Megillah 17 - December 29, 25 Tevet

Study Guide Megillah 17

Today's daf is sponsored by Laura Shechter in loving memory of her dear friend, Daniel Maurice, Moshe ben Shmuel v'Sarah, on the occasion of his 2nd yahrzeit. “Daniel would have turned 40 last week; despite his short years on this earth, he brought so much good to the world. Daniel, your memory continues to be a light to all who were blessed to know you.”

Today’s daf is sponsored by Joakim Isaacs for a refuah shleima to Shulamit Tzivia bat Raizel. 

Today’s daf is sponsored by Yael Klempner on behalf of her husband, Moshe, on their 30th wedding anniversary. “His love of learning Gemara is a continued inspiration to me.”

Talmud Torah is more important than respecting one's parents - this is learned from Yaakov who spent 14 years in the Yeshiva of Eiver and wasn't with his parents. How do we know that he spent 14 years there? The Gemara goes through all the years of Yaakov's life and realizes that 14 years are missing and those must have been spent in the Yeshiva of Eiver. Can one read the Megillah backward? Can it be read in any language? On what can it be written and with what type of ink? It can only be read in its proper order. From where is that derived? Hallel, Shema, and Shmone Esreh cannot be recited backward. From where is each one derived? Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi and the rabbis disagree about whether Shema can be recited in any language. Do we say that Shema means to hear and therefore one must understand or do we derive from "and these should be" exactly as they are written, in Hebrew. According to each of them, if Shema has a special drasha to teach this, what does it indicate about the rest of the Torah? Would he who holds that Shema can be said in any language also hold that the Torah can be said only in Hebrew and vice-versa? Shmone Esreh must be said it its proper order. From where do we learn the order of each of the blessings in Shmone Esreh?