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Purim

Purim

Find the date for Purim 2014 in the multifaith calendar

Purim is one of the most entertaining Jewish holidays.

Purim commemorates the time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination by the courage of a young Jewish woman called Esther.

Carnival time

It is customary to hold carnival-like celebrations on Purim, to perform plays and parodies, and to hold beauty contests.

Gragger (rattle) and traditional Purim cookies called hamantashen ©

Americans sometimes refer to Purim as the Jewish Mardi Gras.

Purim is not subject to the restrictions on work that affect some other holidays; however, some sources indicate that Jews should not go about their ordinary business at Purim out of respect for the festival.

Reading the book

The main commandment related to Purim is to hear the reading of the Book of Esther.

The Book of Esther is known as the Megillah, which means scroll.

Although there are five books of Jewish scripture that can be called megillahs - Esther, Ruth, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations - The Book of Esther is the one people usually mean when they speak of the Megillah.

It is read both on the eve of Purim and also on Purim itself. If Purim falls on the Sabbath, the Megillah is read on the Thursday evening and Friday morning before Purim.

Synagogue celebrations

At Purim Jews read the story of Esther in the synagogue. It's usually an entertaining and rowdy occasion.

The synagogue is crowded with men, women, and children. Some wear their best Sabbath clothes, but many dress up in colourful costumes and masks.

Making a noise

The Purim story features a villain called Haman, and everyone in the synagogue boos, hisses, stamps their feet and uses noisemakers (called graggers) and cymbals whenever the name of Haman is mentioned during the service.

The purpose of this custom is to blot out the name of Haman. Originally, when Haman's name was read, the congregation would shout "Cursed be Haman" or "May the name of the wicked rot!" But nowadays any noise will do.

Dressing up

Children in particular enjoy dressing up as the characters found in the Book of Esther, including King Xerxes, Vashti, Queen Esther, Mordecai and Haman.

Commandments and customs

What Purim means

The word Purim means lots and refers to the lottery that Haman used to choose the date for the massacre. (Esther 3:7)

Purim is celebrated on the 14th and 15th days of Adar, the twelfth month of the Jewish Calendar.

Adar usually falls in March, and is synonymous with joy because it has traditionally been a month of hope and good luck for the Jewish people.

The 14th day 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 cities at the time of Joshua, Purim is celebrated on the 15th of the month, because the Book of Esther says that in a walled city, deliverance from the massacre was not completed until the next day.

The fast of Esther

The festival is preceded by a minor fast, which commemorates Esther's three days of fasting in preparation for her meeting with the king.

Eating and drinking

It's a mitzvah that Jewish people should eat, drink and be merry at Purim.

According to the Talmud, a person is required to drink until they 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 become seriously ill.

Gifts and charity

In addition, Jews are commanded to send gifts of money, food or drink, and make donations to charity.

The sending of gifts of food and drink is referred to as 'sending out portions.'

Purim baskets

In Israel, Purim baskets containing an assortment of sweets, cookies, bagels, wine, nuts and fruit are sold.

Haman's pockets

A common treat at this time of year are 'Haman's pockets', sometimes called hamantashen. These triangular fruit-filled cookies represent Haman's three-cornered hat.

Pastries in the shape of different animals and heroes of the Megilla, and Kreplach - meat wrapped in dough and folded into a triangle - are also popular.

Seeds commemorate the fast

Eating different kinds of seeds - sunflower, pumpkin, nuts is also popular and commemorates Esther eating only seeds while she lived in the King's palace.

The story of Purim

Esther

The story of Purim is told in the Book of Esther. Esther is a Jewish girl who becomes Queen to King Xerxes of Persia, and through her bravery, is able to thwart an attempt to slaughter all the Jews living in Persia at that time.

Purim commemorates Esther's courage in saving the Jewish people living in Persia 2000 years ago from extermination.

Heroes and villains

The heroes are Esther and her cousin Mordecai. Esther had no mother or father, and Mordecai had brought her up as if she was his daughter.

The villain of the story is Haman, the favourite nobleman of Xerxes, King of Persia.

King Xerxes can also be seen as a villain because of the way he treats women and because of his willingness to have all the Jews killed for no good reason.

Esther becomes queen

Xerxes' wife, Queen Vashti, had been banished because she wouldn't display herself to the diners at an all-male banquet he was giving.

King Xerxes summoned beautiful virgins from all over the land in order to find a new queen, and after seeing many women, he chose Esther.

The King chose her without knowing that Esther was a Jew because Mordecai had told her not to tell him.

Haman defames the Jews

Haman was furious with Mordecai, because Mordecai refused to bow down before him to show his respect.

In order to punish Mordecai, Haman decided to exterminate the whole Jewish people. So Haman went to the King and told him that he ought to get rid of the Jews.

Haman told the King that he would pay for the extermination.

Genocide

The King gave Haman his signet ring (so that Haman could give orders in the King's name) and told him to get on with it.

Esther takes a risk

Mordecai persuaded Esther to beg the King for mercy for the Jews. In fact, Mordecai didn't actually persuade Esther - he tried to frighten her into doing it:

And he pointed out that the reason she had become Queen was so that she could rescue the Jews.

Going to see the King was risky for Esther, because if you approached the King without being invited you could be executed. And the King hadn't sent for Esther for a month.

Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself, as did all the Jews in her town, and then went to see the King.

Fortunately he was pleased to see her, and she wasn't executed. He welcomed her, and she, eventually, told him of Haman's plan to exterminate the Jews.

She begged the King to show mercy to the Jewish people. The appalled King granted it at once and the Jewish people were saved.

The King had a problem, since it was not within his power to rescind the orders that Haman had given in his name. So Xerxes issued another decree, which allowed the Jews to defend themselves against those who tried to kill them. As a result, the Jews killed over 70,000 of their enemies.

The villain Haman was hanged on the gallows that he had built to execute Mordecai, and Mordecai was given Haman's job in his place.

The Book of Esther

The book of Esther is the only book of the Bible that does not contain the name of God. In fact, it includes virtually no reference to God.

Meaning of the story

Interpretations of the story

The festival of Purim and the story of Esther can be interpreted in many ways.

The most obvious interpretations are these:

God ensures that good wins in the end: although the villainous Haman seems to be getting his way at first, in the end he is defeated.

God is always there, even when unseen: this interpretation comes from the fact that God is never mentioned in the Book of Esther, but is clearly there, in the faith, trust, and loyalty of the Jews.

God plans ahead: God makes Esther Xerxes's queen in order to provide the way in which the Jews will be saved from death - even though the events which will threaten the Jews have not yet occured.

Negative messages for women

There are a number of negative messages for women in the Book of Esther:

Women are property: King Xerxes believes he has the right to parade his wife before the diners at an all-male feast that he has organised.

Male authority must be preserved: when Queen Vashti disobeys the King, who wants her to display her beauty before his male guests, this is seen as an attack on male authority in every sphere.

The Queen is deposed (and probably done away with) to ensure that the tradition of male superiority is not damaged, and that wives are reminded that they must obey their husbands.

Women are no more than animals: the search for a new queen to replace Vashti is conducted with as much humanity as might have gone into selecting a new mare for the King's stables. Character, intellect and wisdom count for nothing, only the physical matters.

What the King wants is a beautiful virgin. The whole search is conducted like a beauty contest; even down to the contestants having to spend a year in a beauty parlour first.

The chosen women then each have to spend a night with the King, to see if he enjoys them.

Women's wishes are secondary: nor are the wishes of the women given any respect - taking part in the selection process is compulsory for the women concerned.

Women are unimportant: even as Queen it's clear that Esther lives entirely on the King's terms.

She goes to him when he calls her - but if she goes uninvited, he can have her put to death.

The King ignores her needs: he doesn't want her all that often, perhaps once a month; her own needs are unconsidered.

On a political level women are downgraded since at the end of the Book of Esther, the author ignores the Queen's achievements, and concentrates on praising Xerxes and Mordecai.

Women - the positives

Women are brave: both Vashti and Esther display considerable courage in difficult and oppressive situations.

Women can exercise power: in Chapter 9 of the Book of Esther, the Queen is referred to as 'writing with full authority' to confirm a decree, and it also says 'Esther's decree confirmed these regulations about Purim', thus indicating that she had considerable authority.

A Purim experience

Purim in Jerusalem

In 2008 Peter Owen Jones visited the Jerusalem Great Synagogue for Purim.