אורח חיים תר״צOrach Chayim 690

Siman 690 of 697 in Orach Chayim — 18 se'ifim

Se’if 1א׳

קוֹרֵא אָדָם אֶת הַמְּגִלָּה בֵּין עוֹמֵד בֵּין יוֹשֵׁב; אֲבָל לֹא יִקְרָא בְּצִבּוּר, יוֹשֵׁב, לְכַתְּחִלָּה מִפְּנֵי כְּבוֹד הַצִּבּוּר. הַגָּה: וְאָסוּר לַחַזָּן לִקְרוֹת אֶת הַמְּגִלָּה עַד שֶׁאוֹמְרִים לוֹ: קְרָא, (מָרְדְּכַי פֶּרֶק הַקוֹרֵא).

Laws of reading megilah One should read the Megillah either standing or sitting; but in shul in the first place he shouldn't read it sitting because of honor for the Congregation. Rema: it is forbidden for a Chazan to read the Megillah until they said to him "read". [Mordechai, Perek HaKoreh]

Se’if 2ב׳

אֲפִלּוּ שְׁנַיִם, וַאֲפִלּוּ עֲשָׂרָה, יְכוֹלִים לִקְרוֹתָהּ בְּיַחַד וְיוֹצְאִים הֵם וְהַשּׁוֹמְעִים מֵהֶם.

Even only two, or even ten people, can read (the Megillah) together and they can fulfill the obligation and the obligation of the people listening to them.

Se’if 3ג׳

צָרִיךְ לִקְרוֹתָהּ כֻּלָּהּ, וּמִתּוֹךְ הַכְּתָב; וְאִם קְרָאָהּ עַל פֶּה, לֹא יָצָא. וְצָרִיךְ שֶׁתְּהֵא כְּתוּבָה כֻּלָּהּ לְפָנָיו לְכַתְּחִלָּה, אֲבָל בְּדִיעֲבַד אִם הִשְׁמִיט הַסוֹפֵר בְּאֶמְצָעָהּ תֵּבוֹת, אֲפִלּוּ עַד חֶצְיָהּ, וּקְרָאָם הַקּוֹרֵא עַל פֶּה, יָצָא. הַגָּה: אֲבָל אִם הִשְׁמִיט תְּחִלָּתָהּ אוֹ סוֹפָהּ, אֲפִלּוּ מִעוּטָהּ, לֹא יָצָא (רַ"ן); וַאֲפִלּוּ בְּאֶמְצָעָהּ דַּוְקָא דְּלֹא הִשְׁמִיט עִנְיָן שָׁלֵם, (בֵּית יוֹסֵף בְּשֵׁם א"ח); אֲבָל בְּיוֹתֵר מֵחֶצְיָהּ, אֲפִלּוּ הֵן כְּתוּבוֹת, אֶלָּא שֶׁהֵן מְטֻשְׁטָשׁוֹת וְאֵין רִשּׁוּמָן נִכָּר, פְּסוּלָה.

You need to read the Megillah entirely and from a scroll; and if you read it by heart you do not fulfill your obligation. You need to have the whole scroll in front of you in the first place, but if the Sofer left out in the middle some letters even until half of it (the Megillah) and you read it, then the one who read it by heart fulfills his obligation. Rema: even if (the Sofer) left out letters from the beginning or the end, even if he left out just a little, one does not fulfill one's obligation (if you read from it by heart) [the R"an]. And even in the middle, specifically, where an entire topic is not left out [Beis Yosef]. However, if more than half (was left out), (or) even if the letters were written but they were unclear/blurry and their writing was not recognizable, it is pasul.

Se’if 4ד׳

מִי שֶׁתּוֹפֵס בְּיָדוֹ מְגִלָּה שֶׁאֵינָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה, לֹא יִקְרָא עִם שְׁלִיחַ צִבּוּר, אֶלָּא שׁוֹמֵעַ וְשׁוֹתֵק. הַגָּה: וְכֵן לֹא יְסַיֵּע שׁוּם אָדָם עַל פֶּה לַחַזָּן, וְלָכֵן אוֹתָן הַפְּסוּקִים שֶׁקּוֹרִין הַקָּהָל צָרִיךְ הַחַזָּן לַחֲזֹר וְלִקְרוֹתָם מִתּוֹךְ מְגִלָּה כְּשֵׁרָה. (בֵּית יוֹסֵף בְּשֵׁם שִׁבּוֹלֵי לֶקֶט).

One who holds in his hand a Megillah that is not kosher may not read it with the Chazan (or reader in this case); rather he should listen and be quiet. Rema: Similarly, no one should assist the Chazan by mouth. And therefore regarding those verses that the congregation reads, the Chazan must go back and read them from a kosher Megillah [Beis Yosef in the name of Shibulei Leket]

Se’if 5ה׳

קְרָאָהּ סֵרוּגִין, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁפָּסַק בָּהּ וְשָׁהָה וְאַחַר כָּךְ חָזַר לַמָּקוֹם שֶׁפָּסַק, אֲפִלּוּ שָׁהָה כְּדֵי לִגְמֹר אֶת כֻּלָּהּ, יָצָא. הַגָּה: וַאֲפִלּוּ סָח בֵּינְתַיִם. מִיהוּ גּוֹעֲרִין בְּמִי שֶׁסָּח בֵּינְתַיִם, כְּדִלְקַמָּן סִימָן תרצ"ב סָעִיף ב'. (הָרַשְׁבָּ"א סי' רמ"ד).

If one reads it in a grating manner, in other words, one stops and tarries and then afterwards goes back to the place that he stopped - even if one tarried in order to finish it all - he has fulfilled his obligation. Rema: And even if one speaks in the midst of it. But, we rebuke one who speaks in the midst of it, as like [the law is] below Siman 692, Seif 2 [the Rashba].

…and 13 more se'ifim in this siman.

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Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim — Torat Emet 363 edition, via Sefaria — public domain

English: Sefaria Community Translation — CC0