Feast of Purim

Purim is a minor feast day with no association to the seven major Jewish feasts. Though a minor holiday, it is a happy one, observed with the giving of gifts, alms to the poor, good food, and merrymaking. I like to think of Purim as a play with a cast of characters. The director is God:

• Ahasuerus (probably Xerxes the Great)
• Vashti
• Mordechai
• Haman
• Esther
• The Jewish People in Exile

The play is about a people out of the will of their God. God is hidden behind the curtain on this stage keeping watch over His own. He is directing this play by His divine providence. His name is never mentioned at all in the Book of Esther, while the heathen, Ahasuerus, has a curtain call of 192 times.

Ahasuerus was not the name of this Persian king, but a title. It means high father or venerable king. He ruled over a vast territory from India to Ethiopia and through the Fertile Crescent. For those who love secular history, the book's preamble will be enjoyed, for it alludes to Xerxe's reign and the immutable Law of the Medes and the Persians.

Now, it once happened that Ahasuerus hosted a great banquet, the reason of which was to secure support from his rulers for a military campaign to capture Greece. The Book of Esther gives the details of this banquet, deniels of nationality and religion, evil plottings, and ensuing wisdom which brought about this festival. The Book of Esther, called the Megillah, is read in full in synagogues at Purim.

The story tells how the Jews of Persia, modern day Iran, were saved from destruction by a beautiful Jewish girl named Esther. The Hebrew name is Hadassah which means star and she was certainly the star in this play.

Esther, who kept her nationality and religion a secret, was chosen over many young women in the kingdom to become Ahasuerus' Queen over Vashti who had been removed. However, as in many plays, there was an evil lurker behind the bushes who was up to no good. This government official, Haman by name, came up with a plan to require all servants to bow down to him. Esther's Uncle Mordechai, who has raised her, refused to bow to any human. This refusal made Haman livid. He came up with a plan to destroy the entire Jewish community, casting a lot to decide the exact day on which this was to happen. Thus, the name Purim, which means lots in Hebrew. Mordechai found out about the edict and told Esther of the evil plan. Esther went before the king without first having been summoned, which could have resulted in a death sentence for her.

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