Purim is a Jewish holiday celebrated on the 14th of the Jewish month of Adar. It commemorates the foiling of a genocidal plot against the Jews during the Achaemenid Empire in ancient Persia. Recorded during the 4th century BCE in the Book of Esther (also called a “Megillah”), Purim, which translates to “lots,” tells the story of the Persian King Ahasuerus and his royal vizier, Haman. Haman plotted to kill the king’s Jewish subjects, claiming they were growing too powerful. He also sought revenge against one particular Jew in the ancient city of Shushan, named Mordechai, who refused to bow down to him.

When King Ahasuerus’s wife, Queen Vashti, refused to dance naked for him and his party revelers, the king banished Vashti and married Esther (also known as “Hadassah”), a young woman who hid her Jewish identity. Esther learned of Haman’s evil plot to annihilate the Jews and informed Mordechai, her uncle. When she expressed unwillingness to approach the king on behalf of her people, Mordechai reminded Esther of one of the most important tenets of Jewish community and unity: accountability and action for one another. He warned, “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

Miraculously, Haman’s plot was defeated and he and his followers were hanged on the gallows. Jewish laws related to commemorating Purim include a feast and offering food items to friends and neighbors, and particularly to those in need, as per the words of the Megillah: “They (the Jews, including future generations) should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.”

Purim involves four main obligations, or mitzvot:
-Mishloach Manot (exchanging food items, often placed in decorative baskets)
-Donating funds on behalf of the poor or those in need
-A celebratory feast (“Seudat Purim”)
-Listening to a reading of Megillat Esther (at a public recitation, often at a synagogue)

The holiday is preceded by a fast day known as “The Fast of Esther” to recall the somber desperation of the Jewish people as they fasted and prayed to be spared from Haman’s massacre. On Purim, many Jews prepare and eat “Hamantaschen,” triangle-shaped cookies whose name means Haman’s hat. Sephardic and Mizrahi communities have their own versions of Purim cookies. For example, Persian Jews enjoy small cookies called “koloocheh,” while Moroccan Jews prepare shortbread cookies called “ghouribi.”

To date, the Jews of Persia (present-day Iran) believe that Esther and Mordechai are buried in the northern Iranian city of Hamadan, which houses the Tombs of Esther and Mordechai. Persian Jews make pilgrimages to the tombs, often listening to the annual Megillah reader in the same space. Purim, though a “lesser” holiday because it is not as famous as Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, nevertheless teaches important messages about faith, leadership, and redemption. It also serves as a warning, even in the present day, against anti-Semites who justify violence against Jews by accusing them of wielding too much power. 

For more on the themes of Purim, see the blog post from Dr. Tony Michaels, “A Purim Call for Mutual Recognition.”