Jewish Yahoo! participants: Is Purim observed on closest Friday or Monday?

Cher (happyjewishgifter.com/citygifts) says:

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It’s on Adar 14 in the Hebrew calendar. Days of the week has nothing to do with it it isn’t moved around.

There are many levels on which to read the story. However, when it came down to it my Rabbi said, it’s about taking time to celebrate, party have some fun. It’s about enjoying survival life. There is giving of gift baskets baskets to the poor. There is also the key element, reading of the megillah.

It’s also interesting in that it was a solely female main protagonist who saves the Jewish people. It also has no mention of God but just implication. It has a lot to do with good souls vs. shallow like Haman how they interact.

Both has lots of good stuff.
This site will to, but will take more searching:

dwhite389 (happyjewishgifter.com/invites) says:

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Sorry, I’m not Jewish either, I’m lapsed Baptist, and I don’t know much about Jewish reigious tradions.

But I do know a bit about the Bible and here are my opinions. You shouldn’t take anything I say too closely to heart. I would suggest that Esther is a myth about a woman who saved her people in a time of persecution. Now I believe that myth is slightly different from legend. A legend is a tall tale. A myth is a story about a people, a culture that while not historically true, in the sense that we understand history, has a truth or truths to say about those people or cultures.

Another example is the book of Ruth about a foreign woman who would not leave her Jewish mother-in-law even though she had every right to do so. Her love and respect for Naomi means to say that even good things could come from foreigners to the Jewish faith. I find it a little hard to believe that Ruth was the ancester of, is it eventually Jesus?, but the truth of the passage is true; that Jesus was meant for the world, not just the Jews.

Another example is Adam and Eve. We’ve got to get away from the notion that somehow they were ever meant to be historical characters. I shy away from the notion that they were allegorical also. I prefer to see them as parables, that is, that their stories were told to subvert the accepted beliefs of people. The story was likely written sometime around the height of David’s career as king of Israel. Adam and Eve wanted to be like God. That was their sin. The Yahwist writer wanted to subvert the beliefs of his/her people by showing them that they were not like God, that they had better regain their humility.

allonyoav (happyjewishgifter.com/engravedgifts) says:

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They observed the festival today? Strange- it should either be Monday night Tueday- or Tuesday night Wednesday in cities that ahd walls at the time of Joshua.

As for the story- two ways to look at it- both taken from my blog:Beyond all the frivolity, Purim has a very serious message. Of all the books in the Tanach, Megillat Esther (The Book of Esther) is the only one in which the name of God is never mentioned. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story- here is a very brief synopsis:

The Jews are in exile in Persia. King Ahasveros looks for a new wife to replace the one he has just had executed (Vashti) for refusing to dance ***** before his court (something she had done previously). He chooses Esther, the daughter of Mordechai and Nasi of the Sanhedrin (basically the leader of the Jewish people) as his new wife.

In the meantime, the King’s adviser, Haman, a descendant of the Agag, King of the Amelikites that Saul allowed to live, takes umbrage at Mordechai’s refusal to bow down to him. He goes to the king and gives Ahasveros a large sum of money for the right to kill the Jews. He casts lots (thus the name Purim) and it is on 14 Adar that he will kill the Jews. In the meantime, Mordechai foils a plot to assasinate King Ahasveros.

Mordechai hears of Haman’s plans to kill the Jews, and approaches Esther to get her to get Ahasveros to change the decree. Esther fears to approach Ahasveros without being summonsed first (if Ahasveros objects, he gets to sentence her to death…) and she, and the Jews, fast for three days. (Nowadays we just fast for one day, the day before Purim, in memory of this). She approaches Ahasveros and Haman and invites them to a feast. Ahasveros comes, but she feels he is not yet receptive and makes no request, inviting him and Haman back the next night.

That night, unable to sleep, Ahasveros reads through his chronicles and finds the fact that Mordechai stopped the assasination plot- but was never rewarded for his action. Quickly he summons Haman and asks What should be done for one whom the King wishes to honour?

Thinking that the king wished to honour him, Haman states Dress the person in the King’s own clothes, put him on the King’s own horse, and have him led through the streets by a high minister who proclaims ‘So shall be done for one whom the King wishes to honour’. The king has Haman do this for Mordechai – incensing Hama even more! Haman’s wife sees in this the proof that Haman’s plans are doomed to failure and that just as he has been humbled before Mordechai, so he and his compatriots will be destroyed before the Jewish people.

The next night Ahasveros and Haman return to Esther- who this time tells the King she is Jewish (she hid this from him before) and that Haman’s plan means that she must die. The king leaves the room to think- and Haman falls on Esther to beg her for mercy. The king enters, thinks Haman is trying to **** Esther, and orders him immediately hung on the gallows meant for Mordechai that Haman had built. The king makes Mordechai his 2ic and gives him the royal signet ring to draft any communication he wants.

The Jews are saved, and with the King’s permission, they kill the people who had sought to kill them- turning all loot over to the king.

So, what is the message of Purim? Why dress up, have fun and games? In essence it teaches us the relationship between God and the Jewish people while we are in exile. God is still there, God still watches over us- but he is not seen, he is hidden. It shows that God works through hidden means- thus the dress up- just as God hides himself, we celbrate the fact that though he is hidden, he is present through dressing up on Purim. Why the fun and games? The Persian empire at the time basically encompassed the entire Jewish world- if Haman’s plan had succeeded, then all the Jews would have been killed. Why drink till inebriated? There is a saying In wine, there is a revelation of secrets. In other words- when somebody is drunk, then their true nature is shown. Once again, it is related to the fact of revealing what is hidden. On this note- I once spent Shabbos at Yeshiva Gedolah and listened to Rabbi Goldfein ztsl give a derosha (religious sermon) on Purim. I don’t drink, so I was able toi fully comprehend what he was saying- and it was amazing. Here he was, inebriated- yet what came out of his mouth was pure. Even in that state, his true nature radiated Torah and love of God. There was no disparity between the inner and outer person- what he showed the world was what he was- yet for most that is not the case, when they get drunk they get maudelin, angry, joyous whatever- their personality and thoughts change. The trye tzadik (righteous person) should be like HaRav Goldfein ztsl- the same, inside and out.

So, while rejoicing on Purim, while enjoying one glass too much or shouting down haman’s name in shul, don’t forget to the true point of the day. That even now, while we await Mashiach and the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash, God is with us and protecting us.

Post 2:
We are all familiar with the story of Purim: The evil Haman convinces the foolish Ahasuerus to kill all the Jews and then Esther, the niece of the Mordechai, and the wife of Ahasuerus (and unknown to him a Jewess) turns the tables on Haman and the Jews are saved. The simple story is taught to Jewish children from the time they can sit still long enough to hear it. I remember my younger son, at the age of three, wanting to be Haman “because he likes baddies”. This year (at age 5) he wants to Mordechai- seems he prefers the “goodies” now. So much for the simplistic story- but very little in the Tanakh is ever what it appears to be on the surface.

Another view of the story came to me when my older son (8 years old) said “My teacher said that Ahaseurus was not a real king but a very wealthy man who was like a king.” That struck me as odd; the megillah on the surface very definitely says that Ahaseurus was a king- but there are so many hidden things in this particular megillah (including the real identity of Mordechai who some claim to be Daniel) that it merited investigation. And thus my reading through Mikraot Gedolot began.

Rashi brings that Ahaseurus did not inherit his crown- but achieved it on his own. Since attaining great wealth can be seen as a crown- perhaps this was a form of support for this statement of the teacher. Various other commentaries, however, seem to indicate he was a king, but not necessarily on his own. Probably the most clear example of this is the “Megillat Estharim” commentary of R’ Yaakov bar R’ Yaakov Moshe Melisa. He explains that Ahaseurus had been a King over the whole world- and then had been reduced in power- to “who was melech from Hodu to Kush”- in other words- he went from king over all to being king over a limited realm.

What struck me about this is the different flavour the story takes on when viewed through the lens of a king that has lost power, and perhaps fears losing more. Lets look at it from that point of view:

Ahaseurus is celebrating one of his past victories, showing off his might before his nobles, courtiers and generals. He summons his wife to dance ***** before him, to display yet more of his authority and power- and she rebels against him. Now, for a king secure on his throne and in his power- this would be provocative, but could probably be joked away. For one who has lost power, facing the danger of further challenges to his throne and authority, this would be a hard blow- his authority is not even recognised as absolute by his wife! Thus why Memuchan (who the commentaries state is Haman) would recommend death- it shows those present that the King still has power and cannot be rebelled against.

In the same light, his agreement to the Jews being killed can be seen through a different lens. His second in command complains about a lack of respect for the authority of the King which he represents. There were probably plenty of others- but here is a handy group to use as a capegoat- they are a minority, visible (Mordechai was a regular at court- how else would he have heard of the plot against the King?) and worship an unpopular religion; on top of that, Haman offers to fill the coffers of the King with the wealth they will steal from the Jews they kill. And so, as in so many times throughout history, the Jews become the scapegoat, and target, of the authorities when a visible target is required to make their rule look good.

Through this lens, suddenly the story becomes one not just of the story of Jewish survival when in exile- but of Jewish oppression and anti-Semitism through the ages. Haman’s anti-Semitism is purely driven by hatred; Ahaseurus is driven by political expediency and greed. A weak ruler, needing to look visibly strong, finding a weak enemy to overthrow and thus bolster their own image; the fact that they may not actually be the enemy they are portrayed as is immaterial- as Haman says ““There is a certain people scattered and separate among the peoples throughout all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws differ from [those of] every people, and they do not keep the king’s laws; it is [therefore] of no use for the king to let them be.” It doesn’t matter that they obey the king- or how their laws may be different, or even if they ar ehostile- the fact that the Jews are different is enough for Haman to say “it is [therefore] of no use for the king to let them be.” And the enticement of the money, combined with this spurious reasoning, enough for a weak king, needing to bolster his image and rule, to agree.

Unfortunately, we see this today still. Hitler, yemach sh’mo, also blamed the Jews for Germany’s political weaknes; when Poland went to the voting booths a

BMCR (happyjewishgifter.com/personalizedbaby) says:

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Neither.

It is celebrated on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar which may come out on Friday but not necessarily so.

This year (2009) it is coming out on Tuesday and since Jewish dates start at sunset the preceding day, then that really means the festivities begin Monday night with the reading of the Book of Esther in the Synagogue.

On Tuesday this year, people will have a seudah or Purim feast though, unlike the Passover seder, there are no specific observances or tasks aside from having a festive meal.