From what age is there a chiyuv megilla?

amother

Sun, Mar 04 2007, 3:47 pm

At what age is a girl mechuyav to hear megilla? What kind of chiyuv is it?
What is the onesh for someone who does not hear it?
These questions/answers are very relevant to me now, as we are in a custody dispute and one party is making claims that the other is not abiding by the religious stuff, by not taking the children to shul to hear megilla reading.

shalhevet

Sun, Mar 04 2007, 3:51 pm

No difference for a girl or a boy, since no difference between a man and a woman in their obligation.
The age depends on the individual child, but it is when they can sit and listen without disturbing, usually about 5-6.
I usually find once they can read and can follow the words then they can sit through it. I took my 7 yr old dd, but not 4.10 yr old ds this year.

(Do we get more details about the disagreement? I have to admit that I'm curious.)

amother

Sun, Mar 04 2007, 4:02 pm

The issue at hand is that party A is telling the judge that party B is not ensuring the children attend shul for megilla reading. Party A is asking the judge for custody and is bringing this as one of the reasons party B cannot be trusted to raise the children in the religious life they were born into.

greenfire

Sun, Mar 04 2007, 4:08 pm

Oy party A is just making trouble for party B - Just make your own party to the judge and I'm sure party C will understand

chavamom

Mon, Mar 05 2007, 12:24 am

I don't posken, but I think the ages that Shalhevet cited are for chinuch purposes only and are individual. The technical "chiyuv" would be at bar/bat mitzvah.

shalhevet

Mon, Mar 05 2007, 2:42 am

chavamom wrote:

I don't posken, but I think the ages that Shalhevet cited are for chinuch purposes only and are individual. The technical "chiyuv" would be at bar/bat mitzvah.

No, there is definitely a chiyuv of children hearing the megilla. But only from the age when they don't disturb (see my thread on that subject). But the obligation would be on the parents to bring them, and not on the child.

PinkandYellow

Mon, Mar 05 2007, 2:44 am

I don't agree with shalhevet, I don't think its when a child can sit thru it quietly. A child should be brought when they can sit quietly and understand, be able to read the actual words, like follow along (roughly) inside.

shalhevet

Mon, Mar 05 2007, 3:30 am

MosheDovid'sMom wrote:

I think it usually is about the same. A child who cannot follow cannot usually sit for 3/4 of an hour doing nothing.

chocolate moose

Mon, Mar 05 2007, 10:32 am

I never thought about it, but since my kid are older teens, I make sure they go!

withhumor

Mon, Mar 05 2007, 10:43 am

We always went, from birth. In our family it may be an unspoken custom that as soon as a child can understand the basic storylines of Purim and the neis, then they need to hear the megilla!

Tue, Mar 06 2007, 10:47 am

I assumed we all had to go, kids, babies n all...
I took DS sicne he was 6weeks old n as far as I can remember my parents took us as young kids...
Thank G-d DS behaves nicely with his little bag of nosh n purim story book n gragger, an he tells me after he heard 'the gilla'. I prefer 2 go 2 hera at some1s house so if he does get noisy I can go in the hallway an still hear but not disturb others.

Mrs. XYZ

Tue, Mar 06 2007, 11:02 am

Quote:

So are you saying that if children dont hear the megilla, then they are 'oiver' and get an 'onesh'? Or do the parent get the 'onesh'?
I never heard of any mitzvah that children are really 'mechuyav' in before Bar Mitzvah. Why is megilla different? It says ומחנכים את הילדים -so its really all about being mechanech.

shalhevet

Tue, Mar 06 2007, 3:09 pm

I checked it up in the SA. In 689:1 it says what you wrote and the Mishna Brura says it is from the age of chinuch (usually held to be around 5-6 depending on the child). In the last seif of 689 it says it is a minhag (custom) to bring even young children AS LONG AS THEY DON'T MAKE A NOISE AND DISTURB.