Repeating Repeating Haman's Sons Sons

Question:

The Mishna Beruroh (690:52) quotes the Chaye Odom as saying that there is no minhag for the people to say Homon's sons' names and then for the baal korei to repeat them.[1] Why do we do it anyway?

Answer:

The Chaye Odom may mean that the custom of the tzibbur reciting the list of Homon's ten sons is not documented by the poskim the way the other four pesukim that are treated the same way due to their special significance are.[2] Since it is not mentioned and he finds no halachic reason to do it, he recommends that the practice be discontinued.

Other poskim disagree. The Aruch Hashulchan mentions the custom of listing the ten sons together with the custom of reciting the four pesukim mentioned by the Ramo.[3]

Perhaps the two approaches follow variant understandings of the concept of shomea ke'onneh.

Every adult Jew is obligated to read the Megilloh, yet we fulfill that obligation by listening to the baal korei. This is based on the principle of shomea ke'onneh: hearing something is equivalent to saying it.

Does that mean that one fulfills one's obligation by hearing just as if one were speaking? Or does the fact that the listener is listening to the sound coming from the baal korei create a bond between the two to the point that the listener is considered to be speaking the words of the baal korei?[4] The answer may affect the extra mitzva of reciting the list of ten sons in one breath.[5]

If it is to be understood that listening to someone saying the required words is a way of fulfilling a mitzva that requires speech (option A), then although it is considered as if the listener had said the words, it still may not be considered as if he had said them with any required conditions. For example, sometimes the requirement to recite something just means that one has to mouth the words, even silently, and does not need to hear one's own voice. At other times that is not enough. Certain things have to be said loudly enough that the person reciting them can hear himself. If shomea ke'onneh just means that a person can fulfill a speaking obligation by hearing, then a listener would not be fulfilling the obligation to say the words loudly enough to hear his own voice, since he did not actually say anything. Similarly, should one be required to stand while saying something and the speaker is standing but the listener is sitting, the listener would not be fulfilling his mitzva of standing.

On the other hand, if the concept of shomea ke'onneh allows us to attribute the speaker's speech to the listener (because of the connection to the speaker through listening), then as long as the speaker is saying it loudly enough to hear his own words or as long as the speaker is standing, the listener would fulfill his mitzva. The speaker's voice is associated with the listener and everything involved in the speaker's speech becomes associated with the listener as well. It follows that the listener is considered to have spoken loudly enough to hear and to have spoken while standing.[6]

Applying this logic to the mitzva of saying the names of the ten sons of Homon in one breath, it would seem that if the shomea ke'onneh mechanism means that the listener fulfills his mitzva by listening, then he is considered to have read those words but not in one breath since he used the power of shemia to fulfill the mitzva. However, if the words of the baal korei are attributed to the listener and the baal korei said all the names in one breath, then it can be said that the listener even “did” the extra act of saying the names in one breath just by listening to the baal korei.

Perhaps the Chaye Odom and the Mishna Beruroh agree with the Chazon Ish's understanding of shomea ke'onneh. Since the listener is considered to be using the speaker's speech and that speech is attributed to him, it follows that if that speech was done all in one breath, the listener is considered to have read the names in one breath as well.

The Aruch Hashulchan and all those who advocate the custom of having the entire congregation say the names of Homon's sons aloud before the baal korei does so may understand the rule of shomea ke'onneh differently. They may adopt the simple interpretation that listening is sufficient for fulfilling the mitzva and one doesn't actually have to read anything. If so, I can understand how a custom developed for the tzibbur to recite the names of Homon's sons before the baal korei reads them. They would want to fulfill the mitzva of reading the names in one breath, which is impossible to do just by listening to the baal korei (according to this understanding of shomea ke'onneh). Therefore, the solution is to read that section oneself in one breath and then pick up with the baal korei for the following section. That way, one can fulfill the mitzva of reading the Megilloh through shomea ke'onneh and also read the ten names in one breath.

It seems that the prevalent custom among Ashkenazic minyonim is for the baal korei to pause just before the ten sons to let the tzibbur read the names to themselves, and only after that to read them himself.

In short, it is not necessary to read the names of Homon's sons before the baal korei does so. One can fully rely on listening to the baal korei as the Mishna Beruroh suggests.

There may be halachic benefit in reading it to oneself if each person reads the names (preferably from a kosher Megilloh)[7] in one breath. That way, at least one is fulfilling the mitzva of neshimoh achas according to all interpretations of shomea ke'onneh.

Reading the names of Homon in one breath aloud for everyone to hear can be tricky. Sometimes the eyes of the baal korei only see the names and do not read the words ve'es on the other side of the page, which join the names into one sentence. Even if the words ve'es are read by heart, it is halachically acceptable since one has heard every word of the Megilloh.[8] However, if one has a kosher Megilloh and reads the names and the words ve'es correctly, one can fulfill the mitzva of hearing or reading every word from the Megilloh.

It is not likely that the custom developed in order to achieve the benefits I mentioned since they require reading the names of the sons from a kosher Megilloh, and centuries and even decades ago people did not follow along with the baal korei from kosher Megillos. Even today, it isn't that common.

In all likelihood, the practice may have begun in error (perhaps due to the baal korei's pause to take a breath) and can be discontinued. However, if a baal korei does pause and wait for the tzibbur to read the names, it is also fine. A listener might as well take advantage of the situation and read the names in one breath from a kosher Megilloh.

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