Feast of Purim

Historical Background to the Feast of Purim

The name of the Feast:

It is called the Feast of Purim. The proper pronunciation is either poo-REEM or POO-rim but never "pure-im".
It comes from the Hebrew meaning - "lots" or the casting of lots. The holiday recalls a time in Jewish history when the "lot" was cast to decide the intended day of destruction of the Jewish people. But tells how God saw to it that this plan was not carried out.

Biblical institution of the Feast:

The institution of the Feast of Purim is found the book of Esther. It is the only non-Levitical feast that is commanded to be observed or celebrated - the book itself tells us - "these days should be remembered and celebrated throughout every generation... these days of Purim should not fail (or pass away) .. or their memory fail from their descendants (Esther 9:28)
We read in (Esther 9:27) that this celebration is not just for the Jewish people, but for "all those who allied themselves with them...".
In other words God's word tells us to remember what He did during the times of Esther - and apply it to our own lives.
The original instructions for the celebration of this holiday are limited. It was simply to be a time of "feasting and joy and giving of presents (Esther 9:22).
We also read that it is to be a two day celebration at the appointed time (Esther 9:27).

Rather than retelling the events that led to this celebration - it can be easily understood by reading the book of Esther - the key events were:
The Events took place while the Jewish people were living in captivity in Persia about 450 BCE
One the king's officials - Haman - took offense at one Jewish man named Mordecai - because he would not bow down to him - and hatched a plan to have all Jewish people killed.
Mordecai heard of this plan and sent word to his cousin - Esther who was married to the king.
Esther interceded for the lives of her people - the king had Haman killed instead - gave orders that the Jewish people should defend themselves and replaced Haman with Mordecai.

The theme is - that even though God is not named in the book - we are shown how the God of Israel has proven himself faithful to his promise to watch over His covenant people (Gen 12:3)

Traditional Jewish Observance

Time for Fasting

To remember the somberness of the time, the traditional Jewish community begins with a fast day every year - from sundown to sundown.
This also is to recall the time that Mordecai and Esther began a three-day fast as they sought God's guidance (Esther 4:16).

Time of Feasting

Since the Biblical text commands that this event is to be remembered with "feasting" (Esther 9:22), this is a key part of the celebration.
The festive meal at Purim is called - Seudah - and takes place during the afternoon of the first day of Purim.
As with other Jewish Holy days, there is traditional food that has symbolic significance. In the case of Purim that food is - Hamantashen cookies.
These are triangular shaped cookies stuffed with jam or some other sweet filling. Hamantashen is a German/Yiddish word which means either - Haman's pockets or Haman's ears. These cookies are intended to remind people of the victory over the awful antagonist.

Hamantashen with fruit filling

1/4 pound margarine (1 stick), at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Apricot or strawberry jam, grape jelly, or the flavor of your choice

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the margarine and sugar together till light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and orange juice. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and mix into the margarine mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Using a round biscuit or cookie cutter cut 3-inch circles. Place 1/2 to 2/3 teaspoon of filling in the middle of each circle. To shape into triangles, lift up the right and left sides, leaving the bottom down, and bring both sides to meet at the center above the filling. Bring the bottom flap down to the center to meet the two sides. Pinch edges together. Place on greased cookie pan 1-inch apart and bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.

Time to Rejoice

Here again the Scripture commands Purim to be a time of "joy" (Esther 9:22).
Along with the joyous feast of this holy day, the central focus in the synagogue service is joy.
During synagogue services the book of Esther is read aloud with dramatic re-enactments - every time Haman's name is read he is booed and noisemakers called groggers are rattled to drown out his name.
Purim is one of the few synagogue holy days where normal decorum and seriousness are waived in order to enter into unrestrained joy. The atmosphere is geared to reflect the theme - deliverance.

Time for Sharing

Again in seeking to be faithful to the command - "giving of presents.."
Purim is not only to be a celebration for the redeemed Jews, but also a time to send gifts to the poor of the community.
The Hebrew term - mishloach manot is often translated in Yiddish as - shlach manos - meaning - "sent portions."
These shlach manos boxes may include food, sweets, and Hamantashen. It is one of the ways Jewish people are reminded to help those who are less fortunate.

Typology and Personal Applications

Haman - A type of Hasatan

He sought to destroy ALL the Jews that where throughout the kingdom (3:6)
Deceived the king by lying about the Jews - Haman said the Jews were aliens, who refused to keep the king's laws, and that it was not profitable for the king the let them live (3:8)
What Haman meant for evil, God turned to good (6:11; 7:6; 9:25)
hasatan - also wants the Jewish people destroyed. He is constantly deceiving the nations

Esther - A type of the many Gentile believers

Many feel the even though Esther - who was raised Jewish responded with some embarrassment to her cousin's high-profile mourning over the fate of their people - yet in the same way many gentile believers are willing to say; "thy God is my God", but are embarrassed to say "thy people (Jewish) are my people."
Esther at first seemed somewhat hesitant to identify with God's chosen people, but Mordecai points out the just because of her position as queen - that will not deliver her (4:13-14). Many believers fail to realize that as the world turns against Israel, that it will also turn against the church. Believers need to stand with Israel!
Esther was willing to lay down her life for the deliverance of the Jewish people. She led her maidens and the people in Sushan in a three day total fast and prayer for the Jewish people. She was willing to risk her own life in speaking to the king on her people's behalf (8:7-10) Are we willing as well?

Mordecai - A type of Messiah

Mordecai - wept for his people, humbled himself, and risked his life. As a result he triumphed over his enemies, put on royal robes and was nest to the king in power and authority.
Messiah Yeshua wept over Jerusalem, humbled Himself to a shameful death, and is now seated at the right hand of God.
Some rabbis point to a messianic aspect to Purim. Being a day of deliverance and rest from one's problems, Purim was naturally related to the greater day of rest in the days of Messiah.

Two other Symbols in Esther

The picture of the three-day resurrection period of foreshadowed. Esther fasted for three days, and on the third day she arose to go before the king.
The Jews were delivered on the seventeenth of Nissan - Firstfruits - the same day that deliverance from Eygpt began, and Messiah rose as firstfruits.

Why We Remember

The stories of Hanukkah and Purim with their theme of plots against God's people bring to mind another period of history with a much darker tone - the Holocaust. Many people feel that history is history and now we should just forget. We believe that forgetting is tantamount to providing an opportunity for the repeat of history. Why should we remember?

There is a very special section of Yad Va'Shem's Holocaust Memorial called the Valley of Lost Communities that exemplifies the importance of remembering for us. It commemorates not just individuals, but the hundreds of entire Jewish communities that were exterminated in Europe by the Nazis.

The Valley is man-made but awe-inspiring. Canyons have been created by stacking rough hewn 4 foot by 4 foot square blocks of cream-colored limestone to the height of about 25 feet. Each stone is left ungroomed after being extracted from the quarry in the region of the upper Galilee. The extraction methods leave each stone with a distinct character of its own. The Valley is shaped like the map of Europe and is actually so big that you almost need a map to navigate through it without getting lost. It is more than impressive - it is monumental.

Chiseled in beautiful calligraphic lettering in the stone are the names of the areas of Europe where the Jewish communities once existed. Under each European area are chiseled the names of the communities themselves. As one wanders through the canyons, the sky above seems just a slit of blue, looking as if it were a watercolor slash in a sea of beige limestone. The enormity of the monument echoes the enormity of the destruction.

It is overwhelming, but the story of the Holocaust must be told - again and again. The words of Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and now Israeli author and philosopher, paraphrased says . . .

". . . I am of a people and culture who view the murder of even one child as a blot upon mankind. I cannot believe that one and a half million children were murdered by the Nazis. One must not think that any people can get away with that kind of act of evil. The end result should and would be the end of the world. None of us want that. Therefore, why do we remember? Why do we teach our children to remember such a black time in the history of mankind? Why are there places commemorating these events? It is, first of all, a method of restoring dignity to the people who died in such indignity and it is secondly a redemptive act. It is a way to bring to the forefront of mankind's thought processes these evil acts in order that repentance might take place.

"I see it as a way to postpone the destructive wrath of God against those responsible for the shedding of Abel's blood/Germany's Jews' blood."

This is why we remember. This is why the Bible's stories are recorded for us as well. We must remember - God commands us to remember - His mighty acts of deliverance. That's why the Bible is filled with "rehearsal" times that we should remember the past to prepare for the future. But, even more than just remembering historical events, we should consider ourselves, whether Jew or Gentile, as extended family with those Bible characters, sorrowing with them or rejoicing with them as if they were our own blood relations.

The monumental beauty and proportions of the Valley of the Lost Communities are filled with redeeming social value. It is more than the work of an artist in memory of lost loved ones. It is an active, living restoration of dignity. It is a redemptive act. It is a contact point for humanity to repent and embrace - and be embraced by God once again.

It is important to know as well that stones are fundamental to the Jewish culture. Jacob's head rested on one as he dreamed of the gateway to heaven. The Israelites set them up as reminders of God's acts to and through mankind. The Children of Israel took them out of the river bed when crossing the Jordan River and created a monument of God's companionship in their wilderness journey just before they went into the Promised Land. The tribes set up a stone monument and called it Ed (meaning, "witness") to remind their descendants of their brotherhood with each other when two and a half tribes settled in what is now Jordan and southern Syria. Every Jewish person, upon visiting a cemetery, places a stone upon the grave marker instead of flowers. Yeshua said that the stones would cry out if His disciples and the crowd did not proclaim His glory. He also stated that "Upon this stone I will build My congregation," likening Simon to a rock.

The massive stones of the Valley of the Lost Communities, each one different from the other, remind me now of thousands of generations of God's leading and love for His people. Therein is why we remember. Through this remembrance, we bring dignity to the Holocaust, a grossly undignified and demonic act. We remember and teach our children to remember.

This too is the real power behind the Purim story, God's power in behalf of His people.

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