Purim The Most Jubilant Jewish Holiday
Purim's Celebrations are Due To Queen Esther
Purim is known as the most festive of holidays, with certain “commandments” such as drinking to the point of excess, dressing in masks, costumes, and having carnival-like celebrations. The more important requisite is the public reading of the book of Esther (known as the Megillah or the scroll), giving gifts of food and drink, giving charity to the poor, and partaking of many jovial meals. Booing, hissing and using a noisemaker are done when the villain Haman is mentioned during the reading of the Megillah, as tradition prescribes, to blot out the name of evil.
Queen Esther
This Jewish holiday, which will begin at sunset on March 9th, is a joyous occasion marking the time when Queen Esther saved her people from a holocaust during the Persian reign. The Old Testament book of Esther chronicles the history of Purim as more than fortuitous events, but as yet another providential occurrence for the Jews. Esther is unusual because it’s the only book in the Bible that doesn’t mention the name of God, encompassing the faith of providence.
According to the book of Esther, King Xerxes’ (also Ahasuerus) right-hand man Haman became indignant when a Jew named Mordecai refused to bow down to him. Mordecai also happened to be Esther’s cousin and the one who raised her after she became orphaned. Haman’s proposal for revenge included annihilation of the whole Jewish race. He told King Xerxes that: "There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king's laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them." (Esther 3:8). Without any thought to it King Xerxes gave Haman carte blanche to do with the people as he wished. He didn’t know that Queen Esther- herself a Jewess- would be included in the extermination of these people, for Mordecai had advised her to keep her identity secret.
Purim: A Gamble for Life or Death
The word Purim is Hebrew for “lots.” Haman’s plan depended on a gamble. He drew lots to decide on what date he wanted to begin executing the Jews. The 13th of Adar (the twelfth month of the Jewish year, occurring in February or March) is the day Haman decided to carry out the massacre. When Mordecai learned of it, he went into mourning and begged Esther through a royal messenger to plead with the king. According to royal rules, anyone who approached the king without having been summoned would be put to death, unless he spared their life by extending his gold scepter. Risking her life, she accepted Mordecai’s challenge presented to her through the messenger, probably the most well-known verse in the book of Esther: “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)
A Call to Bravery
Esther exposed the plan and also influenced the king into overruling it. The king’s new edict turned the tables for the Jews. It permitted them to protect themselves by killing any armed forces trying to attack them on the 13th of Adar, the original date chosen by Haman to destroy the Jews. Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of the month of Adar; the day after the Jews defeated their enemies. Given the fact that they were able to avoid a holocaust, one can see the call for such a raucous celebration.
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