(Mishnah): How [do they read on these days]? If it (this will be explained) falls on Monday, villages and big (open) cities read that day, and Mukafos Chomah (cities surrounded by a wall) read the next day.

If it falls on Tuesday or Wednesday, villages read earlier on the day of assembly, and big cities read that day, and Mukafos Chomah read the next day.

(Gemara) Explanation: Our entire Mishnah discusses which day the 14th falls on.

Support (R. Yosa - Mishnah): Mukafos Chomah read the next day. (Surely, they read on the 15th!)

Observation (R. Yosah): Nowadays (that the calendar was fixed), we do not find that [the 14th] falls on Monday or Shabbos;

[Since the months from Purim through Tishrei always alternate 29 days and then 30 days, if [the 14th would] fall on Monday, Yom Kipur would be on Sunday. If [the 14th would] fall on Shabbos, Yom Kipur would be on Friday. (They fixed the calendar to avoid these, for then vegetables picked before the two consecutive days of Kedushah would wilt. Also, there would be two consecutive days that a Mes could not be buried, and the body would putrefy.)

(Mishnah): If [the 14th] falls on Thursday, villages and big cities read that day, and Mukafos Chomah read the next day.

If it falls on Friday, villages read earlier on the day of assembly, and big cities and Mukafos Chomah read that day. If it falls on Shabbos, villages and big cities read earlier on the day of assembly, and Mukafos Chomah read the next day.

Note: Korban ha'Edah's text adds "if it falls on Sunday, villages read earlier on the day of assembly, big cities read that day, and Mukafos Chomah read the next day."

Question (to R. Ze'ira): Let us see! If [the day to read] for Kerachim falls on Shabbos, they read on Friday. If [the day to read] for big cities falls on Shabbos, why do they read earlier on the day of assembly?

Answer (R. Lo (i.e. R. Ila)): It is due to honor of Kerachim, lest people say "we saw Kerachim and cities reading the same day.

Question: If so, cities should not be pushed off to the day of assembly, lest people say "we saw villages and cities reading the same day"!

Answer: If so, if [the 14th] falls on Monday or Thursday [we should enact that big cities read later. This is impossible, due to "Lo Ya'avor"! Also when it is on Shabbos, villages and cities read together.]

(Beraisa): If [the 15th] falls on Shabbos, villages, cities and Kerachim read together.

Question: This Tana does not honor anyone! (He is not concerned that Kerachim read unlike cities, nor that cities read unlike villages - ha'Gaon Rav C. Kanievsky, Shlita. The abbreviation stands for "Apei", and not Afilu. )

Answer: He holds that Kerachim may not precede cities, and he holds that anyone uprooted from his day, is pushed back to the day of assembly.

Remark: Rebbi holds that [if the 15th falls on Shabbos], all of them are pushed back to the day of assembly. He holds that Kerachim may not precede cities, and he holds that anyone uprooted from his day, is pushed back to the day of assembly. (Pnei Moshe - the Beraisa is like Rebbi.)

Question: How do we do? (Whom does the Halachah follow?)

Answer (R. Yosah): We do like our Mishnah.

Question (to R. Ze'irah): Just like you say that if it falls for Kerachim on Shabbos, they read on Friday, if it falls for cities on Shabbos, they should read on Friday!

Answer #1 (the ones who asked): Rather, [you must say that] our Mishnah is like two Tana'im. The first Tana holds that anyone uprooted from his day, is not pushed back to the day of assembly;

The latter Tana holds that anyone uprooted from his day, is pushed back to the day of assembly.

Rebuttal (and Answer #2 - R. Zei'rah): Rav said that one Tana taught [our Mishnah]. Why did they say that if it falls for Kerachim on Shabbos, they read on Friday?

It is because [Friday is the 14th, and] R. Chelbo taught that everyone is Yotzei on the 14th, which is the day of reading;

Correspondingly, when it falls for cities on Shabbos [they do not read on Friday, Friday is the 13th, and] the 13th was a day of war. It proves about itself that it is not a day of rest. (Therefore, they should read on Thursday, the 12th.)

(Beraisa): Villages read on Friday, and big cities are pushed back to the day of assembly, and Mukafos Chomah [are pushed off to] Sunday.

Question: How do we do? (Whom does the Halachah follow?)

Answer (R. Yosah): It is not possible [nowadays that the calendar was fixed]. When it is possible (when Beis Din is Mekadesh Rosh Chodesh based on witnesses), we follow our Mishnah.

(R. Ba): Whenever they said that it is uprooted from its day, one must read among 10 [men, to publicize the miracle].

Question: We see that Rabanan read it even alone (at times that it is uprooted from its day)!

Answer (R. Avina): Whenever [villages] are pushed back to the day of assembly, one must read among 10.

(R. Chananyah): Rav Huna and Rav Yehudah argued about this. One said that one must read among 10, and the other said that even an individual [may read].

Question (the one who said that one must read among 10, against the one who said even an individual): [If an individual may read, why are they pushed back to the day of assembly, when in any case they enter the cities? A villager] can read in his place [on the 14th]!

If so, you nullify our Mishnah of the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th!