Commentary for Megillah 3:6
בַּחֲנֻכָּה, בַּנְּשִׂיאִים (שם ז). בְּפוּרִים, וַיָּבֹא עֲמָלֵק (שמות יז). בְּרָאשֵׁי חֳדָשִׁים, וּבְרָאשֵׁי חָדְשֵׁיכֶם (במדבר כח). בַּמַּעֲמָדוֹת, בְּמַעֲשֵׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית (בראשית א). בַּתַּעֲנִיּוֹת, בְּרָכוֹת וּקְלָלוֹת (ויקרא כו). אֵין מַפְסִיקִין בַּקְּלָלוֹת, אֶלָּא אֶחָד קוֹרֵא אֶת כֻּלָּן. בַּשֵּׁנִי וּבַחֲמִישִׁי וּבְשַׁבָּת בַּמִּנְחָה, קוֹרִין כְּסִדְרָן, וְאֵין עוֹלִין לָהֶם מִן הַחֶשְׁבּוֹן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא כג), וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֶת מֹעֲדֵי יְיָ אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִצְוָתָן שֶׁיְּהוּ קוֹרִין כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד בִּזְמַנּוֹ:
On Channukah we read in the Nesi'im (the chiefs of the tribes) (Numbers 7). On Purim: "And Amalek came" (Exodus 17:8). On Rosh Chodesh: "And in the beginnings of your months" (Numbers 28:11). On the (convening of) the ma'amadoth (see Ta'anith 4:2) the reading is in the (account of the) creation, [heaven and earth "standing" on the offerings. The order of the readings is given in Ta'anith 4:3.] On fast days, we read in the blessings and the curses. ["If in My statutes, etc." (Leviticus 26:3) to impress upon them that troubles come to the world as a result of sin, so that they repent to escape them.] No break is made in (the reading of) the curses, but one (reader) reads all of them. On Monday, Thursday, and the minchah of Shabbath we read in the sidrah [of the week], and it is not "credited" to the (full) amount [i.e., when Shabbath arrives, they read again what they read on those days] — as it is written [This refers to the entire Mishnah, the source of the mitzvah for reading about the festival on the day of the festival] (Leviticus 23:44): "And Moses declared the appointed times of the L-rd to the children of Israel" — It is a mitzvah to read of each in its (appointed) time.
Bartenura on Mishnah Megillah
English Explanation of Mishnah Megillah
On Purim, “And Amalek came” (Exodus 17:8).
On Rosh Hodesh, “And on the first of your months” (Numbers 28:11).
On Maamadot, the account of the creation (Genesis 1:1-2:3).
On fast days, the blessings and curses (Leviticus 26:3 ff and Deuteronomy 28). They do not interrupt while reading the curses, but rather one reads them all.
On Monday and Thursday and on Shabbat at minhah they read according to the regular order and this does not count as part of the reading [for the succeeding Shabbat].
As it says, “And Moshe declared to the children of Israel the appointed seasons of the Lord” (Leviticus 23:44) it is their mitzvah that each should be read in its appropriate time.
The final mishnah of our chapter details what sections are read on non-Toraitic holidays or events. Since there are no passages in the Torah about these days, the sages had to find other passages whose themes they deemed appropriate.
The mishnah concludes with a midrash explaining why it is that we read from passages in the Torah appropriate to the holiday.
Section one: Hannukah literally means “dedication” and refers to the dedication of the Temple after its restoration in the time of the Maccabees. The portion in the Torah read on Hannukah is a list of the gifts brought by the princes of each tribe at the dedication of the Mishkah, the tabernacle.
Section two: On Purim we read about Amalek because Haman was, according to the rabbis, from Amalek.
Section four: On Ma’amadot people would gather in the Temple or in their own cities while their local kohanim took there turn at service in the Temple. See Taanit 4:2-3.
Section five: The curses (called today the “tochekhah” or rebuke) are read on fast days as a warning to people that they must repent. When reading the curses we don’t interrupt, making them into two or more aliyot rather they are all read by the same person. This is still the custom today, making one of the aliyot in Ki Tavo the longest aliyah of the year.
Section six: Besides Shabbat morning, the Torah is also read on Mondays, Thursdays and Shabbat at minhah (the afternoon service). These readings go according to the regular cycle but they don’t count toward the regular progression. This means that the same portion that is read at all three occasions and then again on Shabbat. We only move forward on Shabbat.
Section seven: The chapter ends with a midrash on Leviticus 23:44. The verse states that Moshe told the holidays to the people of Israel, but this verse is superfluous Moshe taught all of the commandments to the people. Therefore the midrash teaches that not only did Moshe teach the holidays, but he taught each one at the time that it fell. By his example we learn that on all holidays we read the Torah portion relevant to that holiday.