DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Halacha is In Memory of
 Sarah bat Helen
"Who didn't love your beautiful smile? We will always love you mom"

Dedicated By
Her family

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
      
(File size: 612 KB)
Purim – The Writing of the Names of Haman’s Sons in the Megilla

Halacha requires that the verses which list the names of Haman’s ten sons should occupy an entire column of the Megila; these names must appear on a separate column, without any other text. It is therefore common to write the names in especially large script, as otherwise, there would be blank space, which, according to some opinions, would disqualify the Megilla (as it would constitute an unwarranted paragraph break).

The Vilna Gaon (Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna, 1720-1797), however, noted that there is no established tradition that the letters of the names of Haman’s sons should be written in large script. We have such a tradition regarding a number of other letters in the Megilla, such as the "Tav" in "Va’tichtov" and the "Vav" in "Vayezata," but there is no tradition regarding the names of the ten sons of Haman. Therefore, the Gaon maintained that the entire Megila should be written with only eleven lines in every column, so that the column with the names of Haman’s sons will be the same size as all the other columns of the Megilla, and they could be written in normal-sized script.

Most Megillot that are written and used today are not written in accordance with the Gaon’s view. Nevertheless, those who are looking to purchase a Megilla should be aware that there is a Hiddur (means of enhancing the Misva) to have the entire Megilla written with only eleven lines in each column, to satisfy this opinion of the Vilna Gaon.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Borer: Selecting from a Mixture of Different Types of Fish on Shabbat
Peeling Garlic, Onions, Bananas, Hard Boiled Eggs, Oranges, Grapefruits, Mango, Apples, Cucumbers, Carrots, Chicken with Skin on Shabbat
Borer: Is It Permissible to Select for Other People?
Borer: If One Selected on Shabbat by Mistake
Borer: Selecting When the Undesired Food is Edible
Borer: How to Remove the Waste from a Food?
Borer: Selecting When the Undesired Food is Edible
Borer – Is it Permissible to Remove Bones From Fish on Shabbat?
Selecting and Removing Undesirable Grapes From a Cluster on Shabbat
Borer- Does Retrieving or Selecting Apply To The Majority or Minority of Foods
If Someone Violated the Prohibition of Selecting and Laundering on Shabbat
Is It Permissible To Cover a Pot of Fully Cooked Foods Containing Bones?
If One Mistakenly Covered a Pot of Uncooked Food on the Blech
Stirring & Serving Cooked Food Directly From a Blech on Shabbat
Warming Food on a Blech or Hotplate on Shabbat
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found