**Purim Schedule with Rabbi Mansour**
Saturday Evening, March 3rd- Motzae Shabbat/ Purim Night
All on the basement level of Har HaLebanon
Minha Shabbat 5:15 PM
Seudat Shelishi 5:45 PM
Rabbi Mansour’s Lecture 6:00 PM
Arbit 6:45 PM
Megilah 7:10 PM
Purim Party 10:00 PM (Men Only)
Sunday, March 4th- Purim Day
All on the basement level of Har HaLebanon
Daf Yomi 7:00 AM
Shacharit 8:00 AM
Megilat Esther 8:30 AM
Seudah following Shacharit
Minha Gedolah 1:00 PM
Today’s Halacha….
May one handle a Megilat Ester on Shabbat, or does it have the status of Muktzeh, and is thus forbidden to be handled?
The Peri Chadash (Halachic work by Rabbi Chizkiya Da Silva, 1659-1698) writes (688:6) explicitly that a Megila is considered Muktzeh and may not be handled on Shabbat. The work "Mateh Yehuda" explains this ruling on the basis of the Rabbis' decree forbidding reading the Megila when Purim falls on Shabbat. Given the concern that one may mistakenly carry the Megila through a public domain in violation of Shabbat, the Sages enacted a prohibition against reading the Megila when Purim falls on Shabbat. Once the Sages enacted this provision, the Megila obtains the status of Muktzeh and may not be handled on Shabbat.
It emerges from this explanation that a Megila is considered Muktzeh only in the specific situation when Purim falls on Shabbat. On all other Shabbatot, there is no prohibition against reading from a Megila, and thus a Megila does not obtain the status of Muktzeh.
Now the Jewish calendar is arranged in such a way that the fourteenth of Adar, when Purim is celebrated in most areas, can never fall on Shabbat. Purim can fall on Shabbat only in the city of Jerusalem, where Purim is observed on the fifteenth of Adar, which does occasionally fall on Shabbat. Hence, the Peri Chadash's ruling forbidding the handling of a Megila on Shabbat applies only to people in Jerusalem when the fifteenth of Adar falls on Shabbat. In all other situations, including when Purim falls on Motza'ei Shabbat, a Megila is not Muktzeh and may be handled and read from on Shabbat. Of course, one may not carry a Megila through a public domain on Shabbat, and therefore when Purim falls on Motza'ei Shabbat one must bring the Megila to the synagogue before Shabbat.
Summary: Generally speaking, a Megila is not considered Muktzeh on Shabbat, and it is therefore permissible to handle and read from a Megilat Ester on Shabbat. The exception to this rule is a case when Purim falls on Shabbat, which can occur only in Jerusalem, where Purim is observed on the fifteenth of Adar.
