Purim begins tonight with costume parades, masquerade carnivals, singing, reading the Megillah and eating delicious doughy triangles filled with prunes called hamentaschen.
Hamentaschen are the special pastries for Purim known in Hebrew as "oznei Haman," literally "ears of Haman."
Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination. The story of Purim is told in the biblical book of Esther (the Megillah)
The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her uncle Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther more than his other women and made Esther queen, but the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her identity.
Esther's uncle Mordechai, the leader of the Jews, uncovers a plot to assassinate the king -- putting him also in a favorable position with the king. Haman, the king's top advisor, obtains a decree to have all the Jews destroyed. In the end, through a complex twist of events, Esther gets the decree reversed, Haman is hanged on the gallows, and Mordechai becomes prime minister.
The name Megillat Esther (Scroll of Esther) actually mean "revealing the hidden." Unlike every other book in the Bible, Megillat Esther never mentions God's name even once. The hidden hand of God is revealed through the maze of events.
There are no coincidences.
Megillat Esther teaches us that life challenges work out for the best, because what appears as obstacles are really opportunities to develop ourselves for the better. And it all comes from God's invisible hand that guides our fate, every step of the way.
Celebrating Purim Today:
- MEGILLAT ESTHER While reading the story of Purim, groggers (noise makers) are used when the evil Haman is mentioned to make as much noise as possible to blot out his name and his memory!
- SENDING GIFTS OF FOOD to at least one friend or relative, because Purim is a time of love and friendship between Jews.
- GIVING GIFTS OF MONEY TO THE POOR because Purim is a time of sharing and caring and helping.
- EATING A FESTIVE PURIM MEAL– the special holiday meal eaten on Purim afternoon and drinking alcohol until one doesn't know the difference between "cursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordechai."
Happy Purim! Enjoy!
courtesy of:
Mitchell Hall, Associate Broker, The Corcoran Group
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