Q. Why is the miracle of Purim so special?

A. In the megilah, (the book of Esther) which records the story of Purim, we are told that Haman wished to annihilate the entire Jewish people. He influenced Ahashveirosh, King of Persia, to decree, "To destroy, slay, and exterminate all Jews, young and old, children and women, in a single day and to plunder their possessions." Had it not been for the miracle of Purim, this evil decree would have wiped out the entire Jewish nation, because at the time, all the Jewish people lived under his rule. Thus, Purim commemorates the greatest miracle in Jewish history ~ salvation from total annihilation.

The miracle of Purim should also serve as a reminder about those, in every generation, which try to spread hate and incitement against the Jewish people. Purim is a reminder that Jewish existence has always been a miracle and with Yah's help, the miracle continues, for Yahveh promised that the Jewish people will continue to exist and flourish.

Q. Why is the holiday called "Purim"?

A. Purim means "lots". The Megilah tells us that upon receiving permission to kill the Jewish people, Haman cast "lots" to choose the day and month in which to execute his plan. When the lot fell on the month Adar, Haman was very pleased. He knew that Moses, who led the Jewish people out of Egypt, died in the month of Adar. "My plan will succeed for Adar must be a bad month for the Jews," he reasoned. But, Haman didn't know that Moses' date of birth was also in Adar. Thus, it turned out to be Haman's downfall and a good month for the Jewish people.

Q. Why is the Megilah spread out in a few layers during the reading, rather than rolled like a Torah?"

A. Esther and Mordechai refer to the Megilah as "Igeret," the "letter". Thus, we fold the Megilah to look like a "letter".

Q. Why do we make noise when Haman's name is mentioned in the Megilah?

A. Haman descended from Amalek and the Torah tells us that we must "erase the remembrance of Amalek". Thus, when the reader mentions Haman, we "erase" his name by making noise. There was an ancient custom where Haman's name was written upon two sticks. Every time Haman was mentioned, people would bang the sticks together until his name was erased!

Q. On Purim we exchange gifts of food. What is the reason for this mitzvah?

A. One reason is that according to the Talmud, Yahveh allowed Haman's terrible decree to be introduced because Jews participated and ate non-kosher food at King Ahashverosh's party. By exchanging kosher food items, we rectify this fault. Another reason: Sending gifts on Purim is an expression of friendship and unity. We thank Yahveh for the great miracle of Purim in which our lives were saved by showing that we are united and care for each other, for there is no greater pleasure to our Father-in-Heaven than to see His children united.

Q. Mordechai played a role in the story of Purim together with Esther. Why is the megilah called "Megilat Esther" - "Scroll of Esther"?

A. The Megilah tells us that Esther's Jewish identity was originally not known, so her life was not affected by Haman's decree. Yet, Esther risked death, to plead for her people revealing her Jewish identity. Since Esther put her life in danger more than Mordechai, the megilah was named after her. Also, Esther was the one who insisted that the story of Purim be recorded and be added to our Holy Scriptures, thus, it was named "Megilat Esther."

Megilat Esther is the only book in Scriptures in which Yahveh's name is not mentioned. "Esther" comes from the root "Astir," which means to "hide." The name "Megilat Esther" alludes to the fact that Yahveh's presence in the megilah is "hidden."

Q. Why doesn't Yahveh's name appear in the megilah?

A. Yahveh performs miracles in two ways. One way is by changing the laws of nature temporarily. For example, the Exodus, the splitting of the Sea, the Giving of the Torah, the miracle of Chanukah, when a small amount of oil, enough to burn only one day, lasted eight days etc. These miracles were in a revealed way.

Another way is that Yahveh "hides" the miracle within nature. In this case, we do not see an obvious miracle. Purim was a "hidden" miracle, for it came through Queen Esther's intervention in which case one may attribute the final outcome not to a Divine miracle but to the King's desire to please his queen. This is emphasized by the fact that Yahveh's name does not appear in the Megilah Miracles, but require effort to recognize the divine connection.

The lesson for us: We too, throughout our lives, experience two kinds of miracles: "Open miracles," when we see no way out of a difficult situation and then salvation occurs; and "hidden miracles" which include the every day events, which we take for granted. Miracles like these are part of our daily tests. Purim teaches us that the daily "hidden miracles" in which Yahveh's presence is not revealed, actually represent the greatest miracles of all!