BRATTLEBORO — Purim is one of the most joyous holidays in the Jewish calendar, celebrating a time when the Jewish people living in Persia survived a plot to exterminate them.
The holiday, observed every year on the 14th day of the 12th month (Adar) on the Jewish calendar, is a day of feasting and fun. The Purim story, read from in the scroll of Esther (the Megilah), tells of Persia under the rule of King Ahaseurus in about 400 BCE.
When Ahaseurus commanded Vashti, his queen, to dance naked for his guests, she refused. The king's advisers counseled that the queen be replaced, warning the king that Vashti's refusal to obey him would lead to all women disobeying their masters.
The king ordered a search to find the most beautiful woman in the land to replace Vashti. From the women of his harem, he chose Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman, to become his wife. He didn't know Esther was Jewish, because her guardian-uncle Mordechai had advised her to keep her identity a secret.
The king's chief advisor, Haman, hated Mordechai because Mordechai had refused to bow down to him. He plotted to destroy Mordechai and all the Jews in the kingdom by telling the king that that “a certain people” should be killed because their laws were different and it was not befitting for the king to tolerate them.
The king handed the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, telling him he could do as he pleased with them.
Facing his own death and the death of his people, Mordechai hoped to save the Jewish people by getting Esther to speak to the king on their behalf. A person who dared come before the king without being summoned could be put to death, but Esther bravely went before the king and told him of Haman's plot against her people, pleading that they be allowed to live.
Instead of letting Haman carry out the genocide of the Jews, Ahaseurus sentenced Haman to be hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordechai, and the Jewish people were saved.
The word “Purim” means “lots,” a reference to the lottery Haman used to choose the date on which the Jews were to be slaughtered.
The primary commandment for Jewish people related to Purim is to listen to the reading of the Megilah (the scroll of Esther) every Adar 14 and 15 (March 8 and 9 this year). While the scroll is being read, it is customary to boo, hiss, stamp the feet, and whirl graggers (noisemakers) to blot out the name of Haman, the embodiment of evil, whenever it is mentioned.
It is also commanded to eat, drink, and be merry, to give gifts of food and drink to friends, and to make gifts to charity.
It is customary for congregations to hold carnival-like celebrations with games, costumes, beauty contests, funny skits, and merriment to celebrate that the Jews of Persia were saved by the courage of Esther and Mordecai, who overcame incredible odds, risking death to take a stand for their beliefs. The holiday emphasizes the power of standing up to evil even at personal risk.
The Brattleboro Area Jewish Community will celebrate Purim on Monday, March 5, during and after Hebrew school, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the synagogue at 151 Greenleaf St. in West Brattleboro. Members and guests are invited to attend.
Check the website or leave a message at 802-257-1959 to get more information.