It is stated [in the Mishnah], מקום שנהגו לברך – refers only to after the reading of the Megillah (see Tractate Megillah 21b), but prior to its [reading], it is obligatory to bless in any case because it is a Mitzvah, and the general principle with us is: “In the performance of all religious ceremonies, one must say the blessing/benediction over them before doing them”(see Tractate Pesahim 7b, 119b, Sukkah 39a, Menahot 35b and Nidah 63a). And we recite three blessings before it (i.e., the Reading of the Megillah): “on the reading of the Megillah,” “that God has performed miracles” and “Shehekheyanu”/who has kept us in life, sustained us, etc. And they had the practice to recite the blessing after the reading: “Who does champion our cause,” etc. And remember these general principles: And they are – that we don’t read in public less than ten Biblical verses (see Tractate Megillah 21b). And we do not have less than three people read from a Torah scroll in public. And one person does not read in a Torah scroll less than three verses, and therefore, when we read thirteen verses, one of them reads four verses. And we don’t begin a portion with less than three verses, and then it is permitted to him to stop the reading and to go down. And There should not remain in a portion less than three verses and then it would be permitted for him to stop. All of these general principles are regarding public reading. And a person who begins in the reading of the Torah scroll is obliged to bless, “who has chosen us from all the nations and given us His Torah. [Praised are You, O LORD] who has given us the Torah. And the person who reads last and completes it (i.e., the reading) blesses after it: “who has given us a Torah of truth and planted eternal life in our midst. [Praised are You, O LORD] who has given us the Torah. But they established now that each person recites the blessings [both] before and after because of those who enter [late] and because of those who depart/leave [early] to the synagogue, who did not see that person who made the blessing initially, and when they would see one after another ascend and read without a blessing, they would think that a person reading the Torah does not have to make the blessing beforehand, and if those present there saw the first person who descended and did not make a blessing and they left and did not see the last person who made the blessing afterwards would think that there is no obligation for a blessing after the reading of the Torah (see Tractate Megillah 21b – Kapach did not supply this source).

It (i.e., the Mishnah) stated "זה הכלל", is a mere sign (see Tractate Megillah 22b), because we don’t have a day where Musaf [is recited] that is not a Festival day other than what it mentioned (i.e., Rosh Hodesh or the Intermediate Days of a Festival) . And all of this is clear and correct. And everywhere that it (i.e., the Mishnah) states"מברך לפניה ולאחריה" - this is according to the principle of the law as we have explained.

God said (Leviticus 22:32): “And I will be sanctified in the midst of the children of Israel”, and it comes through the received tradition that any matter that is related to holiness will not occur with less than ten [men] (see Tractate Megillah 23b and Berakhot 21b, among others).

ופורשין על שמע – this is the separation/preparation that is before the recitation of the Shema, meaning to say that one person recites [the blessing] of יוצר/creating new lights and אהבה/love (i.e., Ahavah Rabbah in the morning and Ahavat Olam in the evening).

ועוברין לפני התיבה – that one should stand to pray in the congregation/community.

ומעמד ומושב – this is when they gather people to accompany the corpse , they would gather together to eulogy and one person eulogies and says to them in segments from parts of the eulogy: “Stand dear ones, stand, sit, dear ones, sit. And we don’t take pains to do this unless there were ten persons there or more (see Tractate Megillah 23b, Tractate Bava Batra 106b). And if a person said: “My value is upon me,” for the valuations are set in the Torah (see Leviticus 27:1-8), and he didn’t have with what to pay other than his property, behold the Kohen that is appointed over matters of that which is dedicated to the Temple takes from that land in equivalence to the valuation that he is liable for according to ten people – nine of them Israelites and one of them a Kohen and all of them will agree (note: when examining the Laws of Valuation and Property set apart for Priestly or Temple use, Chapter 8, this condition is not mentioned) for this is worth these monies, and afterwards he descends into it. And similarly, if a person said, “these monies are upon me,” he needs to estimate with a slave whose is sold in the marketplace and give his monies as it is explained in [Tractate] Arakhin (19-20), behold he also needs to make valuation with ten people and one of them is Kohen and will give according as they will say and this is the matter that it (i.e., the Mishnah) states: "ואדם כיוצא בהן", it is the intention to state that a person is like land/property. And this that we said, “nine and a Kohen, is not a condition but rather an option, meaning to say, and even if there were nine Israelites it is permitted, because it states in the portion of valuations (i.e., Leviticus 27:1-8) the word “Kohen” ten times and it comes through received tradition that one Kohen is sufficient and all that the word “Kohen” is doubled, it is “one amplification after another amplification is only to restrict”/אין ריבוי אחר ריבוי אלא למעט (i.e., the two expressions negate each other, and together they are treated as a restrictive expression), and even an Israelite (see Tractate Megillah 23b and Sanhedrin 15a – but אין מיעוט אחר מיעוט אלא לרבות – a restriction after a restriction is only to amplify).

אם היו שלשתן שלש פרשיות – as for example it is stated in Isaiah 52:3-5 (also found in Tractate Megillah 24a, but according to Kapach’s notes, it is only two portions): “For thus said the LORD, etc.,” “For thus said the LORD God, Of old, My people went down to Egypt,” “What therefore do I gain here, etc.?” This is like these three verses – all of them should not be read to the translator of the Biblical passages recited at services and afterwards he would translate them [to Greek or Chaldee], but rather translate them one by one.

ואין מדלגין בתורה – in two subjects/matters. But in one matter, like Aharei Mot (Leviticus 16 – which deals with Yom Kippur) and (Leviticus 23:27): “Mark, the tenth day [of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement],” we skip. And in [passages from] the Prophets, we skip, and in all of them, with the condition that he should not delay other than in order that the translator will complete translating the verse that he is translating, or the three verses if he was translating from the Prophets.

Because of the dignity of the congregation that individual person performs all of these important tasks and it is appropriate for them. But if a minor was reciting the Haftarah from the Prophets, where it is impossible for him to go before the ark until his beard becomes full (see Tractate Hullin 24b), his father or teacher/Rabbi stands [with him] for these things, as if he himself recite the Haftarah on the Prophets, because he and his student or his son are equivalent.

קטן קורא בתורה – one of he latter Geonim stated that this is after the third [Aliyah] (see The Laws of Prayer, Chapter 12, Halakha 17 – that Maimonides changes his mind).

ופוחח – he is as for example that his clothing that is upon him was torn from above until the flesh of his shoulders and his chest is seen, and the Aramaic translation of (Isaiah 20:2 -not verse 3 as found in Kapach’s footnotes): “going naked and barefoot,” –“to have holes in his garment/clad in rags/exposed and barefoot.” But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda who states [in the Mishnah] that whomever had never seen the lights of the sun should not spread a cloak over his head for the recitation of the prayers preceding the Shema/divide the prayers for the Shema, for even though he doesn’t enjoy their light, he surely benefits from their activity in the world, meaning to say, the activities that are indirectly engendered by their light.

ואסטס – ALNILAG, and similarly all things that color the hands, but if most of the people of that place had colored hands on account of their engaging with that color, it is permissible for him (if he is a Kohen) to raise his hands (see Tractate Megillah 24b), for the reason is nullified “because the people are looking at him.”

על מצחו או על פס ידו – meaning to say, that he should place the [Tefillin] of the head on his forehead or [the Tefillin] of the hand on the palm of his hand, for surely this is the path of heretics/sectarians, because he follows after the simple meaning of the Biblical verses according to his [insufficient] knowledge.

על בית אנקלי – that he suspends it on his arm or places it it in the pocket in his garment.

וחיצונים – they have departed from the realm of the religion completely for they do not believe neither in the Written Torah or the Oral Torah, and we don’t say, יברכך טובים – for the righteous and wicked people praise God as it states (Jeremiah 10:7): “Who would not revere You, O King of the Nations.”

ועל טוב יזכר שמך – because it is mentioned about the good and the evil like we said (Mishnah Berakhot, Chapter 9, Mishnah 5): “One blesses on the evil in the same way that he blesses on the good, and when he says, "מודים מודים" – surely one must doubt through his admission that perhaps it is for two [gods], but it is for one [God].

ובמכנה בעריות – that we reverse them to a hidden language in the present time, and we state, in place of your father and mother and sister, [we say] “his father and his mother and his sister” (see Tractate Megillah 25a). But if he translated [the term] "להעביר למולך" (Leviticus 18:21) as it stated, he removed the Bilical verse completely from its plain meaning, for the intention there is to provide the worship of Molech.

The explanation of [the term in the Mishnah] "השני", the twofold condition, and it from: “And Moses said to Aaron” until “And Moses saw the people,” (Exodus 32:21-25), And similarly (Exodus 32:35): “Then the LORD sent a plague upon the people [for what they did with the calf that Aaron made].” And the reason that we don’t translate these verses in public is because of the honor/respect of Aaron (see Tractate Megillah 25). And ברכת כהנים should not be translated because it is stated there (Numbers 6:26): “The LORD bestow His favor with you/lift up His countenance” but the masses will consider that this contradicts what is stated (Deuteronomy 10:17): “who shows no favor [and takes no bribe].”

And it (i.e., the Mishnah) states: מעשה דוד ואמנון לא נקראין ולא מתרגמין – which does not contradict what it (i.e., the Mishnah) said above – that the story of Tamar is read and translated, because in every place where Amnon is mentioned undefined and is translated. But what is mentioned “Amnon the son of David” is not read not translated in public because of the respect/honor of [King] David (see Tractate Megillah 25b). And the reason the one who states [in the Mishnah]: "אין מפטירין במרכבה" - in order that the multitude will not ask when they hear it on the things that they don’t add to them other than doubts. And the reason of Rabbi Eliezer is honor to [the land of] Israel and to Jerusalem. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yehuda. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Eliezer (and so has Maimonides decided in the order of the Haftarot at the end of Sefer Ahavah [in the Mishneh Torah] that we recite the Haftarah of Ezekiel 16:1 and following – “O mortal, proclaim Jerusalem’s abomination to her” which is our practice/custom).