The Obligation to Read the Megillah: Night and Day

by Ram ben Ze'ev

The Obligation to Read the Megillah: Night and Day

When the month of אדר (Adar – joy-filled month) arrives, our service of G-D reaches its crescendo in the reading of the מגילה (Megillah – Scroll of Esther). This is not a custom, nor a sentimental commemoration. It is a binding obligation upon every member of כלל ישראל (Klal Yisrael – the Jewish nation): men and women alike must hear the Megillah twice — once at night and once again by day.

The source of this dual reading is rooted in תורה שבכתב (Torah Shebichtav – Written Torah) and תורה שבעל פה (Torah Shebe’al Peh – Oral Torah). In תהלים (Tehillim) 22, the chapter beginning למנצח על אילת השחר (Lamnatze’ach al Ayelet HaShachar), the author cries: “אלקי אקרא יומם ולא תענה ולילה ולא דומיה לי” — “My G-D, I call out by day and You do not answer; and by night, and I have no rest” (Tehillim 22:3).

The גמרא (Gemara) teaches that “Ayelet HaShachar” alludes to אסתר המלכה (Esther HaMalka – Queen Esther), and derives from this verse that the Megillah must be read both at night and by day (Yoma 29a; Megillah 4a). Just as the dawn pierces the darkness, so too Esther brought light to Israel in a time of concealment. From this verse, Chazal derive that her story — the Megillah she and מרדכי (Mordechai) instituted for eternal remembrance (Esther 9:27–28) — must be proclaimed in both darkness and light.

The obligation is codified in שלחן ערוך (Shulchan Aruch), אורח חיים סימן תרפז (Orach Chaim 687): one must hear every word from a kosher Megillah scroll. If even a single word is missed, the fulfilment is deficient. The daytime reading carries particular weight, yet the night reading is equally obligatory (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 687:1–2). The Rambam likewise rules that both readings are mandatory (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Megillah 1:1–3).

The Holy Zohar deepens this teaching. In זוהר הקדוש (Zohar, Vayikra 88a), the Megillah is associated with מלכות (Malchut – Kingship), the sefirah that receives and reveals Divine light within concealment. Purim discloses that even when the Name of G-D is not written openly in the Megillah, His providence permeates every detail. The reading is not merely historical; it is an act of drawing down hidden light into the present moment.

In תניא (Tanya), particularly אגרת הקדש סימן יד (Iggeret HaKodesh 14), the Alter Rebbe explains that acts of mitzvah performed in times of concealment elevate the soul uniquely. Purim, when G-D’s Name is hidden, teaches that אמונה (emunah – faith) must endure beyond visible miracles. The Megillah reading is an exercise in that emunah: we proclaim aloud what appears to be coincidence, revealing it as השגחה פרטית (hashgacha pratit – Divine Providence).

This obligation binds every Jew. Even one who feels distant, even one who struggles — each must hear the Megillah. For Purim is the festival in which hidden Jews were revealed as faithful Jews. The decree of Haman sought physical annihilation; the response of Israel was spiritual unity. Therefore, the reading itself becomes an affirmation of belonging.

The verse from תהלים (Tehillim) does not describe unanswered prayer in despair. It describes relentless calling — by day and by night. The Megillah embodies this persistence. When Esther risked her life, she acted in faith before salvation was visible. When we read her words, we stand again at that threshold between concealment and dawn.

Purim demands joy, but it also demands clarity. The Megillah must be read from a kosher scroll, heard in full, twice. Children should be trained in its hearing. Women are fully obligated, for they too were included in the miracle (Megillah 4a). One who cannot attend synagogue must arrange a valid reading. This is not optional; it is covenantal.

In an age of distraction, the double reading anchors us. At night we proclaim that G-D is present in darkness. By day we affirm that redemption will dawn. As the Ayelet HaShachar heralds light before sunrise, so too Purim teaches that the faintest glimmer of emunah pierces the deepest exile.

The Megillah is not merely read. It is relived. And through its words — spoken once in darkness and once in light — we affirm that history itself is guided by the unseen hand of G-D.

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Bill White (Ram ben Ze'ev) is CEO of WireNews Limited, Mayside Partners Limited, MEADHANAN Agency, Kestrel Assets Limited, SpudsToGo Limited and Executive Director of Hebrew Synagogue