Women's megillah leinings-correcting baal korei

amother

Sat, Mar 19 2022, 11:09 pm

As a mother who didn't bring her little kids to megillah, I have been going to women's megillah leinings fire the past 12 years BH.

This year at one of the leinings, I noticed that some els were pronounced als. I believe I self-corrected/read to myself. Then at one point there was a shlishi that sounded like shishi. My daughter also thought the shlishi sounded like shishi.I

But this is one of those zooming megillah leinings were they finish in 25-30 minutes and by the time you're not sure what and if he said something wromg, they are ahead, and I am not confident enough to shout out a correction (I was in uptairs ezras nashim because shul was so full).

I ran after the bal korei as he was getting into his car after, and mentioned what I noticed. He says to mr, "Are you the woman who mentioned el and al last year?" ( yes I was!) Last year he said it didn't make a difference, but since then he found out it is sometimes me'akev... Oops.

He said he should give me his tikkun and I should circle his mistakes next time. (I'm thinking- are you kidding??? I'm not coming to you for megillah ever again bli neder!! Good thing he doesn't know who I am.) Because once he's used to saying it a certain way, it's hard to change. (I don't get it! Doesn't He practice with someone listening??? He knew last year He made el al mistakes, so I'd think he's be hyper aware.)

He said he doesn't know what he said regarding shishi/shlishi unless I recorded it and could play it back.

Okay. I don't understand how he can still be leining.
And maybe I should have called out corrections and not been ashamed of felt rushed.

Bottom line- I called our rov who said, based on all circumstances of where the mistakes were, and that I wasn't sure if I selff-corrected, that if I could hear another megillah leining, it would be better, but if it would be too hard, I was yotzei bedieved.

BH my husband was okay with me going to the next leining (he had to babysit round two) which was beautiful and 40 minutes long, accurate and clear. I am SO happy I went because I would have felt niggling guilt for the rest of the day

As I was discussing my shailah with the rov, he asked where I heard megillah. I told him which shul. He said, "if as whole kehillah heard and no one corrected, it was probably okay." I said, " but it wasn't the regular kehillah! It was only woman and some children! And women don't correct! "

Now for my question:
Were you ever at a leining where the baal korei was corrected by women?

(Actually the baal korei said that his wife used to come and sit and correct him, but she doesn't come anymore because she goes to regular megillah because she doesn't have any little kids left. I said, "well, maybe she SHOULD Come..."

amother

Burntblack

Sat, Mar 19 2022, 11:13 pm

My husband reads for me at home (with other women) and I have corrected him.
My main take from this story is that something has to be done about this baal koreh! Can you speak to the Rav of the shul he is reading in?

amother

Periwinkle

Sat, Mar 19 2022, 11:14 pm

Yes. This year. It was a small one informal reading at my workplace, maybe 10 women total. The baal Koreh said in advance to please correct him if needed as he wasn't super experienced, and a couple women did, maybe a total of 3 times.

amother

Sat, Mar 19 2022, 11:16 pm

amother [ Burntblack ] wrote:

It's not my rov and not my shul, but you are absolutely right, and I will have to ask my rov what I should do so that this didn't happen again.

I'm so curious as to what happens when he leins fire the men (if he's the one who leins for the regular minyan. Not sure.)

amother

Sienna

Sat, Mar 19 2022, 11:17 pm

My husband leins for the ladies minyan in my shul and he was telling me this Purim that he thinks its much harder and a much bigger achrayus to lein for ladies for this specific reason. If he would lein for men and he would make a mistake someone would definitely correct him. Since it's ladies if there would be a mistake no one would correct him.

BrisketBoss

Sat, Mar 19 2022, 11:19 pm

amother [ Periwinkle ] wrote:

Is it a thing that a subpar reader thinks he's good enough for women but not the 'real' kehillah?

In college I decided to follow R' Henkin's ruling and not participate in the leining performed by women on the grounds that you should not split up the kehila and I could easily attend the main reading. Today, I would happily read for myself and for other women, if I had a scroll. I think I could lein for my husband too?

amother

Kiwi

Sat, Mar 19 2022, 11:20 pm

I went to Megillah laining this year in the AM at which our regular Baal Koreh read. It was like the whole Megillah was the part where he says the names of Aseres Bnai Haman . I don’t know how he didn’t pass out . I really didn’t like it but only remembered that in the middle of the first perek. I know Purim is a busy day but if he took it down a notch and spent five more minutes it would be so much easier to understand !

amother

Impatiens

Sat, Mar 19 2022, 11:25 pm

My brother lains for women and appointed me as his corrector. So this year, as I’m listening and following along in a new Megillah which I’ve never used before, I loudly corrected him for a mistake…except…the mistake was a misprint in MY Megillah! We laughed about it afterwards…

amother

Periwinkle

Sat, Mar 19 2022, 11:27 pm

BrisketBoss wrote:

Is it a thing that a subpar reader thinks he's good enough for women but not the 'real' kehillah?

He did it as a favor. He is not an official baal koreh. I work in an MO school that has school on Purim. Some teachers asked if there would be a way for us to hear megillah after dismissal time so we wouldn't have to scramble around or get up at the crack of dawn to hear at shul before work. (They do a reading for the students, but it's an abbreviated version.)
Believe me, we were VERY grateful that this administrator stepped up to the plate to help us out. He could easily have said no, he wasn't comfortable doing it. Instead he spent time practicing ahead of Purim and stayed late for those who needed it.

DustyDiamonds

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 12:00 am

I went to megila leining after the fast. I think it was 19 minutes. My brain cannot hear that fast. I lost my place on page one and stayed in shul out of respect, And texted my rabbi right afterwards:

A Freilichen Purim. I heard the megila from someone who leaned extremely fast, and I was unable to follow along. Should I go to hear it again?

He responded yes. So I went to a later reading and met a friend who’d also been through my experience! I can’t understand how everyone else thought they were yotzeh but maybe my brain is slow?

BrisketBoss

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 12:05 am

DustyDiamonds wrote:

I wouldn't be able to handle 19 minutes either. Like, props to you that you can talk that fast, but...

amother

Antiquewhite

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 12:13 am

My husband reads for a bunch of women. Typically he gets corrected at least 1 time over purim.

One year he made a mistake and after leining was over a few women mentioned it. Bec it was more then half way through we were able to just start from mistake to end.

But ever since then everyone is overzealous to correct.

amother

Amethyst

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 12:19 am

DustyDiamonds wrote:

From what I understand, if you can't follow along or understand anyhow, if you at least are able to be quiet and pay attention to the Baal Korei for the duration, you are yotzei at least bedieved.

If a certain leining is geared for those who don't read or understand Hebrew, they may want to do it as fast as possible to give people the best chance of being able to not get distracted for the duration.

amother

Burgundy

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 12:39 am

Women can read for each other. Once you are not going to a standard reading as part of a minyan, why don't you lein? There's enough time for you to be ready for next year.

amother

Cappuccino

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 12:40 am

I'm hearing impaired, so when I was at a reading in someone's home, and thought there were mistakes I just assumed it was my hearing.
No one corrected him, but later I got a call from the friend who had brought me there telling me that she'd asked her husband about certain mistakes the ba'al koreh had made, and he said she needed to hear it again.
He read it for the both of us later that night.
It was frustrating and also made me much more careful about who I hear Megillah from.

agreer

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 12:45 am

My women's megillah reading was awful. 30 minutes but he 100% slurred multiple pesukim and skipped parts of words.

We finished at 945 and I wasn't gonna find another megillah oot. I hope Hashem understands.

Lh291

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 12:49 am

I've corrected before

amother

Vanilla

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 2:35 am

I was so happy that there was a few men that the woman's reading. And he was standing right next to him so he could correct him if there was a problem. I've learned a rather go to a 5 or 10 minute long reading and haven't read clearly and slowly. The problem is is that I don't always know who will be reading.

amother

Purple

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 2:46 am

Its a big problem. We had multiple mistakes which I tried to correct but most women won't correct out loud

amother

Pumpkin

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 4:04 am

I used to go to a womens reading where the bal Koreh would read in 20 mins but was super clear and pronounced each word, I didn’t know it was possible until I heard him read, his wife also stood next to him to correct him.
This year I went to a womens reading and the guy was trying to read fast but was really unclear there were two men following and correcting him, so I relied that the mistakes were being repeated and I didn’t notice any other mistakes myself but was not feeling confident that I was yotze when it finished.