All [including women] are fit to read the Megillah, except a deaf-mute [(This Mishnah is in accordance with R. Yossi, who says that if one reads and does not "make it heard" to his ears, he has not fulfilled his obligation)], an imbecile, and a minor. R. Yehudah rules it to be fit with a minor. [The halachah is not in accordance with R. Yehudah.] The Megillah is not read, circumcision is not performed, (ritual) immersion is not performed, sprinkling is not performed, and also a woman who observes "day against day" does not immerse until sunrise. And all of them, if they did so at dawn, it is kasher. [("The Megillah is not read":) For one must read the Megillah at night and repeat it in the daytime. And the reading of the daytime is only after sunrise, viz. (Esther 9:28): "And these days are commemorated and celebrated." ("circumcision is not performed":), viz. (Leviticus 12:3): "And on the eighth day he shall circumcise." ("immersion and sprinkling are not performed":) it being written in respect to sprinkling (Numbers 19:19): "And the clean one shall sprinkle on the unclean one on the third day and on the seventh day," and immersion is likened to sprinkling. It is only when he immerses on the seventh day that he must immerse only in the daytime, and we do not say that he may immerse when it gets dark on the night of the seventh, even though the night is the beginning of the day. But after the seventh day has passed, it is permitted to immerse at night. ("a woman who observes 'day against day'":) during the eleven days between one niddah state and the next. If she sees blood on one of those days, she observes the next day (in cleanliness) and immerses that day itself at sunrise. ("if they did so at dawn, it is kasher:") For when the day dawns, it is called "day," viz. (Nechemiah 4:15): "And we did the work … from the dawn until the stars appeared," followed by (Ibid. 16): "…and the night for us was guarding, and the day, work." They said "until sunrise" only to insure that it was not night, for not all are expert in discriminating dawn.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Megillah
הכל כשרים לקרות את המגילה – [the word] "הכל"/”everyone” – includes women.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Megillah
Introduction
The first section of the mishnah deals with who is qualified to read the Megillah. The second section deals with when it can be read.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Megillah
חוץ מחרש – Our Mishnah [is according to] Rabbi Yosi, who said (Mishnah Berakhot, 2:3): He who recites the Shema inaudibly to himself, he has not fulfilled [his religious obligation].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Megillah
All are qualified to read the Megillah except a deaf person, an idiot and a minor. Rabbi Judah qualifies a minor. Deaf people, idiots (this refers either to one who is mentally retarded or an insane person) and minors are generally not obligated to perform the commandments. As we have mentioned on several occasions, in those days they had no way to communicate with the deaf and little understanding of the insane or retarded. Hence these people were mostly cut off from participating in society. Minors are too young to understand the meaning of the commandments and hence are not obligated. Since these people are not obligated, they cannot perform the commandment for others. This was stated also in Rosh Hashanah 3:8, at the end of that mishnah. Rabbi Judah says that a minor is qualified.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Megillah
ר"י מכשיר בקטן – But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Megillah
They do not read the Megillah, nor circumcise, nor go to the mikveh, nor sprinkling [purificatory waters], and similarly a woman keeping day for day should not take a ritual bath until the sun has risen. But if any of these things is done after dawn, it is valid. The main reading of the Megillah takes place during the day. The Mishnah teaches that during the day means after the sun has risen. This is also the time for other mitzvoth that need to take place during the day. “Sprinkling” refers to the water mixed with the ashes of the red heifer. “A woman keeping a day for a day” refers to a woman who was impure do to non-menstrual genital discharge. She is impure a day for every day on which she has a discharge. All of these things should be done after the sun has risen. However, if someone did them after dawn, meaning when the sky begins to become light, the actions are still valid, at least ex post facto.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Megillah
אין קורין את המגילה – for a person is required/liable to read the Megillah at night and go back to read it [again] during the day. But the reading of the day time should not be until than after sunrise, as it is written (Esther 9:28): “Consequently, these days are recalled and observed in every generation...”
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Bartenura on Mishnah Megillah
ולא מלין – as it is written (Leviticus 12:3): “On the eighth day [the flesh of his foreskin] shall be circumcised.”
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Bartenura on Mishnah Megillah
ולא טובלין ולא מזין – as it is written concerning sprinkling (Numbers 19:19): “The pure person shall sprinkle it upon the impure person on the third day and on the seventh day, [thus purifying him on the seventh day….].” And [the Rabbis] made an analogy between (two laws which rest of a biblical intimation or a principle common to both)/היקש – immersion in a ritual bath to sprinkling., and specifically when he immerses [in the Mikveh] on the seventh day, we say that from when it becomes night at the beginning of the seventh day, it is appropriate to immerse [in the Mikveh], and even though that nighttime is the beginning of the “day,” but once the seventh day has passed, it is permissible to to immerse [in the Mikveh] at night.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Megillah
שומרת יום כנגד יום – On the eleven days between menstruating cycles. If she saw [blood] one day, she keeps [i.e., “counts”] the day afterwards and immerses on that selfsame day once the sun rises.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Megillah
משעלה עמוד השחר כשר – for once the crack of dawn arrives, it is called “daytime,” as it is written in the book of Ezra (actually, Nehemiah 4:15): “And so we worked on, [while half were holding lances,] from the break of day until the stars appeared.” And it is written after this (verse 16): “…that we may use the night to stand guard and the day to work.” But, they did not say, “until sunrise,” rather in order to leave from the doubt of night, since not all are expert in when the crack of dawn occurs.
