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In honor of Dr. Lorne Sokol, his wife Beth and his beloved children Samantha, Simon and Ben© 2007 by The Shluchim Office.Design & Photography © 2007 by Spotlight Design, The publication contains sacred writings. Please don’t desecrate it. However, it is not considered shaimos.

Dear Friend Here comes Purim, the most joyousfestival on the Jewish calendar. Purim isa fantastic celebration for young and old,and we hope this guide will motivate,inspire, and enhance your merriment. Itcontains the story of Purim and itsmessages, instructions for the holidaycustoms, a great recipe for hamantashen,and more.

Please enjoy this pamphlet, and whenyou are done, share it with your familyand friends and invite them to join in thefestivities of Purim.

Grab your graggers and join us for ourgrand Purim Party, and Megillah readingson Thursday evening, March 20, at 7:00pm, and Friday morning, March 21, at10:00 am. For more information about allof our Purim activities, please call me at(123) 456-7890 or visit the website atwww.chabad.org.

We look forward to seeing you! Happy Purim!

Rabbi Mendel ShliachovitchEDUCATIONAL DIRECTOR – CHABAD JEWISH CENTER, BROOKLYN, NY

MARCH 20–21, 200813–14 ADAR 2, 5768

The Fast of Esther

To honor the days of prayer, fasting andrepentance which the Jews held beforetheir victory, we fast on the day beforePurim, Thursday, March 20, fromapproximately two hours before sunriseuntil 40 minutes after sunset.

Half a Shekel

To commemorate the half-shekel con-tributed by each Jew during the month ofAdar in the time of the Holy Temple, it is atradition to give three silver half-dollarcoins to charity. This mitzvah is usuallyperformed in the synagogue on the day weobserve the Fast of Esther.

Zachor “Remember”

The Shabbat before Purim (March 15, 2008),we read Parshat Zachor in the Torah. It tellsof how Haman’s ancestors, the nation ofAmalek, brazenly attacked the Jewishpeople after our spectacular exodus fromEgypt, dispelling the aura of invincibilitysurrounding us. The Torah instructs us toerase all memory of Amalek. Amalekrepresents a cold rationality which inhibitsawe or excitement. We destroy this Amalekand allow ourselves to fall more deeply inlove with G-d and his Torah and mitzvahs.

Special Prayers

On Purim, the ‘Al HaNissim’ liturgy isrecited in the Amidah (Silent Prayer) forevening, morning and afternoonprayers, as well as in the Grace afterMeals. In addition, during the MorningPrayer service there is a special readingfrom the Torah in the synagogue.

All Jewish holidays share thecommon factor of joy, and each hasits distinct flavor. The joy of Purim isspecial in the sense that it is extreme.What is the nature of this unusual joy,and where does it come from?

Every Jew has an intrinsic connectionto G-d. In some, it’s more revealedthan in others, but it exists in everyJew. As we know, Mordechaipointedly refused to bow down toHaman, triggering the evil plot.Mordechai was driven by his innateconnection with G-d, and could notsubmit to anyone besides for Him.This bond with G-d ultimately led tothe miracle.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that aJew is able to defy the proverbialHaman with self-confidence bydrawing on the deep connection withG-d. It is this immeasurably strongbond which enables the Jewish peopleto achieve things that typically wouldbe very difficult or even impossible.The extreme joy of Purim also comesfrom this vast connection to G-d.

On Purim our hidden love to G-d isrevealed through joy. L’Chaim!

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כזרו

The Feast

It was the year 365 B.C.E., in the city ofShushan, Persia. The reigning KingAchashverosh hosted a series of lavishroyal feasts in his palace, which even manyJews attended. Intoxicated with theexcitement of the festivities and days ofendless drinking and debauchery, KingAchashverosh commanded his queen,Vashti, to appear before his guests wearingonly her crown. Vashti refused. Enraged ather insolence, the king consulted with hisministers and had Vashti executed.

The New Queen

The king now needed a new queen.Achashverosh had all the beautifulmaidens of the country brought to thepalace so that he might choose a wife. Theking chose Esther (Hadassah), the cousin ofMordechai, who was one of the leaders ofthe Jewish people. Mordechai advised

Esther not to reveal her identity as a Jew inorder to better aid the Jewish people, soshe observed Jewish law secretly in thepalace. Mordechai would spend time atthe palace gates every day, waiting forword from Esther. One day, Mordechaioverheard two attendants planning topoison the king. He told Esther of the plotand she informed the king. The plot wasfoiled, and Mordechai was credited withsaving the king.

Haman’s Plot

Meanwhile, Haman, a descendant ofAmalek, the callous enemy of the Jewishpeople, became Prime Minister of theking’s court. The king issued an ordercommanding everyone in the palace tobow down in deference to Haman.However, Mordechai refused, becauseHaman wore an idol around his neck. Thisso enraged Haman that he devised ascheme to annihilate all the Jews in thekingdom. He cast lots (purim, in Aramaic),to choose the day on which to plan themassacre, and came up with the 13th dayof the Hebrew month of Adar. He also hada gallows constructed specifically forMordechai.

Esther’s Request

Hearing of the evil plan, Mordechaidonned sackcloth and ashes and told Estherthat she must go to the king and intercedeon behalf of her people. To appear beforethe king without being summoned meantrisking her life. Esther requested that all theJews undertake a three-day fast of prayerand repentance. At the end of these threedays, Esther stood uninvited beforeAchashverosh, and asked the king and

Haman to a private banquet. At thebanquet, she invited them both to a secondbanquet the next night.

The Sleepless Night

That night, King Achashverosh was unableto sleep, so he asked his servants to read tohim from his Book of Chronicles. Whenthey read of the episode where Mordechaisaved his life, he realized that Mordechaihad never been rewarded. The king askedHaman to suggest the best way of honoringsomeone. “The King wishes to honor me”,Haman thought. He was angered andmortified to discover that the honors heenvisioned would be accorded toMordechai.

The Second Banquet

At the subsequent banquet, Esther asked theking to spare her life and the lives of herpeople. Surprised, Achashverosh asked Es-

ther who had threatenedher. She replied that itwas none other than thewicked Haman. Hamanwas immediately hangedon the gallows he had intended for Mordechai.The Megilla is namedafter Queen Esther because of her tremen-dous piety, cleverness,and bravery on behalf ofthe Jewish people.

The Grand Finale

Although Haman wasdead; his cruel decreeagainst the Jews remained.A new decree was issued,granting the Jews permis-sion to defend themselvesagainst their enemies. TheJews experienced a stun-ning victory in battle, andthe complete downfall of

the wicked Haman. The14th day of Adarwas consecrated as the festival of Purim, tocelebrate and commemorate the great mira-cle of our people’s salvation.

A Tale for Today

The Purim story is more than an exciting historical adventure. It demonstrates G-d’sprovidence and guidance. We retell it eachyear because it is relevant, and it highlightsG-d’s involvement in the minutiae of ourdaily lives.

Including Children

Purim is a kid-oriented holiday. Childrenmasquerade to convey that nothing is as itseems, and what appears to be bad mayactually be good. They listen to the Megillah,give their own tzedakah, help to deliverMishloach Manot, and revel in the spirited funof Purim. Indeed, 22,000 children prayedwith Mordechai for deliverance from Haman.

<The Purim Story, Listen to the Megillah

Megillat Esther (the Scroll of Esther) is Esther’s and Mordechai’sfirst-hand narrative of Haman’s plot to destroy the Jewishpeople- and how he was miraculously vanquished. We listen tothe reading of the Megillah twice during Purim: once onThursday evening, March 20, and again on Friday, March 21. Try not to miss a word! This is an interactive event: whenHaman’s name is mentioned, we twirl graggers (noisemakers)and stamp our feet to drown out the sound of his evil name.

Eat a Festive Meal

Purim is celebrated with a festive and joyous meal during the daytime ofFriday, March 21. Traditional foods include soup with ‘kreplach’ (stuffeddumplings) and fruit- or nut-filled triangular cookies called hamantashen.The hidden fillings in both foods remind us that G-d’s ever-presentinvolvement in the Purim episode was hidden, and not openly revealed.(In fact, the name of G-d is not mentioned once in Megillat Esther!)

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce)package moistyellow cake mix

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

2 tablespoonswater

Either 1 cup fruit jam,any flavor, 1 cup preparedmohn filling, or1 cup chocolchocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375degrees. Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, mix togetherthe cake mix and flour. Stir inthe eggs and water to form astiff dough. On a lightlyfloured surface, roll the doughout to 1/8 inch thickness. Cutinto 3 inch round circles andplace 2 inches apart onto theprepared cookie sheets. Placea teaspoon of filling into thecenter of each cookie andpinch the sides tightly to formthree corners (Hamen’s hat)so that only a little filling isvisible. Moisten with water ifnecessary.

Bake Hamentashen cookiesfor 6 to 8 minutes in thepreheated oven, or untillightly browned. Allowcookies to cool for 1 minuteon the cookie sheets beforeremoving to wire racks tocool completely. Recipeyields 2 dozen Hamentashencookies.

Quick & Easy

‘Homemade’<Hamentashen,

(The kind Queen Estherwould have loved to have made)

<The Purim Mitzvot ,

Give to the Poor

Giving charity (tzedakah), a year-round privilege,is a particularly special mitzvah on Purim. Givecharity to at least two needy individuals on Purimday, ideally by giving directly to the person. If thisis not possible, place at least several coins intodifferent Pushkas (charity boxes). It is good foryoung children to fulfill this mitzvah, as well.

Send Gifts of Food

Purim is a time to celebrate Jewish unityand friendship. We send packagescontaining at least two different kinds ofready-to-eat foods (e.g. hamantashen andfruit) to at least one friend (men give tomen and women give to women.) Thesegifts, “Mishloach Manot”, aretraditionally sent by a friendly messenger.

The Megilla is named after QueenEsther because of her tremendous piety,cleverness, and bravery on behalf of theJewish people.