It is stated (Esther 9:31): “[These days of Purim shall be observed] at their proper time, [as Mordecai the Jews – and now Queen Esther – has obligated them to do],” the Sages instituted for them many times (Tractate Megillah 2a), and it is stated (Esther 9:19): “That is why village Jews, who live in unwalled towns, observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar,” and since “the village Jews” [observe] on the fourteenth [of Adar], therefore, the people who dwell in walled cities observe on the fifteenth [of Adar]. But if they (i.e., the cities they live in) were walled from the days of Joshua, even though it was destroyed, we are not concerned about this, and reason that they (i.e., the Sages) attached the matter “in cities surrounded by a wall,” as we explained in the Jerusalem Talmud, and they stated to us: “they allotted honor to the Land of Israel that was ruined in those days, and they (i.e., the Sages) attached it in from the days of Joshua the son of Nun. But the people of Shushan read it (i.e., the Megillah) on the fifteenth day [of Adar] even though it is [a] new [place] since the essence of the miracle was performed in it as is explained in the Book of Esther (Esther 9:18): “[But the Jews of Shushan mustered on both the thirteenth and the fourteenth days,] and so rested on the fifteenth.

ויום הכניסה – this is Monday and Thursday because the people of the villages gather on them to hear the Torah scroll [being read] (and Maimonides wrote this in the Laws of Megillah, Chapter 1, Halakha 7, and such has Rabbeinu Hananel explained, but not according to Rashi’s explanation that they come [on Monday and Thursday to court]. But it is prohibited to read the Megillah on Shabbat, and the reason is like we explained regarding the [Sounding of] the Shofar (see Maimonides’ commentary to Tractate Rosh Hashanah, Chapter 4, Mishnah 1) and the [Waving of the] Lulav (Tractate Sukkah, Chapter 4, Mishnah 2 – “lest he remove it four cubits in the public domain and walk toa specialist to learn [how to use it].”). And its (i.e., of the Book of Esther) on different days did not exist other than at the time when our hand was strong and we have the ability to force the complete fulfillment of the commandment, but at this time, meaning to say, from the time that the Talmud was compiled until the Messiah will speedily arrive, we don’t red it other than at its [proper] time and that is the fourteenth day and fifteenth day [of Adar] like we have explained (see also Laws of Megillah Chapter 1, Halakha 9. And the reading of the Megillah is obligatory once at night and on the morrow [during the day] a second time (see Tractate Megillah 4a and 20a).

We have already informed [you] that יום הכניסה /”the gathering day” is Monday and Thursday, and tha that the Megillah (i.e., Scroll of Esther) is not read on the Sabbath day, and therefore, if the fourteenth of Adar fell on the Sabbath, when it is impossible to read it, the large cities should advance it to the [previous] “gathering day” which is Thursday. But they should not read it on Friday (i.e., the day before the fourteenth of Adar which occurs on Shabbat) because we say since it was advanced, it should be advanced to the [previous] gathering day (see Tractate Megillah 4a).

עשרה בטלנים – that there should be ten men in the synagogue that do not have a trade/vocation other than the [welfare of] the needs of the community and the Reading/Study of the Torah and the diligence in the synagogue (see Tractate Megillah 5a). But when the Ninth of Av falls on Shabbat, we fast on Sunday (i.e., the 10th of Menahem Av) for (see Talmud Megillah 5a) “for the advancement of punishment/retribution, we do not anticipate for ourselves.” And similarly, if the day of the festive offering of the visitors of the Temple on the festivals occurs on the Sabbath day, we off it on Sunday, as will be explained in Tractate Hagigah (Chapter 2 Mishnah 4). And if the Day of Assembly (see Deuteronomy 31:10-13 – which commands the Jewish people to assemble in the Temple courtyard once every seven years to hear the public reading of the book of Deuteronomy during the Festival of Sukkot following the Sabbatical year) falls on Shabbat, the Reading [of the Torah] will be on Sunday. And the time of the priests’ wood-offering, already the marking off of its time was advanced at the end of [Tractate] Taanit (see Chapter 4 Mishnah 5), that if one of those days was on Shabbat, the sacrifice would take place on Sunday. But we made all of these later for the time of our obligation had not [yet] arrived (see Tractate Megillah 5a). And we stated regardingמתנות לאביונים /gifts for the poor, he wants to say that if he gave מתנות לאביונים on those days, that is to say, on the eleventh, twelfth [or] thirteenth [of Adar], he has fulfilled his religious obligation. But Rabbi Yehuda explains the words of the Sages (see Tractate Sanhedrin 25a) that were mentioned above.

The arrangement of this Mishnah is such: There is no difference between the fourteenth [day] and fifteenth [day] of First Adar to that of Second Adar other than the Reading of the Megillah and Gifts to the Poor. But on this (i.e., the 14th and 15th of First Adar) and that (i.e., the 14th and 15th of Second Adar), eulogies and fasting are prohibited (see Tractate Megillah 6b).

We have already explained at the end of [Tractate] Betzah (Chapter 5, Mishnah 2) that these are the words of the School of Shammai, but the School of Hillel have with them things outside of the preparation of food that are permitted on Festivals and prohibited on the Sabbath as we have explained there.

נדר – he who would say, “behold, a burnt-offering or a peace-offering is upon me.”

נדבה – he who would say, “behold, this burnt-offering or peace-offering is upon me” (see Tractate Megillah 8a) that if the free-will offering died, he is not responsible for it because he designated it. But on all of them, he transgresses in not bringing them on time, God, may He be exalted said (Deuteronomy 23:24): "מוצא שפתיך תשמור [ועשית כאשר נדרת לה' אלהיך נדבה אשר דברת בפיך]" /“You must fulfill what has crossed your lips [and perform what you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God, having made the promise with your own mouth.]” And they (i.e., the Rabbis) said in its explanation (Tractate Rosh Hashanah 6a): "כאשר נדרת"/what you voluntarily vowed – this is a vow; "לה' אלהיך"/to the LORD your God.- these are sin-offerings, guilt-offerings, burnt-offerings and peace offerings; "נדבר"/the promise – in its usual sense/by implication; "אשר נדרת"/what you have voluntarily vowed – these are consecrated for Temple maintenance; "בפיך"/with your own mouth – for charity.

We have already explained in the eighth chapter of [Tractate] Pesahim (Mishnah 5) from the matters of a man suffering from gonorrhea who is given to two sightings [within a three-day period] and one who is given to three sightings [within a three day period] in order for the need to understand what they (i.e., the Rabbis) have said here (in Tractate Pesahim, Chapter 8, Mishnah 5), and all of the laws of women with flux will be explained in their place. And the matter that has been compared regarding it is ritual defilement and the counting of seven [clean days] as we explained there.

מצורע מוסגר (quarantined leper – a suspected leper who has not yet been declared conclusively leprous by a Kohen. This leper must be isolated for a period of up to two weeks, until the Kohen can determine conclusively whether or not he is suffering from leprosy; he is ritually impure) -he is what God has said regarding him (Leviticus 13:5): “[But if it is a white discoloration on the skin of his body which does not appear to be deeper than the skin and the hair in it has not turned white,] the priest shall isolate the affected person for seven days.”

ומוחלט (confirmed leper – who has been declared conclusively ritually impure by a Kohen. A confirmed leper must grow his hair long and rend his garments. To purify himself when healed, he must shave off all of his hair and bring a special purification guilt-offering)- he is what God stated concerning him (Leviticus 13:8):”[And if the priest sees that the rash has spread on the skin,] the priest shall pronounce him impure; it is leprosy.” And the subject of a confirmed leper, that his status has been adjudicated and already it has been confirmed upon him that he is ritually impure, the Aramaic translation of [the Hebrew word] לצמיתות (see Leviticus 25:23: "והארץ לא תמכר לצמתת"/”The land must not be sold beyond reclaim”) permanently/in perpetuity, and both of them were compared to the ritual defilement and being sent out from the camp.

וטהור מתוך הסגר (and he is pure after being locked up) – he does not require shaving [all his hair from his body] and [the bringing of sacrificial] birds, to state to him, may He (i.e., God) be exalted (Leviticus 14:3): “[The priest shall go outside the camp. If the priest sees] that the leper has been healed of his scaly affection,” and even though the matter is clear, it comes through the received tradition that whenever one’s leprosy is dependent upon his healing, he is the one who is required shaving and birds, except for the quarantined leper whose leprosy is dependent upon days (see Tractate Megillah 8b), and he (i.e., God) (Leviticus 13:21): “the priest shall isolate him for seven days,” and afterwards he will be pure even though there remains that plague, as will be explained and clarified in Tractate Negaim, and they compared both of them with purification in water (i.e., in a ritual bath) because it is stated also with a pure person after he is locked up/טהור מתוך הסגר (Leviticus 13:6): “he shall wash his clothes, and he shall be pure.”

He (i.e., the compiler of the Mishnah, Rabbi Judah the Prince) wanted, when he says, "בכל לשון" – meaning to say, in the script of every nation and in the language of every nation (see Tractate Megillah 9a).

וספרים ותפילם ומזוזות – the condition of writing all of them is equivalent as it will be explained in [Tractate] Menahot (in the Chapter הקומץ רבה ). And the Halakha is according to Raban Shimon ben Gamaliel.

מרובה בגדים – He is a Kohen in the Second Temple period as they did not have the anointing oil but rather, he was made the High Priest via his wearing the clothing of the High Priesthood.

ופר הבא על כל המצות – this God spoke of if the anointed priest would sin, etc. (See Leviticus 4:3), and they (i.e., the Rabbis) compared both of them regarding the bullock of Yom Kippur and the one-tenth of an Ephah.

וכהן שעבר – if something occurred to make the High Priest unfit for service on Yom Kippur, and they appointed another in his place as we explained in Yoma (see Tractate Yoma, Chapter 1, Mishnah 1), for after Yom Kippur, the original [High Priest] returns to his high position/office and the second who was appointed is removed (see Tractate Megillah 9b and Tractate Yoma 12b), and both of them compared that they are commanded regarding [being married to] a virgin [woman] and prohibited to a widow, and all the rest of the laws of the High Priest is obligatory upon both of them, except for what is mentioned [in the Mishnah].

במה גדולה – this is the communal shrine like Scripture states (I Kings 3:4): “[The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the largest shrine/כי היא הבמה הגדולה” and it is stated [in the Mishnah]:אינו קרב בבמה -meaning to say, on a small shrine which is an individual shrine. And all of this is at the time when [personal] shrines were permitted as will be explained in the last chapter of Tractate Zevakhim (Chapter 14, Mishnayot 4-8).

בכל הרואה – he eats all the time that he sees the Temple, at whichever distance that it will be. And it (i.e., the Mishnah) states: "יש אחריה התר" (i.e., the Sanctity of Shiloh permitted the shrines after its destruction) that after God sanctified it, [private] shrines were permitted to us to sacrifice after it was destroyed, but once God chose Jerusalem, we don’t sacrifice in any place apart from it forever, and the principles of all of these laws will be explained at the end of [the commentary to] (Tractate) Zevakhim.