Yemenite for "The Night"

In all honesty, it was for a whole night, just a short while.

I'm one of those Purim "killjoys" who hates and condemns the festive noise during the reading of Megillat (Scroll of) Esther.  I find it physically painful and it totally prevents me from following the reading.  And we're supposed to read/follow it.

I usually go to private home readings, but this year I couldn't find one.  Our community's rabbi had made a proclamation that we should all go to "main" readings in the synagogues, at least on the first night, for the sake of unity.  Some of the homes I've been going to announced that they would honor the rabbi's request.  I was stuck and didn't feel like making phone calls.

For the past few years I'd heard that the Yemenite minyan, which is actually in our shul's building, reads the Megilat Esther very quietly.  It's not acceptable to make noise.  I was a bit nervous about going, not G-d forbid for any social/cultural reason, because I wasn't sure I'd be able to follow the traditional Yemenite accent.  I've heard the Megilla sufficient times, 30x4 since we're in Shiloh and more than twenty beforehand, so that the different chanting tune shouldn't be a problem. 

The Yemenite minyan is pretty small, and many Yemenite families take their children to the other more "festive" readings.  They made room for all of us (I wasn't the only Ashkenaz fleeing the banging and cap guns)  and even expanded the women's section.  I wasn't the only Ashkenazic woman who became Yemenite for the night.

I must admit that I didn't follow the reading at all, certainly less than 50%.  It certainly would improve if I adopted going to their reading every year.  And we could hear the noise, a bit muffled, from the reading in our shul.  I was very happy not to have been in my regular seat.  I wouldn't have survived.

It's nice to have choice.

Chag Purim Sameach!