Purim is the Jewish carnival of happiness, commemorating the rescue of the Jewish people during the ancient Persian Empire from the evil Haman (a descendant of the Jews’ archenemy, Amalek), who tried “to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews – young and old, women and children – in a single day” (Esther 3:13). The story is recorded in Megillat Esther. The word “purim” means “lots” in ancient Persian and became the name of the festival because Haman drew lots to determine when he would carry out his plot.
THE STORY
The Persian Empire of the fourth century BCE extended over 127 lands, and Jews were spread across the empire. When King AḤashverosh had his wife, Queen Vashti, executed for failing to follow his orders, he arranged a beauty pageant to find a new queen. A Jewish girl named Esther found favour in his eyes and became the new queen, but she hid her nationality.
Meanwhile, the Jew-hating Haman was appointed prime minister of the empire. Mordekhai, the leader of the Jews, refused to bow to Haman – a direct defiance of the royal decree. Haman was furious, and he persuaded the king to issue a decree ordering the destruction of all the Jews on the thirteenth of Adar, a date randomly chosen by drawing lots.
Mordekhai urged Esther to confront the king and inform him of Haman’s plans. Although reluctant at first for fear of her life, Esther agreed. She asked Mordekhai to gather all the Jews in Shushan and convince them to spend three days repenting, fasting, and praying to God. On the third day, Esther invited the king and Haman to join her for a feast. At a second feast, Esther revealed her Jewish identity to the king and accused Haman of attempting to destroy her people. Haman was hanged, Mordekhai was appointed prime minister in his stead, and a new decree was issued, granting the Jews the right to defend themselves against their enemies.
On the thirteenth of Adar, the Jews mobilised and killed many of their enemies. On the fourteenth of Adar, they rested and celebrated. In the capital city of Shushan, they took one more day to finish the job, and so in areas which have been “walled cities” from the time of Yehoshua (like Shushan), Purim is celebrated on the fifteenth of Adar instead of the fourteenth. Today, this only applies to the city of Jerusalem, which celebrates “Shushan Purim” the day after all other Jewish communities.
HOW WE CELEBRATE PURIM
There are four mitzvot on the day of Purim, and they all begin with the letter mem in Hebrew. These are:
Megilla – reading the Book of Esther, which tells the story of the Purim miracle. We listen to the Megilla once on the night of Purim and then again on the following day.
Matanot LaEvyonim – giving gifts of money to at least two poor people.
Mishloaḥ Manot – sending gifts of two kinds of ready-to-eat food to at least one person.
Mishteh – eating a festive Purim feast (Seudat Purim), which often includes wine or other intoxicating beverages.
There is a general spirit of liveliness and fun on Purim that is unparalleled in the Jewish calendar. It is also customary for children especially (but adults also, if they desire) to dress up in costumes. This is because the role of God is hidden in the story of Purim (and in fact, even the name of God is starkly missing from the Megilla).
A traditional Purim food is hamantaschen (three-cornered pastries bursting with sweet fillings such as poppy seeds). “Taschen” means “pockets” in Yiddish and German, but some believe these pastries represent Haman’s favourite three-cornered hat, and in Hebrew we call them “oznei Haman,” meaning “Haman’s ears”!
On the day before Purim (or on the Thursday before, when Purim is on Sunday), it is customary for those over bar and bat mitzva age to fast. This commemorates Esther leading the people in fasting and prayer, begging God to save them.
❖ Points to Ponder
1. What is the message behind the custom to dress up on Purim? How can we take this message into our everyday lives?
2. The word “purim” means “lots,” which might imply that the destiny of the Jewish people is random. How is the message of the festival of Purim the opposite of this?
3. What do the four mitzvot of Purim have in common with each other? How is this connected to Purim?