Guide to

Celebrating Purim

Guide to

Celebrating Purim

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Jewish Treats Guide to Sukkot

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Guide to Celebrating Purim

Welcome to Jewish Treats Guide to CelebratingPurim. Shake your grogger, eat some haman-tashen and get dressed in your silliest costume...it’s Purim! Jewish Treats Guide to CelebratingPurim offers fun facts and inspiring insights intothe four major Purim mitzvot and the customsthat make this holiday a unique celebration forall. We hope that you will use this guide to trulyenhance your own Purim celebration.

CreditsFounder:Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald

Edited By:

Sarah Rochel Hewitt

Content:

Sarah Rochel Hewitt

Social Media:

Susanne Goldstone Rosenhouse

From everyone at NJOP andJewish Treats, we wish you aPurim Sameach and aFreilichen Purim! (That’s howyou say “Happy Purim” inHebrew and Yiddish).

Table of ContentsThe Story of Purim ....................................1

Reading the Megillah ...............................2

The Purim Feast........................................4

Mishloach Manot ......................................5

Matanot La’evyonim .................................6

Other Purim Customs ...............................7

“This Little Piggy Went to Shul” ................8

Jewish Treats Guide to SukkotJewish Treats Guideto Celebrating Purim

The Purim StoryAt the end of a 180-day feast, the King of Persia-Medea, Achashverosh, banished (somesay executed) his wife, Vashti, for refusing toappear at his banquet. He then staged anelaborate beauty contest to find a new queen.

In Shushan, the capital city, lived Esther (alsocalled Hadassah), a beautiful orphan raised byher cousin, Mordechai, one of the leaders ofthe Jewish people in exile. When the king’sagents came to take her to the palace,Mordechai instructed her not to reveal that shewas a Jewess. After a 12 month beauty contest, Esther was chosen to serve as queen.

In the palace yard, Mordechai overheard twomen plotting to murder the king. He quicklysent word to Esther, who revealed the plot tothe king in Mordechai’s name. The plotterswere executed, and Mordechai‘s name andheroic deed were written in the King’s Bookof Chronicles.

Achashverosh appointed Haman the Agagite(an Amalekite) as Prime Minister. Haman’s ire atMordechai was inflamed when Mordechai refused to bow down before him (the Midrash informs us that Haman wore a necklace with alarge idol). Haman asked Achashverosh for permission to destroy the Jews. The king agreedand issued an edict stating that on the 13th ofAdar, the Jews in all the provinces were to beexterminated and their property kept as plunder.

Mordechai told Esther about the plot and askedher to seek mercy from the king. Esther agreed,but requested that all the Jews fast for three daysand repent for their sins while praying for theheavenly decree to be reversed.

Esther, welcomed by Achashverosh, simply requested that Achashverosh and Haman join herfor a private feast--at which she requested that

they return for a second feast on the next day.

That night, Achashverosh instructed his ministerto read the royal Book of Chronicles to help himsleep. The Minister read how Mordechai savedthe king’s life. Achashverosh realized that henever rewarded Mordechai. Just then, Hamanarrived to ask the king for permission to hangMordechai. Before Haman could speak, how-ever, the king instructed Haman to rewardMordechai for revealing an assassination plot byimmediately leading him through town, dressedin royal robes, on the royal steed.

After returning home feeling thoroughly humiliated, Haman was summoned to thepalace to dine with the king and queen. Atthe end of the meal, Esther told the king thatsomeone was seeking her death and thedeath of her people. Outraged, the king demanded to know who. Esther identifiedHaman as the archenemy.

Haman was hanged from the very gallowsthat he had built for Mordechai. His 10 sonswere also hanged.

Achashverosh appointed Mordechai as his Prime Minister. The Jews were permitted to defend themselves against those who would try to harm them. When the 13th of Adar arrived, the Jews successfully defeated their enemies (althoughin Shushan the battle continued throughout theday of the 14th of Adar). The ten sons ofHaman were killed and their bodies werehanged publicly. The Jews celebrated their sur-vival with great feasts, thus the 14th (outside ofShushan) and the 15th days of Adar are thedays for celebrating Purim. Mordechai alsocodified the particular practices of the holidayof Purim: the reading of the Megillah, the festivemeal, gifts of food and charity to the poor.

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Jewish Treats Guide to Sukkot Jewish Treats Guideto Celebrating Purim

The Reading of the

Megillah:

Megillat Esther, the Scroll of Esther, is the official record of the remarkable story of how Esther and Mordechai saved of the Jewish people from Haman’s evil plot. On the holiday of Purim, there is an obligation to read this scroll aloud (or to hear it read) once on Purim night andonce on Purim day. This obligation applies to all adult Jews.

In order to fulfill the mitzvah of listening to the Megillah, it is necessary to hear every word during the reading. For this reason it is imperative that there be no talking during the Megillah reading. This rule is surprising for all who are familiar with the wide-spread custom of children twirling “groggers” (noisemakers) and adults loudly booing Haman’s name in the midst of thereader’s solemn chanting.

The Torah, in Deuteronomy 25:19, commands the Jewish people to “blot out the remembrance of Amalek.” Since Haman was a direct descendent of Amalek and the villain of the Purim story, it became customary in the Middle Ages to “blot out” his name whenever the name “Haman” is read in the Megillah.The noisemakers specially designed for making noise during the Megillah reading are popularly known as groggers (Yiddish) or ra’ashonim (Hebrew).

It is important that, even when blotting out the memory of Haman, one remembers to stop and listen to the rest of the reading as well.

What Is A Megillah?

Technically, a megillah is a rolled scroll. Specifically, the term megillah is used to describe the five canonical works from the Ketuvim (Writings) section of the Bible that are read in the synagogue on different holidays.

The five megillot are:

SHIR HA’SHIRIM - The Song of Songs - written by King Solomon and read on Passover.

RUTH - The Book of Ruth - written by Samuel and read on Shavuot.

EICHAH - Lamentations - written by Jeremiah and read on Tisha B'Av.

KOHELET - Ecclesiastes - also written by King Solomon and read on Sukkot.

ESTHER - The Book of Esther - written by Mordechai and Esther and read on Purim.

When preceded with a definite article, however, “the Megillah,” refers specifically to the Book of Esther. Megillat Esther is the only one of the five megillot that everyone is obligated to read/hear.

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Jewish Treats Guide to Sukkot Jewish Treats Guideto Celebrating Purim

Make them days

of feasting and gladness,

and of sending portions

one to another,

and gifts to the poor.

(Esther 9:22)

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Jewish Treats Guide to SukkotJewish Treats Guideto Celebrating Purim

Feasting and GladnessFood is often central to the way in which Jews celebrate. From the three meals of Shabbat to the elaborate rituals of the Passover Seder, almost every Jewish holiday begins with a feast.

Unlike the festive meals of Shabbat, Rosh Hashana, Passover, Sukkot or Shavuot, the Purim seuda(as a feast is called in Hebrew) is in commemoration of an actual feast that took place in the time of Esther. In fact, the Purim story contains numerous important feasts. The Book of Estheropens with a description of a great royal feast (which lasted several months), and a smaller feast for the citizens of Shushan that lasted one week. It was during this second feast that Queen Vashti disobeyed the King and lost her crown. Without these events, Esther would not have been in a position to help the Jews. Feasting is also the means by which Esther revealed Haman’s wicked plot to King Achashverosh.

Esther invited both the King and Haman to two private feasts. During the first, she said nothing. During the second she outrightly accused Haman ofplotting to destroy her and her people.

Finally, and most importantly, the Jews enjoyed a feast to celebrate their victory over those who sought to destroy them. In the midst of this feasting, they stoppedto give gifts to the poor and send food baskets to their friends.

The bare minimum to fulfill the mitzvah of a Purim seuda (meal) requires that one wash and eat bread and then recite the bentching, the Grace after Meals. The Purim meal is normally held later in the day so that the feasting and rejoicing carries over past sunset into the next day. Traditionally, this is a deluxe meal with wine and other alcoholic beverages.

Purim is well known for drinking because wine plays an important role in the unfolding events:

* King Achashverosh is drunk when he calls for Vashti and when he orders her punished.

* Esther invites the King and Haman to a banquet, which the Megillah refers to as a wine-banquet.

* The Megillah describes the 14th and 15th of Adar as days of "feasting and joy," implying that the Jews celebrated with feasts of wine.

CAN WE DRINK THAT?

Purim is known as the holiday for drinking, so Jewish Treats presents you with a quick guide to kosher alcohol.

BEER--Almost all basic non-flavored, domestic beers are kosher, even without

certification, because beer is made from only water, barley, yeast, and hops, and any additions alter the end product. Flavored beers, stouts and beers from some European and Asian countries do need supervision, due to additional ingredients.

WINE--Wine is used for sanctification in many cultures, therefore Jewish law requires that the wine (or grape juice)

that Jews consume be entirely processed by other Jews to ensure that no “idolatrous” wine is added. A reliable kosher symbol is required on the bottle.

SPIRITS & LIQUORS--Because of the varying ingredients in different alcoholic products, all spirits and liquors require kosher certification or rabbinic approval.

Many rabbis have issued stringent warnings against drinking and driving, over-imbibing, and underage drinking on Purim. This warning cannot be overemphasized!

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Jewish Treats Guide to Sukkot

When Haman approached Achashverosh to ask him for permission to order the destruction ofthe Jewish people, he described the Jews as “a group of people scattered throughout your king-dom and dispersed among all the peoples of your provinces” (Esther 3:8). The exile of the Jewishpeople by King Nebuchadnezzer after the destruction of the First Temple resulted in a total lossof their sense of nationhood. While individual Jews had pride in their heritage, they did not havea strong sense of unity with other Jews.

When word went out that all the Jews in the entire kingdom of King Achashverosh had beensaved, it resulted in a massive celebration for everyone. The threat of Haman reminded the Jewsof the importance of the concept of “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh,” that all Jews are responsiblefor one another (Shavuot 39a). In order to demonstrate their unity, the Jews in the towns sentgift baskets to each other’s homes in an open display of their great affection for one another.

This beautiful act was codified into law. Consequently, on Purim, every Jew is obligated to give atleast one Mishloach Manot gift containing at least two different types of immediately edible fooditems, such as wine and cake, etc.

Jewish Treats Guideto Celebrating Purim

Mishloach Manot/Shalach Manot“Sending Portions One to Another”

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Although many people make fancy Mishloach Manot, there is no obligation to spend large sums ofmoney when making them. Here are some beautiful, and simple, ideas:

We used to send bagels, cream cheese and orangejuice first thing in the

eat breakfast on Purim.

@TourGuideAaron

brandy, Scotch,

additions to our favorite.

How 'bout - Texan (queso, salsa & chips)

chocolate)@RabbiSOK

Israeli themed basket with products

Caroline B.

Freeda R.Jackie H.

Lauren C.

Jewish Treats Guide to Sukkot Jewish Treats Guideto Celebrating Purim

Imagine...the Jewish people have just been saved from complete destruction. Jews every-where were celebrating, eating their tastiest treats and drinking their best wines. Families and friends come together to rejoice about being alive. Yet, in the midst of these celebrations, Jews throughout the empire remember that not all of their fellow Jews have the means to celebrate. In the middle of their victory celebrations, those whohad, gave to those in need, further strengthening the tremendous feeling of unity that the threat of annihilation and the subsequent salvation had given them.

Giving to the poor is a mitzvah all year round. However, the mitzvah to do so on Purim is separate from the general mitzvah of tzedakah (charity). In order to properly fulfill the mitzvah of Matanot La’evyonim one must give charity to two individual poor people. One should give each poor person at least enough money to provide for a meal. One may also give the equivalent in food.

Matanot La’evyonim should be given early enough on Purim day so that the poor can benefit from the gift on the holiday itself. If, however, one does not have someone poor to give to on Purim, one should hold onto that money (separately) and give it when the opportunity arises. The money may not be given or spent elsewhere.

Matanot La’evyonim“And Gifts To The Poor”

Everyone Can Give:

For those who wish to give MatanotLa’evyonim but do not know where todonate in order to properly fulfill thismitzvah, please visit:

www.just-tzedakah.org

Priority Giving

The Mishna Berurah notes that oneshould spend more on gifts to the poor than on Mishloach Manot and on the Purim feast.

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Jewish Treats Guide to SukkotJewish Treats Guideto Celebrating Purim

Customs of Purim

Costume TimeMasks and disguises are a popular means of expressing some of the most important themes ofPurim. For instance, “Ve'na'hafoch Hoo, and it was reversed” (Esther 9:1)--on Purim we cele-brate the idea that what one perceives as reality can easily be reversed. This idea is the sourcefor the custom of Purim costumes. Through the act of disguising one’s self, a person highlightsthe extreme reversal of not knowing “the difference between ‘Cursed be Haman’ and ‘Blessedbe Mordechai’” (Megillah 7b).

A second important theme of Purim that relates to the custom of wearing masks/costumes is “hester panim.” Hester panim refers to the idea that God conceals His involvement in humanaffairs. God is not mentioned even once in the Book of Esther, yet it is clearly Divine providencethat determines events. This is hester panim, when God “hides” Himself from the world so that

we can only see hints of His Divine plan. So too, onPurim, our true selves are hidden behind masks.

HamantashenA popular item to include in Mishloach Manot ishamantashen (click for recipe), special triangleshaped cookies filled with poppy seeds, prune butter, jelly, chocolate, and a variety of other treatsand fillings. There are several theories regarding the source and history of hamantashen:

1) The triangle shape of the hamantashen is said to represent a type of three-cornered hat worn by Haman. Because of their triangular shape, they are also sometimes called “Haman’s ears.” Others suggest that three sided cookie represents the three sided table of Esther’s feast.

2) The word “hamantashen” may be derived from the Yiddish moon tashen, which mean “poppy pockets.” The signifigance of the pocket is that the filling is hidden, just as God’s presence was concealed during the events of the Purim story.

3) The question may be asked, “Why is the Purim treat named after the arch-enemy of the Jewish people?” By eating a piece of Haman, one may figuratively “wipe out the memory of Amalek.”

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Jewish Treats Guide to SukkotJewish Treats Guideto Celebrating Purim

The Little Piggy Went To ShulWhen my friends were dressing as Queen Esther, I donned red spots and a long tail andwent to school as Vashti. So I get it. I get notwanting to dress like Esther, despite the factthat she was both beauty queen and braveheroine--the stuff of Disney dreams.

Between the fantastic story, the costumes andthe candy, it is no wonder Purim ranks high onthe list of holidays for young children. And ofcourse there are many lessons to be learned;we dress in costume to conceal our identitiesas a reminder that Hashem hid his face (hesterpanim) and his involvement in rescuing theJews from Haman, and that every day thereare miracles gently veiled before our eyes.

My husband and I always have guidelines forPurim costumes: no guns, no swords, no guts andno gore. For the most part, this leads to rathersafe costume choices for our older children. Butwhen our daughter was three, we faced a bit ofPurim wardrobe choice malfunction. She wantednothing to do with Queen Esther or Cinderella,Dora or Daisy. Instead, she insisted, repeatedly,that she would only be a pig for Purim.

The child in question was inexplicably obsessedwith pigs. Pink pigs, black pigs, clean pigs,muddy pigs, stuffed pigs and live pigs. They wereall “soooo cute” in theeyes of our little beholder.

Over the years, family andfriends indulged and en-abled, and we amassedan impressive collection ofpigs, plastic, plush, bat-tery-operated, singing(Elvis songs) and dancingpigs. What more could agirl want?

A pig costume, of course.

While the plethora of pig paraphernalia led meto believe she was not the only young child en-chanted by pigs, something told me she mighthave been one of the only Jewish toddlers inan observant home to find such favor in swine.

In truth, from Bergenfield to Borough Park,pigs have become increasingly unpopularamong Jewish institutions. Our daycare swapsout the pigs on Old McDonald’s farm in favorof the feline. In Israel, where pig-related lawscome straight from the Knesset, it is illegal toraise pigs and they are often referred to eu-phemistically as “white meat.” As noted byDaphne Barak-Erez, author of “Outlawed Pigs:Law, Religion, and Culture in Israel,” the pig isno more un-kosher than a bunny rabbit oreven the Hoopoe, Israel’s state bird. “TheTorah does not set apart the pig as uniquelyabhorrent,” she writes. Nonetheless, pigs havecome to represent all things treif.

So with some help from Amazon.com, we escortedour pro-football player, our masked alien andour proud little piggy to shul. I totally sheppedsome nachas that what she lacked in jewels andsparkle, she made up for with spunk and origi-nality. While friends did chuckle (and her great-grandmother feared for future shidduchim) noone seemed offended by her choice.

By the time we left shul, it was way past ourdaughter’s bedtime and she was pooped. As thecarnival music faded behind us, I watched herwaddle through the snow holding her tail withone hand while trying to keep up with her brothers. We followed them by a few steps andthough they were all still in disguise, I saw undera football helmet, an alien mask and soft pigears--the miracles that are part of my every day.

Ilya Welfeld stops to cherish the chaos, writing about bal-ancing work, life and faith. Email her atilyawelfeld@gmail.com. This piece is excerpted from apiece that appeared in The Jewish Star in 2010.

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Jewish Treats Guide to Celebrating Purim