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Text Excerpt
מגילה נקראת באחד עשר, בשנים עשר, בשלשה עשר, בארבעה עשר, בחמשה עשר. לא פחות, ולא יותר. כרכין המוקפין חומה מימות יהושע בן נון — קורין בחמשה עשר, כפרים ועיירות גדולות — קורין בארבעה עשר, אלא שהכפרים מקדימין ליום הכניסה.
Mishnah: The Megilla is read on the 11th, on the 12th, on the 13th, on the 14th, or on the 15th of the month of Adar, not earlier and not later. The Mishnah explains the circumstances when the Megilla is read on each of these days. Cities [kerakin] that have been surrounded by a wall since the days of Joshua, son of Nun, read the Megilla on the 15th of Adar, whereas villages and large towns that have not been walled since the days of Joshua, son of Nun, read it on the 14th. However, the rabbis instituted that the villages may advance their reading to the day of assembly, i.e., Monday or Thursday, when the rabbinical courts are in session and the Torah is read publicly, and the villagers therefore come to the larger towns.
כיצד: חל להיות ארבעה עשר בשני — כפרים ועיירות גדולות קורין בו ביום, ומוקפות חומה למחר. חל להיות בשלישי או ברביעי — כפרים מקדימין ליום הכניסה, ועיירות גדולות קורין בו ביום, ומוקפות חומה למחר.
How so? If the 14th of Adar occurs on Monday, the villages and large towns read it on that day, and the walled cities read it on the next day, the 15th. If the 14th occurs on Tuesday or Wednesday, the villages advance their reading to the day of assembly, i.e., Monday, the 12th or 13th of Adar; the large towns read it on that day, i.e., the 14th of Adar, and the walled cities read it on the next day, the 15th.
חל להיות בחמישי — כפרים ועיירות גדולות קורין בו ביום, ומוקפות חומה למחר. חל להיות ערב שבת — כפרים מקדימין ליום הכניסה, ועיירות גדולות ומוקפות חומה קורין בו ביום.
If the 14th occurs on Thursday, the villages and large towns read it on that day, the 14th, and the walled cities read it on the next day, the 15th. If the 14th occurs on Friday, the villages advance their reading to the day of assembly, i.e., Thursday, the 13th of Adar; and the large towns and the walled cities read it on that day, i.e., the 14th of Adar. Even the walled cities read the Megilla on the 14th rather than on the 15th, as they do not read it on Shabbat.
Text data via Sefaria: William Davidson Edition - English and William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic, CC-BY-NC; edition provenance: Koren. Display terminology has been modernized for readability.