Understanding the story of Purim

The Jewish festival of Purim is celebrated each year on the 14th day of Adar, the second month of the Hebrew calendar, often falling during February or March. Purim is teeming with festivities, and it is considered one of the most jubilant holidays of the Jewish calendar. Purim commemorates the survival of a Jewish community marked for death in ancient Persia. The origin story is found in the scriptural Book of Esther, set in the 5th century BCE. The text recounts how Queen Esther hid the fact that she was Jewish from the Persian king Ahasuerus. However, Mordechai, Esther’s cousin, finds out that the king’s chief minister, Haman, is plotting the execution of all Jewish people in the Persian empire on the 13th of Adar. Risking her own life to save her people, Esther reveals her Judaism to the king, who puts a stop to Haman’s plan. Haman is killed, and Mordechai takes his place as chief minister. Esther is celebrated for her courage, which ultimately saves the Jewish people of Persia. Together, Esther and Mordecai obtain a royal edict reversing the order to kill the Jews and declaring that the 13th of Adar would instead be a day for Jews throughout the empire to attack their enemies. Jewish people celebrated their victory the next day on the 14th of Adar. The day was called Purim, meaning “lots” in Hebrew, to refer to the lottery Haman used to determine the date of the planned execution. Following the events of the 5th century, Purim was established as a feasting day. Today the holiday begins with a day of fasting, or Ta’anit Esther, on the eve of Purim. Reading the story of Purim from the Megillah, a parchment scroll containing the Book of Esther, is considered a mitzvah, or commandment, of the festival. It is read on both the night and day of Purim. Sometimes, those listening to the reading jeer loudly and use noisemakers, called ra’ashan or grager, each time Haman is mentioned, because his name is considered evil. Giving to the poor and sharing food with friends are both additional mitzvot of Purim. The holiday often includes a large, festive meal with family or friends. Popular baked goods include three-cornered pastries called hamantaschen, which comes from the Yiddish for “Haman’s pockets.” In Hebrew they’re called oznei Haman, “Haman’s ears.” Purim festivities abound each year. There is often a party-like atmosphere to the day, when children dress in costumes, sometimes as characters from the Purim story, and synagogues put on humorous Purim plays. Today the holiday not only celebrates the miracle of survival in ancient Persia but also serves as a reminder to persevere against oppression in the present day.