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Megillah 30a

מגילה ל׳ ע״א

Learn Megillah 30a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Megillah 30a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

The four special שבתות (שקלים, זכור, פרה, החדש): how they are read and which שבת each one falls on

Overview

This amud deals with the four special שבתות before פסח: שקלים, זכור, פרה, and החדש. It opens by finishing the debate about how to read שקלים when the weekly פרשה is next to it. רבי יצחק נפחא has the seventh reader simply continue into שקלים, while אביי has him go back and repeat it so it stands out. A ברייתא saying 'read it and repeat it' first seems to help אביי, but the גמרא explains that 'repeat' can mean reading it on two separate שבתות. When שקלים falls on כי תשא itself, אביי's plan of reading the whole פרשה and then repeating שקלים is supported by a ברייתא. Next, רב and שמואל argue about when ראש חודש אדר, or פורים, falls on Friday: רב moves שקלים or זכור to the earlier שבת, and שמואל pushes it to the next day. Each proof brought for רב is pushed away, and their dispute is matched to an older dispute between תנאים. The גמרא then defines the third שבת, פרה, and ends with a ברייתא listing all four readings with their הפטרות.

Opening lines

אָמְרִי: אוֹקוֹמֵי הוּא

People will say: it is just stopping

דְּקָא מוֹקְמִי הָתָם.

that they are stopping there.

אֶלָּא אָמַר אַבָּיֵי:

Rather, Abaye said:

קָרוּ שִׁיתָּא מִ״וְּאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה״

six people read from "And you shall command"

The steps (39)

  1. ChallengePeople will think the reading just continued and stopped there
  2. Statementאביי's plan: read through, then repeat שקלים
  3. ChallengeA ברייתא says we read שקלים and repeat it
  4. ChallengeThe ברייתא fits אביי but is hard for רבי יצחק נפחא
  5. Challengeרבי יצחק נפחא turns the question back on אביי
  6. ResolutionRepeating means reading it on two different weeks
  7. StatementWhen שקלים falls on the שבת of כי תשא itself
  8. Challengeאביי objects: it looks like reading backwards
  9. Statementאביי's ruling: read the whole פרשה, then repeat שקלים
  10. ProofA ברייתא supports אביי
  11. StatementQuoting the משנה: a ראש חודש in the middle of the week
  12. Statementרב and שמואל disagree about a ראש חודש on Friday
  13. Statementרב's reason: there must be enough days before the tables
  14. Resolutionשמואל's reason: the tables will not go out until Sunday
  15. ProofTrying to prove רב from the משנה
  16. RejectionThe משנה means only the true middle of the week
  17. ProofA ברייתא seems to prove רב's view
  18. Rejectionשמואל changes the wording of the ברייתא
  19. StatementThe dispute matches an older dispute between תנאים
  20. Statementרבי שמעון בן אלעזר limits his view to the Friday case
  21. StatementNew dispute: פרשת זכור when פורים falls on Friday
  22. Statementרב's reason: remember before you celebrate
  23. Statementשמואל's reason: in walled cities they come together anyway
  24. ProofProof for רב from the משנה's 'second שבת'
  25. Rejectionרב פפא: 'second' means second after the break
  26. ProofProof for רב from a ברייתא: 'even on Friday'
  27. Rejectionשמואל corrects the ברייתא's wording
  28. Statementפורים on שבת itself: everyone agrees, no early reading
  29. Statementרב נחמן: the dispute still applies
  30. ProofA statement of רב supports רב נחמן
  31. StatementThe third שבת: right after פורים
  32. Statementרבי חמא ברבי חנינא: the שבת right before ראש חודש ניסן
  33. ResolutionNo real dispute: two different calendar cases
  34. StatementThe fourth reading, and ראש חודש אדר on שבת
  35. StatementWhich is the first שבת
  36. StatementThe second שבת: זכור and its הפטרה
  37. StatementThe third reading is פרה with the הפטרה of וזרקתי
  38. StatementWhich שבת is the third one
  39. StatementThe fourth reading is החדש with a הפטרה from יחזקאל