The Book of Esther
The next Jewish holiday this calendar year is Purim and it is considered a minor holiday. It is a very festive time for kids of all ages to enjoy. The entire book of Esther (Hadassah in Hebrew meaning myrtle, but her Persian name is Esther-derived after the goddess Ishtar where the name Easter comes from) is read from a scroll known in Hebrew as megillah (a small scroll of parchment).
As the story is read, every mention of the name of Haman people start booing and making noises with groggers or anything else just to drown out his name. The reason for this comes from Exodus 17:14 where it reads: “…I will utterly blot out the remembrance of the Amalek from under heaven.” Haman’s descendants were believed to be of the Amalekites.
As the story is read, every mention of the name of Haman people start booing and making noises with groggers or anything else just to drown out his name. The reason for this comes from Exodus 17:14 where it reads: “…I will utterly blot out the remembrance of the Amalek from under heaven.” Haman’s descendants were believed to be of the Amalekites.
The Story
In the story Haman cast his pur, or lot, to determine on which day the Jewish massacre was to take place. This is where we get the name Purim (Esther 9:18-28) because it is the plural form of pur meaning lots.
The festival occurs on the 14th of Adar, which usually occurs around February-March. In Jerusalem it is celebrated on the 15th of Adar. This is because the story takes place in the walled city of Shushan, located in Persia, and according to the Mishna (Megilla 1:1) all walled cities are to celebrate it on this day instead. This is why the day after Purim and is called Shushan Purim. When there is a leap year, there is a second month of Adar added to the calendar and the Purim is always celebrated in the second month of Adar.
The main event of the story is set in Persia no earlier than 465BC. The story recounts how a seemingly unrelated series of events spun together to save the Jewish people from annihilation. This was all because of Esther’s bravery and faith to speak before the king to save her own people.
In Hebrew the name Esther actually means hidden. In Deuteronomy 31:18 when God said that “...I will surely hide my face (hastir) from you!” Notice how the word hastir resembles and sounds like the name Esther? The similarity is even more apparent in the Hebrew.
God's Hand
Esther is the only book in the Bible where the name of God is never mentioned. Yet, we see His hand working through the entire book, as Mordecai (Esther's Uncle) believes God till the very end.
The name of God is found in four places as an acrostic in the Hebrew. Two of these occurrences are written backward in 1:20 and 5:13 quoted by gentiles (Memucan and Haman). The other two are written forward, and are spoken by Jewish people in 5:4 and 7:7 (Esther and the author of the book). There is one more acrostic which mentions the Lord's name as I Am, and is spoken by King Ahasuerus in 7:5.
How We Celebrate It
We reenact out the story of Esther by having someone narrate the story (actually ours is a play that someone put together for us, and is the Reader's Digest version of the book of Esther). Everyone plays different characters and wears masks and/or costumes for their appropriate parts.
We try to make it funny and enjoyable. When Esther is mentioned sometimes we have people bow/curtsy, or even have them say "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!" like a breath of fresh air has entered the room. At the name of Mordecai we cheer, but at the mention of the name of Haman we do anything and everything we can to drown out his name. The most common thing used during this holiday is a grogger, but anything goes when it comes to making noise.
What We Eat
Also, this is such an enjoyable time of year as we have a large celebration with various snacks. Another thing that we personally enjoy is making what is known as Esther's Fruit Punch. It is various fruits filled with sparkling grape juice and is very delicious.
Have fun with some friends or your family, but either way, just have lots of fun.
Until next time, Shalom.
Great job, Roger!! Neat that you've created this website/blog! I look forward to reading more of these in the future. You have a gift of writing...for sure!! When is your book coming out? It was so nice to have you on the phone for a bit last night...thanks for staying up late to do that! The Purim Party went great...lots of people came...one new thing I learned this year from a Jewish website was the reason for the costumes during this festival. It said that Esther was "hidden" in the palace as a queen...but really she was a Jewish peasant girl.
ReplyDeleteShe portrayed herself as something she was not, so now people where costumes to portray themselves as something they are not, also on this day. Thought that was interesting.
Blessings, Mary V.