We all know that cities that were walled in the time of Yehoshua Bin Nun celebrate Purim on the 15th of Adar and all other cities celebrate on the 14th.
The gemara at the beginning of Maseches Megillah adds that if an unwalled city is either visible from ["nireh"], or in close proximity to ["samuch"], a walled city, then their residents celebrate on the 15th. [The distance of "samuch" is defined by the poskim as a "mil" - an 18 minute walk.]
Ramot?
Yes, Ramot!
What do they do in Ramot???
The Old City is walled from the time of Yehoshua Bin Nun so in the Old City you read on the 15th. The Old City extends outwards so all of the other neighborhoods of Jerusalem are also going to read on the 15th. But Ramot is too far to be considered "samuch", and it isn't visible from the Old City, so it isn't "nireh" either. Also, there is no continuum of homes from the Old City [the Ramot Road is in the middle] so it cannot be considered an extension of the Old City.
So the Halacha is [drum roll...] CELEBRATE ON THE 14TH AS AN UNWALLED CITY!
Wait, not so fast Frankie!! [How does that sound as the name of a fast food frankfurter place - "Fast Frankie's"?!]
When I was in Yeshiva in Ramot over 20 years ago [I am getting OLD!!] we celebrated BOTH days. The rationale was that since Ramot is considered part of Greater Jerusalem with respect to taxation, transportation etc. etc. it is really part of a walled city. So out of doubt we did everything on both days. A BRACHA was made on the megillah reading on ONLY one of the days [I don't remember which].
[I think another rationale was that it is FUN to have two days of Purim!!]
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zatz"l ruled [among many others] in Halichos Shlomo that this is not necessary. Ramot is part of Jerusalem and hence Purim is on the 15th. Period! This is based on a Ritva in Megillah who says that if an unwalled city is "mishtateif" with a walled city [meaning the same taxation etc. as we explained earlier] then the 15th is the day. I understand that this is the prevalent custom today.
But waiiiiiiiiiiiiiit a second! If you look at the Ritva [he is also quoted by the Shaar Hatziyun in simman tarpach s"k he"h] he requires that in ADDITION to the condition of "mishtateif" the city must also fulfill the condition of "nireh"! This is not the case as far as Ramot is concerned. So we could argue with Rav Shlomo Zalman and say that in Ramot the Megillah should be read on the 14th.
ME? ARGUE WITH RAV SHLOMO ZALMAN????????? NO WAY!!!!!! Jose! I am a Lilliputian in a land of giants! [Sorry to involve Jose but he is a dear friend...]
But Rav Ovadiah Yosef Shlita is of the caliber to argue with the great Rav Shlomo Zalman and he is VERY EMPHATIC [in Yabiah Omer 7/59-60] that the 14th is the day and the 15th may be celebrated only out of doubt [meaning that we may read without a bracha]. He adds that even if he is incorrect and the 15th is the correct day it doesn't really matter because the halacha is that in doubtful cities [such as Ramot] Purim should be celebrated on the 14th. So either the Ramot is an unwalled city and the 14th is the day or it is a doubtful city .... and the 14th is the day. This is what we call in sports a "win-win situation". He marshals further support for his position from the words of other great titans of Torah scholarship.
Another issue that must be taken into account is the prohibition of "Lo tisgodidu" - meaning that we shouldn't have one town where people are celebrating different days [see a discussion of this in Rav Moshe Sternbuch's "Tshuvos Vi'hanhagos" in Vol. 3 where he talks about the correct time for reading in Har Nof].
In conclusion - there is no conclusion [SO JEWISH!]. My personal inclination is to spend Purim right here in the Old City of Jerusalem. Problem solved!!
The gemara at the beginning of Maseches Megillah adds that if an unwalled city is either visible from ["nireh"], or in close proximity to ["samuch"], a walled city, then their residents celebrate on the 15th. [The distance of "samuch" is defined by the poskim as a "mil" - an 18 minute walk.]
Ramot?
Yes, Ramot!
What do they do in Ramot???
The Old City is walled from the time of Yehoshua Bin Nun so in the Old City you read on the 15th. The Old City extends outwards so all of the other neighborhoods of Jerusalem are also going to read on the 15th. But Ramot is too far to be considered "samuch", and it isn't visible from the Old City, so it isn't "nireh" either. Also, there is no continuum of homes from the Old City [the Ramot Road is in the middle] so it cannot be considered an extension of the Old City.
So the Halacha is [drum roll...] CELEBRATE ON THE 14TH AS AN UNWALLED CITY!
Wait, not so fast Frankie!! [How does that sound as the name of a fast food frankfurter place - "Fast Frankie's"?!]
When I was in Yeshiva in Ramot over 20 years ago [I am getting OLD!!] we celebrated BOTH days. The rationale was that since Ramot is considered part of Greater Jerusalem with respect to taxation, transportation etc. etc. it is really part of a walled city. So out of doubt we did everything on both days. A BRACHA was made on the megillah reading on ONLY one of the days [I don't remember which].
[I think another rationale was that it is FUN to have two days of Purim!!]
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zatz"l ruled [among many others] in Halichos Shlomo that this is not necessary. Ramot is part of Jerusalem and hence Purim is on the 15th. Period! This is based on a Ritva in Megillah who says that if an unwalled city is "mishtateif" with a walled city [meaning the same taxation etc. as we explained earlier] then the 15th is the day. I understand that this is the prevalent custom today.
But waiiiiiiiiiiiiiit a second! If you look at the Ritva [he is also quoted by the Shaar Hatziyun in simman tarpach s"k he"h] he requires that in ADDITION to the condition of "mishtateif" the city must also fulfill the condition of "nireh"! This is not the case as far as Ramot is concerned. So we could argue with Rav Shlomo Zalman and say that in Ramot the Megillah should be read on the 14th.
ME? ARGUE WITH RAV SHLOMO ZALMAN????????? NO WAY!!!!!! Jose! I am a Lilliputian in a land of giants! [Sorry to involve Jose but he is a dear friend...]
But Rav Ovadiah Yosef Shlita is of the caliber to argue with the great Rav Shlomo Zalman and he is VERY EMPHATIC [in Yabiah Omer 7/59-60] that the 14th is the day and the 15th may be celebrated only out of doubt [meaning that we may read without a bracha]. He adds that even if he is incorrect and the 15th is the correct day it doesn't really matter because the halacha is that in doubtful cities [such as Ramot] Purim should be celebrated on the 14th. So either the Ramot is an unwalled city and the 14th is the day or it is a doubtful city .... and the 14th is the day. This is what we call in sports a "win-win situation". He marshals further support for his position from the words of other great titans of Torah scholarship.
Another issue that must be taken into account is the prohibition of "Lo tisgodidu" - meaning that we shouldn't have one town where people are celebrating different days [see a discussion of this in Rav Moshe Sternbuch's "Tshuvos Vi'hanhagos" in Vol. 3 where he talks about the correct time for reading in Har Nof].
In conclusion - there is no conclusion [SO JEWISH!]. My personal inclination is to spend Purim right here in the Old City of Jerusalem. Problem solved!!
