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What is Purim?
Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar which usually occurs in February or March. It is one of the minor festivals, similar to Chanukah. This means that Jews are allowed to work on the festival, unlike most others. Purim is a jolly festival with a carnival atmosphere. It is a time for real ‘festivity and making merry’ and provides an opportunity for adults and children to have fun, dress up in fancy dress with masks and funny hats and have parades.
What does the word Purim mean?
The meaning of the Hebrew word Purim is ‘lots/lottery tickets’ (plural). It is derived from the ancient Persian word ‘pur’ (singular for lot) and refers to the part of the Purim story, when the wicked Haman cast lots to determine the day when all the Persian Jews would be destroyed. At that time, the ‘lots’ may have been pieces of coloured clay or stone placed in a jar.
What is the story of Purim?
The story is a long and complicated one, involving many characters and incidents, hence the colloquial Yiddish expression ‘the whole Megillah’ which means a long, seemingly endless, story.
It is a story that takes place in ancient Persia, and tells of a young Jewish woman called Esther, who became queen to the king of Persia; with the help of her uncle Mordechai, she defeated the King’s chamberlain/prime minister, Haman, who had plotted to destroy the Jews. Haman cast lots to decide the date for the extermination of the Jews. The Hebrew word for lot is pur and the plural for pur is purim, hence the name of the festival.
There is evidence that Purim was celebrated as early as the first century BCE.
Where is the story of Purim to be found?
Purim celebrates events found in the biblical Book of Esther, or the Scroll of Esther (Megillat Esther) which was probably written over 2000 years ago. The Megillah has to be written on parchment by a competent scribe. Esther is the only Book of the Hebrew Bible in which God is not mentioned and the festival itself has many secular aspects, but the real origins of Megillat Esther remain a mystery. Some scholars think that King Ahasuarus was either Xerxes I, who ruled Persia from 486-465 B.C.E. or Artaxerxes II , king from 404-359 B.C.E. Haman, Esther, Mordechai, or even any of the incidents of the story are not mentioned in any historical records of the period.
The message behind the story of Purim
The underlying message of the story of Purim, in spite of the mystery surrounding its origins, is like that of Chanukah: the victory of the Jewish minority in the face of persecution. Purim is also a recollection and commemoration of the courage and unity of the Jewish people and a thankful and joyous celebration of its survival.
How is Purim celebrated?
The day before Purim is a fast day, commemorating the fast of Esther. A synagogue service is held on the eve and on the morning of Purim. The Scroll of Esther (Megillat Esther) is read in synagogue. It is both a joyful and solemn occasion. Everyone, men, women and children, must read it or hear it readand it should be read in full once during the evening and once during the day. Audience participation is encouraged whenever the name of Haman, the tyrant and arch-enemy is pronounced. The children make all the noise they can, either with their feet or with greggers (Polish for rattles) or home-made noise-makers brought for the purpose.
Fancy dress - Children and adults wear fancy dress and funny costumes and/or masks for the parties or similar celebrations organised in most congregations or in the home. The custom of dressing up is probably borrowed from the pagan carnivals of ancient times and the Catholic practices at Mardi Gras which occur around the same time of year as Purim. In Israel, a carnival ( Hebrew: adloyada) is held in many towns including Tel Aviv, with children parading in the street in beautiful fancy dress costumes.
Parties, plays, parades and pageants and similar celebrations are organised by most congregations. Purim-shpiels, (Yiddish for Purim play, originating in fifteenth century Germany and practiced widely in Poland and Russia) were and still are held. These can be humorous, satirical or just farcical rather like pantomimes. They usually begin with the story of Esther and Mordechai but often go a long way from their starting point before coming to a merry end.
Mishloah manot- gifts. The book of Esther 9:22 instructs Jews to “make days of feasting and gladness, and of sending gifts to one another and gifts to the poor.” It is customary to send two gifts to at least one friend and give a single gift to at least two poor people. Even the poorest Jew is expected to share with others. We are reminded that Tzedakah (Hebrew charity) is a religious duty.
Seudat Purim – A festive meal. This is not held the night before (as is the custom with other festivals) but during the day of Purim and ideally late in the afternoon and continued until night time. The most popular food eaten is Hamentashen (German: Haman’s pockets) or Ozney Haman (Hebrew: Haman’s ears)– a delicious three-cornered cake filled with poppy seeds, dried fruits or jam. They are meant to symbolize the three-cornered hat which Haman wore. Purim is an occasion when we are encouraged to drink .
Why do we drink on Purim?
Many kinds of behaviour which are frowned upon at other times are not only permitted but encouraged on Purim. On this occasion, adults are actually encouraged to drink. For example, the Talmudic statement Megillah 7b says “It is a man’s virtue to get so tipsy on Purim that he does not know the difference between ‘Cursed be Haman’ and ‘Blessed be Mordechai’.” However, some authorities explain that it is enough to drink until you fall asleep, since that is enough to make you forget the difference.
Blessings
As Purim is a minor festival, blessings over candles, wine and bread are not said. There is a blessing for reading the Megillah.
Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Ruler of the universe, who makes us holy through doing His commands and commands us to read the Megillah.
This material has been taken from the Kesher Festival Books produced by LBCs Department of Education and Professional Development with their kind permission.
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