The pictures throughout this article honour all the modern - day Esthers who serve in the military, who contribute, innovate, lead and change the world at every level. Purim is celebrated in the 12th month of the Jewish calendar on the 14th day of Adar which is usually in the month of February or March some years. The word Purim means "lots" and refers to the lots - plural - pur - singular, Hayman used to choose the day to massacre the Jews. The Book of Esther known as Megillat Esther or the Scroll of Esther especially Esther 9:22 is read during this festival. Exodus 17: 8-16 is also read that tells the story of the initial wilderness meeting between Amalek and the nation of Israel and re-tells the story of how the hatred Hayman exhibited began. Hayman was a descendant of Agag who was a descendant of Amelek who was a descendant of Esau.
A custom during Purim is to boo, hiss, stamp feet and rattle noise makers at the mention of the name Haman while we eat drink and be merry, send gifts to friends because of the miraculous deliverance granted the Jews. The sages of the Talmud Gemara portion noted that Amalek would hear the negative comments of his grandfather Esau over and over as a child in the tent and absorbed resentment for Jacob who later became Israel. Agag also understood the original fued between Jacob and Esau which was based on a difference in ideology, Agag's based on chance living for the moment as Esau did while Israel's philosophy based on divine order and planning, conveyed the sentiment to his maidservant who passed the attitude on to Hayman the Agagite descendant. Thus Hayman hated the Jews intensely as a generational feeling of ill will and resentment from a perceived past injury to his ancestor Esau even 1,000 years later.
A spiritual application for Purim is to remember our children internalize our comments which potentially build positive or negative attitudes towards others. The Holy Spirit also hears the conversations at home and is pleased with pure conversations or very displeased with impure conversations such as speaking badly of others privately. Numbers 14:27 records " How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites." The Festival of Purim provides an opportunity in which to deal with grudges, resentments, ill will that may cause injury to others in the future and that may contaminate the lives of others.
The Book of Esther has the touching story that describes the entire back drop of this wonderful festival with Esther or Hadassah the beautiful young Jewish woman who took courage to go before the King Achashverosh, Mordecai her uncle who lived righteous to HaShem, Haman the villain who tried to massacre the Jews and King Achashverosh who God made to favor Ester.
In the final month on the Jewish calendar or the twelfth month of Adar as we celebrate Purim where Esther was used to prevent catastrophe and misfortune in the lives of the Jews and also Haman who set a gallows for Mordecai was hanged on his own gallows. Purim is a time to enforce all spiritual laws against the enemy of our soul knowing that Christ spoiled all principalities and powers and made an open show of them.
It is a time of intense spiritual warfare enforced against the devil to stop his illegal efforts against a Child of God. Purim is a time to enforce the word and anointing of God against the devil to see satan's yokes destroyed and burdens removed by the miracle working intervening power of Christ. Purim is a time of the mysteries of Christ.
There is spiritual power embedded in all set feasts and to ignore their annual observances is to operate at a level below the abundant life Christ intended for us to experience.The day after Purim is known as Shushan Purim celebrated the 15th day of Adar. The fight against the anti-semites took a day longer in Shushan where King Achashverosh lived than for the rural areas and the Jews in Shushan did not get to rest and to celebrate until a day after.
The day before Purim is called Ta'anit Ester to celebrate the 3 day fast Esther did before she informed the king about Haman's plot against Mordecai. Ta'anit Esther or the fast of Ester begins at the break of dawn Adar 13 and ends at nightfall that day. Ta'anit Ester may also be celebrated Adar 11 if the 13th falls on a Shabbat. Children below the age of 13 for boys and 12 for girls are not required to fast especially before bar/bat mitzvah.
Mishloach or sending food such as fruit, wine and baked goods to friends is a custom of Purim.
Matanot L' evyonim or giving gifts to the poor. The gifts are to be given on Purim day after the reading of the Megillah or Scroll of Esther. Rambam Maimonedes says about Purim "it is better for a man to increase gifts to the poor than to enlarge his feasts and to give gifts to his friends." The Mitzvah requires a minimum of giving two gifts which may be giving food to at least two poor persons.
Purim Sueda, is a big custom and a mitzvah and requires we eat and eat and eat as well as drink, and drink and drink. The reason wine is used as a symbol at Purim is both Vashti and Haman defeats came as a result of feasting on wine. Tractate Megillah 7b. The Rabbis of the Talmud Gemara who are conservative in their thinking state Ahd D' Lo Yada Bain Arur Haman L' Baruch Mordechai which means "until he can no longer tell the difference between 'cursed be Haman' and 'blessed be Mordechai.'" A person who cannot drink can fulfill the mitzvah Ahd D' Lo Yada by sleeping because one who sleeps allegedly cannot tell the difference between a blessing and a curse. The Rabbis are trying to accomplish a high level of silly insubstantial behavior as part of the celebration not alcohol abuse or destructive drinking.
Reading The Megillah or Scroll of Esther is a big deal and this is a wild a crazy time in synagogue as in no other festival celebration. There is interruption of the scroll reading every time the name Haman is mentioned all fifty four times with BOOs, clappers, cap guns, sirens and clanging pots. This interruption is expected. The interruption continues when the ten names of Haman's ten sons are mentioned.
Purim is the only celebration where we are inane, poke fun at ourselves and dress up in costumes but no cross dressing to have fun. Rabbis intended for this celebration we have a sense of humor and increase our happiness for the entire month of Adar not just for Purim. Jewish tradition accepts Adar as a blessed and happy month.
Note that a Jewish leap year has an extra month of Adar I inserted after the eleventh month of Shevat and before the twelfth month of Adar in a leap year. The month of Adar is repeated during a leap year rather than permanently added.
The month is also known as Adar Rishon or Adar Alef. Thus for a leap year only there is Adar 1 and Adar 2. Adar 1 will celebrate Purim Katan or Minor Purim and Adar 2 will celebrate the official Purim festivals. A leap year is referred to as Shanah M'uberet meaning a pregnant year. Thus in a leap year adherents celebrate both the blessed happy month of Adar as well as a year pregnant with additional blessings.
A Jewish leap year occurs 7 times every 19 years that completes a 19 year cycle. The 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th years are leap years in this cycle. The list of leap years with 5758 ending the previous 19 year cycle are as follows: 5760, 5763, 5765, 5768, 5771, 5774, 5776, 5779, 5782, 5784, 5787, 5790, 5793, 5795, 5798, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5809.
Chag Sameach - Joyous Festival - Happy Purim Holiday
For additional resources, books and publications see the following: THE MANY FACES OF JUDAISM
BARNES AND NOBLE - PAPERBACK AND NOOK AMAZON - PAPERBACK AND KINDLE EBOOK POWELL'S BOOKS - PAPERBACK AND EBOOKS ANDERSON'S BOOKSHOP - PAPERBACK
Chinese Version
普珥節 - 以斯帖王后 雷米爾貝克博士 本文中的圖片向所有在軍隊服役的現代埃絲特人致敬，他們在各個層面上為世界做出了貢獻、創新、領導和改變。普珥節在猶太曆第 12 個月的亞達月 14 日慶祝，通常在某些年份的二月或三月。普珥節這個字的意思是“抽籤”，指抽籤——複數——pur——單數，海曼用來選擇屠殺猶太人的日子。在這個節日期間，人們會誦讀《以斯帖記》，即 Megillat Esther 或《以斯帖記》，特別是以斯帖記 9:22。出埃及記 17:8-16 也講述了亞瑪力人和以色列人最初在曠野相遇的故事，並重新講述了海曼所表現出的仇恨是如何開始的。海曼是亞甲的後裔，亞甲是亞米勒的後裔，亞米勒是以掃的後裔。 普珥節期間的一個習俗是，當我們吃喝玩樂時，一提到哈曼這個名字，我們就會發出噓聲、嘶嘶聲、跺腳和發出嘎嘎聲，因為猶太人獲得了奇蹟般的拯救，我們一邊吃喝玩樂，一邊送禮物給朋友。 《塔木德·格瑪拉》部分的聖人指出，亞瑪力人小時候在帳篷裡一遍又一遍地聽到他祖父以掃的負面評論，並對後來成為以色列的雅各產生了怨恨。亞甲也理解雅各和以掃之間最初的爭執，這是基於意識形態的差異，亞甲像以掃一樣基於機會生活，而以色列的哲學基於神聖的秩序和計劃，將這種情緒傳達給他的女僕，女僕傳遞了這種態度到了阿加吉特的後裔海曼。因此，即使在 1000 年後，海曼也強烈地憎恨猶太人，因為他認為他的祖先以掃過去受到了傷害，這是一種世代相傳的惡意和怨恨。 普珥節的精神應用是記住我們的孩子將我們的評論內化，這些評論可能會建立對他人正面或負面的態度。聖靈也會聽到家裡的談話，喜歡純潔的談話，或是非常不喜歡不純潔的談話，例如私下說別人的壞話。民數記 14:27 記載：“這邪惡的百姓向我發怨言要到幾時呢？我聽見這些發怨言的以色列人的怨言了。”普珥節提供了一個處理怨恨、怨恨和惡意的機會，這些怨恨、怨恨和惡意可能會在未來對他人造成傷害，並可能污染他人的生活。 《以斯帖記》中有一個感人的故事，描述了這個美妙節日的整個背景，其中有以斯帖或哈大薩，一位美麗的年輕猶太女子，她鼓起勇氣來到亞哈維羅什王面前；末底改是她的叔叔，他為正義而行；哈曼是個惡棍，他為正義而活。 Achashverosh）。 在猶太曆的最後一個月或亞達月的第十二個月，我們慶祝普珥節，以斯帖被用來防止猶太人生活中的災難和不幸，而為末底改設置絞刑架的哈曼也被掛在自己的絞刑架上。普珥節是一個執行所有精神律法來對抗我們靈魂的敵人的時刻，因為我們知道基督破壞了所有的執政者和權力，並公開展示了它們。 這是一個針對魔鬼進行激烈的精神戰爭的時期，以阻止他針對上帝之子的非法活動。普珥節是一個執行上帝的話語和恩膏來對抗魔鬼的時刻，以看到撒旦的軛被摧毀，基督的奇蹟般的介入力量除去了重擔。普珥節是基督奧蹟的時期。 所有固定的節日都蘊含著精神力量，忽視每年的慶祝活動，就是在低於基督為我們體驗的豐盛生命的水平上進行。亞達節的第15 天。在阿查什維羅什國王居住的蜀山，與反猶太主義者的鬥爭比在農村地區花費了一天的時間，蜀山的猶太人直到第二天才得到休息和慶祝。 普珥節的前一天被稱為“Ta'anit Ester”，以慶祝以斯帖在向國王報告哈曼針對末底改的陰謀之前所進行的三天禁食。 Ta'anit Esther 或 Ester 禁食從亞達月 13 日黎明開始，到當天夜幕降臨時結束。如果 13 日恰逢安息日，Ta'anit Ester 也可能會慶祝 Adar 11。 13 歲以下的男孩和 12 歲以下的女孩不需要禁食，特別是在成年禮之前。 Mishloach 或向朋友贈送水果、葡萄酒和烘焙食品等食物是普珥節的習俗。 Matanot L'evyonim 或向窮人贈送禮物。這些禮物將在普珥節當天讀完《梅吉拉》或《以斯帖記》後送禮。蘭巴姆·邁蒙內德斯 (Rambam Maimonedes) 談到普珥節時說：“一個人向窮人提供更多禮物，比擴大他的宴會並向朋友贈送禮物更好。”成年禮要求至少贈送兩份禮物，其中可能是向至少兩人贈送食物
