The Jewish Feast of Lots, celebrated on 14 or 15 Adar (about 1 Mar), commemorating the deliverance of the Jews from a plot to have them massacred, as related in the Book of Esther.
| Purim | |
|---|---|
| A Purim gragger, also called "ra'ashan" (noisemaker), used when Haman's name is mentioned during the reading of the Megillah, as tradition dictates, to blot out the name of evil. | |
| Official name | Hebrew: פורים Translation: "Lots" (of a "lottery" performed by the wicked Haman) |
| Observed by | Judaism and Jews |
| Type | Jewish |
| Significance |
One of two Rabbinical Festivals (the other is Hanukkah). When ancient Persia took control, Haman, royal vizier to King Ahasuerus, planned genocide against the Jews, but his plans
were foiled by Esther and Mordechai, showing God's control of events. The Jews went from being the "victims" of an evil decree against them, to becoming the ones allowed by the king to destroy their enemies. The day after the battle was designated as Purim, a day of feasting and rejoicing. |
| Date | 14th day of Adar, (in Jerusalem and all ancient walled cities on 15th of Adar) |
| Celebrations | Listening to the reading of the Book of Esther - the Megillah ("scroll") in synagogue, and at that time making noise with a gragger (noisemaker), whistle, drum, or any loud object when Haman's name is read out loud. |
| Related to | Hanukkah, as a rabbinically decreed holiday |
Purim (Hebrew: פורים Pûrîm "Lots", from Akkadian pūru) is a joyous Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of Persian Jews from Haman's plot to exterminate them, as recorded in the biblical Book of Esther. It is characterized by public recitation of the Book of Esther, giving mutual gifts of food and drink, giving charity to the poor, and a celebratory meal (Esther 9:22);
Purim is celebrated annually on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar. (In cities that were walled in the time of Joshua, including Jerusalem, Purim is celebrated on the 15th of the month, known as Shushan Purim). As with all Jewish holidays, Purim begins at sundown on the previous secular day.
Overview
The events leading up to Purim were recorded in the Book of Esther, which became the last of the 24 books of the Tanakh to be canonized by the Great Assembly.
The holiday of Purim has been held in high esteem by Judaism at all times; some have held that when all the prophetical and hagiographical works are forgotten, the Book of Esther will still be remembered, and, accordingly, the Feast of Purim will continue to be observed (Jerusalem Talmud, Megillah 1/5a;
Like Hanukkah, Purim's status as a holiday is on a lesser level than those ordained holy days by the Torah. Accordingly, business transactions and even manual labor are allowed on Purim, though in certain places restrictions have been imposed on work (Shulkhan Arukh, Orach Chayim, 696).
The four main mitzvot of the day are:
listening to the public reading of the Book of Esther in the evening and again in the following morning sending food gifts to friends giving charity to the poor eating a festival mealReading of the Megillah
The first religious ceremony ordained for the celebration of Purim is the reading of the Book of Esther (the "Megillah") in the synagogue, a regulation ascribed in the Talmud (Megillah 2a) to the "Men of the Great Assembly", of which Mordechai is reported to have been a member. later, however, Rabbi Joshua ben Levi (3d century CE) prescribed that the Megillah should also be read on the eve of Purim.
In the Mishnah, the recitation of a benediction on the reading of the Megillah is not yet a universally recognized obligation.
The Megillah is read with a traditional chant, differing from that used in the customary reading of the Torah. In some places, however, it is not chanted, but is read like a letter, because of the name "iggeret" (epistle) which is applied (Esther 9:26,29) to the Book of Esther.
According to the Mishnah (Megillah 30b), Exodus 17:8-16, the story of the attack on the Jews by Amalek, the progenitor of Haman, is also to be read.
Purim gave rise to many religious compositions, some of which were incorporated into the liturgy.
By the 18th century in eastern Romania and some other parts of Eastern Europe, Purim plays (called Purimspiels) had evolved into broad-ranging satires with music and dance, precursors to Yiddish theater, for which the story of Esther was little more than a pretext: indeed, by the mid-19th century, some were even based on other stories, such as Joseph sold by his brothers, Daniel, or the Sacrifice of Isaac.
Boisterousness in the synagogue
Purim is an occasion on which much joyous license is permitted within the walls of the synagogue itself.
Ultimately, the stones fell into disuse, with the knocking alone remaining. Some of the rabbis protested against these uproarious excesses, considering them a disturbance of public worship, but the custom of using noisemakers in synagogue on Purim is now almost universal.
Purim is also a time for other unusual goings-on.
Burning of Haman's effigy
Outside the synagogue, the pranks indulged in on Purim by both children and adults have been carried even to a greater extreme. As early as the fifth century, and especially in the Geonic period (9th and 10th centuries), it was a custom to burn Haman in effigy on Purim, semblant of the British customs for Guy Fawkes Day.
The burning custom, which persisted into the 20th century, is no longer practiced.
In Italy, Jewish children used to arrange themselves in rows, and pelt one another with nuts;
These customs often aroused the wrath of Christians, who interpreted them as a disguised attempt to ridicule Jesus and the cross.
Women and Megilla reading
Women have an obligation to hear the Megilla because "they also were involved in that miracle."
Giving of food and charity
The Book of Esther prescribes "the sending of portions one man to another, and gifts to the poor" (9:22). Over time, this mitzvah has become one of the most prominent features of the celebration of Purim.
Although the sending of mishloach manot is technically limited to one gift for one friend, the custom has evolved into a major gift-giving event. Families often prepare dozens of homemade and store-bought food baskets to deliver to friends, neighbors, and relatives on Purim day.
Impressive baskets are also delivered to children's teachers, school principals, parents' bosses, doctors, and other service personnel with whom they have regular dealings throughout the year.
In the synagogue, regular collections of charity are made on the festival and the money is distributed among the needy.
The Purim meal
On Purim day, typically toward evening, a festive meal called Seudat Purim is held, with wine as the prominent beverage. The jovial character of this feast is illustrated in the saying of the Talmud (Megilla 7b) stating that one should drink on Purim until he can no longer distinguish between the phrases, arur Haman ("Cursed is Haman") and baruch Mordechai ("Blessed is Mordechai"). (In Hebrew these phrases have the same numerical value, and some authorities, including the Be'er Hagolah and Magen Avraham, have ruled that one should drink wine until he is unable to calculate these numerical values.)
This saying was codified in the Rif, Rosh, Tur, Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 695), and is interpreted simply (as explained above) by the Chatam Sofer.
Many kinds of merry-making and mockery are indulged in on Purim, so that among the masses it is believed that "on Purim everything is allowed". Men should not dress in women's attire (according to some halakhic rulings), nor engage in ribald jokes about their teachers or Jewish leaders, even in the "spirit" of Purim.
Masquerading
Dressing up in masks and costumes is one of the most entertaining customs of the Purim holiday. Children in particular enjoy dressing up as the protagonists in the Book of Esther, including Queen Esther and Mordechai;
Costumes and masks are worn to disguise the wearers' identities. Mistaken identity plays an important role in The Book of Esther, as Esther hid her cultural origins from the king, Mordechai hid his knowledge of all the world's languages (which allowed Bigthan and Teresh to discuss their plot openly in his presence), and Haman was mistaken for Mordechai when he led Mordechai through the streets of the capital city of Shushan (according to the Talmud, Haman's daughter, thinking that it must be Mordechai leading her father around, dumped a chamber pot on her father's head as he passed by, and, realizing her error, committed suicide).
The one who is truly hidden behind all the events of the Megillah is God. In remembrance of how God remained hidden throughout the Purim miracle, Jews dress up on Purim and many hide their faces.
The custom of masquerading on Purim was first introduced among the Italian Jews about the close of the fifteenth century under the influence of the Roman carnival.
In Israel there are Purim parades, and men, women, boys and girls celebrate publicly in costumes and masks.
Songs
Traditional Purim songs include "Mishenichnas Adar marbim be-simcha" ("From the beginning of [the Hebrew month of] Adar, joy increases"—Mishnah Taanith 4:1), "LaYehudim haisah orah ve-simchah ve-sasson ve-kar" ("The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor"—Esther 8:16), and "Chayav inish livesumei" ("There is an obligation to drink"—Talmud Megilla 7b).
Traditional foods
During Purim it is traditional to serve triangular pastries—called hamantaschen ("Haman's pockets") in Yiddish and oznei Haman ("Haman's ears") in modern Hebrew.
Kreplach, a kind of dumpling filled with cooked meat, chicken or liver and served in soup, is also traditionally served on Purim.
Shushan Purim
Shushan Purim (the 15th day of Adar) is the day on which Jews in Jerusalem and Shushan (in Iran) celebrate Purim. The Book of Esther explains that while the Jews in unwalled cities fought their enemies on the 13th of Adar and rested on the 14th, the Jews in the walled capital city of Shushan spent the 13th and 14th defeating their enemies, and rested on the 15th (Esther 9:20-22).
Although Mordechai and Esther decreed that only walled cities should celebrate Purim on the 15th, in commemoration of the battle in the walled city of Shushan, the Jewish Sages noted that Jerusalem, the focus of Jewish life, lay in ruins during the events of the Book of Esther.
The Megillah is also read on the 15th in a number of other cities in Israel—such as Jaffa, Acre, Safed and Hebron—but only as a custom based on a doubt over whether these cities were walled during the time of Joshua. These cities therefore celebrate Purim on the 14th, and the additional Megillah reading on the 15th is a stringency.
Purim Katan
In leap years on the Hebrew calendar, Purim is celebrated in the second month of Adar. (The Karaites, however, celebrate it in the first month of Adar.) The 14th of the first Adar is then called Purim Katan ("Little Purim" in Hebrew), for which there have been set forth certain observances similar to those for Purim proper, with the exception of reading the Megillah, sending gifts to the poor, and fasting on the 13th of the month. The distinctions between the first and the second Purim in leap years are mentioned in the Mishnah (Megillah 1/46b;
Fasting before and after Purim
The Fast of Esther, celebrated before Purim, on the 13th of Adar, is not an original part of the Purim celebration. but as fasting was prohibited during the month of Nisan, the first and second Mondays and the Thursday following Purim were chosen. but when that date falls on a Sabbath, the fast is pushed back to the preceding Thursday, Friday being needed to prepare for the Sabbath and the following Purim festival.
Other "Purims"
Until recently, many Jewish communities around the world celebrated local "Purims" that commemorated its deliverance from a particular anti-semitic ruler or group. The best known is Purim Vintz, traditionally celebrated in Frankfurt am Main, one week after the regular Purim. According to some sources, the influential Rabbi Moses Sofer (the Hatam Sofer), who was born in Frankfurt, celebrated Purim Vintz every year, even when he served as a rabbi in Pressburg.
Many Jewish families have also had "family Purims" throughout the centuries, celebrated at home, whereby they celebrate their escape from persecution, an accident, or any other type of misfortune.
Trivia
The word "Purim" was the winning word of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 1983.
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