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Why are the five megilos read in synagogue on holidays, but not the books of Mishlei, Iyov, Daniel, Ezra/Nechemia, Divrei Hayamim, or Psalms?

Naftali Tzvi
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    Why should we read then publicly? And why don't you wonder why we don't read Tzefania publicly? Or Chaggai? – Double AA Apr 14 '17 at 02:19
  • I say a chunk of mishlei publicly most every Friday night. – rosends Apr 14 '17 at 02:27
  • @Double-AA, than the question becomes why DO we read the five megillos? (That's why I put (not) in parenthesis. ) – Naftali Tzvi Apr 14 '17 at 02:36
  • @rosends Do you recite it with 'trop'? In synagogue? With a minyan? – Naftali Tzvi Apr 14 '17 at 02:36
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    @NaftaliTzvi if that is a sine qua non of your question, you should include it to explain what you are looking for. – rosends Apr 14 '17 at 02:37
  • @rosends I think it is understood that 'public' in Judaism means 'minyan' – Naftali Tzvi Apr 14 '17 at 02:40
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    @NaftaliTzvi like all the selections from tehillim that we say publicly? – rosends Apr 14 '17 at 02:40
  • I appolgise for my ignorance. Which tehilim are read publicly without minyan. – Naftali Tzvi Apr 14 '17 at 02:51
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    You are assuming again that publicly requires a minyan though that is not in your question. A person davening alone at night on Tisha B'av still reads eichah so a minyan isn't required. https://www.ou.org/torah/halacha/hashoneh-halachos/thurs_02_06_14/ What exactly is your question? – rosends Apr 14 '17 at 02:58
  • @naftali no the question doesn't then become that. You've just noted that not all books get read. That's not a question. That's a statement. Some books are read in full. Some only partially. Some not at all. There is no discernable pattern. – Double AA Apr 14 '17 at 03:26
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    Notice that some communities do say Iyov publicly. – DonielF Apr 14 '17 at 03:41
  • related https://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/31248/759 – Double AA Apr 14 '17 at 14:15
  • @DonielF Also some communities don't read Ruth or Kohelet publicly. – Double AA Apr 14 '17 at 14:16
  • Their must be a reason the megillos were chosen from all of kesubim (in Ashkenazi practice) to read – Naftali Tzvi Apr 14 '17 at 21:23
  • When were the 5 megillot first assembled as a unit, distinct from other books in Ketuvim? – rosends Apr 14 '17 at 22:02
  • @rosends "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." (Wikipedia) – Naftali Tzvi Apr 16 '17 at 02:11
  • A portion of tehillim is ready publicly each day as well as all of tehillim on shabbos mevarchim by many kehillos. – Laser123 Apr 16 '17 at 03:40
  • @Lazer123 Thanks! Which type of kehillos? Hasidic? How is it read- Does one person read for everyone, or does each person read for himself? (I'm not sure if the latter would qualify as 'public'). Is it read with trop? A different niggun? Responsively? From a kloff? With Blessings? – Naftali Tzvi Apr 16 '17 at 04:22
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    All types but certainly chasidim do so, preferably with a minyan present but everyone would read to themselves, no trop and no niggun required, not responsively, from a book, no blesseing, someone says kaddish after each book is finished if a minyan is present – Laser123 Aug 07 '17 at 11:32
  • Esther Rabbah 6:4 and Bereishis Rabbah 49:1 relate that when various Amoraim read Nevuchadnetzar’s name in Esther 2:6 they would say, “May his bones disintegrate” (a practice first mentioned in Sofrim 14:7) and subsequently asks why they didn’t do similarly in the readings of Yirmiya, where he is mentioned frequently. From the fact that it doesn’t ask from Daniel would seem to indicate that even in their day that wasn’t practiced. – DonielF Aug 13 '17 at 07:59
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    https://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/92194/759 – Double AA Apr 30 '19 at 19:35
  • @rosends “a chunk” or one chapter (the last)? – Oliver May 01 '19 at 18:14
  • @Oliver part of the last chapter – rosends May 01 '19 at 18:18
  • @rosends Oh; was wondering if some actually have a tradition to read an actual chunk on Fri. night. Nm. – Oliver May 01 '19 at 18:23

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