Purim


By Stan Goodenough

One of the most popular Jewish holidays is Purim, (the word means "lots"), the annual, fun-filled commemmoration of the deliverance of the Jews of Persia from the genocidal designs of Haman.

On this holiday, which most years falls in March, the Jews read through the book of Esther, known as the Megillah which recounts the Cinderella-like story of the Jewish orphan girl who conceals her national identity and becomes queen to the mighty Persian king, Ahaseurus.

The drama unfolds in the period between 486 and 465 BC, following the first return of Jews from the Medo-Persian

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By Stan Goodenough

One of the most popular Jewish holidays is Purim, (the word means “lots”), the annual, fun-filled commemmoration of the deliverance of the Jews of Persia from the genocidal designs of Haman.

On this holiday, which most years falls in March, the Jews read through the book of Esther, known as the Megillah which recounts the Cinderella-like story of the Jewish orphan girl who conceals her national identity and becomes queen to the mighty Persian king, Ahaseurus.

The drama unfolds in the period between 486 and 465 BC, following the first return of Jews from the Medo-Persian empire to the land of Israel. While around 50,000 Jews made aliya under the benevolent reign of Cyrus, and a number more under Darius, the vast majority of Jews ignored this “escape hatch” provided by God and, to their peril, chose to remain in exile.*

Now back to Esther…

Unaware that the queen is “one of them,” and driven to distraction by her uncle Mordechai’s refusal to bow before him, power-hungry Haman, close advisor to the king, plots to wipe out all of Persia’s Jews. He persuades Ahaseurus to issue an irrevocable decree calling on the gentiles across his empire to rise up on a certain day and slaughter all the Jews in their midst.

Alerted by Mordechai to the impending assault, Esther calls her people to fast for three days, then risking her life, comes unannounced into the throne room and invites the king and Haman to dine with her. Following the meal, she extends an invitation for a second dinner, and there exposes Haman’s wicked plot before the king.

A furious Ahaseurus executes his advisor, then, unable by law to revoke the decree which will permit the nationwide attack on the Jews, he issues a new executive order granting the Jews the right to rise up and defend themselves against anyone who attacks them on the set day.

Thus did the Jews of the Persian Empire overcome their foes and the day was established as a holiday.

And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor. So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them, because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (that is, the lot), to consume them and destroy them;(Esther 9:20-24)

NOTE: This reluctance to exchange the relative comfort of the diaspora for the rigorous challenges of re-establishing their ancient homeland was played out again in the last century, when the Jews of Europe ignored the calls of those urging them to flee to Palestine, and were thus entrapped by the Nazis.

© Israel My Beloved

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