R’ Yitzchok Yosef recently discussed a very interesting shailah in his weekly shiur, he was asked: יש מקומות בעזה לפניי ולפנים, שאי אפשר לקרוא את המגילה בלילה, כי אם ידליקו חשמל יזהו אותם, ויש חשש שלא יחטפו או יהרגו אותם. When the 15th of Adar falls on Shabbos, ideally the Megillah should be read on Shabbos. However, Rabbah was worried that people may end up carrying the Megillah in the public domain four amos, and they will end up violating Shabbos, therefore, he enacted that in such a case, Megillah should not be read.
זה ממש פיקוח נפש. יש להם נרות או פנסים קטנים שהולכים איתם, אבל לא יכולים לקרוא את המגילה לאורם במשך 35 דקות ורוצים להקדים לקרוא את המגילה מפלג המנחה, האם אפשר להתיר להם – “There are places deep inside Azah, where it’s impossible to read Megillah at night. If they turn on any lights, they will give away their location, and there is a high chance they will be kidnapped or killed - it’s a life-threatening situation. They have candles and small torches which they carry, however, they can’t leave them lit for 35 minutes whilst reading Megillah. The soldiers want to know if they can read Megillah early from plag hamincha, is there a heter?”.
There are two major shailos involved in the above, 1) Is it ok to read Megillah early, from plag hamincha and on? 2) If the Megillah is read early, it will be read on Shabbos, and we mentioned above that there may be a gezeirah d’Rabbah?
In regard to the first shailah, the Beis Yosef (687) brings that under pressing circumstances, Megillah can be read from plag hamincha. The Terumas HaDeshen (109) also writes, that if one is under pressing circumstances, he may hear Megillah from plag hamincha and on.
The situation described above, certainly qualifies as a pressing circumstance, therefore, it would be ok to read Megillah early. However, what about the second shailah?
The Gezeirah D’Rabbah Was Only Said in the Day
R’ Yitzchok Yosef brings what we mentioned above about gezeirah d’Rabbah when the 13th of Adar falls on Shabbos, and adds a few more mareh makomos:
He cites the Netziv (Emek Shailah, Vayekhel, She’iltah 67, ois 21) who argues on the Magen Avraham and says that the gezeirah d’Rabbah (of worrying people will carry four amos in the public domain) only applies during the day, and not at night, as at night people don’t go out so much. Like we find that there is no gezeirah d’Rabbah on eating matzah and maror on seder night when Pesach falls on Shabbos.
The Ohel Mo’ed says similar, that the chiyuv Megillah at night is only a chiyuv derabonon, and on derabonon’s Rabbah never made a gezeirah.
However, the Sha’ar HaMelech (Hilchos Lulav 2:6) says that just the opposite, at night there is more room to make a gezeirah as there are less people around on the streets, and it’s more likely for one to come and make a mistake.
The Boy Who Turned Bar Mitzvah on the 15th of Adar Which Fell on Shabbos
HaGaon R’ Akiva Yosef Schlesinger (cited in Ohel Yehoshua pg. 405, see also Shevet HaLevi 5:83) quotes a fascinating pesak from the Maharil Diskin. There was a boy who turned bar mitzvah on Shabbos which was the 15th of Adar, and the Maharil Diskin paskened that he should read Megillah with a minyan on Shabbos. What is with the gezeirah d’Rabbah? The gezeirah was only ever said on an entire tzibbur and not an individual’s (like the Ran says by bris milah). He also writes that this was the pesak of R’ Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld.
We spoke at great length about this last year. We mentioned a fascinating Teshuvah from the Yabia Omer (Orach Chaim, 1:43) who was asked: ירושלים אדר תש"ז לפ"ק. נשאלתי בהיות שממשלת המנדט של בריטניה הטילה עלינו פה עיה"ק ירושלים ת"ו עוצר חמור מערב עד בוקר והמפר את העוצר ירה יירה. אם אפשר לקרוא את המגילה בציבור מבעוד יום אחר פלג המנחה או אין לקראה אלא בלילה אע"פ שהוא ביחידות – “In Yerusholayim 5707, I was asked: Being as the British mandate has imposed strict curfews lasting from evening until morning, and woe betide one he doesn’t listen, is it ok to read Megillah with a tzibbur whilst it is still day (from after plag hamincha), or should it only be read at night, even if it can only be read without a tzibbur?”. He concludes that under pressing circumstances it’s ok, like we mentioned from the Beis Yosef, and Terumas HaDeshen. He also adds, various other Rishonim which are lenient.
R’ Yitzchok Yosef said, when he was originally asked the shailah about soldiers in Azah reading early, he said he would need to look into what the poskim say first. However, in his shiur he said, “Now I have looked into the poskim and I see that the Chasam Sofer, Netziv and Maharil Diskin all hold there is no gezeirah d’Rabbah and at times of need such as a war, we can certainly rely on them. Although we are talking about 100’s and 1000’s of soldiers, the gezeirah of Rabbah was only said on an entire tzibbur and not on yechidim, and although there are a lot of soldiers, they are still not considered a tzibbur. Therefore, halachah lemaseh, in Azah Megillah may be read from plag hamincha on Shabbos, if there is a need, however, they shouldn’t recite a berachah as sofek berachos l’hokel [when there is a doubt in Hilchos Berachos, we rule leniently and say not to make a berachah].
