Megilla Archives | Rosh Yeshiva Responds

26 02, 2021

Repeating Berakhot for Megillah if Interrupted for a Medical Call

February 26th, 2021|Berakhot, Orach Chayim, Purim|

QUESTION

Canada

If a ba’al korei gets an important call mid-megillah that they can’t ignore, can they continue the megillah from when the call came in or do they need to repeat the megillah? Should they repeat the berakhot?

ANSWER

The general halakha is that even a large interruption – כדי לגמור את כולה – is bedieved okay in the case of megillah (and pretty much everything else) – see Shulchan Arukh OC 690:5 and Rema. However, as Mishnah Berurah 690:18 points out, we find in Hilkhot Keriat Shema (Shulchan Arukh OC 65:1) that if the interruption was מחמת אונס, due to something out of your control, you do have to go

8 02, 2021

Megillah Over Zoom

February 8th, 2021|Orach Chayim, Purim|

QUESTION

Can you please share your thoughts on megillah reading over Zoom and associated issues. Specifically:

Is one yotzei the mitzvah if they hear it read over Zoom? Must they follow, read along, and recite every word from a chumash? While there is no requirement for a minyan for keriat HaMegillah, do considerations of hearing it over Zoom change if there is a minyan present at the place of the reading?
Do all readers have to be physically present in the same place or could some read via Zoom from their home?
If readers reading remotely is

7 02, 2021

Rolling Out a Megillah for Reading and Preparing on Shabbat for Megillah Reading

February 7th, 2021|Orach Chayim, Prohibitions, Purim|

QUESTION

Maryland, USA

Wondering if we can roll out the entire Megillah across two tables, instead of folding it igeret style. We have multiple readers for each of the readings, and this would minimize contact and allow us only to have one person at the table (as opposed to having others helping to hold the klaf – especially for the women’s reading). I am wondering if it is ok to have it pre-rolled out like this? Also, can we practice the Shabbat before (after davening) with an actual megillah? (Is there a muktzeh she’eilah?) Shabbat is really the only time

30 01, 2021

Listening to a Recording of Keriat Megillah

January 30th, 2021|Orach Chayim, Purim|

QUESTION

New York, NY

Regarding megillah reading, for those who cannot hear it in person, and don’t have Zoom access, would it be possible to listen to a recording of someone leining megillah?

ANSWER

Not a recording of the reading, since it has to be hearing the reading itself. They could, however, listen to live audio. See here, where it is quite clear that the pesak that it is considered a person’s voice is based on the immediacy of hearing it.

24 01, 2021

Keriat Megillah With Multiple Klafim

January 24th, 2021|Orach Chayim, Purim|

QUESTION

Baltimore, MD

Rebbe, thank you for the thorough answers to my many keriat HaMegillah questions. The possibility of a Zoomer being shown a klaf over Zoom is quite intriguing and would be a huge deal for us, as we have folks (women in particular) for whom reading megillah is a major point of engagement and who are not able to attend outdoor services for different reasons. They do not own their own klaf, but the possibility of allowing them to participate would be a very big deal for them personally and for our shul to be

20 12, 2020

Dividing Up Megillat Esther When Reading by Zoom

December 20th, 2020|Orach Chayim, Purim|

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

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