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PURIM
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According to custom, a man is required to drink so much wine on Purim that he becomes incapable of knowing the difference between cursing Haman and blessing Mordecai. The drinking of alcohol is encouraged on Purim. There are some who would go so far as to claim that Purim is the only day of the year when a Jew is allowed to get drunk.
The highlight of Purim is the Adloyada carnival in Tel Aviv where colorful floats parade through the city. Purim in Israel is a day of merriment and even takes on some of the aspects and playfulness of April Fool's Day in the States.
Curiously, God is not mentioned in the Book of Esther. This is explained by saying that Purim is the celebration of God working behind the scenes, while Passover celebrates God's direct intervention.
In a Hebrew leap year, there are two months of Adar: Adar Aleph and Adar Bet. According to Talmudic tradition, Purim is celebrated in the second Adar (Adar Bet), because that was the date of the original Purim, which occurred in a leap year.
A Point to Ponder:
During the 1991 Gulf War, Iraqi missiles rained down on Israel each night for over a month. By the second week, people began to ask how long things could go on like this. That was when the Lebavitzer Rabbi confidently declared that the war would end on Purim. Amazingly, the Gulf War ended exactly on Purim. Against all military logic, the American forces stopped their advance into Iraqi territory and declared a ceasefire. The war had ended.
Purim Katan:
The custom has evolved for Jewish communities to celebrate the anniversary of their escape from destruction. These special communal Purims are called 'Purim Katan.' The following are a few examples, some of which are celebrated to this day:
- Casablanca Purim Katan, celebrated on the 2nd of Kislev, commemorates the Jewish community there being saved from anti-Jewish riots and Nazi occupation in 1943.
- Purim Winz was established by the Jews of Frankfort on the Main (Germany) on the 20th of Adar in 1616, and celebrates the expelled Jews being admitted into the town, as well as the execution of the chief Jew-baiter and anti-Semite, Fettmilch.
- The Jews of Tiberias celebrate a Purim Katan on the 7th of Elul dating from 1743 when they were saved from the danger of war from the surrounding Arab countries and their foreign allies.
- Cairo: called 'Purim Mizrayom,' the Jews of Cairo celebrated the 28th of Adar, 1524, when they were saved from extermination.
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