QUESTION

Chicago, IL

Purim: Many of us learned last year that megillah can be heard via telephone or Zoom. Can it be read by someone who is also fulfilling his mitzvah, in part, over telephone or zoom? In other words, can three people divide up the megillah, each of them reading 1/3 of the megillah from a klaf, and each of them hearing 2/3 of the megillah over the phone.

In contrast, last year, the telephone broadcasting megillah was in the room where the megillah was read and everyone who read was in the room to hear the entire megillah as it was read.

ANSWER

I can’t see why it should make a difference. If it counts because it is considered to be a sufficient שמיע than you have the same שומע כעונה. If the person listening to the first 1/3 is yotzei the first 1/3, then why shouldn’t he be able to continue and read the second 1/3rd and so on?

Here, by the way, is my teshuva on the topic.