1)

(a)From the Pasuk ...

1. ... "va'Havi'osim el Har Kodshi v'Simachtim b'Veis Tefilasi, Oloseihem v'Zivcheihem l'Ratzon al Mizbechi" - the Beraisa learns that Avodah (Retzei) follows (Shome'a) Tefilah.

2. ... in Tehilim "Zove'ach Todah Yechabdan'ni" - that Hoda'ah (Modim) follows Avodah.

(b)Birchas Kohanim follows Hoda'ah because of the Pasuk "va'Yisa Aharon es Yadav ... va'Yered me'Asos ha'Chatas ... ". Initially, this seems to imply that Birchas Kohanim preceded the Avodah, rather than the reverse. However, that is not correct - because the Torah did not write "La'asos ha'Chatas", but "me'Asos ha'Chatas ... " (implying that he had already brought the Chatas ... beforehand).

(c)Chazal prefer to place Birchas Kohanim after Hoda'ah (and not after Avodah - because of "Zove'ach Todah Yechabdan'ni"), rather than placing it immediately after Avodah (because of "va'Yisa Aharon es Yadav ... va'Yeired me'Asos ha'Chatas ... ") - because Avodah and Hoda'ah are one and the same (because thanking Hash-m too, is an Avodah - or because Avodah is an expression of thanks).

(d)Sim Shalom follows Birchas Kohanim - because the Berachah of Hash-m is Shalom - peace.

2)

(a)True, the Anshei Kneses ha'Gedolah instituted the eighteen Berachos. The Beraisa nevertheless quotes Shimon ha'Pekuli as if he was the author - because they were later forgotten, and he re-established them.

(b)Shimon ha'Pekuli - was a cotton merchant (as the word Pekuli suggests).

(c)We learn from the Pasuk "Mi Yemalel Gevuros Hash-m, Yashmi'a Kol Tehilaso" - that it is only someone who is able to express all the praises of Hash-m who has the right to praise Him at all (and were it not for the Takanah of the Anshei Kneses ha'Gedolah, we would not even be permitted to do so).

(d)

1. Rebbi Yochanan said - that someone who praises Hash-m excessively will be uprooted from the world.

2. Rebbi Yehudah Ish Kefar Giboraya learned from the Pasuk in Tehilim "Lecha Dumi'ah Sehilah" - that silence is the greatest balm of all.

3. They said in Eretz Yisrael - that if a word is worth a Sela, then silence is worth two.

3)

(a)We learn from the 'Gezeirah Shavah' "v'ha'Yamim ha'Eileh Nizkarim v'Na'asim" (Esther) and "Kesov Zos Zikaron ba'Sefer" (Beshalach) - that the Megilah must be written on a Sefer (a parchment scroll).

(b)We know that the Mitzvah is to actually read the Megilah verbally, and that silently studying it is not sufficient - from the Pasuk in Ki Setzei "Zachor es Asher Asah Lecha Amalek", which must mean to mention it verbally, because the Torah concludes there "Al Tishkach", from which we already know that should retain it in one's memory.

(c)The problem with establishing the Mishnah 'Kar'ah Targum Lo Yatza', to mean that it is written in Lashon ha'Kodesh, but that one translates it into Aramaic, is - that this would be considered reading by heart which the Tana has already discussed.

(d)It must therefore be referring to a Megilah that is written in Aramaic.

4)

(a)The problem with our Mishnah, which permits reading from a Megilah that is written in a foreign language for people who speak that language - is that the Tana just invalidated a Megilah that is written in a foreign language.

(b)Rav and Shmuel (in conjunction with Rebbe Acha Amar Rebbi Elazar) resolve this problem (initially) - by establishing the latter statement of the Mishnah by a Megilah that is written in Greek.

(c)Rebbe Acha Amar Rebbi Elazar explains the Pasuk in Vayishlach "va'Yikra Lo Kel, Elokei Yisrael" to mean - that the G-d of Yisrael called Yakov 'Kel'.

(d)We cannot interpret it to mean that Yakov called the Mizbe'ach "Kel Elokei Yisrael" - because then the Pasuk should have written "va'Yikra Lo Yakov Kel Elokei Yisrael".

5)

(a)Rav and Shmuel declare a Megilah that is written in Greek, Kasher for everyone.

(b)Awe query them however, from the Beraisa 'Kar'ah Giftis, Ilmis ... Yevanis, Lo Yatza', which implies - that a Megilah written in Greek is no different than one that is written in any other language.

(c)The Kashya remains even if (based on the Seifa of the Beraisa) we differentiate between whether one reads it in Greek for a Greek or for someone else - because the Beraisa permits it only for Greeks, whereas they permit across the board.

(d)We conclude that, when Rav and Shmuel permit a Megilah that is written in Greek, they are not in fact referring to our Mishnah at all. They are coming to - permit a Megilah that is written in Greek, like Raban Shimon ben Gamliel (see Sugya 8b, and 9a. and Tosfos there DH 'Ka'n').

(e)They do not simply rule like Raban him - because if they had, that case, we would have precluded Megilah from the ruling, since the Pasuk writes "ki'Chesavam v'chi'Zmanam" (to conform with the Sugya on 9a).

6)

(a)Initially, we explain our Mishnah 'veha'Lo'ez she'Shama Ashuris, Yatza', even though he does not understand it - by comparing it to women and Amei-ha'Aretz, who understand sufficient to be able to follow, even though they may not understand each word.

(b)Ravina refutes this answer, based on the Pasuk in the Megilah "veha'Achashteranim Bnei ha'Ramachim" - which nobody really understands (yet this does not deter them from being Yotzei).

(c)We therefore conclude - that, in fact, it is not necessary to understand every word, only to hear the reading in public and to know about the miracle (even if it means asking others to explain it). Note: It is unclear as to how the second answer differs from the first. See Rabeinu Chananel.

7)

(a)The maidservant of Rebbi appears to have been something of a linguist, from whom the Rabanan learnt many words. She once taught them that Chaluglugos is the equivalent of what they knew as 'Parpechinin' (purslane-plant). When she commented to the Rabanan 'Till when will you enter the Beis-ha'Midrash 'Sirugin Sirugin'? - she meant to ask them why they always entered the Beis-ha'Midrash 'in dribs and drabs' (and not all at the same time).

(b)Based on the Pasuk ...

1. ... in Mishlei "Salselehah u'Seromemeka" she once said to a man 'Ad Masai Atah Mesalsel b'Sa'arech' - (For how long will you keep on turning over [comb] your hair)'.

2. ... in Tehilim "Hashlech al Hash-m Yehavcha, v'Hu Yechalkelecha", when the Arab merchant told Rabah bar bar Chanah 'Shekol Yahavech v'Tul v'Shada'i a'Gamla'i', he was saying - Take your load, and throw it on to my camel.

3. ... in Yeshayah (with reference to Bavel) "v'Teiteisiha bi'*Meta'tei* Hashmeid", Rebbi's maidservant said to her friend 'Shekuli Ta'tisa v'Ta'ati Beisa', she meant - 'Take a broom and sweep the house.

8)

(a)The Tana Kama in the Beraisa permits the reading of the Megilah b'Sirugin (b'Di'eved), but not ' b'Sirusin' - which means backwards (inverted).

(b)Rebbi Muna quoting Rebbi Yehudah invalidates even 'be'Sirugin', if the Ba'al Korei waited the amount of time it would take to read the Megilah until the end. After Rav Yosef ruled like Rebbi Muna, Abaye asked him how to interpret 'from the beginning', to which he replied - from the beginning of the reading.

(c)It cannot mean from wherever the Ba'al Korei stopped until the end - because of the principle 'Im Kein, Nasata Devarecha l'Shiurin' (meaning that Chazal tend to enact their decrees uniformly, not depending upon circumstances).

(d)Rav is quoted as ruling like Rebbi Muna, and Shmuel, as ruling not Rebbi Muna (and that is how they learned in Sura). Rav Bibi reverses the opinions (conforming with the Pumbedetian version). Rav Yosef prefers Rav Bibi's version of the Machlokes - because it is Shmuel who tends to rule l'Chumra like the minority opinion (as we shall now see).

9)

(a)Rebbi Yehudah ben Beseira rules that if one of two brothers betrothed the sister of a Yevamah, we ask him to wait until his brother has 'married' the Yevamah before marrying his betrothed. The Rabanan say - that the Yavam is permitted to marry his betrothed immediately, and does not need to wait.

(b)The basis of their Machlokes lies in the principle of 'Zikah' - Rebbi Yehudah ben Beseira holds that there is a Zikah (a bond between the Yavam and the Yevamah) even when there are two Yevamos. Consequently, the betrothed brother is forbidden to marry the Yavamah's sister, because, on account of the Zikah, she is considered his wife's sister; whereas the Rabanan hold that there is only a Zikah when there is one Yavam, but not when there are two (seeing as a woman cannot be considered as being married to two men).

(c)Shmuel rules like - Rebbi Yehudah ben Beseira.

10)

(a)If, whilst Leining the Megilah, he discovers some letters, words or even Pesukim, missing - the Ba'al Korei reads them by heart.

(b)We reconcile this with another Beraisa, which invalidates a Megilah whose letters are very faint (to the point that no ink remains) - by establishing the latter when all the letters are written like that.

(c)It is not in order ...

1. ... for a Ba'al Korei who omits a Pasuk to make it up after he has finished reading - because the Megilah must be read in order (as we have already learned).

2. ... for someone who comes into Shul in time for the second half of the Megilah, to listen to the second half first, and the first half afterwards - because the above Din extends even to inverting the chapters (as we also learned).

11)

(a)We learned in our Mishnah that someone is Yotzei, if he reads the Megilah 'Misnamnem' - (dozing to the extent that he can respond when he is called. He is unable to answer a question that requires a logical answer, but remembers the logic when he is reminded).

(b)We also learned in our Mishnah that if someone reads the Megilah whilst writing it, he is Yotzei, provided he had Kavanah. The problem with this is - that 'Mah Nafshach'; if he read the Pasuk first before writing it, then he would have been reading it by heart; whereas if he wrote it first and then read it, he would have been reading from an incomplete Megilah, which everyone agrees, is Pasul.

(c)We resolve this problem - by establishing the case where he copied the Megilah from a Kasher Megilah, reading each Pasuk before writing it.

(d)This is not a proof for Rebbi Yochanan, who says that a Megilah cannot be written from memory, but that every single letter must be copied from a Kasher Megilah - because it could be speaking when he just happened to do so (but not because he is obligated to).

12)

(a)Rebbi Yochanan (who forbids even one letter of the Megilah to be written by heart) will reconcile his opinion with the Beraisa, where Rebbi Shimon ben Elazar relates how Rebbi Meir (who was a Sofer) once arrived in Asia (to fix a leap-year) around Purim time, and, finding no Megilah there, he wrote one by heart - by pointing out that Rebbi Meir was different, in that he was an expert, and was not prone to make mistakes.

(b)Rav Chisda forbid Rebbi Chananel (who was also an expert like Rebbi Meir) to do likewise - because it was not a case of emergency (as was the case of Rebbi Meir).

(c)Tefilin and Mezuzos do not need to be copied - because they are relatively short, and it is feasible for Sofrim to write them without mistakes.

13)

(a)'Sirtut' - is the scratching of lines on the parchment underneath which the Sofer writes the text.

(b)It is ...

1. ... not necessary to make Sirtut on Tefilin.

2. ... necessary to make Sirtut on Mezuzos.

(c)The source for the Halachos of what may and may not be written by heart and what does need Sirtut and what does not - is Halachah l'Moshe mi'Sinai.