(Mishnah): If one read the Megilah standing or sitting, and [whether] one or two read it, he was Yotzei.

Where the custom to bless on it, he blesses on it. Where the custom is not to bless, he does not bless.

On Monday, Thursday, and Shabbos Minchah, three read from the Torah. It may not be less, and not more, and there is no Haftorah from the Nevi'im.

The first and the last [to read] bless before and after [reading, respectively].

(Gemara) Question: Is it b'Di'eved [to read sitting], but not l'Chatchilah? It was taught that an episode occurred in which R. Meir read sitting in the Beis ha'Keneses of Tiba'in, and he let someone else bless on it!

Answer: Our Mishnah means that one may read it standing, or read it sitting (Pnei Moshe).

Question: What does it mean "he let someone else bless on it''?

Answer: This one reads, and this one blesses.

Inference (R. Huna citing R. Yirmeyah): This teaches that one who hears is like one who reads;

Question: It says "Asher Kara Melech Yehudah.'' Didn't Shafan read it?!

Answer: This teaches that one who hears is like one who reads.

Question: Must one stand in front of a Sefer Torah? (The Bavli (Kidushin 33b) asks this. The Me'iri says that we ask about when it is lifted or passes.)

Answer (R. Chilkiya and R. Simon in the name of R. Lazar): One stands in front of its son (a Chacham who learns Torah). All the more so one stands in front of a Sefer Torah itself!

Question: One stands to read from a Sefer Torah (like a Beraisa teaches below). Why does he stand - is it due to honor of the Torah, or due to honor of the Rabim?

If you will say that is it due to its honor, this is even if he reads alone. If you will say that it is due to honor of the Rabim, if he reads alone, no (he need not stand).

Answer: [I can say that] it is due to its honor [but even so, if he reads alone he may sit], for if you will say [that he must stand], he will be lazy and not read.

R. Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak entered a Beis ha'Keneses. He saw a man stand and translate [what was read in the Torah], and leaning on a pillar.

[R. Shmuel said to the man] it is forbidden for you [to lean]! Just like [Torah] was given with awe and fear, so we must conduct with it with awe and fear.

R. Chagi: R. Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak entered a Beis ha'Keneses. He saw the Ba'al Korei stand [and read the Torah] and translate, and he did not appoint someone [else to translate].

[R. Shmuel said to him] it is forbidden for you! Just like [Torah] was given through an intermediary, so we must conduct with an intermediary (a different person must translate).

R. Yehuda bar Pazi entered and asked [what is the source of this law. He answered] "Anochi Omed Bein Hash-m u'Veinechem ba'Es ha'Hi Lehagid Lachem Es Devar Hash-m.''

R. Chagai: R. Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak entered a Beis ha'Keneses. He saw a man translate [the Torah reading] from a Sefer.

[R. Shmuel said to him] it is forbidden for you! Things that were said orally, must be said orally. Things that were said to be written, must be said [read from also written [Sefer].

Question (R. Chagai citing R. Shmuel bar Nachman): [Some] things that were said orally, and [some] things that were said to be written. [Without a source,] we would not know which are dearer!

Answer: Rather, we learn from "Ki Al Pi ha'Devarim ha'Eleh Karati Itecha Bris v'Es Yisrael'' - this teaches that oral [Torah] is dearer!

R. Yochanan and R. Yudan b'Ribi Shimon - one of them [expounded this verse, and] said "if you guard what is oral, and guard what is written, I will make a Bris with you, and if not, I will not make a Bris with you.''

The other said "if you guard what is oral, and guard what is written, you will receive reward, and if not, you will not receive reward.''

(R. Yehoshua ben Levi): (It says "Shnei Luchos... va'Aleihem k'Chol ha'Devarim...'') [It does not say] Aleihem, [rather], va'Aleihem. [It does not say] Chol, [rather], k'Chol. [It does not say] Devarim, [rather], ha'Devarim. [From the simple meaning and these three inclusions, we learn that Mikra, Mishnah, Talmud and Agadah, and even [new matters] that a Chacham will [correctly] teach, were said to Moshe on Sinai.

Support: It says "Yesh Davar she'Yomar Re'eh Zeh Chadash Hu.'' His friend counters [the end of the verse] "Kevar Hayah l'Olamim Asher Hayah Lefaneinu'' (Moshe already heard it)!

(Beraisa): Two may not read in the Torah and one translates.

Explanation #1 (R. Zeirah): This is due to due to Brachah. (Two may not bless on one Keri'ah, and if only one may bless, they will quarrel about who will bless - TOLDOS YITZCHAK, Brachos 5:3.)

Question: A Beraisa teaches that two may not translate and one reads [in the Torah]. You cannot say that this is due to the Brachah (there is no Brachah for Targum)!

Explanation #2: Rather, it is because two voices do not enter one ear (one cannot hear them).

(Contradiction Beraisa): Two may read in the Torah. Two may not read in the Navi.

Resolution (R. Ula): More than one may read in the Torah (one after the other). More than one may not read in the Navi. (Rather, one reads the entire Haftorah - HA'GAON RAV C. KANIEVSKY, SHLITA.)

(Beraisa): One reads in the Torah and one translates. One may not read and two translate, and not two read and one translates, and not two read and two translate;

And in the Navi, one reads and one translates, or one reads and two translate, but two may not read and one translates, and two may not read and two translate.

And in the Megilah, one reads and one translates, or one reads and two translate, or two read and one translates, or two read and two translate.

Question: Is the Targum Me'akev [reading the Torah]?

Answer (R. Yosah): We see that Rabanan go out (they would pray in the street) on fasts and read [the Torah] and do not translate. This shows that the Targum is not Me'akev.

(R. Yonah): Even though you say that the Targum is not Me'akev, if he erred, we make him return [and translate correctly].

[A case occurred, and] R. Yonah or R. Yirmeyah told him to return for saying "Mana'' [for the Targum of Tene in Parshas Bikurim, for it connotes any Kli, and not only a basket].

And the other [of R. Yonah and R. Yirmeyah] told him to return for saying "Patirin Im Yarkonan'' [for the Targum of u'Matzos Al Merorim, for it connotes any bitter vegetable, even if it is not called Maror Stam], and say "Patirin Im Merorin.'' We do not know which Chacham said this, and which said this.

Inference: We can infer from R. Yonah's question "may one bring [Bikurim] in a silver bowl?'', this shows that he said to return the one who said "Mana'', and told him to say "Sala'' (a wooden basket. He was unsure if all the more so, a silver bowl is Kosher.)

Note: What was his question? A Mishnah (Bikurim 3:8) explicitly says that rich people brought Bikurim in baskets of gold and silver! Perhaps he was unsure if this was for Hidur Mitzvah when bringing it to Yerushalayim, but all must give it to the Kohen in a Kli Etz.

R. Pinchas told one to return for saying "Petimin Bnei Torin'' [for the Targum of Parim Bnei Bakar. Even though Parim are big, this is not its translation - ha'Gaon Rav C. Kanievsky, Shlita], and to say Torin Bnei Torin.

Question: What is the source for Targum?

Answer (R. Zeirah citing Rav Chananel): "Va'Yikre'u va'Sefer b'Soras ha'Elokim'' refers to Mikra. "Mefurash'' refers to Targum. "V'Shum Sechel'' refers to the Ta'amim (notes for reading the Torah);

"Va'Yavinu ba'Mikra'' is what was given through tradition. Some say that it is which way to read (if a word refers to what was written before, or what was written after). And some say that it is where the verses begin.

Note: Through the Ta'amim, we know Hechra'os and where the verses begin! Perhaps the text should be like in the Bavli (3a and Nedarim 37b), in which we expound the Ta'amim after Roshei Pesukim. I.e. we have a tradition for where verses begin, and more than this, Ta'amim, which teach even more.

(R. Zeirah citing Rav Chananel): Even if one is as fluent in Torah as Ezra, he may not say orally and write [Mikra. Rather, he must copy from a text, or hear from the Navi], like it says about Baruch "mi'Piv Yikra Elai Es Kol ha'Devarim ha'Eleh va'Ani Kosev Al Sefer ba'Deyo'' (Yirmeyah said, and Baruch wrote).

Question: A case occurred with R. Meir who was in Asiya, and there was no Megilah written in Ivris (Leshon ha'Kodesh), and he wrote it orally and read it!

Answer #1: We cannot learn from pressed circumstances.

Answer #2: He wrote two [Megilos]. He wrote the first orally, and wrote the second based on the first, and later buried the first and read from the second.

R. Yishmael b'Rebbi Yosi: I could write the entire Torah from memory (if no written Torah was available).

R. Chiyah Rabah: I could write the entire Tanach from two Manim. (Alei Tamar, based on Mosaf ha'Aruch - these are Ma'im, a 10th of a Shekel in all. He was able to do so for such a small amount due to his awesome toil.)

What did he do? He bought for two Manim flax seed. He planted it, harvested it and made ropes. He caught deer and wrote the entire Tanach on their skin.

Rebbi heard [about R. Chiyah and R. Yishmael b'Rebbi Yosi], and said "fortunate is the generation that you are in it!''

Question: How does one bless [on the Megilah]?

Answer (Zachyi the Shochet citing R. Yochanan): One blesses "ha'Rav Es Rivcha veha'Nokem Es Nikmascha ha'Go'alech veha'Moshi'Erech mi'Kaf Aritzeich.''

This is afterwards. Before, it is like all other Torah Mitzvos. Just like other Mitzvos need a Brachah beforehand, also [Megilah] requires a Brachah. (Megilah is among seven Mitzvos mid'Rabanan which complete the count of 620 Mitzvos, the Gematriya of Keser and the number of letters in Aseres ha'Dibros, like Shlah brings from Seforim ha'Kedoshim. These are the six Mitzvos on which we bless Asher Kideshanu, and Birkas ha'Nehenin.)

It says [in the Torah] a Brachah before [learning] Torah and, and it does not say a Brachah afterwards.

What [Brachah] is written about before [learning] Torah? "Ki Shem Hash-m Ekra Havu Godel lei'Lokeinu.''

It is written about food a Brachah afterwards, and it does not say a Brachah beforehand. What [Brachah] is written after [eating]? "V'Achalta v'Savata u'Verachta...''

Question: What is the source to apply what it says about this (we bless before Torah) to this (food), and what it says about this (we bless after eating) to this (Torah)?

Answer (R. Shmuel bar Nachman citing R. Yochanan): We learn from a Gezeirah Shavah "Shem-Shem'' (this refers to Shem Hash-m - ha'Gaon Rav C. Kanievsky, Shlita). Just like Shem mentioned regarding Torah, we bless beforehand, also Shem mentioned regarding food, we bless beforehand;

And just like Shem mentioned regarding food, we bless afterwards, also Shem mentioned regarding Torah, we bless afterwards.

Implied question: This is like R. Akiva. According to R. Yishmael (how does he learn? - ha'Gaon Rav C. Kanievsky, Shlita. I.e. the Gemara knew that he does not expound so, because he needs the following Kal v'Chomer.)

Answer #1 (R. Yochanan citing R. Yishmael): We learn from a Kal v'Chomer. Food does not require a Brachah beforehand, but it requires a Brachah afterwards. Torah, which requires a Brachah beforehand, all the more so it requires a Brachah afterwards!

Question: This teaches [a Brachah afterwards for] Torah. What is the source for [a Brachah before] food?

Answer: Torah does not require a Brachah afterwards, but it requires a Brachah beforehand. Food requires a Brachah afterwards. All the more so it requires a Brachah beforehand!

Answer #2: R. Yitzchak and R. Nasan [gave different answers]. R. Yitzchak says, "Ki Hu Yevarech ha'Zevach v'Acharei Chen Yochlu ha'Keru'im.''

Answer #3 (R. Nasan): "Va'Avadtem Es Hash-m Elokeichem u'Verach Es Lachmecha v'Es Meimecha'' - when is it called "your food''? It is before you ate it [and the verse mentions a Brachah]!

Answer #4 (Rebbi): If after he ate and he is satiated, you say that he must bless, when he is hungry to eat, all the more so!

Question (against Answers 2,3,4): This teaches [a Brachah before] food. What is the source for [a Brachah after] Torah?

Answer: If food, which is only for temporary life [in this world] requires a Brachah before it and afterwards, Torah, which is eternal life, all the more so!

Question (R. Zeirah): What is the law of the three who read in the Torah - is it like three who ate together [and one can bless for all of them], or is it like three who ate, each by himself [and each blesses for himself]?

If it is like three who ate together, the first blesses beforehand, and the last blesses at the end, and the middle does not bless at all;

If is it like three who ate, each by himself, even the middle one blesses before it and after it.

Answer (R. Shmuel bar Avodima): They learn Birkas ha'Torah from Birkas ha'Mazon only for a Rabim (Tzibur. If so, one is Motzi the others.)

Question: If it is [only] for a Rabim, one who learns by himself should not bless!

Answer (Aba Mari, R. Yosah's brother): [Rabanan] made it like other Mitzvos in the Torah. Just like other Mitzvos require a Brachah [mid'Rabanan], also [Torah] requires a Brachah.

R. Shmuel bar Nachman: R. Yonason was passing in front of a Beis ha'Keneses. He heard people reading [from the Torah] without blessing;

R. Yonason (to the people): How long will you make the Torah bald (without a Brachah)?!