Purim celebrates the story of the Biblical Book of Esther.
The Story of the Book of Esther
The Book of Esther recounts the saving of the Jews of ancient Persia from the plot of the vizier Haman to kill all Jews in the land. Haman had planned to kill all the Jews in Persia. He was angered because a Jew named Mordechai had refused to bow down before him.
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Marc Chagall's Esther (1960) Musée national Message Biblique, Nice |
Mordechai had thwarted a plot on the king's life soon after Esther's
rise to the throne, but the king was unaware of this and Haman disregards
this obsessing instead on the fact that Mordechai refuses to bow down to
Haman (because this is prohibited in his faith). Outraged, Haman
lays out plans for the slaughter of all Jews in Persia (at the time,
home to most Jews in the world). Only Esther had the ability to
thwart the plan; however, to do so, she would have to approach the king
uninvited, an act that -- if it displeased the king -- carried the death
penalty. Despite this, Esther risked her life to reveal that
she was a Jew herself and that Haman’s plan to kill the Jews would mean
her death as well. Purim is the holiday commemorating this.
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Xerxes I, Biblical Ahashueras |
The Historical Setting
While some debate exists over who Ahashueras really was, he is generally ascribed as being Xerxes I who ruled Persia from 486-465 BCE.
At the time, the Persian empire was the largest empire in the world, stretching from present-day Iran in the east to Egypt in the west and covering the entire fertile crescent (modern Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel), Babylonia (present-day Iraq), all of Asia Minor (including what is now Turkey and Armenia), Bactria (including all of present-day Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as much of what is now Pakistan and Uzbekistan) and Thrace (including Macedonia and much of Greece and what is now Bulgaria).
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| The Persian Empire at the time of Xerxes I |
The Question of Assimilation and Communal Loyalty
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Aert de Gelder's Esther and Mordechai (1685) Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest |
The Book of Esther is also the only book in the Jewish Bible that never once mentions God directly, a point that underscores the issue of assimilation. Indeed, the central act of bravery in the book is that Esther might have saved herself by keeping her Jewish identity a secret while letting the Jewish people fall victim to Haman's plot. She is convinced to act only when her uncle Mordechai argues the point with her:
“Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther, 4:13-14Esther, in turn, asks Mordechai to call a fast for all Jews for three days comes before the king, risking her life.
Esther Before the King
Esther's decision is no small choice. Ahashueras had already dispatched of the previous queen for what was essentially a very small offense. Indeed, Esther is so afraid that she faints in his presence. This is the theme of Tintoretto's famous painting of Esther.
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Tintoretto, Esther Before Ahasueras (1547-48) Royal Art Collection, Windsor |
King Ahashueras, in response, asks why she has come and assures her that he
will not be angry. By contrast asking her:
Instead of telling the king outright, she asks him to prepare a feast for
Haman and which she and the king alone would attend. While there at the feast,
she assures him, she will then give the king her request.
When Haman was invited, he was overjoyed that he was being honored to dine with the king and queen alone. At the same time, his joy was dampened when he saw Mordechai sitting in the gate. At wife's suggestion, Haman orders a gallows to be built so that Haman can be hanged on the very day that he is going to meet with the king and queen.
Ironically, the king during a bout of insomnia had been going over palace record and, just the night before, had read about how Mordechai had earlier thwarted a plot against his life and that nothing had been done to honor him. As a result, just as Haman approached the king to tell him about the gallows he had constructed, the king asked Haman for advice on how to honor a special man.
Thinking the man to be honored would be himself, Haman suggests that the man
be led through the streets on the king's horse dressed in the king's clothes
and so on. The king then surprised Haman by saying that Haman should do all
that he had described for Mordechai, the man he wants to honor.
Still fuming with anger over this affront in honoring the hated Jew, Haman
then goes off that evening to the feast set for him by the king and queen. At
the feast, the king turns to Esther and asks her finally to tell him what she
requests and he will give it to her even up to half of his kingdom.
Esther asks only for her life, saying that she along with all the Jews are to be killed by official order. In tears she explains that she would not have asked him had the order been only for enslavement.
Enraged, the Ahashueras asks her who is
responsible for this and Esther tells him that it is Haman. The king then orders Haman and his family hanged on the gallows that Haman himself had had built for Mordechai.. He then gave Mordechai Haman's position, and the Jews were saved and the kingdom well ruiled after that.
Differing Views of Esther's Heroism
For centuries, Esther has been revered as a heroine in both Jewish and Christian ideals. In Jewish ideal, she could have chosen to hide the fact that she was a Jew to save herself. That she did not but risked everything to save her people is the source of her heroism.
While Esther is similarly admired in Christian theology for this act of heroism, in Christian interpretation, she foreshadows the Virgin Mary who would plead for souls on the Day of Judgment.
In current times, however, Esther's status as an ideal heroine has come under
debate in some circles among both Jews and Christians. Considcontroversy exists over the nature of how Esther came to the throne.
Esther had won the king's favor after winning an empire-wide beauty contest to
replace the previous queen, Vashti, who had fallen out of favor
with Ahashueras.
It should be emphasized that both because of both the fact that Esther was the
epitome of feminine beauty (she won the Empire-wide beauty contest, after all)
as well as the drama of her story and its religious ideal, Esther has
been a very popular subject among the greatest masters of
Western art.
Some of the artists who have depicted Esther include Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, Filippo Lippi, Artemesia Gentileschi, Nicolas Poussin, Rembrandt, Jan Lievens, Peter Paul Rubens, Gustave Dore, Sir John Everett Millas, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Lillian Broca and many others.
In art historical as well as social terms, it is interesting to view how artists have depicted Esther over time to represent the ideal of beauty of their day.
General Observances
On
Purim, Jews around the world read the Book of Esther from a special scroll called
a Megillah. Because Hebrew does not transliterate directly to English, the
scroll is alternatively spelled with one "l" or two, with or without
the final "h" and beginning "Ma" or"Me"). Whatever the spelling, it is the
same thing: the Book of Esther. Unlike the Torah scroll, the
Megilah is a special second-handled scroll.
Morocco
In Morocco, Jews bake a special bread called Haman's Eyes (and known alternatively as Einei Haman, Ojos de Haman or Khubz di Purim).
The bread is decorated with almonds and contains two hard-boiled eggs as eyes.
The eggs are held in place with a strip of dough. It is customary to cut
the bread to divide the "eyes" so everyone gets a piece of egg with their
bread.
In some cases, the bread is made into an entire head of Haman, replete with a full face and poppyseed beard (as in the version shown at left)
In others, the face is more something to imagine, with the eggs simply symbolizing the eyes of Haman (as shown at right).
In either tradition, the eating of the bread is a means of effacing Haman's memory.
It is often customary to provide pieces of the bread to the poor. A recipe for the full-face version of Moroccan Haman's Eyes bread can be found
http://www.ou.org/shabbat_shalom/column/ojos_de_haman_the_eyes_of_haman/
Algeria, Libya and Tunisia
Algerian, Libyan and Tunisian Jews had their own Purim traditions, largely lost today.Before the expulsion of the Jews from Libya and Algeria following the independence of Israel in 1948, these countries had very large Jewish communities. In 1948 there were 140,00 Jews in Algeria and 38,000 in Libya. Today there are less than 100 Jews in Algeria and none at all in Libya. In Tunisia, where the Jews were not formally expelled but suffered considerable prejudice following the founding of Israel, the Jewish population shrank from 105,00 in 1948 to roughly 1,500 today.
In all three of these countries Jews would make an effigy of Haman out of rags and stuffed with straw. They would then light a bonfire and throw the effigy into the fire, beating it with special sticks brought for the occasion. After the fire burned down, they would throw salt and sulphur onto it and shout "Cursed be Hamand and Zeresh! Blessed be Mordechai and Esther!"
In Algeria, the custom of lighting candles on Purim was also practiced, a tradition carried on today by some Jews of Algerian origin in France and Israel.
Hamentaschen
Throughout the world in a wide variety of countries (including most of the
English-speaking world), Jews eat a special pastries called hamantaschen. In Yiddish, the name means "Haman's pockets," but are supposed
to be shaped like Haman’s triangular hat or Haman's ears. Inside the
triangle
"What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” Esther, 5:3
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Esther before Ahashueras Illumination in Biblia Pauperum, Hesdin of Amien, ca. 1450 |
When Haman was invited, he was overjoyed that he was being honored to dine with the king and queen alone. At the same time, his joy was dampened when he saw Mordechai sitting in the gate. At wife's suggestion, Haman orders a gallows to be built so that Haman can be hanged on the very day that he is going to meet with the king and queen.
Ironically, the king during a bout of insomnia had been going over palace record and, just the night before, had read about how Mordechai had earlier thwarted a plot against his life and that nothing had been done to honor him. As a result, just as Haman approached the king to tell him about the gallows he had constructed, the king asked Haman for advice on how to honor a special man.
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Esther and Ahashueras (ca. 1240) Ste. Chapelle Cathedral, Paris |
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Rembrandt's
Ahasueras and Haman at the Feast of Esther (1660) Pushkin Museum, Moscow |
Esther asks only for her life, saying that she along with all the Jews are to be killed by official order. In tears she explains that she would not have asked him had the order been only for enslavement.
Enraged, the Ahashueras asks her who is
responsible for this and Esther tells him that it is Haman. The king then orders Haman and his family hanged on the gallows that Haman himself had had built for Mordechai.. He then gave Mordechai Haman's position, and the Jews were saved and the kingdom well ruiled after that.
Differing Views of Esther's Heroism
For centuries, Esther has been revered as a heroine in both Jewish and Christian ideals. In Jewish ideal, she could have chosen to hide the fact that she was a Jew to save herself. That she did not but risked everything to save her people is the source of her heroism.
While Esther is similarly admired in Christian theology for this act of heroism, in Christian interpretation, she foreshadows the Virgin Mary who would plead for souls on the Day of Judgment.
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Nicholas Poussin's Esther Before Ahashueras, (1640) The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia |
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Artemesia Gentileschi's Esther before Ahashueras (after1628) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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In Sir John Everett Millais's Esther (1885), the artist famously used the Emperor of China's robe given to General George Gordon as a gift |
Some of the artists who have depicted Esther include Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, Filippo Lippi, Artemesia Gentileschi, Nicolas Poussin, Rembrandt, Jan Lievens, Peter Paul Rubens, Gustave Dore, Sir John Everett Millas, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Lillian Broca and many others.
In art historical as well as social terms, it is interesting to view how artists have depicted Esther over time to represent the ideal of beauty of their day.
Purim Observances and Customs
General Observances
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| Megillah scroll |
Blotting Out The Name of Haman
While the Megillah is read at synagogues or temples to celebrate
the holiday, whenever the name of Haman is mentioned in the
readings, the listneners are supposed to drown out the evil man's name. As a
result, the holiday is very noisy and festive.
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| A grogger |
The Americas and Israel
In much of the world, including the Jews of the United States, Canada, Latin
America and Israel, celebrants use a special noisemaker called a
grogger (or alternatively called a gragger or gregger) to blot
out the name of Haman. The grogger is a ratchet on the end
of a stick, usually made of wood or sheet metal (put in recent times from
plastic as well). Each time Haman's name is spoken, the ratchet is spun
in a circle making a loud, clacking sound.
France
Among many French Jews, the noise to drown out Haman's name comes in the
form of clacking stones together. On the face of the stone is written or
etched the name of Haman. In this way, each time the stones are struck
together, Haman's name is effaced. By the end of the Megillah reading, the
name has been blotted out audibly by the sound but also visually
erased on the stone.
Germany
Before the Holocaust, it was the custom of German Jews to light to candles
in the synagogue. A picture of Haman was drawn on one with his name written
out and of Haman's wife Zeresh and her name on the other. The candles would
be lit at the start of the holiday and the images of Haman and his wife
would be effaced as they melted away.
In a sad side note, the Nazi regime had a particular hatred for the holiday
of Purim. Hitler believed that Haman was a great hero for having attempted
the first genocide of the Jews, and he proudly saw himself as the successor.
The Nazis made a point of using Purim as an occasion for the public killing
of Jews. The anti-Semitic Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher proclaimed
Kristallnacht as a payback for the death of those who plotted against the
Jews in ancient Persia. Streicher, when he was sentenced to death
for his crimes against humanity in the Nuremburg Trials, shouted
out "Purim Fest 1946!"
Morocco
In Morocco, Jews bake a special bread called Haman's Eyes (and known alternatively as Einei Haman, Ojos de Haman or Khubz di Purim).
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Moroccan Haman's Eyes Purim Bread with Full Face of Haman |
In some cases, the bread is made into an entire head of Haman, replete with a full face and poppyseed beard (as in the version shown at left)
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Moroccan Haman's Eyes Purim Bread |
In others, the face is more something to imagine, with the eggs simply symbolizing the eyes of Haman (as shown at right).
In either tradition, the eating of the bread is a means of effacing Haman's memory.
It is often customary to provide pieces of the bread to the poor. A recipe for the full-face version of Moroccan Haman's Eyes bread can be found
http://www.ou.org/shabbat_shalom/column/ojos_de_haman_the_eyes_of_haman/
Algeria, Libya and Tunisia
Algerian, Libyan and Tunisian Jews had their own Purim traditions, largely lost today.Before the expulsion of the Jews from Libya and Algeria following the independence of Israel in 1948, these countries had very large Jewish communities. In 1948 there were 140,00 Jews in Algeria and 38,000 in Libya. Today there are less than 100 Jews in Algeria and none at all in Libya. In Tunisia, where the Jews were not formally expelled but suffered considerable prejudice following the founding of Israel, the Jewish population shrank from 105,00 in 1948 to roughly 1,500 today.
In all three of these countries Jews would make an effigy of Haman out of rags and stuffed with straw. They would then light a bonfire and throw the effigy into the fire, beating it with special sticks brought for the occasion. After the fire burned down, they would throw salt and sulphur onto it and shout "Cursed be Hamand and Zeresh! Blessed be Mordechai and Esther!"
In Algeria, the custom of lighting candles on Purim was also practiced, a tradition carried on today by some Jews of Algerian origin in France and Israel.
Shared Traditions
Hamentaschen
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| Hamantaschen |
are fillings such as apricots, poppy seeds, prunes or cherries among
others. An easy recipe for hamantaschen can be found on
Purim on the Net website of Holidays.net at
The Whole Megillah
The requirement is to read the entire Megillah twice -- once on the eve of the holiday and once on the morning of the holiday. It is from this repeated reading coupled with the numerous interruptions of the noisemaking involved in drowning out Haman's name that the US English expression "the whole megillah" entered the language to mean a overly elaborate or extended account of a story.
The requirement is to read the entire Megillah twice -- once on the eve of the holiday and once on the morning of the holiday. It is from this repeated reading coupled with the numerous interruptions of the noisemaking involved in drowning out Haman's name that the US English expression "the whole megillah" entered the language to mean a overly elaborate or extended account of a story.
Drinking Alcohol
In many Jewish traditions at Purim, drinking alcohol is – rather uniquely for Judaism – encouraged during the festival. This tradition developed so that the holiday specifically would not promote intolerance or celebrate the hating of the persecutor; as a result, the tradition is to celebrate to the point that one loses track of the “cursed Haman and the blessed Mordechai.” The wearing of masks or costumes (akin to the US secular Halloween) also derived from this tradition of not being able to tell apart Haman from Mordechai.
Costumes, Carnivals and Parades
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Jewish children dressed as Esther for Purim |
In many Jewish traditions, congregants – especially children – dress up in
costume, most commonly those of the key figures in the story. Dressing
young girls as Esther is particularly popular, although all figures in
the story are common. In some congegations, there is a Purim play (the
Purim Spiel) acting out the story as well.
To add to the festivities, many congregations hold a Purim carnival with games and other activities on the Saturday evening or Sunday following Purim.
To add to the festivities, many congregations hold a Purim carnival with games and other activities on the Saturday evening or Sunday following Purim.
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Purim Parade in Ashkelon, Israel |
In Israel, Purim is a time of costume parties and public celebrations,
somewhat akin to the celebrations held for Carnival or Mardi Gras in
Christian countries before Lent. Major parades are held in Tel Aviv,
Jerusalem, Ashkelon and many other Israeli cities on Purim.
Matanot Le'Evyonim
Jews are required to give “matanot le’evyonim” or gifts to the poor on
Purim. Many Jews extend this to mean specifically the giving of meals or
food to the poor.
Additionally, in Jewish communities in many countries where Christmas is not widely practiced (e.g., Israel, Morocco, Yemen, Turkey, India), the Jewish community exchanges gifts on Purim rather than on Chanukah.
As with all of my posts on this site regarding religious holidays, this
overview is in no way intended to suggest what is or is not proper observance.
The sole purpose here is to inform. If you would like to share your own views
of the holiday, please do leave a comment. I would welcome hearing from
you.Additionally, in Jewish communities in many countries where Christmas is not widely practiced (e.g., Israel, Morocco, Yemen, Turkey, India), the Jewish community exchanges gifts on Purim rather than on Chanukah.
Conclusion
Happy Purim!
Want to Read More?
About.com "Purim": http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/Purim.htm
Chabad.org "Purim":
http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/default_cdo/jewish/Purim.htm
Holidays.net "Purim on the Net":
http://www.holidays.net/purim/
Jewish Agency for Israel: "Purim Customs Around the World":
http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Jewish+Education/Compelling+Content/Jewish+Time/Festivals+and+Memorial+Days/Purim/Purim+Customs+around+the+World.htm
Judaism 101 "Purim"
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday9.htm
Religion Facts "Purim"
http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/holidays/purim.htm
Alfassa, Shelomo, "Origins of Noise Making to Wipe Out the Evil Name on
Purim," Judaic Studies Academic Paper Series, March 2008, http://www.alfassa.com/paper_purim.pdf
Clip art sources:
Happy Purim opening image: http://jewishroots.net/holidays/purim/purim-holiday-page.htm
Chagall's Esther: http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/marc-chagall/esther-1960
Xerxes I: http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/imperialism/images/xerxes.jpg
Map of ancient Persia: http://70facets.org/messages/2007/PERSIANEMPIRE.png
Aert de Gelder's Esther and Mordechai: http://www.bible-art.info/Esther.htm
Tintoretto's Esther Before Ahasueras: http://www.lib-art.com/artgallery/17354-esther-before-ahasuerus-tintoretto.html
Esther before Ahashueras llumination in Biblia Pauperum: http://www.bible-art.info/Esther.htm
Esther and Ahashueras window, Ste. Chapelle: http://www.wga.hu/support/viewer/z.html
Rembrandt's Ahasueras and Haman at the Feast of Esther: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_Harmenszoon_van_Rijn-_Assuerus,_Haman_and_Esther.JPG
Nicholas Poussin's Esther Before Ahashueras: http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/marc-chagall/esther-1960
Artemesia Gentileschi's Esther before Ahashueras (after1628) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gentileschi,_Artemisia_-_Esther_before_Ahasuerus_-_c._1628–1635.jpg
Millais' Esther:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Esthermillais.jpg
Megillah scroll: http://0.tqn.com/d/collectibles/1/0/K/z/3/101megillah.jpg
Purim grogger: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Purim_gragger.jpg
Moroccan Haman's Eyes Bread with Full Face of Haman:
http://www.ou.org/shabbat_shalom/column/ojos_de_haman_the_eyes_of_haman/
Moroccan Haman's Eyes Bread Without Full Face: http://www.secretofchallah.com/site/detail/detail/detailDetail.asp?detail_id=787059
Jewish children dressed as Esther for Purim: http://www.holidays.net/purim/costumes2.htm
Ashkelon Purim Parade: http://www.ynetnews.com/PicServer2/20022007/1037759/ashkelon1_wa.jpg
Hamantaschen: http://www.holidays.net/purim/goodies.html
Megillah scroll: http://0.tqn.com/d/collectibles/1/0/K/z/3/101megillah.jpg
Purim grogger: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Purim_gragger.jpg
Moroccan Haman's Eyes Bread with Full Face of Haman:
http://www.ou.org/shabbat_shalom/column/ojos_de_haman_the_eyes_of_haman/
Moroccan Haman's Eyes Bread Without Full Face: http://www.secretofchallah.com/site/detail/detail/detailDetail.asp?detail_id=787059
Jewish children dressed as Esther for Purim: http://www.holidays.net/purim/costumes2.htm
Ashkelon Purim Parade: http://www.ynetnews.com/PicServer2/20022007/1037759/ashkelon1_wa.jpg
Hamantaschen: http://www.holidays.net/purim/goodies.html
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