Photo by Ruth Goodin
Congregation B’nai Harim at the Nevada County Jewish Community Center recently raised over $1,200 for the Nevada County Food Bank by selling Hamantaschen for the Jewish holiday of Purim. Giving charity to the under-served is one of the obligations of celebrating this holiday.
Purim is the celebration of the deliverance of the Jewish people from the wicked Haman in the fourth century B.C.E. The scroll (book) of Esther is read on this festive day. The Hebrew word for scroll is megillah. Hence the “whole megillah”.
Purim is often considered the Jewish version of Mardi Gras or Halloween, with costumes, noise-making and other festive activities. The phrase “hester panim” means “hiding in the face” and is often used when discussing the Book of Esther. In this sense of the term, hester panim is similar to the sun on an overcast day. We may not see the sun, but we know it is there. Purim is a celebration of God’s love at work at all times, even when we may not see it. Esther is the only book in the Hebrew Bible that does not explicitly mention the Name of God. Hence the reference to the unseen and the link to wearing masks and costumes.