The theme of Purim and the Megillah is Hester Panim, the hiding of the Divine. God’s name does not appear in the Megillah. The miraculous salvation of the Jews doesn’t seems might like a coincidental chain of events that happen to come together in just the right way to produce the successful results. God is hidden in the normal course of nature. The word “Megillah” is derived from the Hebrew root meaning “reveal”. Why is the ultimate book of “hidden” called by the name “revealed”? The lesson here is that God is revealed within nature, but only to those...
Purim
Taanit Esther – Festival?
This morning, Taanit Esther, they left out Tachanun and Avinu Malkeinu at the small Chassidic “Shtieble” where I occasionally daven. We usually skip these prayers on holidays, but today was a fast day? The character of Taanit Esther is unlike other fast days. Taanit Esther is actually part of Purim. On Purim we celebrate our physical existence by feeding our bodies. On Taanit Esther, we nourish our souls by fasting. Only when combined do Taanit Esther and Purim become a complete and total religious experience. This same idea also relates to Yom Kippur, which our sages compare to Purim...
Purim: Laws and Customs
Here’s a short summary of the mitzvot (and minhagim) of Purim: 1. Monday is the Fast of Esther 2. Mitzvah: Monday night and Tuesday, we hear the Megillah read 3. It’s customary, before the reading of the Megillah at night, to doante the “half shekel”. They’ll usually have actual silver coins in shul. You donate some money, and lift up the coins. The Ashkenazic custom is to use 3 “half shekels”. 4. Mitzvah: festive meal on Tuesday (including lots of alchohol!) 5. Mitzvah: Mishloach Manot – give 2 kinds of food to 1 person on Tuesday 6. Mitzvah: Matanot...
Buy on Amazon
