Halakhah for Megillah 2:5

כָּל הַיּוֹם כָּשֵׁר לִקְרִיאַת הַמְּגִלָּה, וְלִקְרִיאַת הַהַלֵּל, וְלִתְקִיעַת שׁוֹפָר, וְלִנְטִילַת לוּלָב, וְלִתְפִלַּת הַמּוּסָפִין, וְלַמּוּסָפִין, וּלְוִדּוּי הַפָּרִים, וּלְוִדּוּי הַמַּעֲשֵׂר, וּלְוִדּוּי יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, לַסְּמִיכָה, לַשְּׁחִיטָה, לַתְּנוּפָה, לַהַגָּשָׁה, לַקְּמִיצָה וְלַהַקְטָרָה, לַמְּלִיקָה, וְלַקַּבָּלָה, וְלַהַזָּיָה, וּלְהַשְׁקָיַת סוֹטָה, וְלַעֲרִיפַת הָעֶגְלָה, וּלְטַהֲרַת הַמְּצֹרָע:

The entire day (i.e., the daytime) is kasher for: the reading of the Megillah, the reciting of Hallel, the blowing of the shofar, the taking of the lulav, the reciting of the mussaf prayer, the mussaf offering, the confession over the bullocks [the bullock of the anointed high-priest and the bullock of forgetfulness of the congregation, over which confession is made for the sins for which they are brought, the tithe-confession [(Deuteronomy 26:13): "I have removed the holy things from the house, etc."], the confession of Yom Kippur, placing of the hands (s'michah) [(Leviticus 1:4): "And he shall place his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering," slaughtering, lifting (of the omer and of parts of the peace-offering), presentation [First he presents the meal-offering at the southwest corner of the altar; then he takes the fistful], burning [the fistful, which corresponds in the meal-offering to the sprinkling of the blood in sacrifices, and which is kasher only in the daytime, as opposed to the burning of the fats and the limbs, which is kasher the entire night (2:6)], melikah ("pinching" a bird's head), receiving [of the blood in the sprinkling bowl], sprinkling (hazayah) [the sprinkling (on the ark cover) of the blood of bullocks which are burned and of all the inner sin-offerings; and the sprinkling of the blood on the altar is also called "hazayah."], the administering of the sotah's draught, the breaking of the neck of the red heifer, and the cleansing of the leper.

Gray Matter I

However, Tosafot (ibid. and Arachin 3a s.v. La'atuyei) quote the opinion of the Ba'al Halachot Gedolot (Behag) that "a woman may only recite the Megillah on behalf of other women, but not on behalf of a man." As a source for this ruling, Tosafot cite a passage from the Tosefta (Megillah 2:4) which rules that an androginos³This term refers to someone with both male and female features. His status is sometimes parallel to a male and sometimes parallel to a female (see Encyclopedia Talmudit 1:55-60).may not recite the Megillah on behalf of a man. Tosafot explain that this restriction stems from the partial female status of the androginos. Accordingly, if an androginos cannot recite the Megillah on behalf of a man, certainly a woman cannot. This view apparently understands that the Gemara in Masechet Megillah does not obligate a woman to read the Megillah; rather, she merely must hear it. The Rosh (Megillah 1:4) cites a passage from the Yerushalmi (Megillah 2:5) as proof for the opinion of the Behag. The passage records that both Rabi Yehoshua ben Levi and Rabi Yonah, father of Rabi Mana, would make sure to read the Megillah on behalf of the women of their families, because women are obligated to hear the Megillah.⁴Much of the passage cited by the Rosh does not appear in our editions of the Yerushalmi.It is very significant to note that both Tosafot and the Rosh agree that, according to the Behag, a woman can read the Megillah on behalf of other women.

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