{"id":8807,"date":"2010-05-17T02:00:08","date_gmt":"2010-05-16T23:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=8807"},"modified":"2018-02-26T10:34:44","modified_gmt":"2018-02-26T08:34:44","slug":"05-17-02","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/05-17-02\/","title":{"rendered":"02. Jerusalem and Its Environs"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Sages said: \u201cA walled city and all that adjoins it (samukh<\/em>) and all that is visible with it (nir\u2019eh imo<\/em>) are reckoned as a walled city\u201d (Megilla<\/em> 3b). Therefore, not only do the residents of the Old City of Jerusalem celebrate Purim on the fifteenth of Adar, but so do the residents of all the neighborhoods adjacent to the Old City. Even though the city has expanded greatly over the years, each and every neighborhood takes on the status of the Old City and reads the Megilla<\/em> on the fifteenth, since each one is adjacent to the one next to it.<\/p>\n
While the neighborhoods of Jerusalem were still being built, a question arose regarding the status of neighborhoods that were originally built far away from the rest of the city. Most recently, this question came up regarding the neighborhoods of Ramot and Har Nof. Some authorities maintain that only neighborhoods to which there is a continuous stretch of houses from the Old City are considered part of Jerusalem. If, however, there is a gap of 141 and one third amot<\/em> (67.8 meters) between the two areas, they are considered separate locations. Accordingly, these authorities ruled that residents of Ramot and Har Nof must read the megilla<\/em> on the fourteenth.<\/p>\n
Others maintain that all neighborhoods that are considered part of the Jerusalem municipality for tax purposes \u2013 and all the more so if they are surrounded by the same eruv<\/em> \u2013 take on the status of Jerusalem and read the Megilla<\/em> exclusively on the fifteenth. Thus, they ruled that residents of Har Nof and Ramot must read the Megilla<\/em> on the fifteenth. The former Chief Rabbis of Jerusalem, R. Shalom Messas and R. Yitz\u0125ak Kulitz, ruled in this manner, and this is the prevalent custom. All of these rulings were decided, over time, as Jerusalem expanded. With the help of God, Builder of Jerusalem, the city will continue to be built up, and even the furthest neighborhoods eventually become adjacent and linked to the rest of the city, until it becomes clear to all that they are considered part of Jerusalem.[3]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n