The Different Stages of the Establishment of Purim Celebrations

Purim

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Being a Megillah reader for over 3 decades means having a very strong familiarity with the text of the Megillah, even knowing a good portion of it by heart. That being said, before reading Professor Yonatan Grossman’s book, מגילת סתרים, I never thought about the different stages of how Purim became a celebration – beyond simply that Mordechai and Esther sent letters out to everyone informing them that Purim would now be a holiday. 

 Professor Grossman breaks down the latter part of Chapter 9 of the Megillah into four stages of celebration. [In the interest of space, the verse numbers will be quoted below, but not the entire verses. It is a good idea to look up the sources.] 

The first stage of celebration is presented in 9:16-18, when the inhabitants of all the cities where fighting took place rested on the 14th of Adar, and the inhabitants of Shushan rested on the 15th of Adar. In both cases the made their rest-day into יום משתה ושמחה = a day of celebration (with food/drink) and joy. This particular celebration would seem to have been more spontaneous than formal because it was the day after the fighting concluded, when they looked upon their defeated enemies and saw reason to celebrate their good fortune. 

 The second stage of celebration is presented in 9:19 as it describes the inhabitants of the ערי הפרזות (cities around the country) making the celebration on the 14th שמחה ומשתה ויום טוב ומשלוח מנות איש לרעהו. Joy, celebration, a holiday (Yom Tov), with sending food packages to friends. This too is a spontaneous form of celebration, as there was no formal instruction given that people should share food with one another or celebrate together. Note the addition of the phrase “Yom Tov” which did not appear in the previous stage, which is accompanied by the first mention of Mishloach Manot. 

 Professor Grossman notes a few things worthy of consideration in these additions. First, the idea of having a spontaneous celebration, with food and drink, is certainly fitting as it is the way people gather either when a danger has passed, or in this case in the aftermath of a great victory over enemies. The surprising factor, in Grossman’s view, is that the celebrations throughout the lands did not follow the celebrations of Shushan in terms of their timing. After all, Shushan is where everything started. Shushan is the source of the decree allowing the Jews to fight against their enemies. Shushan was the home of Haman. And Shushanites, Mordechai and Esther, are the main protagonists of the story! [It is true that in the first year there was no way that people would know that the fighting extended in Shushan for one more day, but the language of the Megillah is that people in far off places are עשים, in the present tense, suggesting that this part of the Megillah was written later, and in hindsight was acknowledging that this is what people are doing to celebrate these events, doing so on the 14th (though the Megillah does mention they were also doing this on the 15th)].] 

The phrase “Yom Tov” invokes a holiday, opening the door to questioning whether the people were actually following the rules of Yom Tov, including having an issur melakha (prohibition against creative labors, such as exist on Shabbos and Festivals). It is clear that the people wanted to observe this day as some kind of holiday, though as Yom Tov can literally mean a “good day” the implications of people conducting their behavior following a prohibition against melakha is not at all clear. 

 However, it is important to note that the only other place that Mishloach Manot appears in the Bible, outside of Esther, is in the observance of Rosh Hashana in the book of Nechemiah 8:9-12. That puts into mind a holiday that does include an issur melakha, which has at its heart a celebratory sharing of foods with neighbors. An implication is that this is giving to people who do not have enough for themselves, but that will be spelled out clearly in the next stage. 

The third stage of celebration is presented in 9:20-22 in which letters sent to all of the Jews are attributed to Mordechai, establishing both the 14th and the 15th as days of celebration in the all the lands where Jews are – הקרבים והרחוקים, near and far from Shushan. Not only are those two days to be celebrated, but even the חדש אשר נהפך – the month that changed from sadness to joy, to be days of משתה ושמחה ומשלוח מנות איש לרעהו ומתנות לאביונים. Everything that we saw in stage 2, that had been done spontaneously, is now being formalized by Mordechai, and the gifts to the poor are added as part of the responsibilities undertaken in this celebration. 

 [Note that the difference between an evyon (אביון), and an ani (עני) is that that an עני is in a regular state of poverty and can always benefit from assistance. The עני, however, is managing with the little he has. The אביון, on the other hand, is in a dire situation right now, and the obligation of Purim is to make sure that person has the means to take care of that immediate need now. Obviously, just because someone becomes the recipient of others’ beneficence on Purim, there isn’t a moment when the person needs to stop asking and say “I am not an אביון any more.” The person may collect and use the proceeds to whatever way the person needs. This definition calls into question whether giving money to institutions on Purim constitutes מתנות לאביונים or whether it is just regular צדקה (charity).] 

Professor Grossman suggests that the month noted above refers to the day of the month that is most prominent, which is the day preceded by the full moon, which is always the 15th. Incidentally, that is the night between the 14th and the 15th in every lunar month – thus making both days incumbent upon all to celebrate, even if there is only one day of reading the Megillah and fulfilling the Mitzvot of the day. We do have a concept that “when Adar comes, joy is increased,” which may be a fulfillment of this idea, or Professor Grossman’s suggestion is correct that is pointing to the middle of the month. 

 In the verses which follow (9:24-28), Professor Grossman notes that a reason is given for these celebrations, and that reason is a summary of the Purim story that looks a little unlike the narrative presented to us in the Megillah. Here the lottery Haman played to pick the date is overplayed and Mordechai’s role is completely eliminated. His explanation is that "there are different ways to tell a story," and that sometimes facts need to be discarded in light of the general gist of the messaging. 

The fourth stage of celebration is presented in 9:29-32 in which Esther is given top billing for writing the letters along with Mordechai, to all the Jews, in all 127 provinces of Achashveirosh, words of peace and truth (דברי שלום ואמת) to fulfill the dayS of Purim as has been established, which includes fasts and crying out. This last added feature implies that the concept of fasting preceding Purim was established already then as a commemorative to the fasting done at that time. Esther’s 3-day fast was during Pesach (see the dates of Haman’s lottery in chapter 3 – on the 13th of Nissan), but it is more than likely that people fasted on the day of the battle – 13th of Adar. We are either fasting on the 13th (in general, not this year) because they fasted, or to commemorate Esther’s fast that helped bring about the death of Haman and the salvation of the Jewish people. The other added feature of “words of peace and truth” give a strong indication of the hope the Jewish people have – that Haman’s accusations of Chapter 3 are false. We are peace-loving, we only want good relations with neighbors, and we follow the laws of the lands where we find ourselves. 

 Fighting to stand up for yourself and to defend yourself does not mean that you are a war-monger or genocidally inclined. It means we don’t want to be the victims of genocide, and we will fight for the right to live, and hope that when it is over and we have won, we are ready to never fight again if our enemies will only drop their designs against us. 

4 stages of celebration have brought us to enjoy Purim as we know it. From spontaneous joy to formalized rabbinic commandments that remind us of the story (through reading the Megillah) and bring us to look out for others, whether through Mishloach Manot, Matanot L’Evyonim, or sharing together in a Purim meal, Purim is a time that demonstrates the unity of our people, especially in light of a common enemy who wants every single one of us dead. 

May we tap into the Simcha of Purim, celebrating appropriately – while of course having in mind the obvious connections to the situation in Israel, and the struggles of our People in the Holy Land in this time – and see days of happiness and mirth for our people. 

 And just as it was בימים ההם, so should it be בזמן הזה. May our enemies be defeated, and may we see a deliverance from those who hate us, so we can celebrate as Jews do – with אורה שמחה ששון ויקר, the most honest and truthful appreciation of the Almighty for bringing us to a time of peace and tranquility.