JCC Association's Early Childhood Curriculum Project 'This New Month'

Purim (the Festival of Lots), which takes place on the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar (March 21, 2008; Adar 14, 5768), commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people from Haman's plot to exterminate them. This is the happiest holiday in the Jewish calendar and is associated in most people’s minds with costumes, hilarity, food, and fun. But that image is only one part of the Purim experience. Behind the masks, Purim conveys a profound message about our relationship with G-d and history.

Megillat Esther (the Book of Esther)

The story of Purim is related in Megillat Esther (the Book of Esther) named for the Jewish woman who, against her will, becomes queen of the Persian empire, and is therefore in place to take a decisive role in saving the Jewish people from their decreed extermination.

The events described in Megillat Esther take place after the destruction of the First Temple, with the majority of the Jews living under Persian reign after their exile from the Land of Israel. As a subject people with no land of their own, they are powerless and vulnerable. When Haman, a vicious anti-Semite, becomes the emperor Achashverosh’s chief minister, he uses his power to pass a decree requiring the destruction of the Jewish people. Only the heroic efforts of Mordechai (a Jewish high official in Achashverosh’s court) and Queen Esther are able to avert the tragedy.

Masks and Lots

The name of G-d does not appear in Megillat Esther, yet the book is included in the canon of the Tanach. Reading the story, it is not immediately clear why this book should have a sacred status, since the events that take place in Achashverosh’s court could easily be described as the history of a failed political intrigue.

Part of the message of Purim is the resolution of this question. The decision of the Jewish people to see the hand of G-d in history, even when His presence is hidden from us, turns the story of Purim into a sacred narrative and the celebration of averted disaster into a Jewish holiday full of mitzvot. Unlike the story of the Exodus from Egypt, which is marked by open miracles, the story of Purim is a hidden miracle. It marks a turning point in our relationship with G-d, a willingness to see His presence and accept His commandments even when His face is hidden from us. The G-d of Purim is the G-d of Jewish history, Who accompanies us even when we are exiled, and enables us to survive.

The custom of wearing masks and costumes on Purim stems from this profound insight. On Purim we remember the lesson the Jewish people learned from the events in Persia thousands of years ago: Like Queen Esther, who hid her Jewish identity, and like G-d, Whose name does not appear in Megillat Esther, everything we encounter wears a mask. Both the natural world and the events of history conceal truths which we must uncover to get at the essence of things. Wearing masks on Purim is our way of enacting this insight.

This idea is repeated by the very name of the holiday-Purim (the Festival of Lots)-which commemorates Haman’s casting of lots to determine the date of his decree. Haman cast lots because of his gods were gods of randomness. Haman worshipped Chance, and in casting lots wished to enlist his gods in his cause. The Jewish view is that nothing is random, because G-d governs events. In a classic case of poetic justice, the day which Haman picks by lottery to destroy the Jewish people becomes the instrument of his own downfall, and the casting of lots becomes the emblem of history as guided by G-d.

The Mitzvot of Purim

There are four mitzvot associated with Purim, and they are all related to the themes of the day:

Mikra megilla (Reading the book of Esther): The book of Esther is read from a parchment scroll on Purim night, and again in the morning. The purpose of this mitzva is to commemorate the events and see the pattern in the story-to recognize the hidden miracle.

There is an old custom associated with the megilla reading of "blotting out the name of Haman" by making lots of noise when his name is read in the course of the story. This means that on Purim, synagogues are full of noisy children in a wild assortment of inventive costumes.
Mishloach manot (Sending gifts of food):
On Purim, one is obligated to send a minimum of two items of cooked food to a fellow Jew. Although this is the minimum requirement for the fulfillment of the mitzva, people customarily send generous gifts of food in decorated baskets to lots of friend, neighbors, and family.

In Israel, and in other places where there are large Jewish neighborhoods, you can see children and adults in costume, delivering baskets of sweets and other goodies to friends and neighbors. Kids love Purim!
Matanot l’evyonim (Gifts to the poor): On Purim, one must give gifts to a minimum of two poor people. The "gift" (usually money) has to be enough to provide the poor person with the makings of a meal containing at least two types of food.

Over the centuries, the custom developed of giving contributions to anyone who asks. Although the contribution may be only a few pennies, any needy person will receive at least something from everyone on Purim.
Mishteh (A feast)
On Purim, one is obligated to eat a festive meal, (similar to a Shabbat meal.) Usually people set a beautiful table and provide an elegant meal, complete with wine and delicacies.

It is also customary to drink on Purim "until one does not know the difference between ‘Cursed is Haman’ and ‘blessed is Mordechai.’" Rabbinic tradition cautions, however, that one should not drink to excess, or even at all, if there is any possibility that drinking will be injurious to one’s health, or cause one to behave dangerously, or perform mitzvot improperly.

Rejoicing as a people
Common to all these mitzvot is the idea of rejoicing as a people in the salvation of Purim, and strengthening the communal ties that bind us together. Unlike other biblical holidays, Purim is not rooted in the Land of Israel, but in the Diaspora experience. Just as the Jewish people would have disappeared at the time of the Purim story had they failed to see G-d in history, they would have disappeared as a people had they ceased to function as a community in exile. These mitzvot of celebrating and commemorating communally, sharing with others and caring for them create a sense of community that enable the Jewish people to hold together in the absence of a homeland.