Happy Purim!

מגילת
אסתר | 3/16/14 | Me, Myself & I

[EinNYC]

Chag Someach!

[left that other site]

Happy Purim!

[Yorlik803]

I don’t understand what you are saying, so I will just say Happy Purim.

[nuconvert]

My favorite cookies!

[HokieMom]

Purim is the celebration held to observe when the Jewish people were saved as described in the Book of Esther.

[Yorlik803]

Ahhhhhh
Then have a real great Happy Purim. And pass the cookies.

[HokieMom]

Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination.

The Book of Esther

The story of Purim is told in the Biblical book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther more than his other women and made Esther queen, but the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her identity.

The villain of the story is Haman, an arrogant, egotistical advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, so Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people. In a speech that is all too familiar to Jews, Haman told the king, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your realm. Their laws are different from those of every other people’s, and they do not observe the king’s laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them.” Esther 3:8. The king gave the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, to do as he pleased to them. Haman planned to exterminate all of the Jews.

Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. This was a dangerous thing for Esther to do, because anyone who came into the king’s presence without being summoned could be put to death, and she had not been summoned. Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself, then went into the king. He welcomed her. Later, she told him of Haman’s plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved, and Haman and his ten sons were hanged on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai.

The book of Esther is unusual in that it is the only book of the Bible that does not contain the name of G-d. In fact, it includes virtually no reference to G-d. Mordecai makes a vague reference to the fact that the Jews will be saved by someone else, if not by Esther, but that is the closest the book comes to mentioning G-d. Thus, one important message that can be gained from the story is that G-d often works in ways that are not apparent, in ways that appear to be chance, coincidence or ordinary good luck.

http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday9.htm

Esther 4:14

“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” — English Standard Version (ESV)

[Chode]

mmmmmm... Hamantash, poppy seed are my favorite

[Sioux-san]

Same backatcha - I love Esther!

[Gefn]

That was my favorite holiday as a child.

Very happy Purim to you too.

[Old Yeller]

I’m in Jerusalem right now and was in the Jewish Quarter of Old Jerusalem a couple hours ago. There were a lot of adults and kids dressed in costumes celebrating Purim. It looked like Halloween.

[EinNYC]

[fella]

Full Movie Queen Ester - One Night With The King

[Liberty Valance]

Happy Purim!

[Bobalu]

Purim, sorta like Halloween and St Patrick’s day combined.
Fireworks, costumes, booze....

[Errant]

There is also *The Book of Ester* on Netflix for those who subscribe.

[EinNYC]

Well, some of the celebratory techniques might be similar (costumes, booze for the fellas, not the ladies) but the reason for the celebration is quite different. The Book of Esther (Megillas Esther) tells the tale of the evil grand vizier of Persia, one Haman, who seeks to annihilate all the Jews of the 127 provinces, "from Hodu to Cush". He pays the not-that-bright king, Ahasueros, $2,250,000,000 (in talents of silver) for the privilege of doing away with all the Jews in the kingdom. Little does the evil Haman (may his name be erased) know that the beloved consort of the king, Queen Esther, is a Jew. She is the replacement wife of the king, for Haman counseled the king to behead his first wife, Vashti, for refusing to appear before the then-drunken king and his drunken buddies stark naked. Esther hears of the kill-all-the-Jews plot and conveys it to Mordechai, who raised the orphan Esther. He tells her that THIS is the reason why G-d placed her in the palace and tells her to invite the king and Haman to a banquet. This invitation mystifies the king but he wants to attend because Esther promises to reveal, at last, her origins, which she has hidden before now. At the banquet, she reveals that her life is in danger. Who would dare to threaten the beloved queen??? asks Ahasueros. She points to Haman. Ahasueros storms out into the garden while the unctuous Haman tries to assuage her. He falls over her reclining on her couch (that's how they dined in ancient times) just as Ahasueros comes back in. You would assault the queen even in my house???? Haman is now doomed and hung on the very gallows he had built for Mordechai, who he hated for not being willing to bow down to him. Mordechai and Esther are given the enormous estate and wealth of Haman and Mordechai is given the king's signet ring to authenticate a new proclamation he hastens to write and send out to all the 127 provinces: the Jews are allowed to defend themselves against the edict sent out by Haman previously authorizing the annihilation of every Jew in the kingdom. The Jews do exactly that, but conspicuously leave the spoils unclaimed.

Purim is proclaimed as a holiday to be celebrated forever, in every generation.

We listen to the reading of the Megillah twice; by night and by day. We dress up in costumes (this year, I am the Purriminator, in deference to my 2 kittehs), the men are allowed to drink to a bit of excess, normally not countenanced, we donate charity to the poor of our community, and we sit down to a wondrous feast of a meal.

[KC_Lion]

[Jack Hydrazine]

Don’t forget about Little Purim aka Purim Katan.
http://unitedwithisrael.org/soviet-jews-saved-from-stalins-genocidal-plans-on-purim/

[KC_Lion]

Baruch HaShem for Stalin's Death.

What a Miracle that was.

Though Leftists won't admit it.