View source for Five Megillot

{{Short description|Group of five Jewish scriptures}}
{{other uses of|Megillah}}
{{redirect|Five Scrolls|the Pentateuch or Five Scrolls|Torah}}
{{Tanakh OT |Ketuvim}}
The '''Five Scrolls''' or the '''Five Megillot''' ({{langx|he|חמש מגילות}} {{IPA|he|χaˈmeʃ meɡiˈlot|}}, ''Hamesh Megillot'' or ''Chomeish Megillos'') are parts of the [[Ketuvim]] ("Writings"), the third major section of the [[Tanakh]] ([[Hebrew Bible]]).<ref name=FiveMegillot.EncBrit>{{cite web
   |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Megillah
   |title=Megillah |website=[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]]}}</ref> The Five Scrolls are the [[Song of Songs]], the [[Book of Ruth]], the [[Book of Lamentations]], [[Ecclesiastes]] and the [[Book of Esther]]. These five relatively short biblical books are grouped together in Jewish tradition.<ref name=FiveMegillot.JPersBook/>
[[File:Scribe and illuminator- Aaron Wolf Herlingen - The Five Scrolls in multilingual micrography Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Esther, and Lamentat... - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|The five megillot in multilingual [[micrography]] (Latin and Hebrew) by Aaron Wolf Herlingen, 1748]]

==History==
An early testimony that these five scrolls were grouped together is in the ''[[Midrash Rabba]]''. This ''[[midrash]]'' was compiled on the Pentateuch and on the Five Scrolls.<ref name=FiveMegillot.JE1906>{{cite web
   |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10557-megillot-the-five
   |title=Megillots, The Five
   |author1=Isidore Singer |author2=Ludwig Blau}}</ref>

==Liturgical use==
[[File:Five Megillot.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|A cabinet containing the five ''megillot'' in order from right to left. (Esther is in the wooden case on the left.)]]
All five of these ''megillot'' ("scrolls") are traditionally read publicly in the [[synagogue]] over the course of the year in many Jewish communities.<ref name=FiveMegillots.JewishVirtLib>{{cite web |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/scrolls-the-five
|title=The Five Scrolls}}</ref> In common printed editions of the [[Tanakh]] they appear in the order that they are read in the synagogue on holidays (beginning with Passover).<ref name=FiveMegillot.JPersBook>{{cite book
   |title=Judaic Perspectives on Ancient Israel
   |author1=Jacob Neusner  |author2=Baruch A. Levine |author3=Ernest S. Frerichs
   |year=1987}}</ref>{{rp|p. 226}}

===Song of Songs===
The [[Song of Songs]] ({{langx|he|שיר השירים}} ''Shir ha-Shirim'') is read publicly in some communities, especially by [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazim]], on the Sabbath of [[Passover]]. In most [[Mizrahi Jews|Mizrahi Jewish]] communities it is read publicly each week at the onset of the [[Shabbat]] (Sabbath). There is also a widespread custom to read it at the end of the [[Passover Seder]].

In the Sephardi ritual it is read before the Mincha service on the afternoon of the seventh day of Passover (eighth day outside Israel).<ref name=FiveMegillots.JewishVirtLib/> [[Italian Jews]] read it at the ''[[Maariv]]'' (Evening Prayer) of the first and second day of [[Passover]].

===Ruth===
The [[Book of Ruth]] ({{lang|he|רות}}) is read in some communities, especially by Ashkenazim, before the reading of the Torah on the morning of ''[[Shavuot]]''. Others read it in the ''[[Shavuot#All-night Torah study|Tikkun]]'' at night, or not at all.

===Lamentations===
The [[Book of Lamentations]] ({{lang|he|איכה}} ''Eikhah'' or ''Kinnot'') is read on the night of [[Tisha B'Av]] in all Jewish communities.

===Ecclesiastes===
[[Ecclesiastes]] ({{lang|he|קהלת}} ''Kohelet'') is read publicly in some communities, especially by Ashkenazim, on the Sabbath of [[Sukkot]]. In other communities it is not read at all.

===Esther===
The [[Book of Esther]] ({{lang|he|אסתר}}) is read in all Jewish communities on [[Purim]]. The public reading is done twice, on the evening of Purim and once again the next morning.

===Common practice===
When read in the synagogue, these five books are sung with [[Hebrew cantillation|cantillation]] (see below). In most communities, Esther<ref name=FiveMegillotEstherCantillation.MyJewish>{{cite web
   |url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/reading-the-megillah
   |title=Reading the Megillah}}</ref> is the only book accompanied by blessings before and after, but certain communities adopted the custom of the [[Vilna Gaon]] to recite blessings before the other four ''megillot'' as well.

As indicated above, however, only two of the ''megillot'' are traditionally read in all Jewish communities, Esther on Purim and Lamentations on Tisha B'Av. The practice of reading the other three books on the [[Shalosh regalim|Three Pilgrimage Festivals]] is widespread but by no means universal. To read them is a venerable custom among Ashkenazim, but some [[Sephardic]] Jews do not associate the three books with the three festivals.

==Cantillation==
The [[Hebrew cantillation|cantillation marks]] which guide the singing of the text written in the printed texts of the Five Scrolls are drawn from the same set of markings as the notes in the [[Humash]] (Pentateuch). However, the tune in which they are read varies depending on the scroll. Esther is read in a happier tune<ref name=FiveMegillotEstherCantillation.MyJewish/> than the sad tune of Lamentations. Traditionally, Ecclesiastes, Ruth, and Song of Songs are read with the same festive tune.

==Other uses==
The term ''megillah'' is most widely used for the book of Esther, even though it is applied to the rest as well. The term ''megillah'' is also used in a joking way, in reference to any lengthy story.<ref>{{Citation
|author-link=Leo Rosten |first=Leo |last=Rosten
|title=The Joys of Yiddish |page=230 |publisher=McGraw Hill |place=New York |year=1968}}.</ref>

[[Eugene H. Peterson]]'s ''Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work'' examines the application of the Megillot to Christian [[pastoral theology]].<ref>{{Citation |author-link=Eugene H. Peterson |first=Eugene H. |last=Peterson
|title=Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work |year=1992 |isbn=0-8028-0660-0}}, p. 21.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Torah]]
* [[Jonah]] read during Yom Kippur

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
   |title=Textual Tapestries: Explorations of the Five Megillot
   |isbn=978-1-5926-4398-1  |author=Gabriel H. Cohn|year=2016 }}

{{Song of Songs}}
{{Book of Ruth}}
{{Book of Lamentations}}
{{Book of Ecclesiastes}}
{{Book of Esther}}
{{Sofer}}

[[Category:Ketuvim]]