2021/5781
Rav Nachman says “Kriata Zo Halila” (Megillah 14a), a very cryptic phrase that I would like to try and define. The Mechaber writes that in a place where there is no Minyan, one must read the Megillah on his own, unless one does not know how to (Shulchan Aruch O.C. Siman 689). The Magen Avraham learns from this Halachah that without ten men, one cannot be Motzi another. A question that is raised is, Why do we need 10 men to be Motzi other people who know how to read the Megillah? Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik explains this law in light of Kriata Zo Halila. Since the Megillah is a form of tefillah, one person cannot be Motzi many people when there is no Minyan. Adding to this, the Gra writes that we see in the Gemara (Sotah 30b) that we read Pesukim of the Shirah out loud. So too, the 4 Pesukim of Ge’ulah in the Megillah we read aloud because the Megillah has the status of Hallel, and when the congregation reads these 4 Pesukim aloud they are responding to the Shliach Tzibbur’s “Hallel.” This is similar to what happened after Keriat Yam Suf, where Bnei Yisrael broke out into responsive songs. The Rama writes that when reading Hallel, it is preferable to have three men, because this way one can lead and the others can respond. For this reason, the Rosh (Pesachim 1:10) writes that we make the bracha “Likro Et HaHallel” and not “Al Keriat” because the language of “Le…” implies there is a pause in the middle of reading, i.e the place where the congregation responds to the leader. Thus, we see from the way the Megillah is read (specifically these 4 Pesukim) that its status as a Shirah plays a significant Halachic role in its recitation. It should be noted that another aspect of reading these 4 Pesukim out loud is to excite and engage the children and to have them increase in the Simchah. Furthermore, Rashi on the Gemara in Sukkah writes that there is no Din of a responsive Hallel and the reason why we do say it responsively is because it is Zeicheir LeMinhag HaRishon.
One may be able to explain the Magen Avraham, not as we did above, but possibly in a more Tefillahcentralized manner.Rebbi Yehoshua Ben Levisays that we read the Megillah by day and night, as it says, “Elokai Ekra Yomam VeLo Taaneh VeLailah VeLo Dumyah Li” (Tehillim 22:3). This Pasuk teaches that we must call out to Hashem at night and during the day. Just like Mordechai and Esther were fasting and davening day and night and were redeemed, so too we read the Megillah as a form of Tefillah in hopes of also getting redeemed. The Rav bases the repetition of the Megillah on the Gemara (Brachot 32b), which teaches that one who was not “moved” by his Tefillah must repeat. The basis for repeating a Tefillah is “Kaveih El Hashem Chazak VeYa’ameitz Libecha VeKaveih El Hashem” (Psalms 27:14). Rashi explains that this verse teaches we shouldn’t Daven and then stop, rather we should Daven and then Daven again to intensify the hope and Chizuk we get from our Tefillah. Thus, we see that Megillah has an aspect of a Tefillah and Tzaakah to it, something which should ideally be done with 10 men. All in all, whether it be because of “Kriata Zo Halila” or a Din in Tefillah, it seems clear that one should ideally read the Megillah with ten men.