Hamas War

Monday, March 9, 2009

There Is NO Mitzvah To Make Noise During The Megillah Reading!

We are supposed to listen carefully to every word!

I can't stand loud noises. I have walked out of "parties." I have sat with my hands over my ears at weddings.

I don't go to my local shul for Purim. I can't concentrate when people are making noise. I don't find noise joyous.

Even though my hearing has gotten worse with the years, my tolerance for noise has gotten worse, too.

As an extention of the Mitzvah to Remember what Amalek did to the Jewish People, we are supposed to listen to the Megilat (Scroll of) Ester, and we are to understand what's being said. An uninhibited noisy carnival atmosphere goes against the purpose of the reading.

Baruch Hashem, we have neighbors who invite others to hear the Megillah, yes, hear the megillah, every word in their home.

Chag Purim Sameach
Have A Joyful Purim

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hear you. The past few years, some people would set off firecrackers in the shul until this year the tolerance was gone and they were strongly warned to not do it again. They countered with buying a large bag of whistles. In Hebrew, the expression is 'khavlaz'. At least there were no explosions in the shul.

It is better to do the megilla with a large crowd as opposed to a private setting. It is not forbidden to read the megilla privately or with friends.

It is a mitzva to drown out Haman's name. That is the basis of the 'tradition gone overboard' to make noise every Haman (I think there are 54 or 55 Haman's in the megilla). Making noise makes the megilla reading longer. This seems to contrast the [troublemaking] noisemakers who also should be very hungry after the fast.

I read a set of Purim halachot which brought a source that there is no need to drown out Haman's name each time and the preferred minhag is to make noise only on the first and last instances.

That would be my preferred way.

Ehav Ever said...

Yes, in Teimani and in Spanish/Portuguese it is assur to make noise during the reading. When I lived in NYC it was tough because people who were not a part of either community would show up and start making noise. From what I understand the whole carnival thing was adopted from various elements of Mardi Gras/Carnival celebrations. Here in Maale Adummim we have a big problem with kids outside of the Beit Kenesset doing fireworks during the reading. Last night they did several that were extremely load outside. I think all of this is a BIG problem.

Batya said...

Josh, it's a custom, not a mitzvah, and as Ehav Ever commented, it's not a universal custom.
The firecrackers are dangerous, not just noisy and disturbing. Every year there are serious injuries.
Ehav Ever and Josh, in the "quiet" reading this year there were many men, too. The one I went to was held at the same time as the synagogue reading, but of course we finished earlier.

Anonymous said...

Pyrotechnics of any kind, caps included, are banned in our shul.

Other than that, we joyously stamp out every reference to Haman's name, as is indeed the custom. However, I've not been around anyone that uses something loud enough to be deafeningly painful.

As for why Jewish adults are allowed to behave like children on Purim in so many ways, there's a hint for you in yesterday's Slichot, taken from the Medrash. It was the children who saved us.

Purim is the one day of the year we Jewish adults should step into the Wayback Machine, revert to our childhood and figure out what kids got that we've lost. It's not so simple.

OT: Are Blogspot's word verifications context-aware. The one currently showing for me is - are you ready - "hamenet". Cool!

Hadassa DeYoung said...

Shalom!
I'm with you on this one Batya!
I always go to the women's reading, even when I am able to go to the "regular reading". We drown out Haman's name for about two seconds, and not at ear-splitting decibel levels. I also could have gone to a no-noise Sephardi or Teimani reading or a noise-on-first-and-last-mention only reading.
Purim Sameah (and quiet!)
Hadassa
P.S. If the three hour hakafot on Simhat Tora drive you crazy, try a Sephardi or Teimani minyan.

Batya said...

Shy, what's perfectly comfortable for most is unbearable for me. I totally lose concentration. Yes, I guess I'm ADHD in some ways.

I have to be very careful where I sit, so nobody's behind me, tapping, banging or breathing too loudly. OK, I'm a party pooper at times.

That's just the way I am, and it gets worse with age. You'd think my decreased hearing would have some advantage, but B"H, I hear plenty of sounds well enough.

Hadassa, the long Hakafot don't bother me, but then again, I can always run home to do the salad, since we live behind the shul.

Anonymous said...

Ben Ish Chai - make noise at first and last Haman.

Batya said...

That's a compromise. Physically, I can't even take that. The mitzvah is to listen. I'm thankful that there are private readings in homes, where I can listen safely.