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The Purim Feast
The reason that the Sages instituted drinking and
feasting on Purim and not on Chanukah is as follows: In the days of Mordechai
and Esther, the Jews sinned through eating, by partaking of the feast of
Ahashuerus. This was physical sin, and therefore they were endangered, measure
for measure, with physical annihilation. In contrast, in the days of the
Hasmoneans, the Jews sinned through almost assimilating into Greek culture and
thereby ignoring the study of the Torah; therefore they were endangered not
physically, but spiritually, in that the Greeks wanted to outlaw the practice of
Judaism. Therefore, the commemoration of the miracle of Chanukah is chiefly
through vocal observance: praise and thanksgiving, which emphasize the
spiritual. Purim is chiefly observed through drinking and eating, which emphasize
the physical. (B'nei Yissachar, by Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech from Dinov)
Purim-Related Observances
"Shabbat Zachor" ("Shabbat of
Remembering") 8 Adar B, (Mar. 15, 2008)
This is the only Shabbat each year that every man and
woman is obligated (according to most authorities) by Torah law to go to
shul. On this day, a section of the Torah, called "Zachor" (in Hebrew,
"Remember") is appended to the weekly Torah reading. By hearing it read publicly
on the Shabbat immediately preceding Purim, we fulfill the Torah commandment in
it: "Remember what Amalek [the ancestor and inspiration of Haman, the villain of
Purim] did to you". (Deut. 25:17-19)
Anyone who is unable to be present at this reading
should make an extra effort to hear the Torah reading (Ex. 17) that takes place
immediately before the morning Megilla reading on Purim, or at least to
hear Zachor read when it comes up in the regular Shabbat cycle of Torah
readings (on September 13, 2008 as the final verses of the portion Ki Teitzei.)
Fast of Esther 13 Adar B (Thursday, March 20, 2008)
The fast starts before dawn and ends after dark, and
entails no eating or drinking. There are special services at synagogue both
morning and afternoon. The money saved by not eating should go to charity; the
time, to Torah-study and mitzvot-performance.
Purim 14 Adar (Thursday Night - Friday, March 20-21, 2008)
1. Hear a public reading of the Scroll of Esther
in the evening and again during the day.
2. Give money to at least two needy individuals.
(If you don't encounter anyone that qualifies, put the money in a safe place
until you do.)
3. Send (via a third party) a gift of two or more
kinds of ready-to-eat foods and/or drink to at least one friend (not a
relative).
4. Celebrate at a festive day-time meal
with bread, good food, and plenty of wine. The Talmud and Codes of Law instruct
us to drink until we can no longer differentiate between "Blessed is Mordechai"
and "Cursed is Haman"! (A few authorities opine that the minimum obligation is
to drink only "a bit more than what one is used to". Looking ahead to Passover
night, perhaps the quantity implied is 4 cups plus!).
5. Add "Al HaNissim" to the daily Standing
Prayers and to the Blessings-After-Meals. (See daily prayerbook in the
Thanksgiving/Modiin section of the Standing Prayer.)
Shushan Purim 15 Adar (Shabbat, March 21-22, 2008)
Inhabitants of cities that were important enough to be
surrounded by walls at the time of the Jews' entrance into the Holy Land at the
time of Joshua celebrate Purim one day later than everyone else (see Esther
9:17-19). The prime example is that of Jerusalem. The status of Safed and
several other cities in Israel is unclear, so the day is celebrated somewhat in
addition to regular-Purim, "just-in-case."
(When the date of Shushan Purim falls on Shabbat, as happens this year, in Jerusalem they read Megilat Esther on Friday, say the Purim prayers on Shabbat, and have the festive Purim Meal on Sunday. Three days of Purim!)
Visitor Comments: 1
Ahmed , from Bahrain, 11/12/2004
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