A short introduction to Purim

From the book

Entertaining on the Jewish Holidays

By Israela Bania

Of all the festivals in the Jewish calendar the most exuberant and fun filled is Purim. In Israel it is celebrated with parades in which everyone wears costumes and masks and is pretty drunk in accordance with the Talmud’s instructions to be so drunk on Purim that you can’t tell the difference. between “Blessed be Mordecaiמָרְדְּכַי
Transliteration:mārdᵊḵay Pronunciation; mor-dek-ah’-ee “little man” or “worshipper of Mars” cousin and adoptive father of queen Esther; son of Jair of the tribe of Benjamin; deliverer under Divine providence of the children of Israel from the destruction plotted by Haman the chief minister of Ahasuerus; institutor of the feast of Purim For more info click here” and “Cursed be Haman”. The celebration is similar to the Mardi Gras carnival.

Purim commemorates the story of Estherאֶסְתֵּר
Transliteration;’estēr Pronunciation es-tare’ Esther = “star” the queen of Persia, heroine of the book of Esther – daughter of Abihail, cousin and adopted daughter of Mordecai, of the tribe of Benjamin For more info click here and Mordecaiמָרְדְּכַי
Transliteration:mārdᵊḵay Pronunciation; mor-dek-ah’-ee “little man” or “worshipper of Mars” cousin and adoptive father of queen Esther; son of Jair of the tribe of Benjamin; deliverer under Divine providence of the children of Israel from the destruction plotted by Haman the chief minister of Ahasuerus; institutor of the feast of Purim For more info click here‘s deliverance of the Jews of Persia (Iran) from the massacre ordered by the evil Haman. Many scholars, contend that the Biblical Book of Esther. In which the story is told, is a work of fiction written centuries after the events supposedly occurred. Whether or not they’re correct, the book expresses a profound truth: the endurance and ultimate triumph of the Jewish people despite the many attempts over the centuries to annihilate us.

The Book of Estherאֶסְתֵּר
Transliteration;’estēr Pronunciation es-tare’ Esther = “star” the queen of Persia, heroine of the book of Esther – daughter of Abihail, cousin and adopted daughter of Mordecai, of the tribe of Benjamin For more info click here tells how King Ahasuerus .(probably Xerxes I: 486 465 B.C.E., or Artaxerxes II, 404-359) became enraged when his wife Queen Vashti disobeyed his order to appear at a feast and ”show the people and the princes her beauty! On the advise of his wise men who warned that her disobedience could be a bad example to other women, he deposed Vashti After holding a sort of beauty contest, the king selected Estherאֶסְתֵּר
Transliteration;’estēr Pronunciation es-tare’ Esther = “star” the queen of Persia, heroine of the book of Esther – daughter of Abihail, cousin and adopted daughter of Mordecai, of the tribe of Benjamin For more info click here (Hadassah) to be his queen, she does not reveal her origins or that she is Jewish, because Mordecaiמָרְדְּכַי
Transliteration:mārdᵊḵay Pronunciation; mor-dek-ah’-ee “little man” or “worshipper of Mars” cousin and adoptive father of queen Esther; son of Jair of the tribe of Benjamin; deliverer under Divine providence of the children of Israel from the destruction plotted by Haman the chief minister of Ahasuerus; institutor of the feast of Purim For more info click here told her not to. Based on the choice of words used in the text some rabbinic commentators state that she was actually Mordecai מָרְדְּכַי
Transliteration:mārdᵊḵay Pronunciation; mor-dek-ah’-ee “little man” or “worshipper of Mars” cousin and adoptive father of queen Esther; son of Jair of the tribe of Benjamin; deliverer under Divine providence of the children of Israel from the destruction plotted by Haman the chief minister of Ahasuerus; institutor of the feast of Purim For more info click here‘s wife, although Esther 2:7 says “he brought up Hadassah, that is, Estherאֶסְתֵּר
Transliteration;’estēr Pronunciation es-tare’ Esther = “star” the queen of Persia, heroine of the book of Esther – daughter of Abihail, cousin and adopted daughter of Mordecai, of the tribe of Benjamin For more info click here, his uncle’s daughter: because she had no father or mother”.

Purim is celebrated among Jews by:

 

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Read the story from the book of Esther here.

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Esther Scroll - Google Art Project

Esther Scroll – Israel Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Stories
Jehovah speaks (223) Mentioning Giants (Rephaim) (27) Mentioning horses (77) Mentioning Passover (13) Rebuilding the Temple (10) Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (7) Story of Abraham (14) Story of Balaam (8) Story of creation (5) Story of Elijah (6) Story of Elisha (6) Story of Isaac (6) Story of Jacob/ Israel (5) Story of Jehu (3) Story of Joab (13) Story of Job (16) Story of Joseph (15) Story of Joshua (23) Story of Judah (2) Story of Lot (4) Story of Moses (112) Story of Noah (5) Story of Samson (4) Story of Samuel (11) The Story of Elijah (1) The story of Judas Maccabeus (11) The Story of King David (47) The Story of King Jehoshaphat (7) The Story Of King Saul (15) The Story of King Solomon (19)
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