[Avodah] Missing Hearing a Word of the Megillah

[Professor L. Levine]

>From today's OU Kosher Halacha Yomis


Q. If I miss one word of the Megillah reading, have I fulfilled my obligation of hearing the Megillah?


A. The Mishnah Berurah (O.C. 690:48) writes that if one misses a single word, the obligation of reading the Megillah was not fulfilled. There may be a difference between men and women in this regard. The Rama (O.C. 689:2), based on Tosfos (Megillah 4a), writes that a woman's obligation of Megillah is to "hear" the Megillah, not to read it. Mo'adim U'zmanim (2:170, quoting the Leket Yosher) extrapolates from this that a woman's requirement is one of pirsumei nisa (publicizing the miracle). Therefore, should she miss a word during the reading of the Megillah, she has still fulfilled her obligation. However, the Mishnah Berurah (O.C. 689:1) indicates that women do need to hear every single word. Therefore, it is advisable that everyone follow along quietly with a Chumash, so if one misses a word or two, they can quickly read the missing words and then continue hearing from the Ba'al Korei.


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