Aliyot and women on Rosh Hodesh TB Megillah 22

We have a happy confluence today when comes to studying today’s daf TB Megillah 22. Today, January 3, 2022, is Rosh Hodesh Shevat and our daf discusses how to divide the Rosh Hodesh’s Torah reading into four aliyot and the source of Rosh Hodesh being a woman’s holiday.

On the bottom of yesterday’s daf we learned that one may not read less than 10 verses on a Torah reading day. Today we learn another two halakhot. “One may not leave fewer than three verses before the end of a paragraph at the conclusion of a reading...” and “one may not begin a new paragraph and read fewer than three verses from it.” (Sefaria.org translation) Bearing all this in mind the Gemara asks how we should divide the Torah reading for a weekday musaf correctly. “On the days of the New Moon (Rosh Hodesh-gg) and on the intermediate days of a Festival, four people read from the Torah. Ulla bar Rav raised a dilemma before Rava: The Torah portion read on the New Moon consists of three short consecutive paragraphs (Numbers 28:1–8, 9–10, 11–15). How does one read it in order to divide it among four readers? With regard to the first paragraph, which includes the verse: “Command the children of Israel and say to them, My offering, the provision of My sacrifices made by fire” (Numbers 28:2), and which is eight verses, what shall we do?

“If you say that the first two readers should read three verses each, there will remain only two more verses until the end of the paragraph, and one may not leave fewer than three verses before the end of a paragraph at the conclusion of a reading. If you say that the first two readers should read four verses each and complete the first paragraph, then seven verses will be left until the end of entire portion; the second paragraph of “And on Shabbat day” (Numbers 28:9) is two verses, and the third paragraph of “And on the beginnings of your months” (Numbers 28:11) is five verses. What shall we do with them? If the third reader reads the two verses from this paragraph and one of those verses in the following paragraph, this is improper due to the principle that one may not begin a new paragraph and read fewer than three verses from it. And if you say he should read two verses from this paragraph, i.e., the entire second paragraph, and then three verses from that final paragraph, only two verses will remain from the final paragraph. This is problematic because one may not conclude a reading with fewer than three verses left until the end of a paragraph and because the fourth reader will not have a sufficient number of verses to read.” (Sefaria.org both translation)

Based on the Gemara in Taanit concerning how the Torah reading is divided for the Israelites who represented the nation each week when the communal sacrifices were offered up, the ma’amidot, we learn on today’s daf that we repeat a verse so that the first three aliyot have at least three verses. “Rabba, son of Rava, sent a messenger to ask Rav Yosef: What is the halakha with regard to dividing a small Torah portion? Rav Yosef sent him the following answer: The halakha is that one repeats a verse, in accordance with the opinion of Rav, and it is the middle reader who repeats it, and not the last reader, so that it will not be necessary to leave fewer than three verses until the end of the paragraph.” (Sefaria.org translation) The division of the aliyot are: kohein, Numbers 28:1-3; levi, Numbers 28:3-5; shelishi, Numbers 28:6-10; reveii, Numbers 28:11-15) (Shulkhan Arukh, Orekh Hayim, 423:2)

One suggested reason why we read three aliyot on a weekday and four on Rosh Hodesh revolves around the pressure of work. “The Gemara tries to adduce another proof (why community fast day only has three aliyot-gg): Come and hear the following baraita: This is the general principle: Any day on which labor is permitted and prolonging the prayer service would constitute a deprivation of labor for the masses, for example, a public fast day and the Ninth of Av, only three people read from the Torah, so as not to lengthen the prayer service unnecessarily.

“But any day on which prolonging the prayer service would not constitute a deprivation of labor for the masses, for example, the days of the New Moon... and on the intermediate days of a Festival, when one may not perform labor unless refraining from labor will cause him to lose money, four people read from the Torah. The Gemara concludes: Indeed, learn from here that on a public fast day three people read from the Torah.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Who is not working? Women! Rashi ד"ה רָאשֵׁי חֳדָשִׁים is the only source in the Talmud that describes Rosh Hodesh as a woman’s holiday! “I learned from my teacher may his memory be a blessing that women were given this mitzvah of refraining from work (as a reward, Tur, Orekh Hayim, 417-gg) on Rosh Hodesh because they refused to give their husbands their golden earrings to fashion the golden calf.” (My nonliteral translation) See the rest of the Rashi where he cites Tosefot as another source.