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<p>From today's OU Kosher Halacha Yomis</p>
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<strong>Q. If I miss one word of the Megillah reading, have I fulfilled my obligation of hearing the Megillah?</strong></td>
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<p>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
<em>pirsumei nisa</em> (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 <span style="text-decoration: underline;">
quietly</span> 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.</p>
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