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Purim
Chag sameach!
Purim, the fun-filled Jewish holiday, falls annually on the 14th of the Hebrew month
of Adar. This year Purim begins Monday evening March 17. (In Jerusalem it is celebrated
one day later.)
The word "Purim" means "lots" and refers to the lottery that Haman used
to choose the date for the massacre. The Purim holiday is preceded by a
minor fast, the Fast of Esther, which commemorates Esther's three days of
fasting in preparation for her meeting with the king.
The main event is reading the Book of Esther. Set in Persia 2,300 years
ago, the "Megillah" (as it is commonly called) recounts how a seemingly
unrelated series of events spun together to save the Jewish people from
annihilation. The quick version is as follows:
The name Megillat Esther (Scroll of Esther) actually means "revealing the
hidden." Unlike every other book in the Bible, Megillat Esther never mentions
God's name even once. The hidden hand of God is revealed through the maze
of events. There are no coincidences.
Megillat Esther teaches us that life challenges work out for the best,
because what appears as obstacles are really opportunities to develop ourselves
for the better. The Book of Esther is read on Purim night, and again the
next day. Every word must be clearly heard. We read it in the synagogue,
because the larger the crowd, the greater publicity is given to the miracle
of our being saved.
On Purim morning, we bustle around town visiting friends and delivering
tasty treats - Mishloach Manot. Purim is the day we reach out to embrace
our fellow Jews. After all, Haman did not discriminate amongst us... that's
why it is particularly good to give gifts to those who you may have had
an argument with, or someone new in the community who needs a new friend.
On Purim, it is also a special mitzvah to give gifts of money to the poor. The Jewish
people are one unit - we can't possibly enjoy the holiday if poor people don't have
enough.
Then comes the day's grand finale - the festive meal. We eat our fill and pamper our
bodies - because it is the Jewish bodies that Haman sought to destroy.
The Story:
The Story of Purim comes from the Book of Esther. It begins in Shushan,
the capital of Persia, in the year 3392 (by the Jewish calendar). The story
begins with a huge royal feast thrown by King Achashverosh, 180 days long
for noblemen, followed by a weeklong festival for the whole city of Shushan.
At the end of this feast, he calls in his queen Vashti so that he can show
her off to the other men. Vashti refuses, and is sentenced to death.
Achashverosh calls in women from all his lands so that he can pick a new
queen. He eventually chooses Esther, a Jewish girl, an orphan who lives
with her uncle Mordechai. Esther is very careful to hide the fact she is
Jewish. She uses her power to have Mordechai, a pious Jew, appointed as
an advisor to the king. Mordechai overhears two soldiers speaking of an
assassination plot against the king, due to his appointment of a Jew. Mordechai
warns the king, saving his life.
At the same time this was happening, Achashverosh was also busy appointing
a new Prime Minister, Haman. Haman was a greedy man, who demanded that all
people bow to him. Mordechai refused to bow to him, claiming he would only
bow to God. This pushed Haman to vow that he would destroy the Jewish people.
Haman goes to King Achashverosh and convinces him of the need to wipe out
the Jewish people. Haman eventually convinces the king, and they sign a
secret royal decree allowing soldiers to kill the Jews on the thirteenth
of Adar.
Mordechai has a dream that night in which the plot is revealed to him.
The next day he rips his clothes, puts on sackcloth and ashes and begins
repenting. He visits Esther, and tells her she must reveal her ancestry
to the king and save the Jews. Esther asks Mordechai to have all the Jews
participate in three days of fast, repentance, and prayer that she may be
successful in speaking to Achashverosh. The Jews comply, and begin their
fasting and repentance with such devotion that God hears them and vows to
save his people.
Esther enters the throne room, and trough a stroke of luck Achashverosh
gladly agrees to see her. Esther does not reveal her pleas to the king,
but merely invites Achashverosh and Haman to a banquet. That night at the
banquet, she invites them both back for another banquet, claiming that then
she will reveal her wishes.
Haman is in good spirits as he leaves the banquet, but on the way out,
he passes Mordechai. He is once again enraged at Mordechai's refusal to
bow, and goes home at once to plot a special death for Mordechai. Haman's
wife, Zeresh, warns that Haman must think of a unique form of punishment
for God has saved his people from every other type of punishment. Haman
eventually decides on hanging, and orders them to build the gallows 50 cubits
high.
At that same time, Achashverosh is awakened in his sleep, and orders the
Book of Chronicles to be read to him. The story that is being recalled is
when Mordechai saved the king from an assassination attempt. At that moment,
Haman walks in, planning on asking permission to hang Mordechai. Achashverosh
asks Haman, "What should be done for a man the king wishes to honor?" Haman,
thinking that he is that man, says that the king should dress this man up
in the king's apparel and let the man ride on a royal horse, pronouncing
the decree to the city. Achashverosh orders that Haman do this for Mordechai.
Haman is embarrassed, but he still must obey the king's wishes and take
Mordechai on a royal procession through the streets.
At the second banquet, Esther admits that she is Jewish, and that Haman
has been plotting to kill her people. Achashverosh is outraged with Haman,
and orders Haman to be hung on the very gallows meant for Mordechai. The
King also issued a decree allowing the Jews to be heavily armed and prepared
to fend off the attacks that Haman had decreed on the thirteenth of Adar.
There are four mitzvot specific to the holiday of Purim:
- All Jews should hear the Megillah read, preferably in a synagogue, as
it is meant to be read in the presence of a whole community, rather than
merely a minyan.
- Jews are expected to give gifts to the poor on that day. Even those
who are so poor they usually receive charity are expected to give something
on Purim.
- Jews should give Mishloach Manot, gifts of food to each other (this
would make Purim the traditional gift-giving holiday, rather than Hanukkah).
- Jews should partake in a festive meal. Specifically, this is supposed
to be a huge celebration, so the meal often contains meat and wine, as
those are signs of festive eating.
- The Day before Purim is called Ta'anit Esther, the Fast of Esther, it
is traditional to fast from sunrise until after Minchah, but it is a very
minor fast day (since it is not Temple related).
Interesting Twists to Purim:
- Purim contains several interesting connections with past stories. Haman is often
linked with Amalek, the eternal enemy of the Jewish people. Haman is seen as the
epitome of the evil that Amalek started. Amalek was the first nation to attack Israel
after the Exodus from Egypt. Amalek was a descendant of Esau, thereby creating a hate
so devoted that it was not scared by the miracles God performed. Haman was the
continuation of Amalek, as an enemy of the Jewish people.
- Purim is continuously liked with Yom Kippur, though the two holidays would seem
so different. Kippur can be elongated to Ki-Purim (like Purim). It is oftentimes said
that the same spiritual satisfaction can be gained through joyous celebration on Purim
as through self-denial on Yom Kippur.
- We are taught that all holidays and festivals will be abolished when the Moshiach
comes. Purim is the exception to this rule, as it is never to be abolished in Heaven or
on Earth. This is seen as the only way of wiping out the name of Amalek, the only enemy
whoever had a pure enough hate of Israel to warrant this obliteration.
- While Vashti appears to be a righteous feminist in the story, the Talmud contains
several stories of Vashti abusing her Jewish servants, making them do demeaning tasks on
Shabbat. Therefore, the Talmud implies that Vashti got what she deserved. Esther on
the other hand seems rather ambiguous from the story. She goes by a pagan name (Esther,
from Ishtar). She is selected queen from what is presumably a process of merely the
king sleeping with every eligible woman until he finds one he likes best (an often left
out part of the story). Despite this, the Talmud takes great lengths to speak of how
she surrounded herself with Jewish servants, and had them serve her only Kosher food.
She fasts before going to see the king, in keeping with the Jewish traditions of that
time. By adding in this commentary, the Talmud attempts to erase the doubt created from
the story as to who is the "good" queen and who is the "bad" one.
Purim Links:
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