Rhiannon Hendricks
Purim is a jolly Jewish holiday celebrated annually on the 14th of Adar, the month in the Hebrew calendar that falls in late winter or early spring. The date for the upcoming Purim in Passaic, which falls on a Wednesday, is the evening of March 13, 2025. The holiday commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from a plot to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews.
Purim in Passaic
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What You'll Learn
Purim is a jolly Jewish holiday
The holiday is a time of celebration and joy for Jews worldwide, often marked by wild abandon, costumes, drinking, feasting, and revelry. It is customary for both children and adults to dress up in costumes, with public celebrations and parades (Adloyada) taking place. The traditional Purim food is hamantaschen (or oznay Haman), three-cornered pastries filled with poppy seeds or other sweet fillings. These delicious treats are often shared as gifts with friends and family, along with other foods and drinks.
The day before Purim, or the Thursday before if Purim falls on a Sunday, is traditionally a day of fasting, commemorating Esther's fasting and prayers for the salvation of her people. The festive meal on Purim, called a seudah, is a highlight of the celebration, with an abundance of food and the addition of the Al HaNissim prayer, thanking God for miracles. It is also customary to give charitable donations to the poor, known as mattanot la-evyonim, and to exchange gifts of food and drink, known as mishloach manot.
The centerpiece of the communal celebration is the reading of the Scroll of Esther, or the Megillah, in the synagogue. This is done with great enthusiasm and noise, with participants dressing in costumes and making a ruckus each time Haman's name is mentioned. The reading of the Megillah is accompanied by clapping, stamping, and the use of noise-makers called graggers to drown out the name of the villain. Purim is a unique and joyous holiday in the Jewish calendar, a time when Jews come together to celebrate their survival and heritage with feasting, gifting, and merriment.
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It's celebrated annually on the 14th of Adar, a Hebrew month
Purim is a joyous Jewish holiday that is celebrated annually on the 14th of Adar, the thirteenth month of the Hebrew calendar, which typically falls between late winter and early spring in the Northern Hemisphere. The date commemorates the day when the Jewish people rested from fighting their enemies. The day is marked by feasting, merrymaking, and giving gifts.
The name "Purim" means "lots" in ancient Persian, as the holiday celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from Haman's plot "to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day." Haman had thrown lots to determine when he would carry out his scheme, as recorded in the Megillah (Book of Esther).
On the 13th of Adar, the Jews mobilised and killed many of their enemies. On the 14th, they rested and celebrated their victory. However, in the capital city of Shushan (and other walled cities), the Jews continued to fight on the 14th and only achieved victory on the 15th, so Purim is observed on that date in those places.
In the modern city of Beit Shemesh, there is a case to be made for observing Purim on both the 14th and 15th of Adar, as the city had a wall around it in ancient times. However, most cities in Israel and around the world observe Purim exclusively on the 14th of Adar.
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The holiday commemorates the salvation of Jews from Haman's plot
Purim is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the biblical story of how a plot to exterminate Jews in Persia was thwarted, becoming an affirmation of Jewish survival throughout history. The story of Purim revolves around the efforts of Mordecai and Esther to save the Jewish people from a plot devised by Haman, a pathological Jew-hater and the right-hand man of the Persian King Achashverosh (also known as Xerxes or Ahasueros).
Haman devised a plot to assassinate all the Jews and did not keep his plans a secret. As the king had empowered Mordecai and his kinsmen to take matters into their own hands, the Jews struck at their enemies, killing 75,000 people on the 13th day of the month of Adar. The Persian Empire, which stretched "from India to Ethiopia", contained many anti-Semites who planned to rise against the Jews on the 13th of Adar.
The holiday of Purim is a joyous one, often celebrated with costumes and gifts. It is a time for Jews to come together and retell the story of their heroic ancestors, celebrating their survival and the salvation of the Jewish people. The holiday is also a reminder of the dangers posed to Israel and the Jewish people, and the need to remain vigilant and protective of their community.
The story of Purim is not without its complexities, as some have pointed out that it can deny the evil that Jews can commit, reflecting a refusal to acknowledge the full humanity of all involved. However, the holiday continues to be a significant and beloved tradition for Jews worldwide, a testament to their resilience and strength in the face of adversity.
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Purim means 'lots' in ancient Persian
Purim is a joyous Jewish holiday commemorating the saving of the Jewish people from annihilation at the hands of Haman, an official of the Achaemenid Empire in the 5th century BCE. The word "Purim" means "lots" in ancient Persian and the holiday was named thus because Haman threw lots to determine the date for executing the Jews, as recounted in the Book of Esther.
The story of Purim is related in the biblical Book of Esther, which is read during the celebration of the holiday. Esther was a Jewish queen of Ahasuerus (Xerxes I or Artaxerxes I) and the adopted daughter of Mordecai, a Jew who held Haman, chief minister of the king, in disdain and refused obeisance. Incensed, Haman convinced the king that the Jews living under Persian rule were rebellious and should be slaughtered. With the king's consent, Haman set a date for the execution by casting lots and built a gallows for Mordecai.
When Esther learned of the planned massacre, she risked her life by going uninvited to the king and suggesting a banquet that Haman would attend. At the meal, she pleaded for the Jews and accused Haman of plotting the annihilation of her people. Upset, the king ordered that Haman be hanged and that Mordecai be named to his position. Esther and Mordecai then obtained a royal edict allowing Jews throughout the empire to attack their enemies. After an exhilarating victory, they declared the following day a holiday and, alluding to the lots Haman had cast, named it Purim.
The holiday of Purim is celebrated by reading the Megillah (Book of Esther), giving gifts, distributing charity, and feasting. The custom of masquerading in costumes and wearing masks is also common during Purim celebrations, alluding to the hidden aspect of the miracle of Purim, which was "disguised" by natural events but was truly the work of the Almighty. Purim is a time for Jews to rejoice and give thanks for their salvation, which was Divinely orchestrated despite the efforts of their enemies.
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It's customary to fast on the day before Purim
Purim is a jolly Jewish holiday that commemorates the salvation of the Persian Jewish community of Shushan, as recorded in the Book of Esther. The Fast of Esther, or Taanit Ester in Hebrew, is observed on the eve of Purim. It is a dawn-to-nightfall fast that commemorates the fasting undertaken by the Persian Jewish community to pray for salvation from annihilation due to a decree instigated by Haman, the king's royal vizier, and an enemy of the Jewish people.
The Fast of Esther is considered a custom and is not mentioned in the Talmud but is referenced in the Midrash and other later sources. It is also not one of the four public fasts ordained by the prophets. The fast is generally held on the day before Purim, but when Purim falls on a Sunday, the fast is moved from Shabbat to the preceding Thursday.
The fast involves abstaining from food and drink from dawn until nightfall. During the morning prayers, selichot (penitential prayers) are recited, and the Torah is read, with the same passage being read again during the afternoon prayers. The reading is Exodus 32:11–14 and 34:1–10, which discusses the aftermath of the Golden Calf incident and how Moses interceded on the Israelites' behalf. After the afternoon Torah reading, the special fast-day haftarah, Isaiah 55:6–56:8, is recited.
The fast also includes giving to charity, with individuals giving three coins in "half" denominations to charity in the afternoon before Minchah. This commemorates the half-shekel contributed by each Jew to the Holy Temple, counteracting the 10,000 silver talents Haman gave to the king to obtain the decree against the Jewish people.
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