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 Israelיִשְׂרָאֵל
Transliteration:yiśrā’ēl The name Israel (Septuagint Ancient Greek: Ἰσραήλ, Israēl, “El (God) persists/rules” or “God prevails”) refers to the patriarch Jacob who, according to the Hebrew Bible, was given the name after he successfully wrestled with the Angel of the Lord. The earliest known archaeological artifact to mention the word Israel as a collective is the Merneptah Stele of ancient Egypt (dated to the late-13th century BCE) for more info click here 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:
- Exchanging gifts of food and drink, known as mishloach manot
- Donating charity to the poor, known as mattanot la-evyonim
- Eating a celebratory meal with alcoholic beverages, known as se’udat Purim or “Mishteh”
- Public recitation of the Scroll of Esther (קריאת מגילת אסתר kriat megillat Esther), or “reading of the Megillah“, usually in synagogue
- Reciting additions to the daily prayers and the grace after meals, known as Al HaNissim
- Applying henna (Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews)
