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56 Friday, March 12, 1976
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Rejoicing and Remembrance mark the Purim Holida
From Jewish National Fund
Education Department
The Book of Esther, in its
final chapter, describes the
character and observances
of the Festival of Purim,
and succeeding generations
have built upOn this founda-
tion.
According to tradition,
Jews living in villages and
outlying towns celebrate the
festival of Purim on the 14th
of Adar, while those who
live in walled towns cele-
brate it on the 15th day.
This is because Jews in all of
Ahasuerus' empire fought
their enemies on the 14th
day, but the Jews of Shu-
shan, which was a walled
city, continued the fight on
the 15th of Adar.
Rejoicing is a part of all
the observances of the festi-
val. It begins with the first
day of the month.
On the 14th of Adar it-
self the rejoicing reaches
its peak. Mourning is for-
bidden in almost all cir-
cumstances. (Strange as it
may seem at first sight,
weddings also are forbid-
den, because "We do not
confuse one rejoiCing with--
another" — though bride-
grooms were sometimes
given special privileges in
connection with the read-
ing of the Megilla).
Many kinds of behavior
which are frowned on at
other times are not only per-
mitted but encouraged on
--
Jewish children all over
the world take delight in
participating in the Purim
service. With their grag-
gers — noisemakers —
they cause a loud commo-
tion to prevent the name of
the evil Haman to be heard
during the reading of the
Megillat Esther.
-
Purim. Drinking beyond
the bounds of moderation is
actually considered a virtue:
"It is a man's virtue to get so
tipsy on Purim that he does
not know the difference be-
tween 'Cursed be Haman'
and 'Blessed be Mordecai'."
(Some authorities, however,
explain gravely that it is
enough to drink till one falls
asleep, since that is enough
to make one forget the dif-
ference.)
The greatest heights of
rejoicing were reached in
our own days in Israel, and
especially in Tel Aviv, where
a carnival ("Adloyada") is
held.
Rejoicing by itself would
be meaningless without
the recollection of the rea-
sons for rejoicing, namely
the deliverance from mal-
ice and danger.
A serious note is struck
by the portion of the Torah
read in the synagogues on
the Shabat before the festi-
val. This is called "Parshat
Zachor", from its openings,
. . . "Remember what Ama-
lek did to you . . ." (Deut.
25:16). The Amalekites were
the first people to attack the
Israelites when they came
out of Egypt, and they are
always remebered as the
typical example of Jewish
enemies and oppressors.
Haman was descended from
Amarek.
The day before Purim is a
fast day, known as Ta'anit
Esther, in memory of the
fast undertaken by Esther
before going to see King
Ahasuerus. It also serves to
remind Jews of the grave
danger which the Jewish
people so narrowly escaped
on so many - occasions.
In the services for the day
itself there is a special
prayer of thanksgiving (also
said on Hanuka) . . . "For
the miracles and the deliver-
ance . . ." that God has ac-
complished for his people,
with a brief account of the
story of the festival.
The main act of re-
membrance, however, is
the reading of Megillat
Esther, the scroll which
tells the story of Purim.
This is at the same time a
joyful and solemn occa-
sion. Everyone must read
it or hear it read, men,
women and children, and
it should be read - in full,
once during the evening
and once during the-day.
But the reading of the Me-
gilla also is made the occa--
sion for hilarity. Whenever
the name of Haman, the
arch-enemy, is pronounced,
The Brussels-made (circa 1475) Esther tapestry at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
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This illustrated Megillat Esther was written
decorated in Alsace at the beginning of the 18th Cen-
tury, according to the Jewish National Fund. Through-
out history Jews have illustrated and decorated Megillat
Esther, and many from all over the world survive.
the children make all the
noise they can, either with
their feet, or with
"graggers" or noisemakers
brought for the purpose.
The desire to blot out
Haman has inspried some
customs. In France and
some other countries the
children used to prepare
small stones with Haman's
name scratched on them,
and rub them together till
the name was literally obli-
terated. In Persia and Baby-
lonia the young men used to
make a "guy" or dummy- -i-ii
the shape of Haman some
dayS before, and burn it in a
bonfire on the night of the
festival.
Another and even more
light-hearted way of re-
membrance is the "Pruim-
spiel" or Purim play, which
used to be perforrried by the
students in the yeshivot.
In the past in Russia and
Poland, bands of amateur
actors would go about
from house to house, pre-
senting their performance
at every port of call, to the
special delight, of course,
of the children. Today no
Purim celebration would
be complete without the
play, humorous, satirical
or just farcical.
Happiness must be
shared if it to be tasted to
the full, and the manner of
sharing was deduced in de-
tail from the passage given
at the beginning of this sec-
tion. First comes Shalakh
Manot — more correctly
Mishloakh Manot — the giv-
ing of "portions" to one's
friends. These are generally
in the form of sweet-meats
or other articles of food, and
at least two different items
have to be sent to one per-
son.
Then there are gifts to the
poor — to at least two dif-
ferent poor people — to be
spent by the recipients on
nothing else than food and-
drink for the Pruim meal. It
is also customary to give
three half shekels (con'e-
sponding to the half shekel
given in Temple days) be-
fore the reading of the Me-
gilla, which are devoted to
purposes connected with
Eretz Israel.
The Purim feast is the cli-
max of the festivities of the
day. A man invites his fam-
ily and any friends who are
not holding their own
Seuda. It begins during day-
light on the 14th of Adar
and continues well into the
night.
Traditionally, special
kinds of eatables are pro-
vided: "hamantashen",
three cornered pastries
filled with poppy-seed,
which is known as "mon"
and popularly identified
with the manna eaten by
the Israelites in the wil-
derness; "kreplakh", deli-
cious meat-filled dough-
wrapped dumplings; and
beans.
These, then, are the prin-
cipal customs and observ-
ances of this homeliest and
merriest of all our festivals.
It does not embody any very
profound or exalted ethical
principle; it is simply the
spontaneous expression of a
very elementary human
feeling — joy and relief at
deliverance from deadly
danger, and the natural
reaction in the form of -
feasting and merrymaking.
But there are many features
which are nevertheless very
characteristically Jewish.
First, there-is the way the
ceremonial is worked out in
complete detail, so that,
apart from minor local vari-
ations, Jews all over the
world celebrate the same
festival in the same way.
This is one of the basic se-
crets of Jewish unity
throughout the ages.
Secondly, this unified cer-
emonial keeps even the re-
joicing within decent
bounds — there is little or
no real drunkenness at the
Seuda, in spite of the tal-
mudic injunction. And,
thirdly, Purim is one of the
expressions of the profound
historic sense of the Jewisle
people. Haman is not simp
a figure of the past -- ‘.1
have known him in varic
shapes and colors in many
different countries and in
many different generations.
"Any man to whom a
miracle has happened, and
especially the inhabitants
of a city (to whom a 'mira-
cle has happened) are enti-
tled to agree, on their own,
behalf and on behalf of
those who come after
them, to make that day
`Purim'." (From the Mid- •
rash).