Go hear megillah with your kids if you have to!!

amother

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 2:29 pm

I have heard megillah perfectly fine many times with children present.
A drop of noise doesn’t nullify your megillah reading. Focus on the chazan and not on the noise and you’ll be fine.

I’m horrified on behalf of the women who skipped megillah completely because they felt uncomfortable to bring their kids.

They are better off going to megillah with kids than not at all. And communities need to be more welcoming of children at megilla. It’s not impossible to hear megilla with children present. People are becoming OCD about it.

amother

Powderblue

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 2:32 pm

You have to know your kids. There's the kids who will sit quietly next you and the kid who will be in and out every 2 minutes slamming the door each time and asking you a question each time he comes in.

Raizle

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 2:35 pm

amother OP wrote:

If you don’t have a babysitter and have no childcare options, please bring your children with you and go to hear megilla!!

Hearing megillah is your mitzvah and nobody should feel like they can’t go to megilla and will skip megilla just because they have kids.

I was at a megilla reading this morning and there was a toddler crying on the mens side for a few seconds. I was surprised but Guess what I could still hear every word and I’m sure the father had a good reason for bringing a small child with him. There were lots of kids on the women’s side who were perfectly quiet.

Nobody should feel like they can’t hear megilla and would miss a mitzva because they are uncomfortable bringing kids to megilla.

Bring your kids and do your mitzvah!

This is very black and white. I've had to have megillah repeated for me because kids made it so I couldn't hear. Sure go with your kids but if they make noise then take them out of shul. There are lots of repeated readings in most communities so that parents should not have miss out and can take turns but you can't just make a blanket statement that you should go with your kids to shul and people will still hear because that's just not true.

amother

Mayflower

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 2:36 pm

amother OP wrote:

They shouldn't skip megillah. Where are their husbands?

I've never heard of such a thing where a woman can't make it to megillah at all.

Raizle

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 2:37 pm

amother OP wrote:

like I said. There are other readings they could go to and take turns with their husbands or other family members. No reason to miss it even if they don't go to shul.

amother

Lightyellow

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 2:39 pm

Raizle wrote:

like I said. There are other readings they could go to and take turns with their husbands or other family members. No reason to miss it even if they don't go to shul.

This isn't an option for everyone. Many women will not be able to hear if they don't take their kids.

Raizle

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 2:39 pm

amother Celeste wrote:

Exactly! In almost every case you can still hear the words even if it’s slightly annoying.

Nope. I've missed portions of megillah because of other people's kids. Maybe you go to a shul where the chazan is very loud but you can't speak for everyone. Especially for the people who are sitting closest to the child being noisy

amother

Mayflower

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 2:40 pm

amother Lightyellow wrote:

This isn't an option for everyone. Many women will not be able to hear if they don't take their kids.

Why would it not be an option to have your husband watch your child so you can go hear megillah?

Raizle

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 2:41 pm

amother Lightyellow wrote:

This isn't an option for everyone. Many women will not be able to hear if they don't take their kids.

please explain why not? Short of them living in a tiny community with one chazan who refuses to accommodate and read again... Or have no one they could ask to babysit for half an hour?

amother

Powderblue

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 2:52 pm

I had to get up during megillah today and move because someone else's child decided to be jumping up and down right next to me, kicking the mechitza on each jump. Given that I had been up since 6 to let my husband go to an earlier reading so I could go to this one, I was not very patient about it.

amother

Sapphire

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 2:53 pm

amother Mayflower wrote:

They shouldn't skip megillah. Where are their husbands?

I've never heard of such a thing where a woman can't make it to megillah at all.

good for you. I have heard this. And not all women have husbands. In fact I know some men who have no wives and yheyy are raising the kids. Wonder what they do. And don’t say their mothers or siblings. One man I know lives far away from family.

amother

Amethyst

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 2:55 pm

amother Sapphire wrote:

NOT ALL WOMEN HAVE A Husband.

If they don't have a husband then it is likely that they also don't have a very young child. If they do, I really hope they have SOMEONE who can help them out, and it's not just about Purim.

chestnut

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 2:58 pm

amother Mayflower wrote:

I'm sure He'll consider you an oneiss, but it's still not the best thing to do and it's not right to be the reason someone becomes an oneiss.

I'm not talking about the reason, let them figure it out with Hashem. I'm talking about women who missed some words because of someone's child.

amother

Aquamarine

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 2:59 pm

Last year, I brought my kids to Megillah reading. I got scolded before it even started and left. I never want to go back again. I felt awful for having children and bringing them with me for a mitzvah. I didn’t go to Megillah reading this year with my children. Read it to myself at home.

chestnut

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 3:02 pm

patzer wrote:

What do you think Hashem's reaction will be when you bring your baby to megilla and cause others to not fulfill the mitzvah?
Shame on you

And no, not everyone is able to read fast enough to catch up.

If I do it, I'll have to find out Hashem 's reaction. And don't be so sure it'll be terrible. Don't talk about someone until you walk in their shoes.
Now, stop worrying about those who bring their kids and worry about yourself. Missed some words? Think Hashem will be ok with it? Move on.

amother

Sapphire

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 3:02 pm

Raizle wrote:

neighbour? Friend? Family? Paid babysitter?

Small community? Baalei tshuva? Geirim? Just moved and doesn’t know neighbors? Pioneers and moved to a new area where there are no neighbors? Had a family emergency? Doesn’t want non jewish babysitter and yiddishe ones are not available ?
Come on, enough is enough. I will be the first one to say that kids should not come for megilla or shofar if they cannot be quiet. But I am also very much aware that there are circumstances which they might have to. So they should be ready to leave and we should be more understanding and perhaps help them. I have had lollies and books in my bag and had children ( not mine) sit near me and I helped the mom and the kids kept quiet.

amother

Offwhite

Sun, Mar 24 2024, 3:13 pm

I agree on some level. But I think the people who bring kids and don't absolutely have to (they could go to a later reading...) ruin it for those that literally need to bring their kids or won't hear megila.

If everyone was careful not to bring young kids, then we'd realize that the ones that ended up coming must have a mother who is completely desperate. And I'd fargin. Even though I have OCD and megila is triggering. But it's harder to fargin when the kid COULD stay home.