Megillah 2a: What it means to know Shas

Megillah 2a: The Megillah can be read on the 11^th of Adar, the 12^th, the 13^th, the 14^th or the 15^th, not less and not more.

מגילה ב ע”א: מגילה נקראת באחד עשר, בשנים עשר, בשלשה עשר, בארבעה עשר, בחמשה עשר, לא פחות ולא יותר.

The Vilna Gaon’s grandson once met a rav in Warsaw who asked brazenly, “What was so great about the Gaon? I also know Shas and poskim quite well.”

“I’ll give you an example of a question they asked my Zaideh when he was eight years old, and you’ll see,” replied the grandson. “They asked him: Why in the first Mishnah of Megillah does it say that the Megillah can be read on the 11^th of Adar, the 12^th, the 13^th, the 14^th or the 15^th, ‘not less and not more,’ but in Shabbos 137a it says that a baby can have his bris milah on the 8^th day, the 9^th, the 10^th, the 11^th or the 12^th, and it does not use the words ‘not less and not more’?

On the spot, the rav came up with a beautiful shtikel Torah to explain the difference between Megillah and bris milah. After he had spoken for an hour, the Gaon’s grandson said, “My Zaideh said a better teirutz.” Undeterred, the rav went to the beis medrash, learned up the sugya for two days and then came back and said a tremendous masterpiece, bringing proofs from all of Shas.

The Gaon’s grandson said simply, “My Zaideh said a better teirutz. It does in fact say the words ‘not less and not more’ in the case of bris milah as well.”