Dear Rabbi Simon
I am hoping to travel to Israel around Purim. I wanted to please check if it is acceptable to fly to Israel on the night immediately following Purim, arriving in the morning of so-called Shushan Purim (when the festival is celebrated in Jerusalem). My plan is to go to Jerusalem, but I am not keen on having the obligation (or stamina?) to listen to the megillah again. Would I be obligated to do so?
Many thanks
Esther
Dear Esther
Thank you for your interesting and practical question, much-discussed in the rabbinic literature.
If you hear Megillah in London on Purim and then arrive in Jerusalem after sunrise (6:03am on Wednesday 4 March 2026) on the 15th of Adar (known as “Purim of the Walled Cities”) you are not required to hear Megillah again. If your flight arrival time is such that you would likely get to Jerusalem before sunrise, and you prefer not to while away the time at Ben Gurion Airport, I would say you are OK to arrive any time after about 5:30am.
BTW, when we lived in a suburb of Yerushalayim (in the 1980’s), we would observe two days of Purim every year, due to the uncertain status of our neighbourhood as part of the city or a non-contiguous suburb. (The matter has since been long resolved in favour of Jerusalem.)
Safe travels and safe celebrations.
Rabbi Rashi Simon