Knitting During Megillah Reading
Question
Last week when I attended the Megillah reading, there was a woman in the synagogue who was knitting throughout the reading. No one bothered her about it. When I saw that, it made me regret not bringing my own knitting project to work on. I find the Megillah reading boring and I always struggle to stay awake as I sometimes doze off for part of it. If I were knitting during the reading, it would surely help keep me awake.
Do you think it would be okay for me in the future to knit during the reading to prevent myself from falling asleep? If I doze, I would miss some of the words of the reading, but if I knit, I can keep myself awake and alert for every word.
Answers
While I am not a knitter, my mother did teach me to knit when I was a child, and at one point I was pretty good! Why am I telling you this? Not so that we can make a “knitting club” together, but simply because I know from experience that knitting is not something that can normally be done while doing something else that requires one hundred percent concentration. And that is what the Megillah requires – a complete awareness of the words being read and to follow along carefully so as not to miss a single word.
Consequently, I do not think that it is correct to knit during the Megillah. With regards to the potential problem of falling asleep, I would suggest that, perhaps, next year you try standing for the Megillah reading. As well as that, I would also suggest that you try to listen to some wonderful lessons about the Megillah before Purim and/or read some of the wonderful commentaries on the story. In that way, the words of the Megillah will become much more meaningful to you as you pick up on the hidden messages and lessons that the Megillah contains.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team