heard.” These three mentions of the word v’nishmah articulate the primacy of mikra Megillah. When there is a conflict of v’nishmah pitgam ha’melech (i.e., mikra Megillah) and talmud Torah (na’aseh v’nishmah), mikra Megillah has priority. When there is a conflict between mikra Megillah and v’nishmah kolo b’vo’o el ha’kodesh (Avodah), mikra Megillah takes precedence once more – “it is greater.” The Baal HaTurim adds that this remez is uniquely compelling, as “rabba” is the baal ha’meimra, the one who stated in the Gemara the preeminence of mikra Megillah over talmud Torah and Megillah. (However, see our version of the Gemara that reads rava and not rabba.) The comments of the Baal HaTurim are deeply
perplexing. Is it possible that mikra Megillah is greater than talmud Torah and Avodah? Mikra Megillah is Rabbinic in origin, while learning Torah and performing the Avodah are mandated by the Torah. How can a mitzvah mid’Rabbanan be greater than a mid’Oraisa? Granted, we would still stop learning and interrupt the Avodah to perform the mitzvah of mikra Megillah, but that is because we interrupt the study of Torah for the performance of any mitzvah whose time is passing. That doesn’t indicate that the other mitzvah is greater. But the Baal HaTurim says mikra Megillah is greater — rabba — and adif, better. Can that be? Let us digress slightly to focus on another aspect of this Gemara. The wording of the Gemara is of interest. The Gemara says “mevatlin,” a reference to the transgression we refer to as bitul Torah. The Gemara seems to reckon the act of stopping one’s learning to go to hear the Megillah as a sin of bitul Torah. Isn’t reading the Megillah a form of Torah study? Megillas Esther is one of the twenty-four books of Tanach that every talmid chacham must learn and in which he must be proficient. The Megillah is a part of Torah like any other. Why would the Gemara refer to the fulfillment of one of the most beloved mitzvos as “mevatlin Talmud Torah”? This question has been posed and discussed by many of the Torah luminaries of the generations and debated in the hallowed halls of yeshivos, and each answer yields a great gem of Torah insight. We will present a number of approaches.
Rav Shlomo Kluger addresses this question in a number of his sefarim. In the Sefer HaChaim, he offers what he considers a simple and obvious answer. Rav Kluger agrees that reading the Megillah is considered Torah, but there are different levels of learning Torah. The ideal form of Torah study is through rigorous analysis and probing scrutiny. The optimal limud haTorah requires ameilus and yegiah, toil and mental exertion. Thus, relative to the study of Torah in the preferred manner, merely “reading” the Megillah is comparatively bitul Torah. This is the basis for the adage in the yeshiva world, “There is bitul Torah b’kamus, in quantity, and there is bitul Torah b’aichus, in quality.” Reading the Megillah instead of engaging in in-depth Torah study is considered qualitative bitul Torah. This notion is one that poses a challenge to every individual, as we can never allow our study of Torah to be more superficial than we are capable of, as that would place our learning in the undesirable category of bitul Torah.
The Approach of the Aruch HaShulchan
An Alternative Approach of Rav Shlomo Kluger
The Aruch HaShulchan explains that certainly the reading of the Megillah constitutes Torah study. However, it takes time until everyone reaches the beis haknesses, and until all are gathered
In Chochmas Shlomo, Rav Kluger advances an extremely original chiddush. Certainly, reading the Megillah is a fulfillment of talmud Torah. However, one is not halachically able to fulfill two distinct
there. All that downtime is considered bitul Torah. Therefore, Chazal must legislate a special dispensation to be “matir” this bitul Torah for the sake of mikra Megillah. Although one may have overlooked that stretch of time and considered it inconsequential, we learn from the Aruch HaShulchan the significance of even a brief period of time. Allowing even a few moments to slip away is considered bitul Torah.
The Approach of Rav Shlomo Kluger
