Dear Readers and Members, The forum has been down for over 6 months because the domain name (www.stamforum.com) lapsed and it is no longer available to re purchase. Although this forum is now defunct (it has morphed into several whatsapp groups), I have had many requests to put it back online because it contains so much information (over 1,800 posts and thousands of comments in the discussions, on a wide range of topics related to STa"M). I have therefore put the forum back online at blogger, so the address is www.stamforum.blogspot.com. The forum lasted for a decade...not a bad effort! It was pretty popular back in the days before whatsapp and managed to receive over a million hits in it's short life. It was one of the only organised forums in the STa"M world and definitely the largest in it's heyday. I would like to thank all those who cobtributed over the years, particularly the early members who helped build it up. Thanking you all, Eli
I believe it is a minhag common among Sefardim,and some Ashkenazim and therefore would be ok. You can find some of them with ancient Atzei Chaim, which shows this isn't a newer minhag.
ReplyDeleteBesides for the atzei chaim, it is also common to have it in a silver or wooden case. Look at pics below:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Olive-Wood-Judaica-Esther-Scroll-Megila-Case-/260955298823?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc225dc07
http://www.ebay.com/itm/COMPLETE-ESTHER-ANCIENT-MANUSCRIPT-SCROLL-PARCHMENT-JEWISH-JUDAICA-JUDAIKA-/120852970717?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c2365fcdd
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BEZALEL-PALESTINE-SILVER-FILIGREE-ESTHER-MEGILA-Scroll-/380391722405?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58911d0da5
Where does the minhag come from though?
ReplyDeleteHi Yehoshua,
ReplyDeleteBekitzur, the question is the other way around. Is it MUTAR to have a Megillah without an etz chayim?
If one looks at Shulchan Aruch 691:2, one will read that the megillah requires an AMUD at the end. Although, the minchag is not as such, take a look at the guemara in Bava Batra 13b, where Rashi informs us that the AMUD refers to a wooden pole that the scroll is wrapped on.
Regards.
As Alberto puts it "Is it MUTAR to have a Megillah without an Eitz Chayim"
ReplyDeletethe Rema brings the Mahril that the Minhag is "not" to put an eitz at all.The question is what brought this Minhag.
If I recall the Aruch Hashulchan(or might be other achron)explains that since there is a safek of the amud-wooden pole goes in the beginning and the empty column at end or vice virca the Minhag is not to put the eitz. My Rebbe the Pnei Menachem used a Megila with 2 Eitz Chaims (all Gerer Rebbes were careful not to handle Megila with bare hands as brought down in Sharrei Tshuva)
I had a thought, the reason the wooden Megila case with the little wood as a pullout piece was used was to have an Eitz on both sides without openly going against either explanation.