Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination.
The story of Purim is told in the Biblical book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther more than his other women and made Esther queen, but the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her nationality.
The villain of the story is Haman, an arrogant, egotistical advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, so Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people. In a speech that is all too familiar to Jews, Haman told the king, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your realm. Their laws are different from those of every other people's, and they do not observe the king's laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them." Esther 3:8. The king gave the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, to do as he pleased to them. Haman planned to exterminate all of the Jews.
Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. This was a dangerous thing for Esther to do, because anyone who came into the king's presence without being summoned could be put to death, and she had not been summoned. Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself, then went into the king. He welcomed her. Later, she told him of Haman's plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved, and Haman was hanged on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai.
The book of Esther is unusual in that it is the only book of the Bible that does not contain the name of G-d. In fact, it includes virtually no reference to G-d. Mordecai makes a vague reference to the fact that the Jews will be saved by someone else, if not by Esther, but that is the closest the book comes to mentioning G-d. Thus, one important message that can be gained from the story is that G-d often works in ways that are not apparent, in ways that appear to be chance, coincidence or ordinary good luck.
Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of Adar, which is usually in March. The 14th of Adar is the day that Haman chose for the extermination of the Jews. In leap years, when there are two months of Adar, Purim is celebrated in the second month of Adar, so it is always one month before Passover. In cities that were walled in the time of Joshua, Purim is celebrated on the 15th of the month, because the book of Esther says that in Shushan (a walled city), deliverance from the massacre was not complete until the next day.
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 primary commandment related to Purim is to hear the reading of the book of Esther. The book of Esther is commonly known as the Megillah, which means scroll. Although there are five books of Jewish scripture that are properly referred to as megillahs (Esther, Ruth, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations), this is the one people usually mean when the speak of The Megillah. It is customary to boo, hiss, stamp feet and rattle gragers (noisemakers; see illustration) whenever the name of Haman is mentioned in the service. The purpose of this custom is to "blot out the name of Haman."
We are also commanded to eat, drink and be merry. According to the Talmud, a person is required to drink until he cannot tell the difference between "cursed be Haman" and "blessed be Mordecai," though opinions differ as to exactly how drunk that is. A person certainly should not become so drunk that he might violate other commandments or get seriously ill. In addition, recovering alcoholics or others who might suffer serious harm from alcohol are exempt from this obligation.
In addition, we are commanded to send out gifts of food or drink, and to make gifts to charity. The sending of gifts of food and drink is referred to as shalach manos (lit. sending out portions). Among Ashkenazic Jews, a common treat at this time of year is hamentaschen (lit. Haman's pockets). These triangular fruit-filled cookies are supposed to represent Haman's three-cornered hat.
It is customary to hold carnival-like celebrations on Purim, to perform plays and parodies, and to hold beauty contests. I have heard that the usual prohibitions against cross-dressing are lifted during this holiday, but I am not certain about that. Americans sometimes refer to Purim as the Jewish Mardi Gras.
Purim is not subject to the sabbath-like restrictions on work that some other holidays are; however, some sources indicate that we should not go about our ordinary business on Purim out of respect for the holiday.
Recipe
for Hamentaschen
2/3 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup orange juice (the smooth kind, not the pulpy)
1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour (DO NOT substitute white flour! The wheat flour is necessary
to achieve the right texture!)
Various preserves, fruit butters and/or pie fillings.
Blend butter and sugar thoroughly. Add the egg and blend thoroughly. Add OJ
and blend thoroughly. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, alternating white and wheat,
blending thoroughly between each. Refrigerate batter overnight or at least a
few hours. Roll as thin as you can without getting holes in the batter (roll
it between two sheets of wax paper lightly dusted with flour for best results).
Cut out 3 or 4 inch circles. Put a tablespoon of filling in the middle of each
circle. Fold up the sides to make a triangle, overlapping the sides as much
as possible so only a little filling shows through the middle. Squeeze the corners
firmly, so they don't come undone while baking. Bake at 375 degrees for about
10-15 minutes, until golden brown but before the filling boils over!
Traditional fillings are poppy seed and prune, but apricot is my favorite. Apple butter, pineapple preserves, and cherry pie filling all work quite well.
The Megillah (Esther 9:20-22) says that the Jews prevailed over their enemies on the 13th of Adar, and on the 14th they feasted to celebrate the victory. But in Shushan the capital, the battle lasted another day and the holiday was not celebrated until the 15th.
When the Sages instituted Purim, they took into account that Shushan was a walled city, and made the following stipulation: While most cities celebrate Purim on the 14th of Adar, cities which were walled at the time of Joshua (Yehoshua Bin Nun) should celebrate a special Purim -- called “Shushan Purim” -- on the 15th of Adar.
(The Sages originally considered making Shushan Purim conditional on whether a city was walled from the time of Achashverosh -- because the victory occurred at that time. However, as not to honor a Persian city more than the Land of Israel, which was in ruins at the time of the Purim miracle, the Sages made Purim on the 15th conditional on cities walled from the time of Joshua. Shushan was then included on the 15th as an exception, since the miracle occurred there.)
The only city that was definitely walled at time of Joshua is Jerusalem. (Jebusites were living there.)
The Megillah is also read on the 15th in a number of other cities in Israel -- such as Jaffa, Akko, and Hebron -- only as a custom based on a doubt over whether these cities were surrounded by walls at the time of Joshua. (Tiberias, though it was likely a walled city at the time of Joshua, is nevertheless of doubtful status because there were really only three walls plus the sea.) These cities therefore celebrate Purim on the 14th, and the additional Megillah reading on the 15th is a stringency. Therefore, they do not recite the blessings when reading on the 15th.
WHAT
DAY TO OBSERVE?
In Jerusalem, suburbs and towns from which the Old City walls can be seen also
observe Shushan Purim. Towns and suburbs less than one kilometer from the walls
also observe Shushan Purim, even though they may not be able to see the city.
If a resident of Tel Aviv (unwalled) will be in Jerusalem (walled) on the 14th of Adar, and his intention is to return to Tel Aviv before daybreak on the 15th (or according to the Chazon Ish, at nightfall of the 15th), he reads the Megillah on the 14th -- even if he was inadvertently delayed in Jerusalem. If he intended to stay in Jerusalem until the day of the 15th, he reads on the 15th only.
Similarly, a resident of Jerusalem who will be in Tel Aviv and whose intention was to return to Jerusalem before daybreak of the 14th, reads on the 15th -- even if he is detained in Tel Aviv. If his intention was to be in Tel Aviv on the 14th, he reads on the 14th. And if he returns to Jerusalem on the 15th, he reads again on the 15th.
SHUSHAN
PURIM ON SHABBAT
In a case where the 15th of Adar falls on Shabbat, then Shushan Purim is celebrated
over a three-day period (
Purim mishulash), with different parts of the holiday being distributed as follows:
MEGILLAH
READING:
The Sages prohibited reading the Megillah on Shabbat, in order that the scroll
not be inadvertently carried in the public domain – which is a violation
of Shabbat. The reading of the Megillah is therefore advanced to Friday. It
is not postponed to Sunday, like other Rabbinical decrees such as the fast of
Tisha B'Av, because the Megillah itself says: "And it shall not pass without
being fulfilled, the days of Purim at their proper time and in their proper
way" (Esther 9:27). This means we are not allowed to have Purim pass without
reading the Megillah, but we are allowed to do so earlier if necessary.
MATANOT
LA’EVYONIM:
Monetary gifts to the poor are also moved forward to the 14th (Friday) for three
reasons. First, in order that the poor might enjoy their gifts as early as possible.
Second, so that they have provisions for Shabbat. And third, they are accustomed
to receiving such gifts on the day which the Megillah is read; therefore, when
the Megillah is read early, they receive their gifts early as well.
SHABBAT
DAY:
On the 15th, which is the actual day of Shushan Purim, the paragraph of "Al
Hanisim" is added to the prayer service and to the Grace After Meals. Also,
a second Torah scroll is included during the morning Torah reading. The story
of the attack of Amalek (Exodus 17:8-16), which is the Torah reading for Purim,
is read in addition to the regular weekly parsha. The Haftorah is the same as
for Parshat Zachor.
MISHLOACH
MANOT:
On the 16th (Sunday), gifts of food between friends are exchanged, and the festive
Purim meal ("Seudah") is eaten. Nevertheless, it is customary to send
out a few Mishloach Manot gifts on Friday, while reserving the bulk of them
until Sunday. Additionally, many authorities hold that some Mishloach Manot
should be given on Shabbat -- by sending parts of the Shabbat meal to friends.
The festive meal could theoretically be eaten on Shabbat, but it is postponed until Sunday based on the principle that we do not mix two celebrations -- in this case, the Shabbat meal and the Purim meal. However, it is customary to make the Shabbat meal somewhat more elaborate than usual, in honor of Purim.