PURIM

THE PURIM STORY

[Esthers megilleh]

.

In the third year of his reign, King Ahashverosh [Xerxes] of Persia,

decided to have a royal party. On the seventh day of these

festivities the King summoned his queen, Vashti, to appear

before him and show her beauty at the eyes of the King’s officials.

Queen Vashti refused to appear.

The King asked his officers for a suitable punishment.

One of his advisors argued that Vashti should be killed for her

disobedience. The King followed his advice and Vashti was killed.

Then of course the King wanted to have a new queen.

To find a suitable wife, a contest was initiated among all the

eligible girls in the kingdom. . . . One of those was Esther, a pretty

Jewish girl. Esther had been raised by her uncle Mordechai after

her parents’ death. Mordechai instructed Esther not to divulge

her Jewishness when she went to meet the king.

Each day Mordechai walked by the court and inquired as to her

well being.

Esther impressed all who met her, including the King,

and she was elevated to become queen. . .

Later the King elevated Haman, a descendant of Amelakh,

an enemy of the Jews, to the position of chief advisor.

Haman was an arrogant and wicked man who expected everyone

to bow down to him. Mordechai refused to bow because as a Jews

he didn’t want to bow for anybody, except when he prayed (for God).

Haman who then was not content to just punish Mordechai,

Haman (like Adolf Hitler) wanted to eliminate all the Jews within

his range, i.e. Persia.

Click on the picture to watch the wicked man. (animated by Esther 13 y.o.)

And Haman had cast lots or PURIM to determine

the day of annihilation. Haman went to the King, slandered the Jews,

and convinced the King to go along with his plans. Upon learning of

the plot, Mordechai tore his clothes, wore sackcloth and ashes, and

walked through the city crying loudly. When Esther heard of

Mordechai’s display she dispatched a personal messenger to

discover what was troubling her uncle. Mordechai told the

details of Hamans diabolic decree and asked Esther to

intercede on behalf of the Jews.

Esther agreed to appear before the King and instructed Mordechai to

organize a three-day fast for all the Jews on her behalf.

After completing the three-day fast, Esther entered the king’s inner

court dressed in her most royal garb. The King inquired as to

Esther’s desires. Esther replied that she wished to invite the King

and Haman to a banquet.

After the feast Esther asked the King and

Haman to return for another banquet the next night. Haman left

the banquet consumed with self importance and pride, but these

feelings were turned to anger when he saw Mordechai.

Haman went home, and his wife, Zeresh, advised him to construct

a number of gallows. Haman joyously acted upon the suggestion.

That night, the King discovered that Mordechai had never been

rewarded for saving him from the assassination plot of two

servants at an earlier time.

The King decided that his trusted servant Haman should

determine Mordechai’s compensation. Haman, intending to obtain

the King’s permission to hang Mordechai, unwittingly answered the

King’s questions. The King asked Haman,

“What should be done for the man the King wishes to reward?”

Haman, believing that Ahashverosh intended to reward him,

replied that the honoree should be dressed in royal clothing,

ride upon a royal horse.

And be led through the city streets by an official proclaiming

“This is what is done to the man the King wishes to honor”.

Ahashverosh agreed and instructed Haman to

carry it out for Mordechai. And Haman had then to follow the King’s

orders. Haman’s daughter, who mistakenly believed that her father

was being led by Mordechai, dumped garbage on her father, the

leader of the horses. Esther revealed Haman’s villainous plot to

the King and the fact that she was herself Jewish.

She asked the King to “grant me my soul and my people.”

Ahashverosh consumed with anger ordered that Haman

be hanged on the gallows intended for Mordechai.

The hanging of Haman (unknown 4 y. o. female Jewish artist).

The King elevated Mordechai to a position of great influence and allowed him to issue edicts permitting the Jews to fight their enemies.

On the thirteenth and fourteenth of Adar the Jews won tremendous victories and were saved from the threat of total annihilation.

Ever since, Jews have observed Purim. Haman used to wear a

triangular-shaped hat and a gown with triangular pockets.

The day before Purim is observed as a day of fasting, in memory

of Esther’s fast. Traditionally the fast is followed by two days

of dancing, merrymaking, feasting, eating, drinking of wine and

gladness.

A Purim-party for children.

Purim-party.

An old custom says that at Purim evening

one should drink wine

“ad lo jada …”

until it is impossible to distinguish between the phrases

“Blessed be Mordechai!” and “Cursed be Haman.” . . .

Press the picture on PURIM to find out if you have had too much

booze – if the bottle and the cup appear to move around you might have!

. . .

The preferred food at Purim are the kind of cakes called

‘homentaschen’ [Hamans pockets] filled with the raw opium

containing poppy seeds which incurs a light temper.

Real ‘homentaschen’ must have filling of ‘mohn’

(a mixture of crushed poppy seeds honey etc.),

but some people who do not want to toil by preparing the ‘mohn’

may ‘cheat you’ by making and serving ‘homentaschen’ filled with

mashed raisins, dates or Nutella etc. as a substitute.

But stick to your ‘rights’ as a ‘homentaschen’-loving Jew

and remind them that real ‘homentaschen’ have to be filled with

the tasty euphoriant ‘mohn’.

It is a custom to bring small gifts “shalochmones” to friends, the children

and the poor during Purim to make them happy.

The gifts that are brought on a plate and covered by a napkin or a

small towel used to be ‘homentaschen’, sweets etc.

Shushan Purim –

is celebrated as Purim Day in

Jerusalem.

Because Jerusalem is one of Israel’s “walled cities,” Purim is celebrated for two days.

New Zealand: The small southern Jewish community

will be one of the first on the globe to celebrate the Purim holiday.

in one of the big communal parks in the city.

The organizers established a huge military tent in which members

of the community will read the Megilla (scroll).

Purim in Bobov

A Brooklyn apartment building in New York have invited all of New York to their mega house party.

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/02/26/2010-02-26_brooklyn_apartment_building_celebrates_purim_with_house_party.html#ixzz0gldwKNgD

They couldn’t see or hear,
but that didn’t stop some 30 deaf and blind celebrants
from enjoying a unique Purim party in Jerusalem.

Purim in Brasil

“An Iddisher Purim in Chelm”

PURIM RECIPES:

There are hundreds of different homentaschen recipees available on the Internet

you can use any of them according to your taste,

but if you want to make the true homentaschen that was made by your

zeyde’s bubbie and your zeide’s bubbies bubbie before her,

you have to try the delicious flavour of the:

made with mohn and raisins from the

extraordinary and assorted KOPJIK grapes

presented to you by no less than miss Esther herself

Zeyde’s bubbie

Shopping list:

Click to remember all that is needed for

making the delicious KOPJIK homentaschen.

This is the true homentaschen that your

zeyde’s bubbie made – and the way she made them.

If you are young and stressed you might want to cut the

3-day process down to one day – and use electrical equipment

for crushing the poppy seeds indstead of a mortar with a pistil.

You can use a blender instead of a mortar,

dry yeast to save time – and baking powder instead

of yeast to pop up your homentaschen e.t.c.

You can stuff your homentaschen with substitutes

like dates, apricots, apples, chocolate or figs for saving time.

Do it then if you like –

your PURIM-cakes will be “just for show”,

finished quick and look nice,

but beware pretty woman …

they will lack the flavour and the fragrant of

the true homentaschen of your zeyde’s bubbie that have

been made at PURIM for generations and generations to

celebrated the rescue of the Jews from the vicious plan

of Haman the wicked man.

Go to:
http://kopjik.wordpress.com/di-gantzeh-megilleh/

PURIM-SONGS:

Hop! Mayne homentashn

*

Purim with reb

Shlomo Carlebach

in Yiddish

A FREYLICHER PURIM (Purim songs)

Download the PowerPoint document and play some of the most popular

Yiddish Purim-songs by clicking the loudspeaker symbols.

We have experinced and survived many wicked men.

Just 2 of them are still alive.

Haman was a wicked man.

Today, there’s another Persian ruler,

Iranian President Mahmoud

Ahmadinejad,

with a plan similar to Haman in his mind –

to wipe the State of Israel and

its people off the world’s map.

Like Haman, Ahmadinejad,

this tiny man speaks openly

of his distain for the Jewish people:

“The zionists”.

“This criminal regime [= The Jews] is doomed and the grand victory is imminent.”

“If the Zionists want to repeat their mistake again, they must be uprooted from the source”.

A persian Haman of 20910.

Chief Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef.

 אַהמאַדינייאַד דעם המן פון אונדזער צייַט   ער קען גיין צו גיהנום

Chief Rabbi Ovadiyah Yosef

PURIM-SPIEL:

One of the traditions of Purim is to launch a Purim shpiel,

a play or collection of comedy sketches that poke fun at identity or current trends.

The 39 Shleps

Dates:

Tuesday 2 March 8pm

Wednesday 3 March 8pm

Thursday 4 March 8pm

Sunday 7 March 6pm

Venue:

Phoenix Theatre

101 Glenhuntly Rd, Elwood,

Australia

A short Purim-spiel

http://www.youtube.com/user/kalabusha#p/u/8/M2IlBghNfDM

*

Celebrate Purim With Italian Sweets

Wearing costumes and masks while intoxicated was obviously bound to encourage all kinds of inappropriate behaviors, from promiscuous contact with non-Jews to episodes of violence. Still, some prominent rabbis of the time viewed all the wine and merrymaking as central to the spirit of the holiday, and went as far as to allow normally “taboo” activities, even mixed dancing.